We have come to the end! Today is Family Day so there are many people – including lots of little ones – who have not attended the conference on any of the previous days. There are long lines at multiple boots and displays. It is good to see all the young people coming to learn how to research their own family histories.

My first session today was The Records After Scandinavians That Passed Away. I am always on the lookout for new tips to find my elusive ancestor, Anders Molin, who migrated 200 miles away from his home in southern Sweden to Marstrand. He is last found in 1786 on a tax roll. He obviously died at some point, but I have found no trace of him.

Finn Karlsen presented many resources to be found in Scandinavia and pointed out the differences found between records and between countries.

Original records were reviewed, along with an overview of modern access routes, both by subscription and free sites.

The most interesting new bit of information I learned is that there was no minimum value of an estate to be probated, but the estate had to be able to cover the costs of typical items like public notices, but the heirs also even had to be able to pay for all the pieces of paper that were used to record the records. I guess bills for Scandinavian probates had highly detailed and itemized bills!

For those with Scandinavian heritage, don’t fear tackling the records just because you don’t speak the language. Many records have facts recorded in columns and each type of record is often kept in its own book until you get back into the 1700s when one book was used by ministers keeping church records.

After lunch, I sadly headed to my last session. I always seem to miss the last Saturday session becuase of my flight time. The final choice was Sources and Structures for Successful Genealogical Research in Germany with Dirk Weissleder.

Stufflebean (Stoppelbein) is a Palatine German name and my husband has other German lines. They seem to fall into two categories – already connected over the pond or a dead end in the U.S. South. However, I’d like to learn more as most German Records don’t seem to be indexed, although many have been microfilmed.

A very complete overview was given of vital records, but a discussion of law restrictions on access and also the different types of naming patterns for genealogical  organizations that might mask the fact that they are genealogically oriented and thus overlooked by researchers was also covered. There are quite a few avenues open for those researching German ancestry.

I dejectedly headed off to the airport for the trip home.

11:00 p.m. – I am back in warm Tucson – it is currently 64 degrees outside, tired but happy, and determined to get this post up today! It is a bit short, but it’s all the energy I have left at the moment.

RootsTech 2017 is now history.