Ancestors from Norway - Getting started

Back to Norwegian - American Genealogy Research

GETTING STARTED

by John Follesdal

     Researching your family tree can be a favorite hobby or a frustrating chore.The key to success is laying a good foundation and proceeding carefully backwards in time, generation by generation. Using the following step by step approach is the best guarantee for making your research go as smoothly as possible.

1) Read a book or two

     Many good books have been written on the subject of how to get started with genealogy research. You can either purchase one at your local bookstore, or borrow one from your local library. Your local library probably has an entire section of genealogy books. It can also arrange for you to borrow books from other libraries through a program called Inter-Library Loan (ILL). Reading a "How to get started" book will give you some guidance on:
  1. what types of sources are used in genealogy research (census records, vital records, etc.);
  2. how you can obtain these records; and
  3. some of the methods that are used in genealogy research.

     As I point out below, your initial focus should be on your immediate ancestors-- those who lived here in the United States. Finding out as much as possible about these ancestors will save you a great deal of time and frustration when you "leap the pond" and start searching through Norwegian sources. As the LDS Family History Library points out in its Research Outline for Norway: "Generally you must know the specific town where your Norwegian ancestor was born before beginning research in Norway." The approach that I have outlined below is designed with this admonition in mind.

     In addition to reading a couple of books about genealogy, I would also recommend that you obtain and carefully read the following LDS (Mormon) genealogy research outlines:

  1. The research outline for the United States;
  2. The research outline for the state that your immigrant ancestor lived in when he or she arrived here in the US; and
  3. The research outline for Norway.

     These outlines are available for a small fee from your local LDS (Mormon) Family History Center (FHC). (To locate the nearest FHC look in your yellow pages under "Churches - Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints). As an alternative, you can print these outlines out for free from the LDS FamilySearch web site - under Research Guidance.

In addition, I would recommend that you obtain Finn A. Thomsen's The Beginner's Guide to Norwegian Genealogical Research. This is also available at your local LDS Family History Center or from the publisher: Thomsen's Genealogical Center, P.O. Box 588, Bountiful, Utah 84010.

2) Talk to others in your family

     Chances are pretty good that someone in your family shares your interest in genealogy. If you ask around, you will probably find that a cousin, or perhaps a great-aunt, has already done some genealogy research. Recently I received an e-mail from a cousin twice removed that illustrates this: he contacted me to see if I had any information on the ancestors of our mutual great grandfather. I sent him copies of what I had (which goes back about seven generations). He, in turn, had some wonderful material to share with me, including a tape-recorded interview with his grandmother where she recalls life on the old farm at the turn of the century! My cousin and I are now working together to fill in various gaps in our family tree.

     I should caution you, however, that the work done by other family members may not always be accurate. They may have misspelled names or relied on family stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. Keep a healthy skepticism, especially if no sources are cited in the material that you obtain from other family members.

     Contacting your family members about your genealogy project is alsoa great way to reestablish contact with distant relatives that you may not have seen for several years. Even if they do not have any informationto share with you, reestablishing contact is a rewarding experience in and of itself.

     Another reason to talk to your family members is to get as much information as you can from the oldest members of your family before they pass away. They can often identify who's who in old photographs and can remember many details and stories that will soon be lost. Spend some time with these relatives and ask detailed questions about your family history. Use a tape-recorder or video camera if possible! At the bottom of this page I have listed two links to web pages that contain questionnaires that can help you prepare for interviewing family members.

     Finally, make sure you look for clues in old newspaper clippings, handwritten notes on the back of old photographs, notations in old family bibles, initials and dates on silverware, etc. You can get valuable leads from such sources!

3) Keep a research log

     As your work progresses, you will quickly start to accumulate a great deal of material: old photographs, photocopies of birth certificates, death certificates, census records, etc. To keep track of where you have beenand what you have done, you should keep a research log where you enter information about which census records you have already looked at, which birth certificates you have ordered copies of, etc. Start keeping such a log from the very outset of your project -- if you don't start now you will probably have to go back and redo some of your work!

     Many genealogists keep their research log in a three-ring binder with dividers for each member of the family that they are researching. (Don't store precious old letters and photographs in this binder -- you could accidentally misplace it or drop it on a wet sidewalk!)

4) Develop a plan

     You have two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, sixteen great- great- grandparents, etc. It will take several years of research to obtain detailed information on all of these ancestors and the various branches of your family. When you start out, you should therefore focus on one or two branches. You can use your time better and be more effective if you have a focused plan to guide you in your research.

