Fall program and board meeting October 17, 2008
Letters from your Immigrant Ancestors?

Blaine Hedberg, Executive Director of the Naeseth Library in Madison, will present a program on letters from immigrants written in the late 1800’s but only recently discovered in the basement of the library. Blaine will also tell us about the resources of the Naeseth Library and how we in Eau Claire might utilize those facilities for genealogy research through the Ager Resource Library. The program will begin at 6:30 PM at the Chippewa Valley Montessori School, 400 Cameron Street followed by a reception at the Ager House at 7:30 PM where you will be able to continue the discussion with Blaine Hedberg.

Executive Director Blaine Hedberg has been affiliated with the organization since 1982 when he first volunteered to assist Gerhard Naeseth. In addition to his role as Executive Director, Blaine continues as the Naeseth Chair fellow and will complete work on Naeseth’s immigrant histories this year. Blaine is currently completing work on volume five of the series, which covers the year 1850. The volumes taken together will constitute one of the most important research and publication projects undertaken in support of Norwegian-American genealogy and a significant contribution to the body of knowledge in immigrant history.

The Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library has been the premier Norwegian-American research center in the United States for over 30 years and an independent non-profit organization since 2007. Founded in 1974 by Professor Gerhard B. Naeseth, eminent scholar of Norwegian genealogy and immigration, the NAGC has dedicated itself to creating cultural legacies to awaken and connect the generations by collecting, preserving and interpreting our treasured genealogical heritage. Some of the resources available at the NAGC in Madison, Wisconsin include Norwegian emigration records, Norwegian and Norwegian-American church records, U.S. cemetery transcripts, local histories (bygdebøker) from Norway and Norwegian and Norwegian-American family histories.