Current and latest News

G-gruppen is a member of the German Association of genealogy associations

G-gruppen web page in english

We are in the progress to translate our web page to english. This process will be an ongoing process and take some time. Please look into the page regularly for the latest translations.

Newsletter November

The newsletter for the month of November has reached our our members.

Contains, among other things, how do you proceed when you are stuck? A few tips where to search to progress with your research.

Older newsletters can be found in the open pages. You'll find the letters here.

As a member, you will receive the newsletter in your mailbox and also access to the member pages, including The Discussion list, Passenger Lists across the southern Baltic Sea, Glossaries from/to Estonian-Polish-Swedish-Finnish-German, Filmed entries, Book reviews and Templates in German and Polish language to parishes and authorities.

If you want to become a member and take advantage of all the content, please refer to the application form here.

In memoriam Jürgen Weigle (1930-2018)

The G-gruppen long standing Nestor, Jürgen Weigle, has left us.

He leaves a big gap in the G-gruppen's activities. Jürgen was a genealogical pillar for the association and among all the genealogists researching in the Baltic Sea area.

By his birth, born in 1930 in the Free City of Danzig, he made good contacts with many German genealogists and genealogy associations that enabled him to help many who sought ancestors in Germany.

He was limitless in helping others. He had a profound knowledge of this area, a large library and everything he researched carefully documented and collected in binders.

Jürgen was both Chairman and Board member of the G-gruppen for many years. The first year he was elected as a member of the board was in 2003. He was also the Board's eternal "nitpicker" as he himself expressed the matter. All details in discussions and protocols would be precise and accurate.

In the end, Jürgen was active on the G-gruppen's discussion list and in the board work, where he was alternate in recent years.

The G-gruppen will miss a pillar in the association's work.

Board of Directors

Swedish genealogy days in Växjö 2018

The G-gruppen will participate in this year's genealogy days in Växjö.

As in the 2017 gathering in Halmstad, we will collaborate in a booth with a number of German genelaogy associations.

If you are in the area, please come and have a chat with us.

The website with programs and other useful information can be found here

70th German genealogy days 2018 in Melle

The G-gruppen is coming to attend the German genealogy days in Melle.

The main purpose with the presence is to show the association's activities, and to make contact with German associations as well as presumptive new and current members.

The website with programs and other useful information can be found here

New Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

On 25 May 2018, the new data protection regulation (GDPR) will be introduced throughout the EU. The new rules supersede PUL (Personal Data Act) and increase your ability to determine how organizations handle data about you and the personal data created when using its services.

By submitting your information to us, you agree that we register these digitally in our membership register for internal use and communications to you. Your information will not be disclosed or sold to third parties.

The annual meeting with the Association G-gruppen  April 15th 2018

G-gruppen has completed the virtual annual meeting and the annual meeting has been held.

The Board was granted discharge for the 2017 fiscal year. The annual meeting adopted the motion for a proposed change of constitution regarding the possibility of exclusion from the Association G-gruppen.

The chairman Jan-Åke Hager was re-elected, as well as the members Katarina Möller and Hans-Dieter Grahl. The replacements Gustaf Eichbaum and Jürgen Weigle were re-elected.

Ann-Margret Kjellander was elected as new auditor and re-elected as deputy auditor was Svea-Lisa Råsäter. Ulla-Brita Sjöblom Pedersson was re-elected as election committee.

The Board expresses its warmest thanks to outgoing auditor Eva Almqvist for a worthwhile job for many years.

Free access to digital archive information on February 1st 2018

The Swedish Government decided the cultural budget for 2018 on December 6th, 2017. The Government's proposal for the National Archives to receive funding for making digital archive information freely available has been accepted. This means that the subscription fee for SVAR's digital research room will be removed and the National Archives have assumed that they will release the digital information free from February 1st 2018.

Genealogy Day 2018

On January 20, Genealogy Day was celebrated in Sweden and G-gruppen was in place in the Sollentuna Library. Theme of the Year: Archive - due to the fact that the National Archives this year will be 400 years. There were about a hundred of interested present, despite the fact that the sun shone over Sollentuna. The association got questions about how to research our areas and how to proceed.

One of our founders is deceased

Ingemar Goliath has past away 86 years old. He was one of the initiators of the association G-gruppen formed in 2000. Ingemar participated as moderator in our discussion list for many years. He also carried out the project "Dalfolk in Pomerania" aimed at registering the names of the "pomeranians" in the church books of the parishes in the county Dalarna. They were farmers, who were acquired by the Swedish General Governor Nils Bielke in the late 1600s to move to Pomerania. Ingemar compared these records with information from German sources and also depicted the fate of the individual families wherever possible. The result is presented under "Documentation" on our website.

Ingemar Goliath was also active in the association Sollentuna Genealogists.