5) Family Group Sheets

     Fill out a "Family Group Sheet" for each person that you are researching, starting with yourself, then your parents, and so on, working your way back, generation by generation. (You can obtain these sheets from your local LDS Family History Center). When you fill out the "Family Group Sheet" keep the following rules in mind:
  1. Write the surname in capital letters. This makes it easier to scan genealogical records: ANDERSON, Ole Daniel instead of Anderson, Ole Daniel.
  2. Write dates using the following format: 07 April 1922 instead of 4/7/92. This prevents numbers from getting jumbled. One important note to remember: Norwegians write dates "backwards": 4/7/1922 means July 4th, 1922, not April 7th, 1922!
  3. Write all place names in the following order: Township/City, County, State, Country. For Norwegian place names, start with Farm name, Parish, "Kommune" (municipality), or City, followed by "fylke" (province/county) and country.
  4. Don't mix the children of one marriage with the children of another marriage! Use separate Family Group Sheets for each family unit.

6) Visit your local library

     Even if you decide to purchase a book on how to get started in genealogy,you should still visit your local library. Most local libraries have a genealogy collection that contains family histories that have been written about local families. If you are lucky, your family history may be one of these!

     At your local library you can also ask the librarian to do an on-line search of the holdings of other libraries to see if your family history is available at another library. This type of on-line search is called an OCLC WorldCat Firstsearch(r), and taps into a vast database. Many Norwegian local history books (bygdebooks), for example, are listed in this database and are available through inter library loan.

     I have had great success with the OCLC Worldcat Firstsearch(r). In 1995, for example, I wanted to find out the fate of my great, great grandfather's brother who emigrated from Norway to the US in the 1890's. I did an OCLC Worldcat Firstsearch(r) and discovered that one of his descendants had written a genealogy book on the descendants of this brother! Within ten days I had obtained the book through inter library loan and could read a comprehensive account of this branch of my family.

7) Review available biographies that may contain information on your ancestors

     Norwegian immigration to the U.S. is a topic that has generated an abundance of books and articles. It is quite possible that your ancestors are mentioned in one or more of these resources. It is therefore well worth your time and effort to review these. Although some of these resources are in Norwegian,you will find many that are in English. At the end of this article I have listed the most useful biography books that I know of. You can obtain copies of these at your local library through the Inter Library Loan program.

8) Visit your local LDS Family History Center

     Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - LDS (Mormons) believe that they and their ancestors can be together in heaven as longas each person has been baptized into the Mormon faith. For this reason, Mormons trace their ancestors and baptize these ancestors in special temple ceremonies. As a result of this religious belief, the LDS church has, over the years, developed the largest genealogy collection in the world. This vast collection of books, microfiches, and microfilms is made available to the public at numerous Family History Centers around the world. You do not have to be a Mormon to use this collection, nor will anyone try to convert you when you visit an LDS Family History Center. I have found the reference librarians and other volunteers at these Centers to be extremely knowledgeable and helpful. To find out if there is an LDS Family History Center near you take a look in your local Yellow Pages under "Churches- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints".

     While you are at the Family History Center you should also review the LDS International Genealogical Index (IGI). This is a database on CD-rom disks that contains several hundred thousand names and family lines that genealogists have researched and submitted to the LDS.

9) Search through the available on-line genealogy surname databases:

     In addition to visiting an LDS Family History Center, you should also take a look at the various web sites that have databases of surnames that others are researching. On my web page I have collected several links to such surname databases and query lists. These include:
  1. Roots Surname List
  2. Geneanet
  3. DIS-Norge's database (This database is in Norway and is only availableto members. (The annual membership fee, however, is only about $ 30.00). The database is accessible both in Norwegian and English.

10) When should I "leap the pond" and begin researching Norwegian records?

