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…
This week I’m going to discuss the idea of alternate surnames. This might sound confusing, but it actually works to prevent confusion. Our Scandinavian ancestors used a small number of given names in high repetition, and with patronymics, it gets even more confusing because first and last names are similar. Read more…
Most of us trace our ancestry back to farmers at some point in time. Did you know there are several different words to describe different types of farmers? Church records, census records and any other records you look at often times give the individual’s occupation. If you watch, you will Read more…
My workload lately has been tedious and not too exciting. But as I was cleaning up my workspace after completing a project recently, I got thinking about all the things I use regularly when I’m working. I have a literal box that I keep everything in so nothing gets lost. Read more…
Today (December 13) is the time to celebrate Lucia Day in Sweden. I thought this video might explain things far better than I can. And here’s the link from today’s big celebration at the Kalmar Castle. Even just the opening ten minutes will give you a good feel for the Read more…
My last post showed the historical waterfront buidings in Bergen, Norway. Today I want to share the same concept from Copenhagen. This area is called Nyhavn, and it’s built along a man-made canal that flows into the sea. It dates back to King Christian V who was famous for lots Read more…
It’s been a long time since I was last in Norway, but I still love this view of the old section of Bergen, also known as Bryggen. This street was once a major trading warf during the Hanseatic League. These waterfront trade areas are common in Scandinavia. The city has Read more…
The final linking pattern for Scandinavian research is based on social class. I call it societal linking. The idea behind this rule is that our ancestors lived within the same social class their entire lives. “Rags to Riches” stories, or the reverse, are simply not true. If your family was Read more…
The next linking pattern is related to our previous one of geography. This time we will discuss property linkage. We talked about our ancestors living out their lives in a small geographic region. They also had ties to the farms and villages where they were born. Property claims were passed Read more…