GOTHENBURG, Sweden — In a large tent right in the heart of this city's busy port area, on Saturday, Aug. 11, Sea Trek mounted the city's largest-ever family history exhibition.

Photo by David M.W. Pickup

Many of the Swedes who came to the family history booth in Gothenburg, Sweden, found ancestors in Church's database.

Sixteen computer stations were busy all day, running from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with volunteer experts on hand to show visitors how to use the Internet to access the Church's FamilySearch website, as well as other family history resources such as the CD-ROM set of Scandinavian vital records.

Senior manager for Family History in Europe and responsible for correlating the family history facilities at each of the Sea Trek port destinations, Bengd Svedjot said that the Gothenburg family history facility went "fantastically well." He estimated that by 6 p.m. well over 2,000 visitors had a hands-on computer family history experience. "The Church has so much material about the Nordic countries that a large number of visitors have successfully identified one or more ancestors today."

In some cases, visitors went away with information on several generations of ancestors they knew nothing about.

"We have never before had an opportunity to be in contact with people in Sweden in such an easy way," he said. "Here, people can get to know us, to see who we really are."

Last year, the Church hosted a successful genealogy exhibition in Linkoping, Sweden, with the Genealogical Society of Sweden.

Brother Svedjot said that the facility was producing real results. "One person, for example, knew which ship a family ancestor had sailed on to emigrate, but wasn't sure of the name. With the help of the Mormon Immigration Index on CD-ROM we found that person for him and helped complete his family record.

"The important thing is that we are demonstrating techniques of how to search so that in their own time they can log onto the FamilySearch Internet site for further research," said Brother Svedjot.

During the day, he had an interesting personal experience. He was demonstrating to a visitor how to use the Church's FamilySearch web site. In discussions about tracing an ancestor, Brother Svedjot realized that he and the visitor were born and lived within a 100 yards of each other.

Brother Svedjot observed that the experience showed that family history was a relaxed way for people to find out more about the Church, if they want to.

"People don't feel under pressure about the Church when we show them how to use the website. Every Church website or computer product has a button on it that people can click to find out more about the Church, if they want to. Actually, I've been surprised to see how many of the visitors here today have done just that."

He said that most of the visitors were amazed to learn that the Church's family history internet facilities were completely free. "Free? How can you do that?" they ask. The computer suite's printers were kept busy printing out pedigree charts for many of the visitors.

Although based in the Church offices at Frankfurt, Germany, Brother Svedjot is Swedish and was formerly the recorder of the Stockholm Sweden Temple.

Dick Greisen of the Kunjsbacka Ward, Gothenburg Sweden Stake, was the supervisor of 25 local member volunteers for the Sea Trek 2001 emigration display and the adjacent family history facility. They had been preparing this event in association with the Sea Trek organizers for a year. He said that family history is very popular in Sweden. Each LDS meetinghouse in the stake is equipped with family history facilities and is open three or four nights a week. Many of those using the facilities are not members of the Church.

He explained that many of the visitors had come especially because they heard that there would be on-line family history research facilities.

"Many who sit down here are helped," said Brother Greisen. "Many came and then went home to get the facts and came back to work on their family history."

Brother Greisen explained that one family went through the emigration exhibit and then found in simple computer research that they had relatives who emigrated on board one of the ships pictured in the exhibit. Many visitors without ever having researched their family history were amazed to find three or four generations of their family. Often two or three members of the family sat around the computer as they viewed search results.

"Many people have been touched by the Church's emphasis on the importance of the family. What our ancestors accomplished are our roots," said Brother Greisen.

"You know, this is not a big show that will be soon forgotten. People have been touched in their hearts. This will have eternal consequences for them," he concluded.

Brother Greisen, high priests group leader, is a first-generation Latter-day Saint. He joined the Church at 18 in 1970. He attributes his conversion to the example of the family of his uncle, the Rosenkilde family, members from the 1950s.

"I was touched by the wonderful way they lived. I went to sacrament meeting and gained a testimony. It is very important what an example can do."