November 26, 2004

12:32 AM

I'm interested in finding out about my father's side of my family, who is originally from Denmark. Unfortunately, I don't have much contact with that side of the family, so I have no one to ask. Can someone point me in the right direction of a resource that may help?
posted by jackofsaxons to (3 comments total)

Maybe the UseNet soc.genealogy.nordic discussion group? Check out the other soc.genealogy.* groups as well -- particularly the surname sub-hierarchy. Look for people researching similar lines.

Roll the dice and run a search for an established family association with the surname you're scouting. Early on (VERY early on) I hooked up with the Mendenhall Family Association and took a roadblock in that line back to 1066 almost overnight. The downside was that I found out I'm related to Nixon.
posted by RavinDave at 3:52 AM on November 26, 2004

Go ahead and start your tracking with your family. even if you don't have much contact with them now. It's a great icebreaker, plus, i've found that there is usually someone in a family that has done some research that can get you on your way. I did this with my family tree. Found a great aunt that I had never met who could remember the area in france where my family originated from. We have a unique last name that made it easy to find a couple of people in that area who had the same name. this of course will be harder for you if your a danish Jacobsen, neilsen, larsen or the likes.

PS: if you need it down the road, I can translate Danish. (lived outside of Copenhagen) I hope you can make a connection and visit. Denmark is an amazingly warm & beautiful Place
posted by ifoughttheapemen at 7:43 AM on November 26, 2004

There are some past AskMe links that dealt with genealogy issues in general, though not specifically Denmark which Dave seems to have done a good job in getting you started with. A few worthwhile things to know about family history
- every family does seem to have at least one person who knows the stuff, find them and befriend them [and worry that you may become them]
- since once you get back a few generations you're related to a zillion people, look closely to see if anyone has done some of the work for you. Do a lot of random Googling for names when you need a break from culling through ancestral records.
- if you live someplace where there is a significant concentration of Danes, see if the library has any Danish specific heritage books, or if there is a cultural society in your area that may have local records and also people who have done the research in other countries.
posted by jessamyn at 1:34 PM on November 26, 2004