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Norwegian-American
Bygdelagenes Fellesraad
"Happy to provide you with the most current bygdelag information available, on the web."
Welcome to Fellesraad's event pages.
Here you will find information on events planned by the Fellesraad or its associated lags.
(To have your lag event listed on this page contact
the webmaster.)
Fellesraad Annual Meeting and Educational Presentations
The theme for the 2024 Annual meeting is: "Crossings"
The sessions will be held on Friday May 3rd.(both in-person and on Zoom)
and on Saturday, May 4th. (in-person only).
Sessions Schedule:
Friday, 3 May (Hybrid Meeting & In-Person):
9:00 am - 9:30 am: Registration & coffee.
9:30 am - 10:15 am: Amy Boxrud, Executive Director, Norwegian American Historical
Association, will report on bygdelag materials and re-indexing all Lag materials; as
well as significant 1925 Norse-American Centennial materials in their Archive.
10:30 am - 11:30 am: FamilySearch virtual class - What's New in FamilySearch
(Judith Kay, Special FamilySearch Instructor).
11:35 am - 12:30 pm: A light Norwegian-style Lunch
12:45 pm - 1:00 pm: 2025 Bicentennial Celebration. A little background & history of the
2025 event. Assistance & planning ideas for lags will be provided for the 2025 stevner,
such as topic helps along with some speaker and virtual presentations that may be used.
Two examples will be:
1:00 - 2:00 pm. That My Children May Know. (story about Great-Grandparents' immigration in 1869).
Speaker: Pati Kachel, Professional Storyteller.
2:30 - 3:30 pm. Norwegian-American Innovators (Vesterheim exhibit).
Speaker: Laurann Gilbertson, Vesterheim Chief Curator.
Saturday, 4 May (Business Meeting, In-Person only at Mindekirken):
8:30 am Check in and coffee
9:00 am: Roll call; identify delegates
9:15 am: Business Meeting
Officers' Reports:
President
Secretary
Treasurer
Vice President's report on Norwegian Lag Week in Salt Lake City
Nomination Committee & Election of Officers
Norway House Report: Bygdelag Special Collections, Haugo Bibliotek
Succinct Reports of Highlights of 2023 from Bygdelags
11:00 am - 12 pm: Speaker Fredrik Larsen, Chief Editor of the Aftenposten History Magazine, speaking about 2025 Bicentennial plans in Norway and other related topics.
12:00 Lunch at Mindekirken
Group Tables for Editors, Webmasters, Treasurers, Genealogists
Fredrik Larsen will talk individually with Lag people.
Finish by 3:30 pm.
Cost:
There will be no cost for the online Friday sessions.
The costs for the in-person session attendies will be $20 each for Friday or Saturday only.
If you attend both days the total cost is $35 for the two days.
The charges cover the room and lunches for the two days.
You may pay ahead or at the door. (No refunds)
Make checks out to: B. FELLESRAAD
To mail ahead of time, send to:
B. FELLESRAAD Treasurer, Donald Teigen
7250 Lewis Ridge Parkway, Apt. 217
Edina, MN 55439
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Representatives from each of twenty-nine bygdelag meet yearly in Minneapolis beginning on the Friday before the first Saturday in May.
Each Bygdelag should be represented by two delegates who have voting responsibility at the Saturday Business Meeting. Please indicate these individuals on the registration form.
Information about past meetings:
Our theme for the 2023 meeting was: Sharing and Expanding Our Skills
Our schedule and presenters included the following:
Friday, 5 May (Guest Presentations, on Zoom only):
-
9:30 - 10:30 am: "The Norwegian Emigrant Experience and the 2025
Bicentennial Commemoration."
(Terje Joranger - Norwegian Emigration Museum) - 10:45 - 11:30 am: "Famous Norwegians and Norwegian-Americans" (Kathy Ward)
- 11:30 - Noon: "New Additions at Norway House" (Joe Grodahl)
- 12:00 - 12:45 pm: Lunch break;
- 1:00 - 2:00 pm: "Navigating and Submitting Data to FamilySearch Family Tree" (Judith Kay)
- 2:15 - 3:15 pm: "Helpful Tips for Lags. Pay Pal; Google Translate; Other topics" (Chuck McKeen)
Saturday, 6 May (Business Meeting, In-Person only at Mindekirken):
-
9:15 am: - Business Meeting
- President's Report
- Nomination Committee & Election of Officers
- Succinct Reports of Highlights of 2022 from Bygdelags
- 11:15 - 12pm: "The Sami" (Pr. Gunnar Kristansen)
- 12:00 Lunch at Mindekirken.
- 1:00 Tour of Norway House Archive & Bibliotek from the Fellesraad/Bygdelag perspective.
Dr. Terje Joranger
In 2023 Dr. Terje Joranger, Executive Director of the Norwegian Emigrant
Museum located near Hamar, Norway, was again our featured presenter.