     Since I started using the Internet for Norwegian - American genealogy research I have often seen messages like the following being posted to the newsgroups soc.genealogy.nordic and no.slekt: There are two problems with such a post:
  1. There were thousands of Norwegian immigrants named Ole Anderson. A patronymic naming system was used in rural Norway prior to about 1900 and as a result it is impossible to identify a person such as Ole Anderson without additional information about him. As you will find out, fellow genealogists from Norway are always willing to help with leads, but a posting such as this is almost meaningless! (See my article "Norwegian Naming Practices").
  2. U.S. Naturalization records would probably contain the information necessary to pinpoint where in Norway this Ole Anderson came from. (I say "probably" because prior to 1906 the details contained in such records varied considerably depending on where these records were processed).
     Genealogy is a hobby that requires us to progress carefully backwards in time, step by step, generation by generation. This is especially true with Norwegian - American genealogy. You can save a great deal of time (and frustration) by gathering all of the records that are available about your immigrant ancestors after their arrival here in the United States before you start researching Norwegian records. Once you have examined these records from the United States (Naturalization records, Census records, Homestead records, old letters and photographs, family bibles, etc.) you can "leap over the pond" to continue your research in Norway, confident that you have the necessary information to tackle the problems that the patronymic naming system will present you with. By that time you will hopefully have discovered not only where in Norway your ancestors came from, but also the correct spelling of your ancestors' names. These names were, in many cases, changed upon arrival here in the U.S.

11) Conclusion

     There are many resources available to help you in your genealogy research. Some of these are on the Internet, others are available at your local library and at LDS Family History Centers. On my web site you will find links to various research guides that explain how to use U.S. Census records, how to obtain Vital records and Naturalization records, etc. While new genealogy sources are being added to the Internet every day, you will find that at the present time almost all of your research will occur at such places as the local LDS Family History Center. You will quickly find that your fellow genealogists are some of the friendliest, most helpful people you will ever meet. On that note, I will leave you to you new hobby and wish you Lykke til! -- Best of luck!

John Follesdal

Biographical sources:

     As I mentioned earlier, there is a wealth of books and articles on the history of Norwegian immigration to the U.S. Some of these sources contain a great deal of genealogy information. Three of these sources deserve specialmention: Martin Ulvestad's Norge in Amerika med kart, Gerhard B.Naeseth's Norwegian immigrants to the United States: a biographical directory, 1825-1850, and The Andrew A. Rowberg's 1914 - 1978 Biographical File.

     Martin Ulvestad collected biographical information on thousands of Norwegian Americans and published his collection in 1901 in a book titled Norge in Amerika med kart. This book is now out of print, but several large genealogy libraries have a copy of it:

     The late professor Gerhard B. Naeseth also collected an enormous number of biographies which were published in his book Norwegian immigrants to the United States: a biographical directory, 1825-1850. This book is also available at many large genealogy libraries:

     Beginning in 1914, Andrew A. Rowberg searched through Norwegian - American newspapers and other publications to find obituaries, wedding and birth announcements, etc. His collection of 125,000 items is contained in a set of 1,600 microfiche, arranged alphabetically by name. The set, called TheAndrew A. Rowberg Biographical File, 1914 - 1978, is published by the Norwegian - American Historical Association.

     Here are some of the many other publications that may contain information on your Norwegian ancestors:

U.S. wide sources:

Scandinavian immigrants in New York, 1630-1674; with appendices on Scandinavians in Mexico and South America, 1532-1640, Scandinavians in Canada, 1619-1620, Some Scandinavians in New York in the eighteenth century, German immigrants in New York, 1630-1674, 1916 Evjen, John Oluf, 1874 - , Minneapolis, Minn., K. C. Holter publishing company, 1916. LC: F130.S2 E9

Saga in steel and concrete; Norwegian engineers in America. 1947 Bjork, Kenneth. Northfield, Minn., 1947. LC: TA23.B52

Norwegian-American imprints in the St. Olaf College Library: a bibliography.1986 compiled by Chrisma S. Dittmann. Northfield, Minn.: Norwegian-American Historical Association, 1986. LC: Z1361.N67 D57 1986

Norwegian settlement in the United States. 1970 [by] CarltonC. Qualey. New York, Arno Press, 1970 [c1938]. LC: E184.S2 Q3 1970

Norwegian sailors in American waters. 1979 Knut Gjerset. New York : Arno Press, 1979 [c1933] LC: E184.S2 G64 1979

De norske settlementers historie: en oversigt over den norske indvandring til og bebyggelse af Amerikas nordvestern fra Amerikas opdagelse til Indianer krigen i nordvesten, med bygde- og navneregister. by Holand, Hjalmar Rued. Holand, A. M. Ephraim, Wis., Forfatteren, 1908. LC: E184.S2 H7

American educators of Norwegian origin: a biographical dictionary. 1931 Hofstead, John Andrew, 1885-comp. Minneapolis, Printed by Augsburg publishing house [c1931] LC: LA2311 .H57

