Boyums of America is more than a genealogy website.  
It is a family and cultural discovery project.

On Wednesday, September 14th in 1983, a man named Dr. Melvin F. Johnson, Jr. sent a letter to my grandmother, Corrine Morel Boyum.  Included with this letter was a hand crafted descendant oriented family tree on three 11x17 sheets of paper and three reduced copies of the same; one for each of her children.  This document contained descendants of a family started by Sevath & Caroline Boyum, both of whom had come to the United States from Norway in the mid 1850s.

Sometimes later, my father provided me a copy of this fascinating document.  The document opened up an entire universe previously unknown to me.  Growing up in Texas, I had never met a single person with my last name, I had no knowledge of my Norwegian roots or of the culture, and I had no knowledge of any family beyond the children of my grandmother.

After over fifteen years of studying this family of mine, I still am amazed at the significance of this loss.  It is amazing to me that by the time my grandfather was born, most, if not all, of the heritage of his emigrant grandfather had been swept aside.  In a single generation, an entire way of life, family history, national culture, stories, food, traditions were disconnected. 

The website is an effort to reconnect to that which was lost.

Boyums of America is the work of Todd Boyum but only in the sense that it is published to the web.  In reality, it is the work of many Boyum cousins and cousins of related families such as the Lalondes, Lanclos, Devillier, Morels, Robins, Johnsons, Paulsons, Malands and many more.  Some of this data comes from published genealogy and family data.  Much of it has been pulled from personal files and sent me.    Please see the Special Thanks section to get a better sense of the actual source contributions of others.

The What's New section is updated as the site is updated to serve as a running log of change.  It will help you understand what has been added from visit to visit.  The 2001 Goals will let you know what it is we hope to accomplish this year.  Plans and Status let you know details about what is being worked on right now.    Also, you can check out FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions to understand how best to use this site and answer common questions.  Search through Direct Relations to find out how we might be related.

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