In This Issue
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
VOLUME 41 | NUMBER 1 | FALL 2017 EXCITING NEWS FROM THE NORWEGIAN AMERICAN In this issue: GENEALOGICAL CENTER & NAESETH LIBRARY • The Remarkable Story of Norwegian Immigrants to the United States, A Biographical Directory, 1825-1850 Diderikke Brandt's Sewing Kit volumes one through five – now available online via www.nagcnl.org • Notes from the Naeseth Including corrections and new entries added to the five volumes Library since publication and a new database, Norwegian Immigrants to the U.S., 1850 and Later • New Board Member for NAGC & NL The Norwegian American Genealogical Center • Chronicle and Coincidence: & Naeseth Library, Madison, Wisconsin, is pleased to announce newly-accessible online Fjell databases of great interest to those researching their Norwegian roots. • Connecting Cousins One of NAGC & NL’s most important • Celebrating Centenarians publications is the five-volume work entitled “Norwegian Immigrants to the United States, A Biographical Directory, 1825-1850.” Beginning as the dream of our founder, Gerhard Naeseth, the five volumes were published between 1993 and 2009. This massive project is now recognized as an important scholarly contribution to the field of immigration history. When the Family History Library, Salt Lake Save The Date! City, scanned the volumes as pdf files, an NAGC & NL committee of board, staff, and Plans are underway for our volunteers then arranged the online availability annual benefit dinner, organized contained in these volumes, along with new, by the Madison-area Friends of searchable indexes, as well as new databases for NAGC & NL, to be held at the the many additions and corrections that have Blackhawk Country Club been gathered in the years since the volumes Norwegian Immigrants to the U.S., as published in were published. The volumes are now available In Madison on five volumes on our website via www.nagcnl.org. Sunday, 22 April 2018 With this information now available online, we will pursue a wiki-like future for these databases, inviting and processing information contributed by researchers worldwide. This online database will be one of the most useful records for all those who are seeking information about Norwegian ancestors who came to the U.S. between 1825 and 1850. New Database Online The NAGC & NL committee has also placed online a new database containing records for Norwegians arriving in 1850 and later. These records already contain over 25,000 entries on 1,258 pages. Ongoing research additions, as well as wiki contributions, will also make this database extremely helpful to researchers. New Webinar Will Guide Users To accompany these new records, we have added a new webinar to our website, researched and narrated by NAGC staff member Jenna Schultz. This instructive and user-friendly guide to the new five-volumes database (as well as to the new 1850 and later database) also contains tips on how to access the additions and corrections databases. Continued on page 3 GREETING FROM THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS When the Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library became Published two times a year by independent ten years ago, the by-laws of the new organization required that no board Norwegian American Genealogical Center member could serve more than three, three-year terms -- without having at least one year & Naeseth Library (NAGC & NL) off before being elected to the board again. This clause was written into the by-laws so that 415 W. Main Street new people and new ideas would keep NAGC current and vibrant. At the end of this Madison, WI 53703-3116 608-255-2224 www.nagcnl.org calendar year, my nine years of service will come to an end. After serving as a board member, secretary, vice-chair, and board chair for the last six years, it is time for me to take a break. Sent to members of NAGC & NL For membership, contact: Serving on the board has been an enjoyable experience and has given me the Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library (NAGC & NL) opportunity to meet and work with many interesting and talented people. These, 415 W. Main Street of course, include my colleagues on the board, the volunteers and staff, and also Madison, WI 53703-3116 many supporters of NAGC. I have met members and advocates of NAGC not only 608-255-2224 www.nagcnl.org from Wisconsin, but also from across the country, and even many from Norway. [email protected] _________________________ The staff at NAGC has always been very enthusiastic and willing to help; the current staff and The purpose of this publication is to assist and volunteers work well together. For the future, I am certain the board and staff will continue encourage genealogists with Norwegian and Norwegian-American genealogical questions. to evolve, with new members added to keep our organization on track to support all facets of research involving Norwegian and Norwegian-American genealogy and family history. Norwegian Tracks is the sole possession of NAGC & NL. All rights are reserved. No reproduction