Swedish Culture in the United

States

Building techniques - Swedish X-joint Log

Houses

The traditional Swedish log house became a model for many settlers’ dwellings in America. The Swedish emigrants brought the X-joint log house building technique to America. The first X-joint log houses in America were built in New Sweden (possessed by Sweden between 1638 and 1655), the Swedish colony along both banks of the Delaware River into modern Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The craft was quickly adopted by other colonists and settlers. In the centuries that followed, the log cabin spread out from the Delaware Valley when German, English, Scots-Irish, Scandinavian, and other Pennsylvania colonists migrated westward. The Swedish log houses became a model for the frontier style log cabin. More about Swedish X-joint log houses.

Swedish Churches in the USA

The Swedish churches in the United States were strong uniting links for the Swedish culture. A person who recommended and pushed the organizing of Swedish Lutheran churches was Lars Paul Esbjörn (1808-1870). Several Swedish congregations in the United States joined in a synod and Esbjörn joined his congregations to this synod. Esbjörn was born in Delsbo, Hälsingland province, Sweden, and had his ordination in 1849. He emigrated from Sweden to Henry County, Illinois, in 1849 and became the first Swedish Lutheran pastor in the Upper Midwest. Esbjörn returned to Sweden in 1863. In 1852 Tuve Nilsson Hasselquist (1816 – 1891) emigrated to the United States and his work contributed to the growth of the Swedish congregations. During the 1850’s he worked for the Illinois Lutheran Synod. Hasselquist was from Skåne province, Sweden, and had his ordination in 1839. At first, he was a pastor in Galesburg, Knox County, Illinois. In 1860 the Scandinavian congregations in the United States left the Illinois Synod and founded the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod in North America. The name of the synod refers to the background of the faith’s confession, the Confession of Augsburg. "Augustana" is the Latin translation of the name of the city of Augsburg in Germany. When the Danes and the Norwegians in 1870 left the synod and founded two separate synods the name was changed to the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod in North America. In 1894 it was changed to the Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod in North America. Hasselquist was the first president of the Synod. In 1863 he was in charge of the Synod’s Divinity School which in 1875 moved to Rock Island, Rock Island County, Illinois. Tuve Hasselquist remained President of the Synod until 1891 when he died. The photo to the right shows Old Swede Church (today Trinity Episcopal Church) in Swedesboro, Gloucester County, New Jersey which was founded in 1703 by descendants of the Swedes in the New Sweden Colony. Photographer Judith Segerdell-Langston, Texas, and the photo is shown with her consent. The number of Swedish churches increased all over the United States. Other pioneers within the Synod were Erland Carlsson and Erik Norelius. In line with the Synod’s practical Christianity they established hospitals and nursing institutions. In 1910 the Synod had fully 250,000 members and in the 1940’s close to 400,000 members in 1,100 congregations. The Synod also ran different kinds of education such as Sunday schools but also regular schools and divinity schools such as Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. The Synod spread very religious propaganda and culture through the paper Hemlandet (The Homeland). They were often in conflict with other faction’s papers such as Methodists’ Sändebudet, Baptists’ Chicago-bladet and Freethinkers’ Svensk Amerikanaren. It has been estimated that about 30% of the Swedish-Americans were members of the Augustana Synod. However, many Swedes disliked the Synod’s puritanical outlook on life and its special religious emphasis of orthodox character. These people were instead attracted to the Swedish Free Churches or non-Swedish church communions in the United States. Others joined secular fraternal orders such as Vikinga-Orden (Independent Order of Vikings), Vasa Orden (Vasa Order of America) and Svithiod, who were religiously and politically neutral. These orders arranged soirées, excursions, and lectures and cared about social services like, for example, sick and burial funds. These orders were naturally conspired as typical places of sin by the clergy. Vasa Order of America was founded in 1896 in New Haven, Connecticut at the height of Swedish immigration to the United States as a Swedish- American fraternal order. Vasa Order of America emerged from the many Swedish societies that existed as a safety net for early immigrants. A benefit fund provided a small income to members during sickness, and a death benefit at the time would cover final expenses. The organization operates the Vasa National Archives at Bishop Hill, Illinois. Since 1960, The Vasa Order of America has selected a prominent American citizen of Swedish birth or descent to become Swedish-American of the Year. The organization also publishes a magazine, Vasa Star (Vasastjärnan). Independent Order of Vikings is a fraternal organization active in a number of American states and was founded in the 1890's in Chicago, IL.