The Divided heart: Scandinavian immigrant artists, 1850-1950. October 1 - November 7, 1982, University Gallery, University of Minnesota. 1982 University of Minnesota, University Gallery. Minneapolis: The Gallery, [1982] LC:N6538.S32 D58 1982

Midwest:

The Saga of Old Muskego (Wisconsin), by Rönning, Nils Nilsen,1870- Waterford, Wis., Old Muskego memorial [1943] LC: F589.M99 R6

Nybyggerhistorie fra Spring Grove og omegn. Johnson, Ole S.,1843- [Norwegian] Minnesota, 1920. LC: F614 .S616

Pioneer history: Minnehaha County's Norwegian pioneers: history from the year 1866 to 1896. 1976 gathered and published by Minnehaha County's Norwegian Pioneer Organization; editors, Iver I. Oien ... [etal.]; translated and reprinted 1976 by Emily Brende Sittig and Clara Brende Christenson. [Sioux Falls, S.D.] : Sittig, 1976. LC: F657.M6 P5613 1976

Pioneers in the Norwegian settlement, Albany, Wisconsin, 1849 - 1980 compiled by Orin M. Lofthus. Northfield, Minn. (R 5 - Heathview, Northfield 55057) : O.M. Lofthus, 1980, LC: F589.A39 L64 1984

A century of urban life: the Norwegians in Chicago before 1930, 1988 by Odd S. Lovoll. [Northfield, Minn.]: Norwegian-American Historical Association; Champaign, Ill. : Distributed by University of Illinois Press, 1988. LC: F548.9.S2 L68 1988 Dewey: 977.3/110043982

Norwegian sailors on the Great Lakes; a study in the history of American inland transportation, 1928 Gjerset, Knut, 1865- Northfield, Minn., The Norwegian-American historical association, 1928. LC: VK23.7.G5

A chronicle of Old Muskego (Wisconsin), by Bache, Søren,1814-1890. [Northfield, Minn.], Norwegian - American Historical Association,1951. LC: F589.M99 B3

A history of the Norwegians of Illinois; 1905 a concise record of the struggles and achievements of the early settlers together with a narrative of what is now being done by the Norwegian-Americans of Illinois in the development of their adopted country ... [Chicago, IL], J. Anderson publishing company [c1905] LC: F550.S2 S8

Biographic sketches of the early original settlers in Rush Creek valley, Winona county, Minnesota. 1941 Johnson, Syvert H.,1869- LC:F612.W7 J6

The Norse in Iowa to 1870. [Iowa City, Iowa, 1938], LC: F630.N6S8

Norske settlementer og menigheder i Sherburne, Benton og Mille Lacscountier, Minn. 1903 Langseth, Peder Olsen, 1858- [Danish] LC: F615.N8L3

Early community history, Kindred, North Dakota [1870-1900]. 1947 Hertsgaard, Jørgen P.,1880 - LC: F644.K5 H4

En norsk bygds historie: nordre Bottineau County, North Dakota. 1917 Redal, Olav, 1882 - [Norwegian] LC: F642.B6 R3

Guide to collections relating to South Dakota Norwegian-Americans.1991 compiled by Harry F. Thompson, with the assistance of Arthur R. Huseboe and Paul B. Olson; additional assistance by Carol Riswold and D.Joy Harris. Sioux Falls, S.D.: Center for Western Studies, Augustana College,1991. LC: Z1335.T46 1991 F660.S2

Norwegians in Wisconsin. 1977 by Richard J. Fapso. Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1977. LC: F590.S2 F36

The immigrants' trek; a detailed history of the Lake Hendricks colony in Brookings County, Dakota Territory, from 1873-1881. 1929 Sandro, Gustav O. LC: F655 .S21

Manitowoc-skogen: a biographical and genealogical directory of the residents of Norwegian birth and descent in Manitowoc and Kewaunee counties in Wisconsin from the first settlement to 1900. 1994 by Robert A. Bjerke. Manitowoc, Wis.: Dobbs, 1994. LC: F587.M2 B48 1994

Men of the cloth and the social-cultural fabric of the Norwegian ethnic community in North Dakota. 1980 Duane Rodell Lindberg. New York: Arno Press, 1980. LC: F645.S2 L56 1980

Song of the pines; a story of Norwegian lumbering in Wisconsin,1949 by Walter and Marion Havighurst. Illus. by Richard Floethe. Philadelphia, J. C. Winston Co. [1949] LC: PZ7.H311 So