There have been many changes and improvements at NAGC since I first joined its board in by mechanical or other means without written permission from the editor. We endeavor to 2008. There have been important additions and changes to both the staff and the board. Our respect copyright in a manner consistent with our endowment has more than doubled, and important repairs to the Naeseth Library building nonprofit educational mission. have been completed. Our website has been completely reworked and modernized, making it more informative, up-to-date, interesting, and useful. With its recently augmented database, Letters concerning genealogical inquiries for Norwegian Tracks should be sent to Norwegian webinar, and video content, the NAGC website is now one we can all be proud of. Based on usage American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library statistics, we know that the site is widely consulted, not only from researchers in the U.S., but also (NAGC & NL) 415 W. Main Street, Madison, WI by many in Canada, the U.K., and Europe. The updating of the website by a joint committee of 53703-3116 board, staff, and volunteer members, under the guidance of board vice chair Paul Larson, was a Norwegian Tracks occasionally solicits or accepts most successful model of creative and cooperative work . This group was able to make exciting unsolicited copy and artwork for publication. changes and improvements while maintaining critical expense control and audit requirements. Written material is subject to editing for length, grammar, and accuracy of content. As a rule, no NAGC & NL serves an important role in the Norwegian-American community nationwide as compensation will be given for any accepted material. NAGC & NL reserves first serial publication the premier genealogy research center for Norwegian heritage and family history, assisting all those and reprint rights, but releases all other rights of Norwegian ancestry who are searching for their roots.With the continuing contributions of for subsequent publication back to the author or staff, volunteers, and board members, as well as the generous support from members and patrons artists. across the country, our treasured organization will continue to be one of the leading genealogical The Norwegian American Genealogical Center research centers, serving new generations of Norwegian Americans for many years into the future. & Naeseth Library is an educational non-profit research center with national and international Although I will rotate off the board, Helen and I will continue to be involved with scope. The Center collects, preserves, shares, and NAGC as supporters and as attendees at the annual Madison-area Friends’ dinners. interprets resources for the study of Norwegian heritage. It has been a pleasure to serve and I wish NAGC’s new board chair, who will be elected later this year, all the best for the continued success of this vital resource. To carry out this mission, the Center provides: • The Naeseth Library, located in Madison,Wisconsin, where resources devoted to Norwegian and Norwegian- American genealogy are collected, preserved, shared, and interpreted; • Assistance, interpretation, education, and research by trained staff to members, patrons, and correspondents; • Continuing education and outreach for genealogists and the public worldwide through cooperative information exchanges, .publications, tours, displays, seminars, and merchandise sales. Helen and Lowell Olberg NAGC & NL is open to the public Monday – Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Please telephone This issue of Norwegian Tracks is made possible by generous support from ahead, 608-255-2224. An appointment is needed to ensure staff availability and record accessibility. The Edwin E. and Janet L. Bryant Foundation 2 NORWEGIAN TRACKS • VOLUME 41 • NO. 1 • FALL 2017 Continued from page 1 How to Access All Databases These NAGC & NL Proprietary Databases are accessible to Supporter and Life Members of our organization. (We no longer offer Life Memberships; annual Supporter Memberships are available via www.nagcnl.org/membership.) All NAGC & NL webinars and videos are freely available on our website to the public. Acknowledgments These important advances have been made possible by generous support to NAGC & NL from the Edwin E. and Janet L. Bryant Foundation, Stoughton, Wisconsin; and by the assistance of the Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. Additional support was provided by Dianne and Paul Larson. Many thanks are due to the NAGC website committee members who carried out the work for this online access: Paul Larson, Diane Maurer, Helen Olberg, Jerry Paulson, and Jeanne Wright (from left) Dan Huebner, Blaine Hedberg, and Erik Anundsen celebrate the publication of volume 5, Norwegian Immigrants to the U.S.," 2009. An Important Accomplishment The wider circumstances of ancestral immigration are The research behind these impressive volumes began as gleaned from this information and the format in which it the work of Gerhard B. Naeseth (1913-1994), founder of is arranged.