Swedish Newspapers in the United States

The many Swedish-language newspapers in the United States were important to the Swedish culture. In the beginning they were primarily a church vehicle of propaganda but later the newspapers became more independent. Until 1910 over 1,100 Swedish-American newspapers had been published in 29 States. The majority were published in the State of Illinois, 324 newspapers, and 190 in the State of Minnesota. Most papers were weekly publications. Today there are still 6 being published in North America; Svenska Amerikanaren-Tribunen in Chicago, Nordstjernan in New York City, Vestkusten in San Francisco, California Veckoblad in Los Angeles, Texas- Posten in Austin, TX, and Nya Svenska Pressen in Vancouver, Canada. The papers contained summaries of the week’s events with news from Sweden, family announcements, special news from the Swedish communities and advertisements. What was missing was the usual news which the Swedes got from American newspapers. The editions of the Swedish papers rarely exceeded 40,000; The Svenska Amerikanaren-Tribunen in Chicago had in 1915 about 65,000 which was a record. An exception was the muckraking paper Justitia (1871) and a few socialistic papers, for example Arbetaren (The Laborer) in New York (1896 – 1928) and Svenska Socialisten (The Swedish Socialist) in Rockford and Chicago (1905 – 1921). Between 1855 and 1859 Tuve Hasselquist (see above) was also the editor and legally responsible for the publication of the first Swedish-language newspaper in America, Hemlandet. Its original content was primarily religious, but when P.A. Sundelius became its editor in the late 1860's, its coverage on general issues began to change from denominational to more political. Hasselquist also founded the Swedish Lutheran Publication Society, a publishing house for Swedish- language books, hymnals and other Lutheran publications. The Society was founded in Galesburg, Illinois then reorganized and moved to Chicago in 1859. Beginning in the late 1850's, the Society published periodicals, first the Minnesota Posten and in 1855 the originally independent Hemlandet which moved beyond church news. Nordstjernan (in English The North Star) is a mostly English-language newspaper for Swedish Americans and Swedes in the USA. It has been published since 1872 and contains news summaries, trends and columnists from Sweden but also covers traditions, trivia, seasonal recipes, and reports on Swedish community activities from all over the USA. At noon, Saturday, September 21, 1872, the first issue of America’s Swedish newspaper, Nordstjernan, appeared on newsstands in Manhattan, New York City. Nordstjernan is one of the oldest publications on or about Sweden abroad. In December, 2007, Nordstjernan merged with the similar publication Vestkusten in California. Nordstjernan has been a weekly newspaper but switched to every other week at the end of 2007.

Literature

Swedish-language literature in the United States in the beginning were principally religious publications. About 90% of all publications were of this type. Beside these publications there were also historical works, travel books and memorial publications. Between 1891 and 1920 the Augustana Book Concern published about 25 Swedish books annually. Between 1910 and 1915 about 840,000 volumes were produced in Swedish. Special publishing houses used Swedish patriotic feelings. An example is Anders Löfström who founded Dalkullans bokförlag (Dalecarlian Woman’s Publishing House) in 1894 in Chicago, IL, and published Dalkullans Sångbok (Dalkullan’s Songbook) and Dalkullan’s Almanacka (Dalkullan's Calendar). [Dalecarlia is the Latin name for the Swedish province Dalarna and Dalkulla is a woman from Dalarna]. The works of Swedish authors were often published as pirate editions, for example Esaias Tegnér, Gustav Fröding and August Strindberg. Song and ballad collections and amateur theatricals of national popular character were also published in this manner. There wasn’t much room for original productions or poetry. At best they sold in a few hundred, but there were of course exceptions. Successful authors were Ernst Skarstedt and Arthur Landfors. The latter published two collections of poems: Från smältugnen, 1932, and Träd som bara grönska, 1962, which captured the immigrants' alienation in their new homeland.

