Tracing roots in rugged Norway: a 1988 snapshot

Logo courtesy http://www.nagcnl.org/

A common theme in #nordicfest50 research so far is how many people attending Nordic Fest are interested in connecting with their family Norwegian heritage.  The Norwegian American Genealogical Center and Naeseth Library (NAGC) provides critical expertise for those looking for authentic family history details and has assisted at many Nordic Fests,  The NAGC, which has been an independent nonprofit since 2007, celebrated 40 years of impact in 2014, having first been established in 1974 in Madison, Wis. by librarian Gerhard Naeseth. From 1974 to 2007, the NAGC was part of Vesterheim. Today, the NAGC has over 2,000 "incredibly loyal and supportive members in all states of the U.S.," according to David Wright, Jr., Director of Development, Marketing and Membership for the NAGC. The following copyright 1988 Decorah Newspapers article illustrates the NAGC impact at Nordic Fest. Used with permission. 

Whether you're interested simply in learning more about the country that nurtured so much of the life and culture celebrated at Nordic Fest or you are intent on tracing your specific roots in Norway, on Friday and Saturday afternoons, July 29-30, the air-conditioned comfort of the Viking Theatre II is the place to be.

At 1:15 p.m. both days, Rasmus Sunde of Vik i Sogn, Norway, will narrate a slide presentation with Norwegian folk music on emigration from Sogn to the U.S., called "Sognefjord." 

Arnfinn Kjelland from Lesja, Norway, will follow at 1:50 p.m. with a lecture featuring Lesja and Dovre, called "Gubransdal, the Heart of Norway," and Gerhard Naeseth, director of Vesterheim's genealogical center, will wind things up each afternoon at 2:30 p.m. with his presentation, "Hunting for Norwegian Ancestors." Naeseth will repeat his presentation Sunday morning at 11:30 a.m.

When they aren't lecturing, you will be able to find these and other genealogical specialists at the Norwegian-American genealogy station on the third floor of the Vesterheim Center. Naeseth and his assistant Blaine Hedberg, from the museum's genealogical center in Madison, Wis., will be available to answer your questions, and help you climb down your family tree toward your Old World roots. Kjelland and Sunde will serve as consultants from Norway.

Also at the genealogy station, Paul and Elisabeth Hurd of Sheldon, Iowa will be "Finding Iowans in the 1900 Census." The genealogy station will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.