My aunt has been able to trace my paternal ancestors to 1600s Norway.

[Odin2005]

To an Anders Ellingsen Seljeset that was born in IIRC 1644 in the village of Grodas in western Norway, in the municipality of Hornindal, between Bergen and Trondheim. i have relatives over in Norway who still farm a little plot of land that has been in the family since at least the 1600s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornindal

[sybylla]

1. Hey, that's cool.

I have married relations from Norway and they found genealogical research there to be a nightmare - all the last name issues and just plain difficulty finding people from one generation to another.

[katkat]

2. Norway, Denmark

I don't know about Norway, but looking in Denmark is a dream. The state has the parish registers and censuses online in image form and some transcribed. Despite the common names, there is enough info in terms of dates of birth and dates of confirmation, etc. to trace pretty well. Plus the parish registers record when people left and came to parishes, so you can find people even if they move. Of course, sometimes the recorder kept lousy records, but generally they are quite good.

I am surprised Norway does not have that. Are you sure they don't?

[riverwalker]

3. Norwegian records

Researching the Norwegian records are amazingly easy. Every birth, death, baptism, marriage, emigration is recorded in the online digitalized church records back to the 1600's. The name changes are are easy to understand, once you understand how it is done. i.e. "Larson" is son of Lars etc, and the use of farm names for last names is actually a benefit for research rather than a obstacle. I have had to research both maternal and paternal lines to 1600's in Norway. I find that part easy, it's after they cross the ocean to America the records dwindle and people become lost. If any one needs help researching Norwegian records, let me know, I can guide you through it.