Music and Theater

One of the Swedes who enlightened cultural life in the United States was “The Swedish Nightingale” Jenny Lind (1820 - 1887). Jenny Lind was a very popular and successful soprano opera singer and her career took off around 1838. Her name was actually Johanna Maria Lind and she was born on October 6, 1820, in the Klara District of Stockholm, Sweden. She died on November 2, 1887, in Great Britain. She did a highly appreciated two yearlong tour of the United States between 1850 and 1852. On September 11, 1850, she performed at Castle Garden in Manhattan, New York City, before an audience of 6,000. When she went to the United States, the performance was sold out before her arrival. She married in 1852, during her tour of the United States, to the German pianist Otto Goldschmidt. The couple later moved to the United Kingdom (the UK). Another Swedish singer was Kristina Nilsson (1843 – 1921). She was born on August 20, 1843, in Vederslöv, Småland province, Sweden and died on November 21, 1912, in Växjö, Småland. Kristina Nilsson was an international opera singer. She made her debut in 1860 and made her first tour of the United States between 1871 and 1872. She was very successful not only as an opera singer but also for her performances with Swedish folk songs. The musical life among Swedish-Americans was inspired by all these star performances. Most common were choirs which toured the towns and cities, especially Chicago, IL, which had eminent song and music groups but also the countryside. It was similar situation for the Swedish theatrical companies. The repertory seems to have been lighter works. The Swedish Theater Company in Chicago had for example ”Bror Jonathan och oxhandlaren från Småland” (Brother Jonathan and the ox dealer from Småland) in their repertory. Special guest appearances from Sweden were also common. On November 24, 1911, Elis Olsson from Södra Teatern (The South Theater) in Stockholm performed in the Swedish play ”Värmlänningarna” in the United States. [Värmlänningarna means the Värmlander, i.e. inhabitant of Värmland province, Sweden.] The Swedish emigrants also brought their hymns and spiritual songs to the United States. The Swedish hymn "O Store Gud" has been translated into several languages in the Christian World. The hymn is called "How Great Thou Art" in English and has been recorded among others by Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton. The hymn was written by Free Church Pastor Carl Boberg (1859 - 1940) in the summer of 1885 in Mönsterås, Småland province, Sweden. The hymn saw its first light on a warm summer day, just after a thunderstorm when the storm had moved away Carl Boberg was 26 years old when he wrote the hymn. The song was sold to the Swedish Missionary Society and was sung in public for the first time in 1888. At first, the song was done in 3/4 time but was soon changed to 4/4 time. Many Swedish immigrants to the US took this song with them as a remainder of their old country. In the beginning of the 1950's the American revivalist Billy Graham listened to the song for the first time and took the hymn to his heart. He even made this hymn his signature tune. "O Store Gud / How Great Thou Art" is now one of the world's most widely known spiritual songs

Works of Art

The Swedish-American’s longing for home was often expressed as “the little red cottage by the lake near the edge of the forest”. This theme was common among many of the Swedish painters in the United States. Only a few painters managed to break loose from this taste of the Swedish public. An example of the latter category is Birger Sandzén, represented by his neo impressionistic landscapes. Another independent painter was the naïvist Olof Krans, linked to the utopian religious colony founded at Bishop Hill, IL.

