Ted Laws, a member of
MLGC, talked to us about his trip to
Norway and Denmark to document his ancestors
and to develop new leads for his paternal
family tree.
His adventure began when he inherited a large trunk from his grandfather who was born in Norway. Ted knew that even though he had the published books about his family tree that each item (birth, marriage, death, burial, etc.) needed to be documented. He did extensive preparation ahead of time, used a Guide to Norwegian Research, went on Google to find geographic and historical context information, including travel tips. He found a source for Norwegian translation (Google chrome translate and Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library in Madison, Wisconsin) and hired professionals in advance to help him in Norway so that when he arrived the records were ready for him to look at.
He stayed in hostels and took public transportation to keep costs down. His supplies included an I pad scanner, white gloves, loupe, bright flashlight, neck pouch, pencil & paper, and a sense of adventure.
He used "snagit" screen capturing software to pull copies of documents into his records.
Resources:
Norwegian emigration records (microfilm)
Norwegian census records
nagcnl.org (translation)
Local histories from Norway (bygdeboker)
Please contact Ted directly for Norwegian and Danish contacts. tlaws@chicagobooth.edu
His adventure began when he inherited a large trunk from his grandfather who was born in Norway. Ted knew that even though he had the published books about his family tree that each item (birth, marriage, death, burial, etc.) needed to be documented. He did extensive preparation ahead of time, used a Guide to Norwegian Research, went on Google to find geographic and historical context information, including travel tips. He found a source for Norwegian translation (Google chrome translate and Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library in Madison, Wisconsin) and hired professionals in advance to help him in Norway so that when he arrived the records were ready for him to look at.
He stayed in hostels and took public transportation to keep costs down. His supplies included an I pad scanner, white gloves, loupe, bright flashlight, neck pouch, pencil & paper, and a sense of adventure.
He used "snagit" screen capturing software to pull copies of documents into his records.
Resources:
Norwegian emigration records (microfilm)
Norwegian census records
nagcnl.org (translation)
Local histories from Norway (bygdeboker)
Please contact Ted directly for Norwegian and Danish contacts. tlaws@chicagobooth.edu