Emigrants in the Historical Population Register of Norway

Abstract

Both the completed transcription of our emigration protocols, the construction of the national Historical Population Register, and other developments make an article about methods for studying emigration from Norway through the last couple of centuries topical. It starts by discussing the Norwegian and American source material where we can identify the emigrants’ absence from Norway. It in particular focuses attention on groups that are difficult to follow because of international migration, and what consequences this has for emigration statistics. A key issue for further research is to what degree emigration and return migration can be reflected in the population registry.