Norwegian American Genealogical Center, Inc.

What Norwegian American Genealogical Center, Inc. does

Norwegian American Genealogical Center, Inc. (NAGC) is a Wisconsin-incorporated nonprofit organization headquartered at 415 West Main Street, Madison, WI, dedicated to discovering, preserving, and sharing Norwegian and Norwegian-American family history. Founded in 1969 (per the company timeline; firmographics list 2007) and operating as a 501(c)(3) (FEIN 35-2282921), NAGC maintains a small staff (1-10 employees) and serves a worldwide audience of individual family-history researchers, Norwegian-American community members, and academic researchers studying Scandinavian immigration and Civil War history.

NAGC's core technology is a proprietary genealogical database management system providing searchable indexes for Norwegian-American records across six primary databases: the 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Civil War) soldiers database covering 906 officers and enlisted men in the only all-Scandinavian Civil War regiment; baptism records; marriage records; cemetery records; immigration records compiled for the publication Norwegian Immigrants to the United States, A Biographical Directory 1825-1850 (plus post-1850 records); and 1850/1860/1880 U.S. Federal Census data with value-added Norwegian fields. Records were largely transcribed by Gerhard B. Naeseth (1913-1994), staff, and volunteers, and constitute the organization's primary data moat. The Naeseth Library, containing over 10,000 titles including family histories and bygdebøker, complements the digital holdings and is accessible in person at the Madison headquarters. Additional digital resources include the Digital Norway Parish Map (norwayparishes.com) and PDF immigration books.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid membership + transactional model: recurring annual memberships granting proprietary database access plus reduced research, library, and translation rates; one-time publication sales (e.g., 2020 Research Guide for Norwegian Genealogy at $25, KASKELAND DVD at $15); fee-based expert research, translation, DNA, and farm-map services by appointment; and Norwegian language classes (Beginning and Continuing) plus genealogy webinars. Distribution is hybrid — global self-serve online database access and e-commerce, with single-country (U.S.) in-person research and language classes at the Madison library. Marketing leverages the website, the Norwegian Tracks member newsletter, webinars, seminars, and community events. The only disclosed external partnership is financial support from the Edwin E. and Janet L. Bryant Foundation for database digitization. No revenue figures, funding rounds, parent company, or M&A activity are disclosed.

Name

Norwegian American Genealogical Center, Inc.

Legal name

Norwegian American Genealogical Center, Inc.

Website

https://nagcnl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Norwegian American Genealogical Center is a Wisconsin-based nonprofit that preserves and shares Norwegian-American family history through six proprietary genealogical databases, the 10,000+ title Naeseth Library, expert research services, language classes, and publications, serving individual genealogists and academics worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Genealogical Research Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ)

Keywords

• Genealogical research services
• Historical record databases
• Norwegian heritage archives
• Genealogy publications
• Archival library services

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership providing access to proprietary online databases, reduced rates on research and translation services, use of library resources, newsletter subscription, seminar discounts, and travel partner discounts
2. Publication Sales: Sale of genealogical publications including the 2020 Research Guide for Norwegian Genealogy ($25), documentary DVDs like KASKELAND ($15), and bygdebøker (family histories)
3. Expert Research Services: Fee-based research assistance, translation services, DNA help, and farm map research offered by appointment
4. Educational Programs: Norwegian language classes (Beginning and Continuing) and genealogy webinars offered to members and non-members

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Norwegian American Genealogical Center provides proprietary searchable databases of Norwegian immigrant records — including baptism, marriage, cemetery, immigration, and U.S. Federal Census data — plus a specialized Civil War soldiers database for the 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment. It supplements these digital resources with the Naeseth Library (10,000+ titles), fee-based expert research and translation services, Norwegian language classes, and published genealogical materials such as the 2020 Research Guide and the KASKELAND documentary DVD.

