Submitted Photo Lena Larsen with sisters Julia Eide and Lena Thompson, circa 1905.

Tracing your lineage is a fun and rewarding challenge that requires some basic knowledge of past centuries, but how do you begin to discover your Norwegian ancestry? When you have the name of a Norwegian-born ancestor to go on, quite a few sources can assist in your search for him or her, and your lineage can lead you further back in time.

On Sunday, Oct. 7, at 2 p.m. at the Minot Library, the Daughters of Norway invite Nordic women ages 13 and up to attend a presentation designed to help you research your Nordic family tree. The best place to start is with yourself and your parents. Some records are more accurate than others. Having three documented sources confirming information is recommended.

The first key to unlocking history is an ancestors “name”. This can be difficult with Norwegian genealogy, as names were often changed or spelled wrong when they arrived in America and by the census takers. Immigrants may have changed their name to avoid confusion with too many Olson’s or Anderson’s as well.

Major life events were recorded in church records such as baptisms, confirmations, marriages and deaths in Norwegian parishes and this practice carried over to America churches too. This aids people in finding their genealogy. It is also important to know what was happening in history and emigration patterns is helpful to understand why they moved from one place to another.

The Minot Library, is located at 516 2nd Ave SW, Minot, ND 58701. Please RSVP and call Sue at 701-838-5710 or send an email to norskjill@gmail.com.