Early records of the LeSueur River Church of Waseca and Steele counties, Minnesota. 1993 transcribed, translated, and indexed by George W. Anderson, Jr. Brooklyn Park, MN: Park Genealogical Books, c1993. LC: F612.W17 L41993

Swedetown, Dogtown, and Swamp Street: Hayward memories. 1978 by Swede Lilliquist. [Hayward? Wis.]: Lilliquist, c1978. LC: F589.H39 L54

Then & now in Clover: the stories and memories of Clover Township as told by the people who lived them, 1902-1975. 1975 sketching by Irene Schmidt. Askov, Minn.: American Pub. Co., c1975. LC: F614.C56 T33

Minnesota, en korfattet historie av nordmændenes bebyggelse av staten, deres gjøremaal, foreninger og livsvilkaar, med avsnit om den norske kirkes historie; i anledning Minnesotas deltagelse i Norges jubilæums- utstilling, 1914. 1914 Johnson, John S., 1863- [Norwegian] LC: F615.M8 J6

Hawaii:

Norwegian labor in Hawaii: the Norse immigrants, 1962 by Eleanor H. and Carl D. Davis. Honolulu, Industrial Relations Center, University of Hawaii, 1962. LC: HD1527.H3 D3

Alaska:

Saami, reindeer, and gold in Alaska: the emigration of Saami from Norway to Alaska. 1994 Ornulv Vorren. Prospect Heights, Ill. : Waveland Press,c1994. LC: DL442.L3 V6713 1994

Texas:

Norge i Texas. 1982 by Odd Magnar Syversen and Hon. Derwood Johnson.Stange: Stange Historielag [Norwegian]; ISBN 82-7104-097-9.

Norwegian settlements in Bosque County, Texas. 1979 by Oris Emerald Pierson. Clifton, Tex.: Bosque Memorial Museum, c1979. LC: F392.B6 P531979

The Norwegian Texans. 1985. San Antonio: University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio, 1985, c1971. LC: F395.S2 N671985

East coast:

The Camden mountains, the Norway of America. 1890, Boston, Lee and Shepard, 1890. LC: F29.C2 G2

Centennial history of Norway, Oxford county, Maine, 1786-1886. 1886 Lapham, William Berry, 1828-1894. Portland, Me., B. Thurston & Co., 1886. LC: F29.N8 L3

Norwegians in New York, 1825-1925. 1941 Rygg, Andrew Nilsen, 1868 - LC: F128.9.S22 R9

West Coast and the Pacific Northwest:

A hundred years with Norwegians in the East Bay (California) by Soren C. Roinestad. Oakland, 1963. San Francisco, R & E Research Associates,1970. LC: F868.S156 R64 1963a

A profile of information sources on the Norwegians in the Puget Soundarea 1980 compiled by Christine M. Anderson. Tacoma, WA : Anderson, c1980. LC: Z1348.P83 A62 F897.P9

Scandinavians in the Silverton country: their arrival and early settlement 1978 by Gertrude Tingelstad. Corvallis, Or.: Tingelstad, c1978. LC:F884.S5 T56

Scandinavians on the Pacific, 1968 by Thos. Ostenson Stine. San Francisco [R & E Research Associates] 1968 [c1900] LC: F851 .S85 1968

A social history of Scandinavian immigration, Washington State, 1895-1910. 1980 Jorgen Dahlie. New York : Arno Press, 1980. LC: F900.S18 D33 1980

New land, new lives: Scandinavian immigrants to the Pacific Northwest. 1993 Janet E. Rasmussen ; foreword by Odd S. Lovoll. Northfield, Minn.: Norwegian - American Historical Association ; Seattle : University of Washington Press, c1993. LC: F855.2.S18 R37 1993

West of the Great Divide; Norwegian migration to the Pacific coast,1847-1893. by Björk, Kenneth. Northfield, Minn., Norwegian-American Historical Association, 1958. LC: E184.S2 B48

Nordic heritage northwest. 1982 edited by Kristina Veirs; with photography by Scotty Sapiro ; and text by Nancy Hausauer ; in association with the Nordic Heritage Museum, Seattle, Washington, on occasion of Scandinavia Today in Washington, 1982-1983. Seattle, Wash. : Writing Works, c1982.LC: F855.2.S18 N67 1982

NORWEGIAN SOURCES (BY AREA OF ORIGIN):

     Several books have been published in Norway chronicling emigration from specific geographic areas:

Balestrand:

