Viking Magazine - March 2019 - 38

Q&A
Tracing Roots
Genealogy expert Jerry Paulson helps families discover their
heritage and teaches them how to preserve their history.
BY ELI RADTKE
J
erry Paulson knows his way around a family tree. He began
practicing genealogy in 1970, when he started tracing his own
family history. After retiring from University of Wisconsin
Hospital in 2000, Paulson started working part-time at the
Norwegian American Geological Center & Naeseth Library in
Madison, Wisconsin. Now, nearly 20 years later, he is the Naeseth
Chair for Genealogical Research and Publication.
Q What fi rst drew you to the fi eld
of genealogy?
A My mother's family came
from Germany in 1852, and
we were very close with that
side of the family growing up.
They told us stories about the
family who had immigrated
to America-there were fi ve
brothers who came over. It
spurred an interest in tracing my
family history to make sure all
the stories I was hearing had the
correct information.
Q What kinds of services does the
Norwegian American Genealogical
Center offer?
A We do research for people
by mail, or anyone can come
into the center for genealogy
assistance. We also offer classes
on Norwegian genealogy and
writing family histories. My
primary goal is to teach people
to do their own research.
Q What does the process of
tracing someone's family history
look like?
A We ask people to bring
whatever information they have
about their family with them
when they come in. Then we
go through that information to
discover any outstanding clues,
such as farm names or locations.
From there we start looking at
U.S. records to fi nd information.
The Norwegian American
Lutheran Church records often
reveal which county in Norway
people came from.
Q Why do you think it's important
for people to learn about their
family and heritage?
A I think it is important to trace
your family history, but it is
more important to document the
family stories you have heard
because each generation takes
those to the grave with them. It's
more important to me to have
those stories recorded for future
generations than to be able to
take somebody's family back to
the 1500s because you are only
going to end up with names
and dates-nothing informative
about the family members.
Q Do you have any tips for people
who are just starting their search?
A I always promote the Sons of
Norway cultural skills program
38 VIKING MARCH 2019 sonsofnorway.com
in genealogy. I have had a couple
lodges take the class. Everyone
seemed really excited about it
until they got to the part where
they had to start writing. I
tell people, you're not getting
graded. They're not looking at
grammar and punctuation-
they are looking at content. But
people still get writer's block, so
I encourage them to write when
the mood hits.
Q What have you enjoyed most
about your work at Norwegian
American Genealogical Center &
Naeseth Library?
A I love being able to help
people understand Norwegian
genealogy because the
patronymic system defi nitely has
some twists to it. This started
out as a hobby, and it has
turned into a second career.
I'm now approaching 20 years
here, and I'm planning on
retiring in 2020. I turn 80 in
2019, so I fi gure it is probably
time to sit in my rocking chair.
Organization:
Norwegian American
Genealogical Center &
Naeseth Library
Address:
415 W. Main St.
Madison, WI 53703
Website:
nagcnl.org
Phone:
608-255-2224
Note: There is a fee for
genealogical research.
Learn about Sons of
Norway Cultural Skills
Program on genealogy
at sonsofnorway.com
PHOTO BY DIANE MAURER / NORWEGIAN AMERICAN GENEALOGICAL CENTER & NAESETH LIBRARY
Learn More
http://www.nagcnl.org http://www.sonsofnorway.com http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - March 2019

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