Terje Hasle Joranger, Director at the Norwegian Emigrant Museum
since 2028. He earned his Ph.D. in history at the University of
Oslo in the field of migration and ethnic studies. Terje is
presently editor of the publication Norwegian-American Studies.
Kathy Ward
Kathy Ward was born in the midwest and attended undergrad at
Brigham Young University where she majored in English
Literature. She took her first genealogy class forty years ago
and was hooked. She loves helping people connect to their
ancestors, and helping adoptees find their biological families.
After thirty plus years in Boston, and five in Tokyo, she and her
husband now reside in the mountains of Utah. She is the mother
of three sons, all married, and best of all, have given her
grandchildren. She is the former chair of the New England Family
History Conference, and specialises in Norway, the United
Kingdom and New England research. She currently serves as a
FamilySearch Center Director, and at FamilySearch in the Chief
Genealogical Office where she is working on Norwegian research.
She belongs to five bygdelags and loves connecting with other
Norwegian Americans.
Joseph Grødahl
Joseph Grødahl is the Director of Programs & Events at Norway
House in Minneapolis. A founding member of Norway House and
longtime associate member of its Franklin Avenue neighbor
Mindekirken, Joseph recently joined the Norway House staff to
take a more active role in the organization's exciting future.
Along with colleagues Keith Bartz and Race Fisher, Joseph has
taken on the task of bringing to life the vision for the Haugo
Archives and Bibliotek.
Judith A. Kay
Judith A. Kay is a specialist in FamilySearch. She has had the
privilege of teaching FamilySearch to thousands of "Adult"
individuals for the past fifteen years. She also teaches a class to
adult individuals each Sunday that is live as well as recorded.
"Finding missing children that are not found in FamilySearch is
my goal in life."
Chuck McKeen
Chuck McKeen is a retired Systems Engineer who formerly worked
about 30 years at Sun Microsystems and Oracle. He and his wife
Linda belong to 3 lags which represent Linda's Norwegian
Immigrant families. Chuck calls himself an honorary Norwegian as
his current paper trail has no known Norwegian, but his DNA
trail says he does, In Genealogy there is always more to be
discovered. His hobbies are many and include flying, flight
instructing, genealogy and fishing.
Gunnar Kristiansen
Pastor Gunnar Kristiansen grew up near Bodø, in northern Norway,
where his interest in Sami life and culture originated. His
research and knowledge leads to an especially interesting
presentation on Sami life and history.
Much of Gunnar's career was as a pastor in Norway but in the
late 1990s he responded to a call and came to Mindekirken for a
couple years then returned to Norway, as pastors at Mindekirken
do. He later went to the Philippines where he established and
ran the mission, ihelpfriendship. Over 20 years later, Gunnar
responded to another call from Mindekirken and returned for a
second time as pastor.
Information about the 2022 meeting:
Over one hundred members from three countries and several states were able to join these meetings using virtual connections.
Gracia Grindal, Professor Emerita at Luther Seminary graduated
from Augsburg College in 1965. She attended the University of
Arkansas and received an MFA in poetry in 1969. She taught English
and Creative Writing at Luther College 1968-1984 when she was
called to Luther Seminary, where she earned an MA in history, to
teach preaching and hymnody. During that time she became an expert
in Scandinavian hymnody and the lives of Norwegian American women
about whom she has written several books, the latest Unstoppable:
The Norwegian American Pioneers Educate their Daughters. 2016.
(Available on Amazon) Currently she is writing a brief history of
Mindekirken for its Centennial. Her latest book is a collection of
366 sonnets on Jesus: The Harmony, Fortress Press.
Liv Birgit Christensen is a professional genealogist specializing
in Norwegian family history research. She presents workshops,
classes, and webinars internationally on Norwegian genealogy. She
is a panelist on Mondays with Myrt, a weekly webinar that gives
"practical, down-to-earth advice for family historians".
Other presentations include the webinars Norwegian Genealogical
Study Group 1 and Norwegian Genealogical Study Group 2 with
DearMyrtle (Pat Richley-Erickson) and Russ Worthington. They are
free of use and can be found on YouTube. Christensen has also done
webinars for Family History Expos, USA and The Surname Society in
the UK. And she has done live video presentations for the Seattle
Genealogical Society's Scandinavian Interest Group. She has also
done lectures and webinars in Norway.
"Caitlin Sackrison is a History Ph.D. candidate at Brandeis University.
Her specialization is Modern Europe, and her research interests include
immigration and migration studies, women and gender history, transnational
history, and the history of borderlands. Her current research focuses on
Norwegian women in Brown County, Minnesota, and examines the interconnectedness
of state formation, Dakota land dispossession, white settler colonialism, and
the expansion of women's property rights and holdings in the mid-to-late 19th
century.
She has experience teaching courses on US Immigration History and assisting
with courses in Early Modern and Modern European History. This past year,
Caitlin also pursued internships with the Norwegian-American Historical
Association (NAHA) in Northfield, Minnesota, and Norway House in Minneapolis.
