About the GG Archives – History, Preservation, Digitization, and Mission

Timeline

• 2000 → Founded

• 2003 → Name shortened

• 2010 → Design foundations

• 2012 → Digitization setback

• 2016 → Mobile upgrade

• 2022 → Name/domain transition

• 2025 → Adding and improving our site, one page at a time

Since its inception on January 1, 2000, the GG Archives has grown exponentially, offering access to an impressive collection of over 39,000 documents and photographs. This vast array includes passenger lists from the RMS Titanic, original immigrant passage contracts from Ellis Island, steamship brochures from the early 20th century, immigration-related papers from various countries, and more. These specific examples provide a comprehensive view of historical immigration that will surely pique your interest.

In 2003, the archives underwent a significant change, with the name being shortened to the 'Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives' to reflect the family that initiated the archives. The family history section about the Gjenvick-Gjønvik family was removed that same year, marking a shift in the archives' focus. This change, a testament to our commitment to continuous improvement and staying relevant in the field of historical immigration research, ensures that you always have access to the most up-to-date and comprehensive collection.

Explore our Passenger Lists Collection , including Titanic and Ellis Island records, to see the documents that first established the GG Archives as a leading resource for immigration history.

In 2010, Mr. Gjenvick played an essential part in creating the foundation for the design and color scheme that is still in use today. His idea was to develop a simple, easy-to-use interface that would improve users' experiences. In 2016, the website's backend was upgraded by incorporating Bootstrap, which resulted in better usability on mobile devices.

Preservation and Digitization (2012 Setback)

In the summer of 2012, the Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives experienced a significant setback when a catastrophic pipe failure in our condo building destroyed eight external drives containing high-resolution scans. We have since implemented robust backup and disaster recovery measures to prevent such incidents in the future. While all of our original materials were safe (thanks to careful shelving and storage), the high-resolution scans created up to that point were lost. Thankfully, our original collections were unharmed, and many low-resolution scans and transcriptions survived.

Fortunately, with low-resolution scans and transcriptions that survived, it allowed us to continue providing access to rare manuals, passenger lists, and ephemera. For specific items—mainly books, brochures, passenger lists, etc., we had transcribed rather than imaged—only text remains online until rescanning can be completed.

This incident was a turning point in our digitization strategy. Rather than attempt to rescan everything at once, we now focus on:

Preserving and sharing covers, inscriptions, and illustrations that carry the most historical or artistic value.

Transcribing full texts where possible, to make them searchable and accessible.

Linking to external repositories (HathiTrust, Internet Archive, Library of Congress) for full-view editions, ensuring researchers can still access primary sources in their entirety.

While the loss of 2012 was disheartening, it reinforced our unwavering commitment to our mission: to make history accessible, sustainable, and resilient for teachers, students, genealogists, historians, and collectors. This incident has only strengthened our resolve to continue our work.

Visit our WWI Military Books and Manuals , where carefully transcribed texts and cover scans demonstrate how we continue to make rare materials available despite the 2012 loss of high-resolution scans.

Browse our redesigned Ocean Travel Section , where early 20th-century brochures, menus, and photographs are presented in an easy-to-use format inspired by our 2010–2016 upgrades.

In 2022, the GG Archives underwent a significant transformation, with its name being streamlined to GG Archives and the domain transitioning to GGArchives.com. This evolution is a testament to the Archives' unwavering commitment to adapt and improve, ensuring a seamless user experience and reinforcing its reliability. Notably, Evelyne Blanc, as the content researcher/editor/transcriber from 2018 to 2024, played a pivotal role in ensuring the accuracy of the transcriptions. Her dedication and expertise have contributed to the archives' growth and development, and we are grateful for her invaluable contribution. Looking ahead, the GG Archives remains dedicated to expanding access, improving digital tools, and preserving cultural history for generations to come.

Explore our Military Archives Index and Immigration Collection to see how GG Archives continues to expand access and improve the presentation of historical resources for teachers, students, and genealogists.

Did You Know?

It's interesting to note that over the past two decades, technology has brought about significant changes in the way photographs are scanned. Back before 2000 (note 1), we relied on 96 DPI scans as our "Master" images. Once technology improved in the early 2000s, we began to utilize 600, 1200, and 2400 DPI scans to create our "master" images. The enhanced quality of the images produced by these high-resolution scans is quite remarkable.

Our mission remains clear: to preserve the stories of immigration, ocean travel, military service, and cultural history so they remain accessible to teachers, students, genealogists, historians, and collectors worldwide.

Note 1: Technically, we went live on 1 January 2000. Much of the work of scanning and transcribing initial materials started in the mid 1990s.