Genealogy Fall Conference
sponsored by the
Norwegian-American Genealogical Association (N-AGA)
and the
Swedish Genealogical Society of Minnesota (SGSM)
Saturday October 11, 2025 from 9:30am to 2:30pm CT
Speakers: Dana Kelly, Jill Morelli & Bob Johnson
Space for the in-person conference is limited to 70 attendees. Reserve your space by registering by October 3. The conference will be in-person at the Minnesota Genealogy Center, 1385 Mendota Heights Road, Mendota Heights, MN 55120 and via Zoom. Virtual attendees will receive an email with a Zoom link 3 days prior to the program.
Agenda
9:00 Check-in
9:30 Welcome and introduction
9:45 The Journey to the New World, Bob Johnson
10:45 Break
11:15 Finding Your Family in Sweden and Norway, Jill Morelli
12:15 Door prizes
12:30 Lunch
1:15 Uncovering Hidden Scandinavian Roots With Your DNA, Dana Kelly
2:15 Wrap up
2:30 Research Assistance
Speakers
Journey to the New World, with BOB JOHNSON
This presentation will cover what happened from the time someone decided to leave the Old Country until they arrived at their new home in North America. It covers the migrants'preparations to leave, making it to the port of departure, what the trip across the ocean was like, and how they got to their ultimate destination. Although primarily the topic is descriptive of what the migrants went through on their journey, it also covers existing records to document your ancestors’ journey.
Bob Johnson is a recovering attorney and professional genealogist. He holds a Certified Genealogist® credential and specializes in Swedish, Finnish, and Norwegian genealogical research. Bob has been doing Swedish research for over 40 years. He studied in Växjö, Sweden and is active in several genealogical societies. Bob has recently been involved with two publications, Genealogy At A Glance: Swedish Genealogy Research and Husförhörslängder, Swedish Household Examination Records: Framing the Solutions to Your Swedish Ancestry Puzzles.
Uncovering Hidden Roots With Your DNA, with DANA KELLY
DNA is a powerful tool for genealogy. During this session we will use case studies to illustrate how it can be used to find previously unknown ancestors and confirm that your traditional research is correct. A unique challenge faced by people with Scandinavian ancestry is their naming customs. The tradition of naming children after other family members often means there are many people in a community with the same name. The lack of inherited family surnames means conventional wisdom about looking for surname frequency in your DNA matches is potentially useless. DNA can help us overcome some of these challenges. The main goal of most genealogists is to continue to research further back in time. When the paper trail is scarce or inconclusive, DNA can be used to refute or support hypotheses. During this presentation I walk through three different examples of how I used DNA to find previously unknown ancestors.
Dana Kelly serves NAGC as the Executive Director. She oversees the daily operation of the center and is active in outreach activities and educational programming. She has been an avid genealogist since her teens, and that passion for family history led her to a Scandinavian Studies degree from UW-Madison where she learned to speak, read and write Norwegian. Dana has served on the board of directors for the Koshkonong Prairie Historical Society since 2009, on the Board of Directors of the Dane County Area Genealogy Society since 2020, and is a member of several Norwegian cultural and genealogical organizations including Sons of Norway, Vesterheim, and the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study. She and her husband, Gary Swain, have three children and a dairy farm near Madison, Wisconsin.
Finding Your Family in Sweden and Norway, with JILL MORELLI
Preparation in the US is key to successfully “crossing the pond.” Country-wide indexes are now readily available for Norway and Sweden and allow us to more easily identify our ancestor’s parish of birth, but problems arise with so many same-named individuals. This session covers techniques that are critical to Scandinavian research, with a focus on Sweden and Norway.
Jill Morelli, CG, CGL, is a writer, lecturer and researcher specializing in Midwest, and Scandinavian research and methodologies. She lectures nationally and has been published in the NGSQ, Swedish American Genealogist, and others. In 2017, she founded the Certification Discussion Group, sharing her journey to receive the credential, is past president of the Seattle GS, program director for the Puget Sound chapter of APG (Association of Professional Genealogists), and is a co-founder of Applied Genealogy Institute, where the focus is on practicum-based learning.