From peasants to farmers : the migration from Balestrand, Norway to the upper Middle West. 1985 Jon Gjerde. Cambridge [Cambridgeshire]; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1985. LC: F358.2.S2 G54 1985

Gjøvik, Biri, Snertingdal, and Vardal:

Utvandringen til Amerika: fra Biri, Snertingdal, Vardal, Gjøvik,1846-1915. 1981 Halvard Oudenstad. [Norwegian] Gjøvik: Gjøvikhistorielag, [1981?] LC: E184.S2 O93 1981

Grong:

Utvandrere fra Grong til Amerika. [Grong] : Grong historielag, 1985.LC: E184.S2 U82 1985

Gudbrandsdalen:

Gudbrandsdal og Amerika: 150-ars jubileet for den norske utvandring til Amerika 1825-1975 (Gudbrandsdal and America: 150 years' anniversary commemorating the Norwegian emigration to America 1825-1975. 1975 red. Einar Hovdhaugen; translated into English by Gunvald Lindsoe. Lillehammer : Dolaringen boklag, 1975. LC: DL576.G8 G82

Hjartdal:

For at finde en blidere Skjebne : utvandringa fra Hjartdal til Amerika. 1989 Leif Skoje, Anne Haugen Wagn. [Norwegian]. Sauland: L. Skoje: A.H. Wagn i samarbeid med Hjartdal kommune, [1989] LC: E184.S2 S64 1989

Hjørundfjord, Vartdal and Orsta:

Mot nye heimland: utvandringa frå Hjørundfjord, Vartdal og Orsta, by Ragnar Standal; published by Utvandrarnemnda, Bygde-boknemndane, Orsta kommune. Orsta: Orsta kommune, [1985] Summary in English. LC: JV8211.Z79U67 1985

Nordfjord:

Nordfjordingernes historie i Amerika. 1940 Gimmestad, Lars M. [Norwegian] Minneapolis, Minn., The Lutheran Free Church Publishing Company. [c1940] LC: E184.S2 G5

Nordmøre:

Utvandringshistorie fra Nordmore: Stangvik og Surnadal prestegjeld. 1986. Gathered and published by Dordi Glærum Skuggevik. [Norwegian], Surnadal: D.G. Skuggevik, 1986. LC: E184.S2 S68 1986

Numedal:

De første utvandrer fra Numedal til Amerika. Herbransen, Sverre Herbert, 1894- Kristiania, O. Norli, 1924. LC: E184.S2 H5

Østerdalen:

Utvandrere fra Folldal i Østerdalen til Folldal i Amerika. 1976 av Vidar Stoen. [Danish] [Tynset : s.n., 1976], LC: F590.S2 S76 1976

Østerdølenes saga, by Nilsen, Karl Gustav, 1883- . Duluth, Minn.: Fuhr publishing & printing co., c1938. LC: E184.S2N5

Ringebu:

Utvandringa til Amerika fra Ringebu, 1983 Einar Hovdhaugen. [Norwegian], Ringebu: Ringebu historielag, [1983?] LC: E184.S2 H78 1983

Stod:

Utvandringen til Amerika 1849-1924: fra Kvam og Folling sogn i Stodprestegjeld. 1984 Kvam historielag. [Norwegian], Steinkjer: Kvam historielag, [1984?] LC: E184.S2 U86 1984

Vevelstad:

"Emigranter": Vevelstad-fjerdinger som dro mot vest 1869-1930. 1977 Arnt O. Asvang. [Norwegian] Forvik: Vevelstad kommune, Kulturstyret, 1977. LC: DL596.V48 A25

Voss:

Historie om udvandringen fra Voss og vossingerne i Amerika, by Rene, Knut Arneson, 1872- Madison, Wis. [Press of the Anundsen publishing company, Decorah, Iowa] 1930. LC: E184.S18 R39

Utvandring fra Voss til Amerika: eit 150-års minne (Emigration from Voss to America: the 150th anniversary). 1985 Voss bygdeboknemnd. [Norwegian] Voss: Voss bygdeboknemnd, Voss sogelag, Voss folkemuseum, 1985.LC: DL596.V6 G36 nr. 17 E184.S2
 

Interviewing members of your family:

     Here are two resources that you can print out and use when you interview family members:

Oral history questions from rootsweb.com

Center for Life Stories in St. Paul, Minnesota has lots of information on how to interview family members
 
 

Back to "Norwegian - American Genealogy Research"

 
 
Please contact me if any of these links are down
This page was created on September 7, 1998
Last updated September 4, 2000