As time fades away, history has a tendency to fade along with it. Laural Dikken wears her bunad at the Nordlandslag Stevne banquet in Granite Falls. A bunad is customarily worn in Norway for certain celebrations, such as weddings and family reunions. Contributed photo But for the many members of Bygdelagenes Fellesraad, a national council comprised of descendants of emigrants from Norway to North America, they are attempting to preserve and strengthen historical bonds with th

Old suitcase held clues for woman’s family history Family stories are powerful motivators. For Judy Breiter, of Long Prairie, the stories were accompanied by a mysterious suitcase full of letters and photographs. And they took her all the way to France. (L to R) Pascale and Andre Martin, Judy Breiter and Sophie Peron got together for a photo. The family connected after research by Breiter which started from an old suitcase filled with letters and photographs. Contributed phot

Connecting the dots on a family’s immigration story This is a story of connections that span an ocean. In Norway there’s Simon Bjørklund and in America there’s his third cousin, Sara Torvik, an Underwood native now living in Maryland. Last year, Simon came to Minnesota to see where members of his family immigrated in the late 1870s. Sara called on her cousins and their wives – Chet and Marlys Habberstad and Richard and Elle Habberstad all from Underwood – to assist. They migh

Genealogists offer tips on how to find interesting family stories, family members “Genealogy is about solving mysteries,” explained Barb Johnson, a research volunteer from Alexandria who has successfully solved many family-tree riddles. Joan Larson of Alexandria, another genealogy enthusiast added, “It’s kind of like a game of clues, or putting jigsaw puzzle pieces together until you get the completed picture. It’s data, of course, but genealogy is all about the stories of wh

Olson learns new details about descendants Roberta Olson Roberta Olson proudly displays a plaque in her Sauk Centre home verifying that she is a descendant of people who sailed on the Mayflower. Their names, along with those of some of their children, are listed on a plaque outside the inn in Plymouth, England, where the passengers spent their last night before embarking to the New World on Sept. 15, 1620. If any of this sounds familiar, it’s because this information appeared