Genealogy

Genealogy Journal Entries (newest first)

2/15/2024: My Genealogy journey began in 1999 on a 2 day ski trip to Salt Lake City.  I had skiied until I could barely walk on the first day, so I knew better than to "challenge the mountain" on day 2.  I headed to the Visitors Center and from there made my way to the LDS Family History Library.

The folks there were very helpful, and I knew the names and dates for my Grandparents and Great Grandparents. I was able to obtain up to 11 generations of information on some of my lines in a little over 4 hours.  One of the volunteers asked me if I was on the World Wide Web (*remember that not everyone was on the internet back then).  I said I was, and they told me that everything there would be online in the next few months (and it was).

Flash to today: I helped a friend get online with them today and was amazed at how fast familysearch.org "filled in the blanks".  As soon as we put in the grandparents information, it took off like a rocket and filled in several generations automatically.  I highly recommend familysearch.org.....and it's free!

2/11/2024:  I use perplexity.ai almost exclusively as my search engine.  I suggest you give it a try.  You can use natural language with it. Here's an example: I asked it to explain how surnames were & are used in Denmark.  Almost instantly I get this back...

"The Danish naming system historically used patronymics, where the surname was based on the father's given name. For example, a son of a man named Anders would be known as Iver Nielsen (Iver son of Niels), and his sisters would be known as Nielsdatter (daughter of Niels) 1. This practice has become less common, and many Danes now choose more unique surnames4. If someone wants to take a surname that no one else has in Denmark, they can apply to have the surname approved.

The Danish naming system based on patronymics was most commonly used until the early 19th century. However, it is no longer the primary naming convention in Denmark. Today, most Danes have a hereditary surname that is passed down from generation to generation, similar to the naming systems in other Western countries. While the traditional patronymic system is no longer the norm, some individuals may still have surnames based on their father's given name, and there are specific regulations for adopting new surnames in Denmark."