Film Numbers for Land Registration (Matrikel) Records 

Gary T. Horlacher, Sep 2000 [Draft]

Film numbers listed here are those used in the archives of Denmark which have an M preceding the number (M for Mormon film). The same number with preceding zeros are those used at the Family History Library or which can be ordered to one of their branch libraries. For example the number 579215 at the Danish National Archives (Rigsarkivet) would be film M579215 and at the Family History Library would be film 0579215. The census film with number 39125 would likewise be M39125 in Danish state archives and 0039125 at the Family History Library and branch libraries.

1661-1664 Land Registration (Matrikel) 

Some of the parish books listing fuedal dues (landgilde) which were used as a basis for this are also available on microfilm:
 

Films for the 1664 registration are as follows:

1680 Land Registration (Matrikel):

The 1680 registration has not been microfilmed but can be seen at the national archives in the Rentkammer archive under the number 311.145-176 (old volume numbers listed in parenthesis). This is 31 volumes and one packet:



Vol. 145: København, Hørsholm birk (1793)
Vol. 146: Roskilde, Jegerpris (1796)
Vol. 147: Sorø (1798)
Vol. 148: Antvorskov (1799)
Vol. 149: Korsør (1800)
Vol. 150: Kalundborg (1801b)
Vol. 151: Dragsholm (1802)
Vol. 152: Sæbygård (1803b)
Vol. 153: Holbæk (1805)
Vol. 154: Tryggevælde (1806)
Vol. 155: Vordingborg (1807b)
Vol. 156: Møns (1808)
Vol. 157: Nyborg (1809a)
Vol. 158: Odense & Rugård (1810-11)
Vol. 159: Assens & Hindsgavl (1812-1813)
Vol. 160: Tranekær (1814)
Vol. 161: Nykøbing (1815c)
Vol. 162: Halsted kloster
Vol. 163: Ålholm (1817e)
Vol. 164: Riberhus (1819b)
Vol. 165: Koldinghus (1819b)
Vol. 166: Lundenæs (1820c)
Vol. 167: Bøvling (1821c)
Vol. 168: Havreballegård (1822b)
Vol. 169: Stjernholm (1823b)
Vol. 170: Kalø, Mariager kloster (1827b-1828)
Vol. 173: Silkeborg (1829)
Vol. 174: Hald & Skivehus (1830a)
Vol. 175: Ålborghus, Åstrup, Børglum
Vol. 176: Dueholm, Ørum, Vestervig (1836c)

1688 Land Registration (Matrikel):

In addition some duplicates of the following films were filmed in the provincial archives (landsarkiver). If some of the films you need above are illegible, you might try these second set of films.



LAND BOOKS (JORDEBØGER)

[NOTE: As with binding contracts (fæstebrev), I have struggled to find the right word to translate jordebøger in English. I finally began using the term feudal dues bookswhich was fairly accurate to their content, however did not adequately represent the Danish term. I have now decided to instead use a literal translation of the Danish term, jordebøger=land books)]

In the feudal system of Denmark the farmers were required to make a yearly contribution to their lord in goods and produce from their yearly harvests. The amounts each farmer were to pay differed depending on the quality and extent of their land and property. This yearly contribution was called the landgilde. The appraisal was made in terms of Hartkorn (hard-corn) which was a measurement of the value of the various goods in barrels of rye and barley. For example a farmer with an entire farm might be required to pay in landgilde 2 barrels of rye, 2 barrels of barley, 1 pound of butter, 1 lamb, 2 geese, 4 chickens, 1 swine, 4 hens. TheHartkorn was the value of all of these items put together. Each item had an equivalent hartkorn value, so that this would come to a total of 9 tønder (barrels), 4 skp., 1 otting, 2 3/5 album hartkorn. To keep track of how much landgild each farmer had to pay, the feudal lords kept books (jordebøger) which listed each of the common people, where they lived, how much fuedal dues they had to pay, and the total hartkorn value for their dues.

Besides t he term jordebøger, these records are often listed as hartkorn designationer or landgild in registers of archive holdings. Such records are just as valuable as the jordebøger. 

The land books (jordebøger) list the amount of yearly dues each property owner was appraised to pay to the landlord. They were kept by the estate owners but copies were send to the fief (county) lord for the most part from about 1572-1660. After that period of time they were no longer required to be sent in to the county offices except for when a land registration (matrikel) was taking place or for other reasons. After that period the books were made every few years, but copies of them may not have survived. Often the copies that survive in the archives are for various years in the 1700s. To find the books after 1660 look on the county level in the locality browse or type the name of the estate in the keyword search. Many of these books for the 18^th century have not been microfilmed and are only available in provincial archives in Denmark. You can research what is available on microfilm and then later see if there are additional books for needed years in Danish archives.



