Norwegian-American Genealogical Association upcoming events

Understanding Your DNA, with Dixie Hansen (25 Apr 2026)

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 18:30:00 GMT

Understanding Your DNA,

with Dixie Hansen

Dixie will share details of a handful of her most interesting projects, including:

A grandson’s search for the parents of his grandfather, who was an 1897 orphan train rider
An adoptee’s discovered bio-father whose photo, when discovered, was a scary-looking mug shot
The answer to the question of whether the parents who raised one of my clients might actually have been her grandparents
The happy research shortcut which occurred when an adoption agency accidentally forgot to redact the full name of an adoptee’s birth mother from the “non-identifying information” we requested.
The time that an anticipated missing half-brother of a client strangely turned out to be a half-sister
More often than you might expect, using DNA to answer a client’s specific question about one ancestral line (e.g., “Can you confirm that I have Cherokee blood?”) and, along the way, uncovering a more unexpected and astonishing answer to a never-in-a-million-years-asked question about their much more immediate family.

In the course of sharing DNA stories, Dixie will introduce many of the strategies, techniques, and resources involved in genetic genealogy research. On the side, she is more than happy to receive referrals for new DNA-related probes. Feel free to reach out. Dixie says that although she works on a strictly volunteer basis, she admits that she has occasionally been known to accept a bottle of generic three-buck-chuck wine to celebrate the successful conclusion of a search.

Dixie Hansen is a long-time member (and former secretary) of the Norwegian-American Genealogical Association and is a family historian who, especially since retirement, has fully embraced the hobby of a volunteer DNA-focused research for others… helping friends, family, and external word-of-mouth referred “clients” to identify missing family members (sometimes generations back) who are unknown due to closed adoptions, mystery fathers, untraced grandparents, and any number of other family structure complications.

Her research involves detailed genetic genealogy scrutiny of a client’s DNA match list always paired with tried-and-true traditional family history research methodology and lots of downward tree building.

To date, Dixie has conducted 44 such family-mystery investigations, usually to successful conclusion (if not to a complete solve, always at least “closing in”). The stories that she’s uncovered in the process are often fascinating, both in pulling back the curtain on the sometimes-secreted complications of “broken” families as well as in the convoluted research paths traversed to uncover biological truths.

Dixie is necessarily respectful of the many ethical and privacy issues of conducting this kind of research - especially because missing family members are often real “living and breathing” people as are most DNA matches. Digging in is not for everybody. She is very careful before undertaking a new project, to make sure that her potential client understands the process she uses, is aware of (and is willing to accept) the emotional risk of unexpected DNA discoveries, and knows that she will leave them in full control of the decision on what to do (if anything at all) with the information learned.

This will be a hybrid meeting, available in-person and via Zoom. N-AGA members will be sent a Zoom link prior to the meeting.

Printing Your Family History Book; Tips From an Expert, with JoEllen Haugo (23 May 2026)

Sat, 23 May 2026 18:30:00 GMT

Printing Your Family History Book; Tips From an Expert, with JoEllen Haugo

JoEllen Haugo worked as an editor and indexer for her cousin, Rebecca (Becky) Haugo Schulthess’s 2023 book on the Haugo family. This 436-page book is complete with genealogy charts, stories, photos, index and printed locally in 4-color and covers genealogy back to the 1500s to babies born in the 2020s. Most stories are from the 1950s-1990.

Cousin Becky began doing family genealogy research in the 1970s in preparation for a family reunion. Then in 1986 Becky published a 244 page book including genealogy and stories of three families. JoEllen joined on as part of the “production team” in 2021.

JoEllen Haugo is a retired librarian who worked many years in the Hennepin County Library History and Special Collections departments Minneapolis Central Library. She grew up in Minnesota, but the family stomping grounds are in northcentral Iowa where family members from around the country gathered. This is the second published book that JoEllen extensively worked on. She will share information on getting these books published and distributed.

This will be a hybrid meeting, available in-person and via Zoom. N-AGA members will be sent a Zoom link prior to the meeting.

The Men, the Myth, the Monarch and the Manor: Eidsvol 1814 with Sandra Bestland (27 Jun 2026)

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 18:30:00 GMT

Eidsvoll 1814: The Men, the Myth, the Monarch and the Manor

with Sandra Bestland

"Eidsvoll 1814" is the story of the rise of nationalism in Norway. Signed on May 17, 1814, the Norwegian Constitution is the second oldest constitution still in use. It was written by two men and ratified by 112. Among the assembly were farmers, lawyers, merchants, priests, soldiers, a gambler, a nobleman, a horse master, a sheriff, a surgeon, a watchmaker, a teenager, and an acquitted murderer. Learn the intriguing details about the lives of the more prominent assemblymen, plus see a photographic tour of the manor.

Sandra Bestland is an Independent Scholar whose primary source research has taken her to cemeteries, churches, museums, battlefields, historic sites, and to archives here and abroad. She earned a B.A. in English Literature from Hamline University, and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas. Her interest in "all things Norwegian" was kindled during the pandemic shutdown. She is a member of many Norwegian culture groups and is editor of the Agderlag Avisen. Sandra started researching the topic after learning that her 3x great grandfather was an Eidsvollman.

We will also celebrate N-AGA's 43rd Anniversary with cake and coffee.

This will be a hybrid meeting, available in-person and via Zoom. N-AGA members will be sent a Zoom link prior to the meeting.

2026 Annual Meeting & Presentation on Viking Ancestry by Eleanor Brinsko (26 Sep 2026)

Sat, 26 Sep 2026 18:30:00 GMT

N-AGA 2026 Annual Meeting & Elections

Please consider volunteering for one of the following offices: Co-President, Vice President or Secretary

Approval of Revised Bylaws

Because N-AGA has been approved to become our own 501(c)(3) charitable organization, we are required to make some revisions to our current Bylaws. All members will be sent an electronic draft of the revisions prior to the Annual Meeting.

“This Was a Viking Hub” The Sentence That Led to a Genealogical Quest

with Eleanor Brinsko

https://carlongenealogy.com

Vikings can be thought of as a stereotype of the Scandinavian people. Heathens. Angry farmers. However, the Viking Era has done so much for the way of life of Norwegians: helping the North connect to continental Europe and introducing trade to other countries; branching out to island countries like Iceland and Greenland; bringing Christianity to Norway; and shaping the modern Norwegian government. Inspired by a great genealogical discovery that Eleanor had while in Norway, she learned how the area of her ancestors was a hub to a lot of Viking action. In this lecture, we will learn about how the Viking Era formed the way the country has been operating since and where the hot spots for the Viking action were. Maybe one of those areas is where your ancestors were living, too!

Eleanor Brinsko, MLIS, is a professional genealogist and founder of Carlon Genealogical Services. She specializes in Scandinavian research and is a regular speaker for libraries, historical societies and genealogical associations. She also offers personalized research consultations.

This will be a hybrid meeting, available in-person and via Zoom. N-AGA members will be sent a Zoom link prior to the meeting.

The Art & History of Making Lefse, with Gary the Lefse King (24 Oct 2026)

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 18:30:00 GMT

The Art & History of Making Lefse,

with Gary, the Lefse King

Gary, the Lefse King will bring his equipment and show us how to make lefse, while explaining the history and importance of lefse to Norwegians.

This will be a hybrid meeting, available in-person and via Zoom. N-AGA members will be sent a Zoom link prior to the meeting.