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Question:One of my ancestors originated from Norway 3 generations back. (My great-grandfather.) He moved to the USA but he died young after having children and never really left any information about his family back in Norway. (Except for the names of his brother and sister.)

How much would you estimate the cost for a genealogist to research his family tree in order to find any living descendants in Norway?

Would a genealogist be able to access records to living relatives?


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: One of my ancestors originated from Norway 3 generations back. (My great-grandfather.) He moved to the USA but he died young after having children and never really left any information about his family back in Norway. (Except for the names of his brother and sister.)

How much would you estimate the cost for a genealogist to research his family tree in order to find any living descendants in Norway?

Would a genealogist be able to access records to living relatives?

Norwegian genealogy researchers will charge you a base of several hundred dollars American...and give you no guarantees. They are also not ethically allowed to research living people. But that doesn't mean you've hit a dead end. Norwegian genealogy is amongst the easiest in the world because of their long history of political stability and high literacy for centuries.

Also, just because you haven't found the paper trail, yet, don't give up on your great-grandfather. The odds are you just haven't looked in the right place. Start with his death certificate, marriage license, church records (particularly if he was a good Lutheran), Ellis Island if he came over after 1891, the National Archives--particularly if he came over after 1900--if he did they'll have the names of his parents and the town of his birth on his Declaration of Intent and Naturalization petition. Then check out some of these sites:

http://www.nagcnl.org/
http://www.emigrationcenter.com/index.cf...
http://www.usa.no/norway/noramer.html
http://www.archives.gov

thats cool that you bring that up. you know what idk bjt if u do a lil research you might get an answer. but otherwise thats preety cool to be thinking that way

http://www.norwayheritage.com/
Here is one site that will help.. but before that, you will also want to do ALL the research you can on this side. I had another great database that I found.. and not sure this is the same, but I was flat amazed at the accessibility to church records for my Norwegian (step) grandmother, who immigrated circa 1900.
Research always seems intimidating, but most people get the hang of it, fairly quickly. I'd suggest that you take the time to see what you can learn yourself, before hiring someone. Good researchers are not inexpensive, to put it mildly.
As to living persons.. my guess is that like the US, you may run into privacy rules. I don't want personal info about me, available without my consent.. most people feel the same.
I lucked out.. there was a cousin left in Norway, doing research, who KNEW the data about the desc. on this side. Even after 100 yrs.. she left a virtual 'post it' on a place with grandma's info.. this was in the last few years.
You also can join email lists of persons who are doing research on any given place.. and networking leads to knowledgeable persons.
Your email is NOT enabled on your profile. For genealogy, it is very good to open it, in case someone finds info for you, but the question is closed.

A professional genealogist usually charges $100 to $300 per
hour. This is for a certified genealogist.
I agree with the other answers try as much as possible to do it yourself.