The book was written LONG before the Internet became popular. Indeed, the preface, dated 1967, indicates its purpose to help people wanting to research the millions of pages of Swedish genealogical records "on microfilm at the... Library in Salt Lake City." As we know, much of this material has since been digitized and is available through major genealogical sites such as FamilySearch, MyHeritage, or Ancestry. Indeed, FamilySearch, here, has an excellent guide to Swedish genealogy. It includes clickable maps for provinces, counties, and even shows parish maps. However, sometimes, clickable maps just aren't the same as good old-fashioned books and the explanation of an expert author.
I've spent a fair bit of time trying to decipher all the Swedish placename rules, but the apparent inconsistency has kept me confused. "Cradled in Sweden" has recently clarified things for me. FamilySearch lists it as their first reference (HINT - When FamilySearch lists a reference on a topic of interest, check it out more thoroughly!). My wife has many ancestors from Jämtland Province. Between FamilySearch and "Cradled," I now understand the similarites and differences between Jämtland, Jämtlands, and Jemtland. Conveniently enough, I now know that Landskaps and Län are similar but two different things. The book (in combination with FamilySearch also explained kommun versus parishe and Härad. In their plethora of different names, the Swedes are somewhat like the British!
As noted at the beginning of this post, the Ocean Shores Library has a copy of "Cradled." However, one might also want to consider another library. To see where else "Cradled" might be found, I went to Worldcat. The results are shown below. Oddly, Ocean Shores is not listed as a holder of the reference, though other libraries in the region are listed.
As I've said, I have used this reference a lot and it is really nice to use in combination with online sites. Accordingly, I checked out Amazon to find out what was available there. Soon enough, I went into shock. Look at the following three images and you can see that Amazon prices for this sort of reference range from reasonable to - ridiculous.
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| This is like the OS Library edition - looking around on Amazon reveals similar as low as $20.95 |
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| This appears to be a later edition - with 30 reviews - also found on Amazon for $30 |
Reciting just a couple of those reviews:
UffdaHmm stated
"This book, although now out-of-print for the most part, was recommended by a professional researcher at a genealogy conference that I attended in the fall of 2010, and for good reason, as it is an excellent resource. The author takes readers through the basics of Swedish pronunciations, parishes, names (and their English meanings), records, writing styles, and quirks (such as the fact that if one enlisted in the military, one's surname was changed to a "military" surname). It is a good book in which to find small, meaty facts that will further supplement the reader's understanding of their Swedish ancestors."4 people found this helpful
Carol Paulson stated
"I liked that it explained why Swedish people changed their names, Why some even male family members have different surnames. I am satified with explanations of Alphbet and how to pronounce vowels. I would recomend this book to anyone trying to understand Swedish ways or if they are planning a trip to Sweden. I read Your Swedish Roots as well and found very important things that I can use in tracking relatives. I am completely satisfied with the way Amazon handled my order."
2 people found this helpful
Finally, I present the "Cradled" that illustrates the peril of just looking for a book on Amazon.
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| That's right Amazon wants $907.99 for the same book, found elsewhere on Amazon for $20 |
