This week I completed a research project based in Kalmar County, Sweden. The family had their lineage traced to the time that church records began. The end-of-line ancestor, Ander Knutsson, lived while there were great records, but his birth pre-dated the church records. Our goal was to discover the birth Read more…
A christening is infant baptism. Children in Scandinavia and most of the Christian world were brought to the church as infants to be baptized as a way to find relief from original sin. Our ancestors’ christenings typically took place within weeks of birth. Sometimes a child was christened at home Read more…
Check out this amazing headstone from Ostbirk Churchyard in Denmark. It memorializes Peder Skram, a now-famous Danish Naval Admiral. He was born around 1500 on his father’s estate, and he went on to have a remarkable career. A famous now-retired Danish warship bares his name. The fact that a headstone Read more…
I just want to share the link with you all for the Legacy Family Tree Webinar that I presented this week. It will be available to view for free until Wednesday, 3 April. It was a great experience, and I hope to present with this group again. Which Hans Jensen Read more…
For a long time I’ve had an idea of featuring some of my ancestors from Scandinavia. Today will be the first. The following is a life sketch of one of my great-grandfathers, Martin Peterson. It was written by his son, Raymond. I love the little picture it provides of life Read more…
I had such a great time at RootsTech! I hope many of you were able to join, either in person or by livestream. My favorite part was meeting with so many friends from my genealogy life who I rarely see in person. This was my first time back since 2020. Read more…
This is such a classic look for churches in Scandinavia. The white-washed exterior walls and the bright red roof are just so eye-catching. I caught this church photo on a rare sunny day in Iceland. Notice how short the trees are. The growing season does not encourage much height on Read more…
RootsTech 2024 kicks off in two weeks from today. I’m drowning in preparations, so I thought I would preview some of the things I’m involved in and some of the things I’m looking forward to. First, I will be teaching three classes. A Look into the Business of Genealogy–A Panel Read more…
When my dad died last year, it started the unavoidable process of sorting through The Stuff. Initially it was his personal items, but it snowballed into an all-out overhaul of the storage in my parents’ home and garage. One of the many trips I’ve made to visit my mom and Read more…
I have quite a few research goals for myself this year. One of them is very over-due. I’ve been wanting to be part of the Legacy Family Tree Webinar series. For those who don’t know much about this great offering, let me fill you in. Legacy Family Tree Webinars is Read more…