I grew up in a home where Swedish Christmas Traditions were essential to our celebrations. Christmas for us was the most important holiday of the year. Sweden has many Christmas celebrations, but some of the important ones we celebrate in our family each year are the advent candles, St. Lucia: Christmas Eve, and a Julotta…
My mother, Anne-Marie Hellqvist Hummel, has been doing Swedish genealogy research for 50 years. She is an expert in understanding Swedish Genealogy. I wrote this blog while talking to my mothers and getting her input on what she saw as the most important aspects of Swedish genealogy. These are her suggestions for what a beginner…
Would you have the courage to travel alone to America at age 20 when you couldn’t speak much English? My grandmother, Anne Marie, was born in 1931 in Stockholm, Sweden. She lived in Sweden until 1952 when she decided to go to America. In the 1950s, American movies and music were very popular in Europe.…
A question that many people ask is if Swedish people are of a Slavic origin? Many people assume that Sweden may have some Slavic origins because Sweden is very close to this part of the world. Swedish people do not have Slavic origins but come from Northern Germanic people. Since the beginning of Sweden, Northern…
Santa Lucia holds an extraordinary place in the hearts of the people of Sweden. Santa Lucia represents charity and love while simultaneously bringing light to the cold long winter nights. Santa Lucia is an Italian Saint who died as a martyr; she is one of the earliest Christian saints to gain widespread popularity. Santa Lucia…
When you start your Swedish family history research, you will learn that Sweden has some amazing family history records called the Household Examination Records. You can discover many things about your ancestors through these Household Examination Records or (Husförhörslängder). Sweden’s Household Examination Records, or Husförhörslängder is a church records book recorded by the Swedish Lutheran…