The board honored Ingemar's memory by donating a grant to Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

G-gruppen - the board wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

          A Merry Christmas
                     and
          a Happy New Year

         to all members and
      followers of G-gruppen

              The Board

G-gruppen board in Karlskrona for activity planning

This weekend, parts of the G-gruppen board held a activity planning meeting in Karlskrona for the year 2018. The board in the German church in Karlskrona where Harry Rson Svensson held an appreciated guided tour about the history of the German congregation.

From the left Hans-Dieter Grahl, Katarina Möller, Erik Lindholm and Jan-Åke Kristiansson Hager.

The Swedish government is investing in genealogy

The Swedish government proposes that the National Archives appropriation be increased by SEK 10 million from 2018 so that the fees for accessing digital archive information at Svar can be removed. This allows about 100 million digital images with archive information to be freely available and without costs for, individuals who conduct family or rural research. The proposal is proposed to enter into force on January 1st 2018.

69th German Genealogy Days 2017

Today, the 69th German Genealogical Day 2017 starts in Dresden, lasting until Sunday, September 24th. G-gruppen is not physically present but is still noticed. The association in Dresden, which organizes the days, has published a 44-page magazine in A4 format with many interesting articles. G-gruppen is presented in the editorial text on page 7 as a new member of DAGV Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft Genealogischer Verbände and also presents itself in an ad on page 27. We wish our German research colleagues all the best wishes.

Board of Directors

An apparently impossible case

The chairman of G-gruppen, Jan-Åke Hager, describes in an essay his background and how he found his roots in Germany with the help of G-gruppen. A well-written description how you can, despite difficulties, act to find your roots. You can find the essay (at present only in swedish and german) at this link.

Genealogy days in Halmstad August 26th and 27th 2017

G-gruppen participated in the genealogical days in Halmstad together with nine German genealogical associations.

The days had a total of 5375 visitors. The G-gruppen, together with the German associations, answered countless questions about how you research in Germany and what a membership in the G-gruppen means.

Christian Kirchner from DAGV - Arbeitsgemeinschaft Genealogischer Verbände in Germany, held a popular lecture on how to research not only in Germany but also about German ancestry, since they are spread over a large part of the world. The lecture was the most visited out of 30 lectures. G-gruppen is a member of DAGV, see note below.

The genealogy days gave us inspiration for next year's genealogy days in Växjö, as the arrangement was well organized and the many visitors who gave us the opportunity to inform about G-gruppen. The picture shows our chairman Jan-Åke Hager in front of our stall in Halmstad.

G-gruppen a member of the German Association of genealogy associations

At the meeting May 20th 2017, the board decided to apply for membership in the German Association of genealogy associations - DAGV, with 85 German genealogical associations as members to the DAGV. The purpose of our application is partly to recreate previous collaborations with some German associations and to broaden our contact area among the German associations. Further steps for this purpose are that G-gruppen will participate in a joint assembly with several German associations at the Swedish genealogy days in 2017 and further we will advertise in the exhibition catalog of the German genealogical days in Dresden 2017.

G-gruppen has now been adopted as member no. 89 in the DAGV. At the same time, the International Center for Archival Research ICARUS and the Federation of Family History Societies FFHS have been adopted as co-operative members of DAGV. This increases our contact areas to other genealogists, hopefully for everyone's benefit.

The board

G-gruppen participates in the genealogy days in Halmstad August 25-27 2017

In cooperation with our German friends, DAGV Deutsche Arbeitgemeinschaft Genealogischer Verbände e. V., Pommerscher Greif, Thüringen and Kurhessen-Waldeck, G-gruppen will attend a joint stall at the fair hall. You are welcome to visit our representatives present. This year's theme at the genealogical days is "Roads to the North Sea" and more information is available on the genealogy days website.

Report from G-gruppen Virtual Annual Meeting 2017

G-gruppen Annual General Meeting for the 2016 fiscal year took place over the internet during the period March 26th 2017 until april 22nd 2017. A total of 225 members were invited to attend 73 of them participated (32.44%) in the virtual annual meeting.

The Annual General Meeting elected in accordance with the nomination committee's proposal, Jan-Åke Hager from Skoghall in Värmland to chairman of the association for the 2017 fiscal year.

To ordinary members for two years, Björn Sonesson (new election) from Malung in Dalarna and Erik Lindholm (re-election) from Åland . Hans-Dieter Grahl (new election) from Stockholm was elected board member for 1 year. Katarina Möller from Karlskrona in Blekinge was elected at the Annual Meeting 2016 for fiscal years 2016 and 2017. To new first deputy, Gustaf Eichbaum was elected from Fuldabrück-Berghausen in Hesse and as second deputy Jürgen Weigle from Spånga, Stockholm.

To auditors, Eva Almqvist and to deputy Svea-Lisa Råsäter , both for one year.

Ulla-Brita Sjöblom Pedersson was re-elected as the election committee.

