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Founder & Current Leadership

Professor GERHARD B. NAESETH

The core of the Genealogical Center research collection was assembled by Gerhard B. Naeseth (1913-1994), who was internationally renowned in the field of Norwegian and Norwegian-American genealogy and immigration.

A former University of Wisconsin professor, Naeseth served as associate director for the libraries of the University of Wisconsin from 1948-1978. During his tenure at the University of Wisconsin, he helped build one of the largest collections of Norwegian local & genealogical history in the United States.

Following his retirement, he administered the Genealogical Center, beginning in his home and later in the present quarters. In 1990, the genealogical research library was named in his honor. In 1993, he completed and published volume one of his massive research, “Norwegian Immigrants to the United States: A Biographical Guide, 1825-1850.”

In 2001, the Genealogical Center established the Gerhard B. Naeseth Chair for Genealogical Research and Publication as a tribute to his lifetime accomplishments in the field of Norwegian and Norwegian-American genealogy.

Board Chairman Paul Larson (left) thanks former Board Chairman Lowell Olberg for his years of service to NAGC. December 2017

Board of Directors

Paul Larson Chairman Waunakee, Wisconsin	Robert M. Fossum Chetek, Wisconsin
Anne V. Lindblom Vice Chairman Verona, Wisconsin	Scott R. Johnson Madison, Wisconsin
John W. Thompson Treasurer Madison, Wisconsin	Ann Leon Madison, Wisconsin
Ken Larson Secretary Batavia, Illinois	Christine Milligan-Ciha Stoughton, Wisconsin
Lowell Olberg Chairman Emeritus Wheaton, Illinois	Ellen Smithback Stoughton, Wisconsin
Paul M. Berge Middleton, Wisconsin	Gary Smithback Stoughton, Wisconsin

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By becoming a member, you not only gain benefits for your family history research, you also support a worthy cause.

Your annual membership helps you, your family, and a wide community discover their roots and preserve a treasured heritage.

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NAGC & NL relies upon donations of all types from its members and friends throughout the world.

All gifts, whether large or small, are essential to the work of the Center, an important non-profit organization of international scope that is dedicated to preserving Norwegian-American history and heritage.

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Testimonials

“Dear Carol, I am very pleased with the info that you sent me on my Great Grandfather Ole Olsen Klevmoen. I apologize for not getting in touch with you before now, but I am trying to absorb all this info and get it in the right place. Again, thanks ever so much for all the info you found for me. I am very pleased with it and thank you ever so much.”

- Linda (Tennessee)