Find a Swede

Swedish Genealogy

Fika with Annika

Connect with me for a day and get your questions answered

We’ve all had that ancestor that seems impossible to find. Later we may realize it was just one word keeping us stuck.

Whatever it is that halts our progress, it can give us the wrong idea of our ancestor’s life. And it makes us miss the life changing events that actually happened to them.

So we lose track of their history and even of the people themselves in the records.

I’ve had that happen. And I’m sure you have too. After all, you’re doing your research in literally Greek (okay, Swedish).

So what if I told you that you can ask me anything you want for a day. That you can get help with that word or missing record.

We’ll discuss your family history. How to solve your brick wall. How you can discover more of your family. How to get even closer to the people you’ve found.

Hej, Annika here!

Straight from Sweden to you

I admire you for diving into the Swedish records, written a long time ago, in a distant country. I’m a born and raised Swede living in Gothenburg, Sweden. There’s a good chance this is where your ancestor stepped on a ship to start a new life.

I’m a professional genealogist and the owner of Find a Swede. I do what I do because I want to make our shared Swedish heritage accessible.

If you’re stuck on reading the Swedish records, in Swedish, I can help you. We often dig into our ancestry to understand our family and how history brought us to where we are. And it all starts with discovering the things that affected our family. Politics, culture, and economics all have clues to the choices they made and what happened in their lives. Without speaking Swedish this is so much harder to find. Not to mention how hard it is to read the records.

And that’s why I created Fika with Annika. So that you can figure it all out. Let’s do this!

Introducing

Fika with Annika

Fika is the word Swedes use for hanging out together over a cup of coffee and some pastry. (For the language nerds, it’s both a noun and a verb. 🤓) And you’re invited to fika with me.

You can connect with me privately for 10 hours. I’ll be answering your questions all day. It’s not a non-stop 10 hour chat. That would be exhausting for both of us – we’ll both need to breathe for a second. You probably want to do some searches between our chats.

I will always check my messages within an hour of last hearing from you. And I will adjust to your time zone and be extra available during the hours that work best for you.

Here are some ideas on what to ask:

  • How to find a marriage record that is nowhere.
  • Setting up a plan for your research.
  • What to know about the area your ancestor came from.
  • The meaning of a record, of your Swedish document, or of a place name.
  • …and so much more!

Who is this for?

This is for you if…

You love to search the records and databases, but feel stuck because of the Swedish records and the Swedish language.

You want to discover more ancestors in Sweden.

You want to learn everything about your ancestor’s life in Sweden.

This is not for you if…

  • You have very little information about your ancestor, such as a common name and nothing more.
  • You want me to do the research for you or you want me to review previously made research. For done for your research, please see my research offers.
  • You want to translate anything more than what you’ll normally find in a record entry. To translate a document, please see my translation services.

How it works

Your fika with me

  • You can connect with me for 10 hours. It’s between 9 am and 7 pm in the Swedish time zone, CET/CEST. Your booking includes the correct starting time, and we’ll go for 10 hours.
  • This is not a 10 hour non-stop chat. You probably want to work on your family history between asking questions. And chances are that some of the hours don’t work for you because of time zones. I’ll adjust to your schedule and pay extra attention when it suits you. (And if my work day is identical to your sleep time, email me at annika@findaswede.com and we’ll solve it.)
  • We’ll have a day together. This way, you don’t need to know the exact questions to ask. That’s often the hardest part! We can work out what you want to know about your family history in Sweden and how to get there.
  • 24 hours before our day together, you will receive a link to download the Signal app and my number, so that you can find and add me.

The Signal app

  • We’ll chat on the Signal app, which is available on your phone. After it’s been installed on your phone, you can also download it to your iPad or desktop. Signal keeps your private information private.
  • Your phone number is required to use Signal, but the data is sent online.
  • You can send texts, voice messages, videos and photos. I generally prefer to type.

Want to know more?

Is this a little pricey?

I understand needing to save money. If you don’t have the means for this, I don’t want you to book.

This is a really effective way of working with me. You’ll get my experience and know-how for 10% of what it costs to hire me to document the life of your ancestor.

Will this really help me?

I can’t promise the exact results you want. That’s the nature of genealogy. We need enough background information. The available records also vary.

But I have long experience of Swedish genealogy and follow the guidelines by Association of Professional Genealogists. If your family lived in Sweden between the 17th and 20th centuries, then you can definitely learn something about their life conditions.

How much will we chat?

It’s really up to you. Send me your questions as they come up. I must admit, I sometimes eat and whatnot. That’s probably you too. So this is not a ten hour non-stop chat. You probably want time to work on your family history. I will always check my messages within an hour of last hearing from you. (In reality that’s more like every 30 seconds.)

Really, is this for me?

It might be! If you’ve come this far, it probably is. 😉

If you’ve been reading the records, and have questions about what they say, or where to go next or anything else regarding your family history, then this is for you.

If you’ve never read the records and want to get started, then this is for you.

You can get an insight that helps you forward. The meaning of a record. Or a record type to check. Whatever it is that helps you answer your questions. (It’s not always what we think it will be.)

Do I need to buy anything else before our fika?

Not really.

The longer answer is that you need access to the genealogy sites you’ll be using, but it’s your choice. I recommend ArkivDigital for its large collection of records. If you’re going the free route, the National Archives and FamilySearch have many of the records you’ll need.

You’re invited to Fika with Annika

You can connect with a Swedish genealogist for a day and ask all your burning questions about Swedish genealogy.

  • You’ll have private access to me on the Signal app for 10 hours.
  • You’ll get help with making a plan for your research, reading the records or where to find what you’re after. Whatever it is you most need to make progress in your family history.
  • You get professional help at 10% of the price of hiring me to do it for you.

I can’t wait to chat with you!

Price: US$129

👇 Book your day below. 👇