Denmark genealogy - advice please

[AcadianJoan]

I'm an experienced genealogist but not with Denmark. Any advice would be welcomed. According to census data and his children's birth records my ancestor came to the US from Denmark and was a painter. His parents names are on his marriage record. I found what I believe is his naturalization record. The name, year of birth, country of origin, residence and occupation all match. My ancestor told the census takers he was naturalized. According to the naturalization papers, he was born in Copenhagen. His full birth date is also listed.

I think the thing that will be difficult for me is his name - John Brown. Probably not his name in Denmark right? My Aunt (80 years old) remembers her mother (who died in 1967) telling her that her (the mother's) grandfather (this man) was originally called something like Bruski. While on the surfacE, this is great info, with so much time having passed I wonder how accurate it is.

I found Denmark vital statistics online at an official govt site. But it seems I need to know the parish (or try them all) and then download all the data to look at it? Maybe I didn't understand?

Can anyone give me some advice? Thanks!

Joanc

[janrm]

Not doing anything on Denmark myself, but here are a couple of pages you may find something on:

http://www.slaegtogdata.dk/

http://www.sa.dk/ao/English/default.aspx

"Kilder" = Sources
"Folketælling" = Census


Good Luck!

J

[AcadianJoan]

Thanks. I'll get right to work!

Joan

[Isabel H]

http://www.ddd.dda.dk/kiplink_en.htm
If you know he was born in Copenhagen, you can select Kobenhavn, All parishes, all districts. You can also do a wildcard search on his surname.  Br% finds people called Bruun, for example.

Emigrants database;   http://www.emiarch.dk/search.php3?l=en

[AcadianJoan]

Thanks Isabel. Especially for the instruction on the wildcard search. I normally use * as a wild card so your message was very helpful.

(I didn't find him on the site yet, but now I'm looking through NY passenger lists to see if I can find someone who may be him. Then I'll try that name.)

Joan

[aghadowey]

Do you know where in U.S. he lived? If there was a Danish community in the area there might be a Danish-American club (I was able to find information about my uncle's family this way).

[AcadianJoan]

Thanks for the suggestion. He landed in NY in 1858. By 1871 he married in Boston and was there at least through 1888. I lose him on the census, but his wife and children stayed in Boston forever.

I googled and found a Danish group in Mass but the links kept coming up as broken. I wonder if they disbanded?

I think Boston was more an Irish city than Danish. His wife was Irish.

Joan

[aghadowey]

If he didn't marry a Danish girl then he might not have kept close contact with other Danes in Boston (it was a city of immigrants, not just Irish).
Both my uncle's parents were born in Denmark, he lived there as a child, and most of their friends were Danish so they seemed to keep within a tight-knit community.

[Isabel H]

You said you had John's parents' names from the marriage certificate. Have they been anglicised too? If not, you may be able to find them in the Danish censuses, which would then give you an idea of which Kirkebøger might contain his birth. 

Have you looked for them on Familysearch?