Our immigrant ancestors made the difficult choice to travel from a homeland, which for all of remembered time had been their home, to the a new world. Chris Jacobsen probably answered a call for adventure, but the Andersson family left due to alienation with the state religion. Their ancestors often faced their daily lives with the same perseverance, sometimes in the face of great odds. These ancestral stories are revealed by investigating the documents and discovering their hidden lives. Genealogists will find this a collection of common Scandinavian problems --multiple same-named individuals, unknown fathers of illegitimate children and the use of the data-rich but little-used Swedish tax and Danish police records. Family members will discover long-lost relatives and the stories they reveal. Whether you are a descendant seeking deeper understanding of the struggles of our ancestors, a genealogist preparing for certification, or tackling a difficult client problem--this collection offers both inspiration and practical examples.