Swedes are not quite as numerous as the Norwegians in the US, but they are still a large portion of the ancestral roots for anyone who has Scandinavian roots. Like Norwegians and Danes, they mainly settled in the Midwest, in large farming communities there. Seattle has a large Scandinavian community here, including Swedish groups, though there are not as many here as there are of the Norwegian groups, who were likely drawn to the northwest in larger numbers due to the fishing and boating access.
As stated in the Danish genealogy links page, Scandinavians who immigrated to America settled in the Midwest, Minnesota and Wisconsin in particular. Like the other Scandinavian groups, Swedes are relatively easy to research because of their large presence in the US, despite the language barrier, with Google Translate.
Google Translate offers not only simple translations, but also the ability to translate whole sites. Paste in the address of the page you wish to translate into their translator, and it will do the rest for you. It can even be set to auto-detect the language. Headers will usually remain in the original language if they are graphics, but most European languages can be translated this way. If you use Chrome, translation is automatically imbedded in the browser, so you don’t even have to visit the Google Translate Page.
Today, this article will focus on the Swedes.
Where to research your Swedish roots online:
Genline.com - an Ancestry.com based site that focuses on Swedish Genealogy.
Sweden Genealogy - a page with a lot of resources for Swedish Genealogists.
Swedish Roots - a great guide to finding your Swedish Ancestors.
Arkivdigital - the Swedish records archive, available in Swedish and English.
Swedish Ancestors Research Association - an association dedicated to Swedish genealogical research.
Nordic Names (Swedish page) – a great resource for understanding your ancestors’ names.
Swedish Genealogical Society of Minnesota - one of the largest Swedish Genealogical societies in the US.
For local places to research Sweden:
Again, the Seattle Public Library, the Seattle Genealogical Society, Fiske Genealogical Library, and the East Side Genealogical Society are the best places to go. All four have libraries that should have many resources focusing on Swedish heritage in their collections, both books and other records. The East Side Genealogical society does have a Scandinavian Special interest group as well.
The Nordic Heritage Museum focuses on the Scandinavian groups who settled in Western Washington. The third floor houses specific exhibits featuring each of the Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
Swedish-Finn Historical Society – a group dedicated to preserving the emigration history of Swedish Finns.
Swedish Cultural Center - a Seattle group focused on Swedish and Scandinavian activities in the Seattle area.
Sweattle – a site dedicated to Sweden and Swedish culture in Seattle.
As you can see, there is no lack of information on the Scandinavian cultures out there, so don’t be afraid to explore those roots!
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