She has received awards for her research and work from Brandeis University,
the Mellon Foundation, and the Coalition for Western Women's Historians."
Amy Boxrud is the Executive Director of the Norwegian-American
Historical Association. She is responsible for the daily
operations of the association, in addition to leading the
organization's development, communications, and membership
efforts. Prior to her work with NAHA, she worked in the fields of
publishing and communications, including a four-year stint as
editor of Viking magazine for members of Sons of Norway. Amy is a
graduate of St. Olaf College, where she studied English and
Norwegian. In her free time, she enjoys Nordic folk fiddling,
studying public history, and volunteering on the board of a local
nonprofit makerspace.
Joseph Grødahl is the Director of Programs & Events at Norway
House in Minneapolis. A founding member of Norway House and
longtime associate member of its Franklin Avenue neighbor
Mindekirken, Joseph recently joined the Norway House staff to take
a more active role in the organization's exciting future. Along
with colleagues Keith Bartz and Race Fisher, Joseph has taken on
the task of bringing to life the vision for the Haugo Archives and
Bibliotek.
Information about the 2021 meeting held via Zoom:
In 2021 Dr. Terje Joranger, Executive Director of the Norwegian Emigrant
Museum located near Hamar, Norway, was our featured presenter.
See an article about this Museum in the Hamar, Norway area.
Dr. Joranger is an expert in Norwegian emigration who shared
historical information on the four main emigration waves from Norway
which correspond with the Norwegian immigration waves into the U.S.
Other presentations included the partnership established in 1955
between the Fellesraad (and Bygdelag) and the Norwegian Emigrant
Museum and how that ties into our history. Dr. Joranger gave a talk
about the major role he is playing in both the commemoration of the
bicentennial of Norwegian Emigration in 2025 in Norway and
coordinating with Norwegian-Americans in the U.S.
In 2020 no annual meeting held due to the COVID pandemic:
Information about meetings before 2020:
The May 2019 meeting had an emphasis on DNA. Our speaker, Jan
Myhrvold from Norway, is an expert in the use of DNA in Norwegian
genealogy & DNA testing in Norway today. He is also a key member of
Finnskog Research & the Forest Finn DNA Project.
An understanding of this "new" facet of genealogy is necessary, as it should be used as a companion to your research. Links to PDF versions of the flyers from the meeting - Ancestry DNA - Family Tree DNA
(Photo of Rune Nedrud representing Norsk Slektshistorisk Forening,
from our 2017 annual meeting.)
Bygdelagenes Fellesraad, Bygdelag, and Norsk Slektshistorisk Forening have formed a partnership.
See article for more info....
Fellesraad president Elaine Hasleton presented her 2019 annual report on the activities of the Fellesraad. This link will allow you to view that presentation as a pdf. - Presidents Report
Fellesraad director, Nancy Pickering, gave a promotional slide
presentation to highlight the benefits of Fellesraad membership.
This link will allow you to view a PDF copy of
that presentation named:
Bygdelag Activities & Membership Statistics.
RootsTech 2024
RootsTech 2024 will be February 29 - March 2, 2024
RootsTech was both virtual and in person in 2023. Most likely it will be the same format in 2024.
This event is one week before Norwegian Lag Week.
RootsTech 2023 Sessions Available - See: RootsTech.org
We were thrilled to announce that RootsTech 2023 was a global online
event enhanced by an in-person experience! You will still be able to join us from
any part of the world through our virtual event. But
don't wait until next year to enjoy the great learning available on
RootsTech.org
Visit RootsTech
19th Annual - Norwegian Lag Week
When: March 3 - March 9, 2024
What: Classes and research in family history.
Where: Family History Center/Library in Salt Lake City.
Fees: No charge for planned events or library access.
Lodging: Rates available at Salt Lake Plaza Hotel. (See below)
Note: Participants are responsible for their own transportation and meal plans.
Yearly Norwegian Log Week meetings are held in February or March. They are scheduled to come either
before or after the RootsTech convention held in Salt Lake City. In 2024 Log Week
follows RootsTech on March 3 - 9. Research and classes are held at the Family History
Center/Library, which is open to the public at no charge.
The hotel we use is conveniently located next to the Family History Center/Library. Please
call Rich Williams at the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel ( phone number is 801-606-2410 ) to
make reservations at the 'Norwegian Log Week' special rate.
Note: Participants are responsible for their own transportation and meal plans.
Special classes will be announced this fall for participants of Norwegian Lag Week.
Return here for more information as it becomes available.
Let us know if you have a topic that may be of interest to all
and we will try to accommodate.
Please correspond with:
Our Fellesraad Norwegian Lag Week Coordinator: - Marilyn Sorensen
at
rddlagen @ usfamily . net
or Kathy Ward
at
km2ward @ yahoo . com
.