Hans-Dieter Grahl was elected to a new organizer as well as voting counter for virtual votings. Hans-Dieter's mandate is until further notice, ie without a time limit. We would like to thank former organizer Juergen Spoida for his efforts to build a virtual poll.

The ballot paper will be published on the website, shortly.

The board

Presentation of the proposed new Board members

Jan-Åke Hager

I am 58 years old and became curious about my German roots a few years ago. Living in Skoghall. Have researched a lot of my Swedish ancestors, but not my German. Was advised about the G-Gruppen group of genealogists on Facebook pages. So I thought why not. Found the website and notified me as a member. Have greatly benefited from my membership in the association and I want it to remain.

Hans-Dieter Grahl

Becomes 69 years this year, married, living in Södermalm, Stockholm. Born in Germany, was three years old when we came to Sweden in 1951. Retired last year as CEO of Sjöbefälsföreningen. Far back in time, he has been a short time at Landsarkivet in Härnösand. Has great computer skills, including built and run the association's first website. Speaks and writes German and English.

Björn Sonesson

I am 46 years old, single and living in Malung, Dalarna. Since my very early age, I am severely hearing impaired and I am a member of the board of the Dalarna district of Hörselskadade Riksförbund and chairman of a local association called HRF Malung-Vansbro. I'm in general busy in several associations and member of a number of genealogy associations and in a couple of family genealogy associations. I had been a member of the Swedish Genealogical Association for a few years when I found out that G-gruppen existed. Then I became a member here as well.

I have studied humanistic for 5 years at the university in Uppsala. History, ethnology (folklore research, although less traditional than it was in the 1940s), archeology and also a short course in Nordic languages. A valuable thing was that at 2-3 different times I had the privilege of studying an academic course in handwriting. After that, I have studied for a year at the Härnösand Mitthögskolan in Archives and Documentary Education.

In 1997, in the same year I completed the course, I got a job at Malung municipality and has remained there since then. I work as an archivist in a municipality with individual archives as a specialty. Malung's local history archive has been my "nursing child" for many years. With genealogy I started many years ago. Initially through my grandfather's own interest. Have a particular interest in the von Knorring family and about the unintroduced nobility branch of the family, of which there are still relatively many of in Dalarna.

Gustaf Eichbaum

Gustaf Eichbaum was born in Berlin in 1935. The father came from Metz in Lothringen, which before World War I belonged to Germany. The mother came from Anhalt. When the family 1943 was bombarded in Berlin, dramatic years followed for the eight yeqar old boy: First evacuation to Pomerania, one year later to Bohemia-Mähren, from which they where expelled, during the flight Gustaf was separated from his parents and ended up in Schlesien which became a Polish area at the end of the war. In 1946 he was expelled from Poland to Westphalia in West Germany. Eventually, Gustaf could reunite with his parents, in Passau, Bavaria. It was a dramatic year for a little boy in a fragile age.

The school years ended with four years in high school. Then Gustaf became an apprentice in the agricultural industry, including one year's internship in Sweden, more precisely in Skåne. The basics of the Swedish language, Gustaf learnt a year earlier in Germany. A course in Swedish on gramophone records. In Blentarp in Skåne, however, he learned mainly Danish by watching Danish television. Swedish television was not available at that time. But on Sundays he went to church to get acquainted with the Swedish language. He still reads and understands Danish, Norwegian and Swedish well, keeping the languages ​​alive through reading and correspondence.

Back in Germany Gustaf served at the air force (radar) 1961-1969. Later, he educated as a teacher at the University of Göttingen and practiced the profession from 1973 until 1997 in Hesse. He now lives in Fuldabrück-Bergshausen.

In 1993 Gustaf was elected Chairman of the "Gesellschaft für Familienkunde in Kurhessen und Waldeck e.V.", a genealogical association with 350 members and a mission he still takes care off. Gustaf became an early member of the G-gruppen, was very active in the discussion list and was appointed in 2003 as G-gruppen's second honorary member during the German genealogy days in Schwerin.

Through his different family branches Gustaf is familiar with all German-speaking areas, especially with Palatinate, northern Hesse and Brandenburg, not to forget about the hugenots in France.

When Gustaf is not researching, he stays in trim through athletics, as well as active coach within i.a. running, in the winter indoors. Gustaf has also devoted himself to orientation in Denmark, Sweden and Scotland as well as run three marathons. But that was then ...

Correction in the Business Report 2016!

The Board has decided to make a change in the Business Report 2016 as a serious oversight was discovered. This change is under the heading "Ehrenmitglieder". There are Kerstin and Otto Malmström (nominated 2004) as well as Christa Samuelsson and Gunilla Hanserkers (appointed 2015) missing.

The Board regrets and apologizes to the honorary members!

The Board also decided that the Honorary Member does not have to pay membership fees.

The board

Members' research

The page that shows members research areas has now been updated. It contains not only those family names found in their research, but also towns and geographical areas, which are part of the research. Many members also seek special professions. These are now also listed.