An interest in history and family has always been there – when Stina was little, she loved spending time listening to her older relatives' stories. But a hereditary disease in the family sparked her interest in genealogy, out of sheer necessity.
'Genealogical research had been conducted in the 1970s to find out who was predisposed to the disease. But I was afraid that some branch had been missed, that someone was walking around with the disease without knowing it. So it went from being an interest to being almost addictive!'
When Stina was in her twenties, all church records were digitised and made available online, which further increased her interest. The sheer amount of material available is one of the things that drives her. You can go far back in time and find tiny details that give you a broad picture of history.
'You can find notes about a person being careless or someone paying extra at church. Perhaps this person had been ill and wanted to thank God for being healed?'
Stina has found connections to Lund University – a relative studied here in the mid-19th century. But otherwise, she has connections to Småland and Gotland, where her ancestors were farmers, sailors, fishermen and carpenters. With the help of other genealogists, who produced the oldest research, she has found relatives as far back as the 14th century in Västerbotten.
'But some of my favourites from my own family history are the three deaf brothers from Markaryd. They were born in the mid-1800s and, thanks to their parents insisting, they were able to attend the Manilla school for the deaf in Stockholm.'
When the church records in Markaryd were destroyed in a fire, the information was lost, but the school's notes made it possible to follow the brothers' upbringing. Stina found notes about what they ate for lunch and about an incident where one of the brothers went sledging, broke his leg and had to go to hospital. There are even photo albums to look at, which brought their life story to life.
The brothers did well in life, both thanks to their schooling and their technical skills. Among other things, the brothers became shoemakers and carpenters.
Church records that are lost in fires are a problem that many genealogists encounter. But what if you haven't gotten that far yet and aren't ready for church records, damaged or not? Where do you start if you're a beginner but curious about genealogy? Stina's best tip for getting started is to borrow handbooks on the subject.
'I borrowed lots of manuals from the library when I started. And our book is a good place to start! You can also join an association and get help there. Many associations also hold beginner's courses, and there are groups on Facebook where you can ask questions.'
With the book, they want to inspire people to find their own family history. Stina believes that genealogy can be something positive for many people, not just those who think they are interested in the subject.
'Through genealogy, you get to know yourself at the same time. Where you have been in history can give you an idea of where you are going.'
You don't just have to research your family history – perhaps you're interested in the place where you live? Who has lived in the house you bought? There are many different avenues to explore in your research. Now there are more tools to help you; you can use AI to search archives and interpret old writing or Latin. Another branch of genealogy, which uses DNA, has come a long way in recent years. This is also discussed in the book.
'We have taken a leap forward in history in the book; we wanted to add a little more colour and life and encourage people to ask questions to living relatives. It is so important to talk to your family while they are still around. And be sure to document your own life! Who else is going to do it?'
In 2024, Stina took one day off a week from the physics department, which has been her workplace since 2019. Although she also writes and runs her own genealogy business, she has no plans to quit her day job. She enjoys working at Fysicum and feels that she wants variety in her life.
'I will probably never tire of genealogy, but I want to be able to look forward to it, which I wouldn't be able to do if I did it full-time.'
"Hitta din historia – släktforskning för alla" (Find your history – genealogy for everyone) is published by Lund-based publisher Historiska media and will be released on September 4th. And for us at the Department of Physics, there will be a Rydberg special on September 30th, where Stina will talk about genealogy, focusing on how to find criminals and unknown fathers.
Working on the book has given her a taste for more, and she has already started work on her second book. But she also intends to enjoy and celebrate the book launch.
'It feels fantastic that the book is coming out, a real mixture of fear and delight! On 13 September, there will be a release party in the Stadshallen here in Lund at 12 o'clock, to which everyone is welcome!'
Facts about Stina
Personal: Lives in Revingeby with her husband and children.
Background: Originally a linguist, she worked at Sony Ericsson and advertising agencies before joining the Department of Physics. Runs her own genealogy business. Appeared on the SVT programme "Genjägarna" (The Gene Hunters), where she helped people find answers about their origins and locate missing family members through DNA matching.
Speciality: Helping with genealogy research when church records have been destroyed by fire. She is currently working on a project to reconstruct burned church records.
Current events: From 1 July 2025, the police will be allowed to use DNA genealogy to find criminals in murder cases and sexual offences.
Stina's best tips for anyone who wants to research their family history
In addition to borrowing manuals, don't be afraid to contact the archives, as they are usually very helpful. There is a certain feeling that comes with going to an archive and leafing through a book yourself – when Stina saw her grandmother's birth certificate in a book in the archive, she was moved to tears.
There are also many good websites online:
- The National Archives' search engine
- Sweden's most comprehensive internet archive (paid service)
- The Mormons' genealogy website, where you can find information from all over the world (it was the Mormons who pushed for all church records to be digitised)
- Stina's own website
- The Swedish Genealogical Society's website
- The Genealogical Society's website, a national association for genealogy