Far Northern Connections: Researching Your Sami (and Other) Ancestors in Northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia [Paperback]

Virginia Mattson-Schultz (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0805972617 | ISBN-13: 978-0805972610 | Publication Date: May 30, 2007

Are you just beginning to research your Northern European roots? Perhaps you are just now discovering that your family may have been Sami? This complete book will get you started on your journey to uncover your ancestors from the far North.

Not only has Virginia Mattson-Schultz included charts and explanations of the foreign terms you will need in many different languages of Northern Europe, but she has also listed the most helpful web sites and places to begin your search. The author comments, "Since many Sami-Americans are not aware of their ethnic background, I talk about sorting out the Sami identity from the identity of the countries in which they live; however, it is my hope that my book will be a help for anyone researching family in the north of these particular countries."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Virginia Mattson-Schultz has been interested in genealogy since she was in her twenties and has spent many years researching her own family history, and working both as a professional genealogist for others and a high school language teacher. Her Finnish roots, which encouraged her study of the Sami culture in far northern Europe, and her strong background in languages combine to make her uniquely qualified to write this book. She has also written articles for The Finnish American Reporter and the journals Arran and Baiki.

She was born in Trempealeau, Wisconsin, and earned a B.A. from Macalester College and master's degree from the University of Colorado. She currently lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia, with her husband, David Schultz.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Co. Inc. (May 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805972617
• ISBN-13: 978-0805972610
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #936,264 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Virginia Mattson-Schultz was born in 1943 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her family moved to Trempealeau, Wisconsin, shortly after that. She attended Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and then launched a career teaching French, Russian and English. Later she obtained her master's degree at the University of Colorado at Denver.

She and her husband live in Martinsburg, West Virginia, after having lived in Denver, Colorado, for many years.

Virginia loves family history and has the tenacity of a bulldog to find stories, facts and photographs. A love of writing, foreign languages, and family history is evident in her books. She has a genuine love of the culture and history of Scandinavia, as well as a strong interest in the languages, Finnish, Swedish, and Samigieli and in names, which are so central to the culture.

She has begun a book about the "Forest Finns" of Värmland Province, Sweden, which brings in the interesting topics of Dalecarlian Swedish and Swedish-Finnish history. She's always researching, drinking coffee, writing, drinking coffee, and, oh yes, drinking more coffee.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A guide to the missing pieces, July 10, 2009

By 

Jennifer D. Wagner "Finnish-Sami Woman" (Minneaplis, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Far Northern Connections: Researching Your Sami (and Other) Ancestors in Northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia (Paperback)

Like Virginia, I have been interested in my Finnish family roots since my twenties. There had been a little talk about one line of my family having "Lapp" roots I remember in discussions from when I was very small. When I started mapping my family tree, I decided to look into that family line, but I only reached dead ends. Asking family elders helped very little, as that information was either forgotten--or, for various reasons, didn't want to be shared. Having Sami ancestry has been very stigmatized in the Finnish-American community. Virginia's book helped me overcome some of the obstacles. I eventually found out that I was more than just a "little bit" Sami. I probably have at least as much Sami heritage as I do Finnish...a little bit mind-boggling to me, considering that my family has taken so much pride in our Finnish heritage. I still take pride in my Finnish roots, but now I also take pride in my Sami! Virginia also does a good job explaining why Sami heritage has been so suppressed both in the United States and abroad in a way that does not diminish the contributions and sacrifices our immigrant ancestors made for us when they created a new home for us in the United States. A must-read for anyone who is interested in pursuing genealogy and suspects they may have Sami ancestry. Studies have shown there are at least 30,000 Americans with Sami ancestry, but only about 2% are aware of their Sami identity. If this might be you, Virginia's book is a great guide to get you to your destination!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine expose of the special challenges involved in research far northern archives for genealogical data., January 9, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Far Northern Connections: Researching Your Sami (and Other) Ancestors in Northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia (Paperback)

FAR NORTHERN CONNECTIONS: RESEARCHING YOUR SAMI AND OTHER ANCESTORS IN NORTHERN NORWAY, SWEDEN, FINLAND, AND RUSSIA is more than just listing of research methods for genealogists and collections catering to them: it includes charts, explanations of foreign terms, and insights into the web sites and places to begin a search. The author's years of research into her own family history lends to a fine expose of the special challenges involved in research far northern archives for genealogical data.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch