Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Genealogy Trip!

It's time!  Tomorrow I leave for Europe.  I have been going a little crazy the last few days as I get organized for my trip -- hence why I have not posted in a week.  But I plan to post my adventures whenever I can find an Internet connection, so watch for them.

First stop -- Spain.  No genealogy here.  Just visiting my parents who live the retired life there.  But I will be preparing my records, reports, pedigrees, maps etc...

My grandparents' home in 1978

Second stop -- Norway.  I will be staying with my uncle in Baerum.  He lives in my grandmother's house now that she is gone -- the house my grandfather built with his hands in the late 1930s.  Of course, he has renovated the house, so it no longer looks the same.  All I can say is that everyone better be prepared for tears when I see it.  In my heart, it is still the same house, and my grandmother is still there making waffles and coffee.  As for the genealogy tour, I plan to visit a lot of ancestral farms, churches, cemeteries, and a stop in the National Archives building, too.  I will also meet with relatives and descendants of common ancestors to share stories, pictures, and information.  The same will be true when I travel to the Fredrikstad area in Oestfold... and Kongsberg, too. 

Third stop -- Sweden.  I will be following the trail of my ancestors who emigrated from Sweden to Fredrikstad, Norway.  I have two lines in Norway (on my grandfather's side) that go back to Tanum, Sweden, starting with a set of ggg-grandparents.  There is a phenomenal historian I have met over cyberspace who will help me find the farms, crofts, and cottages of my ancestors.  I am so excited; she has already sent me some promising information regarding the locations of ancestral homes.

I have been accumulating frequent flyer miles for years, so this trip will be well worth the wait.  Stay tuned!

9 comments:

  1. Looking forward to reading about your trip! I am hoping to make a genealogy trip next year to Norway and Sweden!

    ReplyDelete
  2. If you come by The National Library you must come inside and say hallo!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Have a great trip, Astrid! I hope we can meet, maybe at one of the libraries or archives? I am looking forward to hear about your swedish line, I am 3/8 swede myself, with roots from Bohuslän (Tanum, Naverstad, Skee and Strömstad)... maybe our families met somewhere???

    Have a safe trip!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm so excited for you Astrid!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you all for the kind comments. My flight got cancelled, so I will try to leave again tomorrow! Laila, I will email you soon to tell you my schedule. I hope we can meet. You too, Greta.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Have a great trip and post lots of pictures! (Love those frequent flyer miles, too.)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm so excited for your trip, especially since we have Norwegian and Swedish research in common. Bon voyage

    ReplyDelete
  8. Astrid, I wish you good luck and have a great trip! I also wish that you may have a lot of interesting, exciting and sensitive moments and meetings! ...see you..;)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Have a great trip, Astrid! Can't wait to see your pictures and updates. :-)

    ReplyDelete