During the period 1984-2025 Luster kommune has published 12 farm- and family history volumes covering the whole kommune. Read more about preliminary division of volumes on our separate web page: Division of volumes.
After the consolidation of the three municipalities of Hafslo, Jostedal and Luster in 1964, the area covering Luster kommune of today is characterized by scattered rural settlements and large distances between these settlements. Luster is the largest kommune in Sogn og Fjordane, the larger administrative division in the district, measuring 2.702 square kilometres or approximately 1.679 square miles. Luster kommune centers around the inner branch of the Sognefjord, which is called the Lustrafjord.
The bygdebok volumes
include both a farm history and a family history for every farm, and the two parts have their own author. The farm history has information about the meaning of the farm name, the age of the farm, its location, limits, mountain pastures and to what extent farm properties were subdivided into smaller units. There is also a mention of the cotter farms, farms that were located on land that was rented from the larger freeholding farms. At the back of every volume the reader is able to study maps that show the location of all dwellings on freeholding farms, cotter farms and regular private homes. Dwellings are marked both if they are still standing today, but also in cases where if they once have been removed.
The family history mentions all persons who have lived on the freeholding farms and the cotters’ farms as far back in time as what is documented. The author of this part of the bygdebok has also emphasized including all persons who have moved outside the community.
Luster kommune is one of the areas in the whole country that had the largest number of people moving outside its community limits, including both emigrants who went to America as well as those who migrated to destinations within Norway. Around 1850 present Luster kommune had a population of about 8000, while as of January 1, 2003 the number of inhabitants was 4926. All those who emigrated to America are mentioned in the book with such information as: their date of birth, date of death, residence, profession, place and date of marriage, the name of their spouse and the names of their children. Nearly all children born to those who emigrated are mentioned with the following information: their residence, profession, place and date of marriage, name of spouse and the number of children they in turn had.
Those who moved to other locations within Norway are mentioned with their date of birth, date of death, residence, place and date of marriage, name spouse and names of their children. A distinctive feature with the coming volumes is that they will also contain the information mentioned above for the first generation born outside of Luster, not only for transatlantic emigrants.