ABOUT

Torhild Shirley, AG®

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I was born and raised in Bodø, Norway. After working for several years in the tourism industry, among others as a tour guide, I completed my education as a technical translator in 1994. Three years later I added to my education by completing an associate's degree in finance. But my passion has always been family history and genealogy. I now live in Logan, Utah.

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I have more than 30 years of experience doing my own research and working for clients, both as a researcher and as a translator. I specialize in Scandinavian research – Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. As a Norwegian, I speak, read, and write Norwegian fluently, and read and understand Swedish and Danish very well, in addition to French and some German. I am also familiar with the gothic handwriting commonly found in Scandinavian records. Over the last 20 years, I have spent close to 15 years on and off serving as a Family History Consultant in my church.

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In 2021, after thousands of hours of research and study, I earned my accreditation as a professional genealogist through the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists – ICAPGenTM. Currently, I am enrolled at BYU-I where I am majoring in Family History Research with an emphasis on the "Scandinavian" states of north-central USA. 

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Though most of the sources needed for Scandinavian research are available online, I am only an hour away from the largest genealogical library in the world, the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. I also have contacts in Scandinavia should it be necessary to access information on site. I am a member of several Scandinavian genealogical societies and the Association of Professional genealogists.