Viking Magazine - July 2020 - 27

computer spreadsheet, a file cabinet,
one of the many online resources
available today (see boxout on page
28) or a combination.
Then, let the search commence.
Head to your basement, storage spots,
attics and closets. Collect letters, family
records, photos, diaries, marriage and
death certificates, bibles and other
religious books, newspaper clippings
and other memorabilia.
Once you've scoured your residence,
request permission to do the same in
the homes of your relatives. " Start with
the family home if it's still in possession
of a family member, " Paulson advises.
" My mother was a natural saver, and
after she died, I found a cardboard
box with obits, newspaper articles for
weddings and my ration books from
World War II. "
Ask relatives if they have any
physical documents-records, photos
or other family pieces that you can
add to your collection. Knudson says
some of the most valuable assets are
handwritten correspondences. " If you
have letters written between members
of your family, you'll have access to
first-hand stories and accounts of
life, which give you a glimpse of their
personal thoughts and opinions, and
reactions to the world around them, "
he says.
For every piece you find, if feasible,
scan or record it in some way. And
most important of all, ask lots of
questions.
" Get as much information about
each item as possible, " Knudson says.
For example, Who is in this picture
and where was it taken? Where did
grandma get this and from whom?
" I cannot tell you how many people
I've worked or talked with who have
expressed these regrets: 'Why didn't
I ask about this while so-and-so was
still alive?' Or, 'I can't for the life of me
remember who these people are' " in a
photo, he says. " It's better to err on the
side of over-preparedness because you
never know how life will turn. "
cultivate it
Next comes the most vital step in
your investigation: interviewing
family members. Your loved ones
may not only help you fill in your
skeletal biographical information and
corroborate the data you've already
gathered, but also they can aid in
getting to the heart of why you're
likely doing all of this work in the first
place.
" Ask them about stories, " Knudson
says. " Stories about ancestors, other
family members and themselves. It's
these stories that make genealogy
meaningful, [that] allow us to create
and continue to cultivate relationships
with our family and ancestors
separated by time, location or
mortality. "
To get the most out of these
interviews, Paulson stresses the
importance of being specific with your
questions, and avoiding those that
can be answered with a simple yes or
no. For example, rather than asking,
" What was it like growing up during
the depression? " instead inquire:
" During the depression, how did your
family put food on the table? Did they
farm? Raise a garden? " Or instead of,
" Did you go to a one-room school? "
ask more specifically: " What do you
remember about fourth grade? "
Warner suggests bringing along
memorabilia. " Show them photos
during the interview to help them
remember stories or pieces of
information, " she says.
Our experts recommend sharing
your questions ahead of time so your
relative can think of events prior to your
talk. You also may want to limit each
interview to about an hour to avoid
overwhelming elderly family members.
what's
in a name?
To help navigate your way
through the names unearthed
during your genealogical search,
we tapped Michael Knudson,
senior genealogical researcher
at the Norwegian American
Genealogical Center & Naeseth
Library, to break down the Nordic
region's patronymic naming
system.
" ['Patronymic' is] a word of
Greek origin that means 'father's
name,' " he says. " Instead of a
permanent surname, the people
of Norway, Sweden, Denmark,
Iceland and the Faroe Islands
would take the name of their
father-sometimes mother-and
add 'son' or 'daughter' to the end
in their respective language. In
Norwegian, this equates to -sen/datter.
For example, if you were
named John and your father was
named Anders, your name would
be John Andersen, or, John, the
son of Anders. Likewise, if John
had a sister, Anne, then her name
would be Anne Andersdatter.
" While this is still the practice
today in Iceland, Norway
officially stopped and required a
mandatory hereditary surname in
1923, " Knudson says. " However,
there are some instances of
people taking patronymics as
hereditary surnames during the
1800s, although this was not as
common. Patronymics are very
important when doing your
Scandinavian genealogy for two
reasons: One, so you're actually
looking for the right person,
and two, knowing that the
patronym gives you the father's
name makes it easier to track
down your ancestors, since each
name sheds light on the previous
generation. "
sonsofnorway.com VIKING JULY 2020 27
http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - July 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Viking Magazine - July 2020
