Upcoming Events

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We know that people's schedules are busy, or you may live too far away to attend. that's why all NDAGS memebers get electronic copies of all lecture notes. 

NDAGS members will receive an assortment previous lecture notes and newsletters upon joining, but NDAGS members can also request other previous lectures (as permitted by speakers) and newsletters as well!

JUNE 2021: VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE MUSEUM OF DANISH AMERICA:  Take a virtual trip with us on this virtual tour with Amanda Skellinger, the new Director of the Genealogy Library at Museum of Danish America in Elk Horn, Iowa. In our homes, through the internet, we will see a pre-recorded 3D tour and a live presentation on their researchers, translators, records and database plus other resources. Other parts of the Museum, Bedstemor’s House, upcoming programs and new features will also be covered and there will be time for questions. If you have a story about your experience at the museum and library, you might want to share it.  

MAY 2021: DANISH PROBATE RECORDS:   

Learn about the Danish probate process and the types of records to better understand how best to use them. We will look at the sometimes-difficult issue of finding our ancestors in probate records, get tricks to read and understand the language,  and briefly look at guardianship records, an important related set of records.

Speaker Bob Johnson is an attorney and holds a Certified Genealogist® credential. As a professional genealogist he has specialized in Scandinavian, U.S., German, and forensic genealogical research for over forty years. He studied in Sweden and is active in many genealogical societies throughout the U.S. and Scandinavia. 

APRIL 2021: VIRTUAL POTLUCK:  Even if we can't meet in person, that won't stop us from having a potluck...a virtual one that is! Join us on Zoom to share your favorite Danish and Danish-American recipes, food memories, show off pictures of your Danish culinary skills or simply listen in and enjoy! Reminisce about food your ancestors made and learn about some new dishes as well. The format will be informal with guests able to share with each other.  

MARCH 2021: RUNESTONES AND RUNIC INSCRIPTIONS:

This presentation will  provide an overview of the thousands of runestones existing today,  primarily in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, but some in North America. 

Speaker Loraine Jensen is the President and founder of the  American Association for Runic Studies (AARS), a nonprofit organization promoting scholarly research on runes and  runic inscriptions.

AARS website: www.runicstudies.org

 Danishfamilysearch.com  is an amazing website for accessing Danish vital records, maps,  military rolls, images of original documents and much more but many  people aren't familiar with it. (Not to be confused with the LDS  FamilySearch.com; these are completely different websites) 

 Our immigrant ancestors became Americans--somehow. In this lecture, we will take a look at the laws and processes that made that possible and at the records created along the way. We will learn where to find these records and what they tell us about our family's history.  Speaker: Tom Rice

 Toured the Family History Library  to discover resources only available in person, used for free the many subscription services, and got genealogical assistance from a librarian.  

Having a big sale, on-site celebrity, or other event? Be sure to announce it so everybody knows and gets excited about it.

 DNA and genealogy is the latest trend, and can provide great leads to your genealogical research. But sometimes it is confusing on where to  begin and what to do with the information that you find. Certified  Genealogist and DNA expert Alice Eicholz, PhD, will guide us through the  complex and exciting world of DNA. 

Members shared their favorite Danish recipes, and some family stories behind them, to compile an NDAGS Danish Cookbook.

Linda Heen showed us how to organize our family photos with tips on getting started, sorting, organizing, putting them in albums, digitizing, and how to use your genealogy skills to identify unknown people in the photos. 

 Do you want to research your Danish ancestors but don’t know where to start? Hit a road block? Looking for new leads? This lecture will provide step-by-step instructions,  links to online resources, and ample notes on how to begin and sustain your Danish genealogical research. 

 The border region between Denmark and Germany poses a unique challenge for genealogists. Depending on time period, the same city might be under German rule or Danish rule, making looking for records difficult. Join us via Zoom webinar as Bill Holmquist guides us with tips on navigating research in the region 

 Local libraries can hold some unexpected and helpful genealogical  resources, especially large and long-standing ones like downtown St.  Paul. Our annual January "field trip" will take us on a tour of what  in-house and online resources Ramsey County has to offer.   To view indexes of holdings and see items that are digitzed, visit: https://sppl.org/saint-paul-collection/ 

•  Our ancestors led difficult lives just making a daily existence, but  illnesses like plague, smallpox, cholera and more brought difficulty to  an entirely new level. Using examples specific to Denmark, we will learn  how these contagious hardships affected Danes of years ago AND learn  how to incorporate this information into our genealogical studies.  Presented by NDAGS President Heather Nelsen-Mullen.  

 "Finding Hygge,"  is a documentary exploring Denmark's secret to happiness. The uniquely Danish concept of hygge has exploded in popularity but the Danish word and its definition are more  complicated than it seems. For those who seek happiness, this exploratory documentary travels around the globe to discover the true meaning of hygge and how to find it.
Watch the official movie trailer at: https://vimeo.com/257971795