Swedish

Despite the Swedish establishment of a small colony along the Delaware River in the mid-seventeenth century, the majority of Swedish immigrants arrived in America in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Although the first Swedish immigrants of the nineteenth century were primarily middle class persons in search of adventure, subsequent immigrants left their country due to a large population boom and the availability of cheap, fertile farmland in the Midwest, especially in Minnesota. Since this time, Swedish immigration has slowed to a trickle.

Contacts and Sources

American Swedish Institute
2600 Park Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Telephone: (612) 871-4908
Publication: ASI Posten

Scandinavian-American Genealogical Society and the Minnesota Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 16069
1650 Carroll Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55116-0069.
Publication: Scandinavian Saga

Swedish American Genealogist
639 38th St
Rock Island IL 61201-2296
Publication: Swedish American Genealogist

The Royal Swedish Embassy
Watergate 600
600 New Hampshire Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20037
Publications: The pamphlets Tracing Your Swedish Ancestry and Americans from Sweden (available free of charge)

Web Sites

In Helpful Web Sites, you can find links to useful resources about Sweden.

Books

• The Beginner's Guide to Swedish Genealogical Research, by Finn A. Thomsen
• Cradled in Sweden: A Practical Help to Genealogical Research in Swedish Records, by Carl-Erik Johannson. May be available at your local Family History Center. It gives explicit directions for research in Sweden, including an alphabetical index of all parishes.
• Genealogical Guidebook and Atlas of Sweden, by Finn A. Thomsen

For some tips on researching abroad, see the topic All about international resources.

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