Product overview

Norwegian American Genealogical Center (NAGC) offers a comprehensive suite of genealogical research services and products focused on Norwegian and Norwegian-American family history. The core offering consists of proprietary online databases containing indexed birth, marriage, cemetery, immigration, and census records, along with an extensive database on the 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment (the only all-Scandinavian Civil War regiment). The organization maintains the Naeseth Library with over 10,000 titles, provides professional research assistance services, and sells published products including research guides and documentary DVDs. The digital resources are complemented by in-person services including expert research help, Norwegian language classes, and access to physical archival materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NAGC Annual Membership Annual recurring membership providing access to proprietary online databases (baptism, marriage, cemetery, immigration, census, and Civil War soldiers records), reduced rates on research and translation services, use of the Naeseth Library, subscription to the Norwegian Tracks newsletter, seminar discounts, and a 5% Borton Overseas travel discount.
• Online Genealogical Databases Searchable proprietary databases of Norwegian-American baptism, marriage, cemetery, immigration, and U.S. Federal Census (1850, 1860, 1880) records, with value-added fields such as full Norwegian name, birth date, and immigration year. Accessible to members via online login.
• WI 15th Civil War Soldiers Database Detailed database of the 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment, the only all-Scandinavian regiment in the Civil War, containing company rosters, regiment history, and soldier profiles for approximately 906 officers and enlisted men.
• Naeseth Library Catalog Physical library catalog of more than 10,000 titles covering Norwegian family histories, bygdebøker, and other genealogical research materials, available for on-site research at the Madison, Wisconsin headquarters.
• Immigration Books (PDFs) Digital PDF publications on Norwegian immigration history, including records compiled for the publication Norwegian Immigrants to the United States, A Biographical Directory 1825-1850, plus post-1850 records.
• Research and Expert Assistance Services Fee-based professional genealogy research, document translation, DNA assistance, farm map research, and in-person research help available by appointment at the Madison headquarters.
• Norwegian Language Classes In-person Beginning and Continuing Norwegian language instruction courses held at the Madison, Wisconsin headquarters for members and the wider Norwegian-American community.
• KASKELAND Queen of the Norwegian-American Settlements DVD Documentary film ($15) about early Norwegian pioneers who arrived on Koshkonong Prairie, Wisconsin in 1839, depicting their life and living conditions during the first decade of settlement.
• 2020 Research Guide for Norwegian Genealogy Comprehensive published guide ($25) for conducting Norwegian genealogical research, sold through the NAGC online store.
• Digital Norway Parish Map Interactive online mapping tool for Norwegian parishes, hosted at norwayparishes.com, used to aid genealogical research by locating ancestral parishes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves worldwide audience seeking Norwegian roots

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MyHeritage: Online genealogy platform with strong European (including Scandinavian) record coverage, DNA testing, and family-tree tools, directly competing for Norwegian-heritage researchers seeking digital record access.
• Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum: The national Norwegian-American heritage museum located in Decorah, Iowa. Most directly comparable to NAGC as a U.S.-based cultural-heritage organization focused exclusively on preserving Norwegian-American history, language, and folk traditions.
• Find a Grave: Cemetery records database that overlaps with NAGC's Norwegian-American cemetery records offering; serves the same genealogy researcher audience with a much larger global cemetery index.

Broad incumbents

• Ancestry.com: The dominant commercial genealogy platform with the largest paid subscriber base globally, offering broad U.S. and international record collections including Norwegian-origin material that overlaps with NAGC's content.
• 23andMe: Consumer DNA testing company whose Ancestry Composition features are increasingly integrated with genealogy research workflows, representing a structural shift in how Norwegian-Americans discover and pursue family-history research.
• FamilySearch: Operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch is the world's largest free genealogical database and a direct competitor in providing online access to Norwegian and Norwegian-American records.

Regional players

• Digitalarkivet (National Archives of Norway): Norway's official digital archive containing digitized Norwegian church, census, and emigration records; the upstream source of much Norwegian-American genealogical research and a complementary rather than competing resource.
• Riksarkivet (National Archives of Norway): Norway's national archives providing authoritative source records and parish registers that NAGC's databases reference and extend; operates in Norway while NAGC serves the Norwegian-American diaspora.

Others

• The Norwegian American: U.S.-based Norwegian-American newspaper and cultural publication serving the same community with heritage content, language resources, and community news; a peer in audience and ecosystem rather than direct service.
• Sons of Norway: Largest Norwegian-American fraternal organization providing cultural programming, heritage education, and community events to a similar demographic; a natural cross-promotion partner and adjacent member-based heritage nonprofit.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nagcnl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/norwegian-american-genealogical-center-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Norwegian American Genealogical Center, Inc.