Nine years ago, Icelandic Roots was a dream shared by a group of Western Icelanders who wanted to connect with others across North America and Iceland and learn more about their family histories and the country where their roots are buried deep.
In 2022, Icelandic Roots is a registered non-profit organization with a wide range of genealogical, educational, and historical functions.
Want to find your relationship to the Vikings of long ago? Want to connect with extended family members in Iceland? Want to see where your family lived before they emigrated? Icelandic Roots can do all that for you and more.
At its inception, the Icelandic Roots database included 500,000 names. In 2022, that number has grown to almost 767,000. The volunteer team adds up to 2,500 new people per month to the database and updates up to 10,000 individuals each month.
Members can use the database Relationship Calculator to discover their connections to Icelanders of long ago as well as to current-day cousins they never before knew they had. They can access interactive GSP maps to view farm sites, saga locations, churches, and cemeteries. There are more than 36,000 media items to peruse, including documents, letters, photos, stories, obituaries, biographies, and burial locations.
As impressive as these database functions are, they are only one component of the services and activities offered by Icelandic Roots.
Members can participate in a wide range of members-only events and activities. Samtal Hour every other Monday offers an opportunity for sharing and conversation. Tuesday Tips provides helpful information on navigating the database.
Just this year, Icelandic Roots introduced a new book club. Members get a chance to listen to and talk with the authors of selected books.
There is a private Facebook group and members can access an exclusive YouTube playlist. Translation services are available. And members get to enjoy regular educational seminars and workshops on a variety of subjects, as well as regular newsletters.
None of this would be possible without the talents and dedication of dozens of volunteers. Their contributions are substantial and much appreciated.
Icelandic Roots members and volunteers are pleased to mark the organization’s ninth birthday. They are even more excited to plan ahead for its 10th birthday when special celebrations are planned to mark a full decade of growth and achievement.
To join the Icelandic Roots organization and find out for yourself what all the excitement is about, go to https://icelandicroots.com/membership