Copies and transcripts of the land books are also found in the deed and mortgage (skøde og panteprotokoller). Often these transcripts are even more detailed and numerous than from other sources and are also generally available on microfilm. When a land owner would sell a particular estate or part of an estate or transfer lands with another landowner, in order to describe the lands being transacted a list of the property evaluation (landkorn earlier, and after 1660-1688 land registrations generally hartkorn) along with the name of the person on that property. From my own studies I have found the lists in the deeds to be even more accurate than from other sources in listing the poor house cottager who did not own any land at all but whose house was on part of the estate property.

To find the extracts of land books in the deeds, you should look up a history of the estate your ancestor belonged to either from Trap's Danmark or from one of the several series of Danmarks Slott og Herregård. Note the date when different property holders are listed as taking over the property and then look in the provincial court (landsting) registers for the deed. For Jutland these are in the Viborg Landsting and the archive in Viborg has indexes by estate to land transactions and other references in the deeds. The island of Fyn deeds were handled by the Fynbo landsting. There was also a Sjælland landsting.

MILITARY RESERVE LISTS (RESERVERULLERNE) 

Lists of men (mandtal) from whom the soldiers and reserve soldiers could be chosen. Most important is list 1700/1701. Also list of 1733 and 1741. Military lists and sources can be grouped in about four types of records:

• True list of men (mandtal) including all men. The only one that seems to be available for all of Denmark which included all of the population was the 1700 list. This list includes all of the men by household with age and relationship to each other or occupation listed. It can be a tremendous source for genealogists. These records have been preserved for many counties of Denmark and are found in the Amtstue Arkiv (County Revenues Archive) in each of the Landsarkiver (provincial archives).
• Reserve lists showing all men from among whom the militia soldier could be chosen. In other words all common men 14-35/36 (1701-1742), 9-40 (1762-1764), or 4-40 (1764-1788) who had not already gotten a copyhold contract for a farm. These lists are found especially in 1733 and 1742, however they do not give relationships and would only include those in the right ages who were not bound to a farm. They do list each person's age and where they were living or which levy district they were living in.
• Conscription rolls (Indskrivnings ruller) are found for various years but particularly 1742-1770s. These rolls list information on three men, the lægdsman (an official who mediated between the soldier and his needs, and the members of the community assigned to support him), the soldier, and the reserve soldier. These rolls often list the soldier and reserve soldier's name, age, birthplace, residence, and who they are working form. They list where the lægdsman resides. Although they don't have information on all the people, for those whose ancestors for a while served in the militia, these records can give just the clue needed.
• Miscellaneous Rolls. These may have been required for various purposes. One example is a second roll from 1700 which listed adult men and what type of weapons they had if they needed to be called on.

After studying the military system of the 1700s in Denmark, the early 1789-1794 levy rolls system starts to make more sense. In the past, it has been noted that the first military levying rolls included men from birth until 40 years old, however there is a huge number of men between ages 18-40 who are not listed. Once it is understood that it was only those who did not have a binding contract who were listed, it suddenly makes sense why some are listed and others are not. Also the earliest military levying rolls often listed the men by where they were born rather than where they were living at the time of the roll. Again, this stems from an earlier policy where a person was bound to the estate where they lived at the time of their confirmation as to their military obligations regardless of where they moved to.

More information about the military system of the 18^th century, military training, and official policies that affected record keeping can be found in:

Oversigt over udskrivningsarkivalier 1700-1788 i Landsarkivet for Nørrejylland. Viborg: Landsarkivet for Nørrejylland, 1972. (FHL book 948.95 A3ov.)

MISCELLANEOUS OTHER LISTS

By combining the above sources, one finds a wealth of information in the period from the late 1500s-1700, however it becomes more sketchy after 1700 for some areas. The people were so poor that extra taxes were generally only leveled on people with trades other than the farming class. If the earliest church records start in the middle or late 1700s or when the extracts were made in 1814, then the challenge is finding sources to bridge the gap from the earliest census and levy rolls about 1787 until the 1700 census and earlier records. Following may be other sources that could help bridge the gap into the earlier records:

• 1720s-1740s list of school children Copenhagen County, Bornholm, etc. Also lists of the people in a community who were assessed the fees to pay for the new school and teacher.
• Poor fund (fattigvæsenet) records found in the parish priest's sub-archive (præstearkiv) or areas like on Fyn in the estate sub-archive (godsarkiv) will often list the poor people in a particular area often in three categories from the amount of aid they need. They will also list all of the names of the other people in the community and the amount they were assessed to pay toward each of the poor.
• The stoleregister or register listing which families and individuals sat on which stools in the church. These do not exist into the 1700s for many parishes but for some and are often found in the parish priest's sub-archive (præstearkiv) within the provincial archives (landsarkiver) of Denmark.
• Court records: estate courts, higher courts, chancery courts. [More information on this to be listed later]