About The GG Archives

Finding the GG Archives on the Web. Search Result from Google.com. Accessed 2020-06-09.

The GG Archives is a large, privately held, archives of family history materials, military, and other ephemera dating from the mid 1800s through 2000. The site contains over 7,000 pages and 25,000 images in 12 topical areas.

History

Launched on January 1, 2000, the GG Archives offers access to more than 20,000 documents and photographs, including passenger lists, original immigrant passage contracts, steamship brochures, immigration-related papers, and much more.

The founder of the Archives, Paul Gjenvick, originally named the archives "The Gjenvick-Gjønvik Family History Center" and included the family history of the Gjenvick's in the United States and the Gjønvik's in Scandinavia. Gjenvick is the original but incorrect translation of Gjønvik - a unique Norwegian name that first appeared in the late 1800s.

In 2003, the name was shortened to the "Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives" to represent the family that started the archives. The family history section about the Gjenvick-Gjønvik family was removed that same year and had since been undergoing additional research.

In 2022, the name was shortened to GG Archives and the domain was changed to GGArchives.com.

Learn more about our amazing collections through articles in genealogy publications in our "In the News" section.

Structure

The collections of the GG Archives can generally be categorized in 12 sections: Arts & Entertainment, Biography, Bangor Punta, Epicurean, FAQs, Immigration, Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919, Library, Military, Ocean Travel, Vintage Fashions, and the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

Collection Emphasis

Our emphasis is also our greatest strength -- to provide access to the public of our vast collection of historical ephemera that otherwise might be impossible or unlikely to be found elsewhere on the internet.

The site contains superb examples of many documents used by immigrants and the steamship lines that can be extremely useful for the family or professional genealogist in recording family history or determining the origin of the material you have in your possession.

Purpose from an External Viewpoint

Founded in 2000, the GG Archives' primary purpose is genealogical research, particularly that conducted by descendants of immigrants to the United States. As a result, they also contain the transcription of documents relating to ships from the era of the great transatlantic liners, whether brochures, presentations in the press, or various articles. Some of these documents have proved to be particularly useful in the preparation of the sections relating to migrations, but also to the role of wireless telegraphy from the point of view of passengers and, more broadly, of the facilities and entertainment offered to them.

Historical Ephemera

Historical ephemera is often expensive to collect and even more costly to preserve and digitize. It would be relatively easy to close our collections to the public and make it a subscription-based site like Ancestry.com.

However, we believe making our collection available to everyone who has access to the internet is preferable.  The generosity of those who believe in our organization and limited advertising allows us to continue serving the patrons of the GG Archives.

Just A Sampling

Finding items from the exact voyage your ancestors traveled on is very unlikely, but not impossible. We recommend augmenting your family book with information and illustrations/photographs of related material. Ultimately, this will likely make your Family History Book more enjoyable to read by supplying context to your research.

Military Sections

Our Military section focuses on the U.S. Navy and has many of the Naval Training Center graduation books or yearbooks, popular with the men who served their country during WWII through the year 2000. We also have a substantial number of periodicals published by the Navy or about the Navy that is quite useful for research.

Something For Authors

Authors of maritime-based books or stories often find our materials to be quite valuable from naming of their characters based on various class passenger lists for the period to gleaming information from brochures and articles to understand the environment in which their characters existed.

Finding A Gem

Explore sections of interest to you and discover many gems that may help you understand the life, conditions, social and cultural history experienced by your ancestors. The Norwegian-American heritage of this sites' founder drives the guiding principles of this information-rich website. Learn. Enjoy. Support.

Paul Gjenvick, GG Archives Archivist, Scanning Documents in 2013.

Background

The GG Archives is the work and passion of one person, Paul K. Gjenvick, a professional archivist. Paul earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Minnesota State University and a Masters of Archival Studies from Clayton State University in Georgia where he studied under renowned archivist Richard Pearce-Moses.

Paul's wife, Evelyne, is the newest staff member, joining the GG Archives in 2018 as the director of operations and content researcher/editor.

Top: Paul Gjenvick Graduates with honors from Minnesota State University with a Bachelor of Science degree. Bottom: Gjenvick graduates from Clayton State University with a Masters of Archival Studies.

Consider Supporting the GG Archives. Your ongoing support is very much appreciated!

The generosity of our patrons like you keeps our entire website accessible and free to use by all interested patrons. We receive no public funding and rely entirely on limited advertising and contributions/donations from supporting patrons like you.