Weakening of the Swedishness

During World War I (1914 – 1918) there was much focus on patriotism in America and after the United States entered the war, anti-German laws swept the nation. This created a social pressure which also affected immigrant groups from other countries who felt observed. So did the Swedes if they were too oriented towards their former homeland’s customs and traditions. The focus on patriotism also made the Swedish newspapers in the United States more watched. The subscribers were afraid to be looked on as un- American if they kept on reading the Swedish publications. President Theodore Roosevelt (1858 – 1919) also had plans to ban these kind of publications which he thought attributed to an un- American way of thinking. This resulted in a major decline of Swedish- language newspapers in the United States. Between 1914 and 1929 the number of Swedish newspapers dropped from 100 to 42. The religious communities were also affected by war-time policies. The state of Iowa banned the use of foreign languages in public. In 1918 Governor William Harding of Iowa issued a proclamation forbidding the use of any foreign language in public: on trains, on the streets, at meetings, in religious services, even on the telephone. The Swedish churches in Iowa thereby lost their Sermon language. The Swedish families became bilingual, English outwardly and Swedish at home. In schools the language was solely English. The new generations of Swedish-Americans were embarrassed by their Swedish accent and refused to speak Swedish. Many children born in the United States of Swedish immigrants in the 1920’s were never taught Swedish by their parents. They wanted their children to be assimilated into the American society as well and as quickly as possible. So, with time, non- English speakers in the United States switched to English. This new view of Americanism also affected the Augustana Synod. In 1921 still about 85% of the Sermons were held in Swedish. In the mid 1930’s the Sermons were solely held in the English language. The Swedish Methodist Church in the United States was disestablished in 1942 and the Swedish Baptists in 1945. The congregations instead joined their American sister organizations. An exception was the Swedish Missionary Society which is directly connected to Swedish church communions. They remained as a church communion of their own and just dropped the adjective ”Swedish” in the name of the Society. In 1962 the Augustana Synod merged with The Lutheran Church in America to which the Augustina Synod transferred its 630,000 members consisting of closely 1,300 congregations. The image to the right shows the Swede Charles Samuelson in front of his store in Minneapolis, Minnesota, circa 1890. He advertises "All Slags Skandinaviska Tidningar" (All kinds of Scaninavian Papers) and "Här Talas Svenska" (Swedish Spoken).

Source References

• Source references Top of page

Vilhelm Moberg's Emigrant Epos

Author and journalist Karl Artur Vilhelm Moberg was born on August 20, 1898, in Moshultamåla, Algutsboda parish, Småland province, Sweden, the son of a soldier, Karl Moberg, and died on August 8, 1973, in Grisslehamn, Väddö parish, Stockholm Län, Sweden. He was the fourth child of seven, of whom only three survived into adulthood. In 1907 the family moved to Wilhelm Moberg's mother's home of her childhood, a small farm in the village of Duvemåla, Ljuder parish, Småland. His mother's was Ida Aronsdotter Moberg and this farm had been the family home of her family, now repurchached with money from her relatives in the United States. In 1916 an uncle and aunt of Vilhelm Moberg emigrated from Sweden to America. In 1926, Moberg made his breakthrough as a playwright and his first novel Raskens was published the following year. Many of his novels have been translated into English. One of his most famous works is The Emigrants series of four novels written between 1949 and 1959 which describe a Swedish group of families' emigration from South Småland to Chisago County, Minnesota in the 1850's, a destiny shared by about 1.2 million Swedish people, including several of the author's relatives. The series is about 16 people from Ljuder parish, Småland who in the spring of 1850 emigrated to America. In June 1948 Moberg moved with his family from Sweden to the United States and visited the old Swedish communities in the Upper Midwest gathering material for his Emigrant Epos. In Saint Paul, Minnesota, he found the diaries of an early Swedish emigrant, Andrew Peterson, which became a very important source of material for Moberg. Moberg settled in Carmel, California, where he wrote the first two parts. The third part wasn't written until 1954 when he lived in Laguna Beach, California. In the beginning the Emigrant Epos were meant to be a trilogy but during the work Moberg decided to write a fourth book published in 1959. The novel-series describes the long and strenuous journey made by a group of people in Småland, Sweden, as they emigrated to America and the Minnesota Territory (1849-1858) in the late 1840's. The novels are primarily about the fictitious farmer Karl-Oskar and his wife Kristina from Ljuder parish, Småland. The emigration refers to America rather than the United States as a nation, because (North-) America was better known among Scandinavian emigrants of the time. The choice of Minnesota territory was made after arrival at New York City, due to hearsay that the climate there would remind them of Småland's. Moberg did extensive research of available sources and among them he studied old "American" letters and the church records of Ljuder parish, Småland. In the United States he interviewed old Swedish- Americans, read diaries, old newspapers, visited museums, libraries, etc. The Swedish novels are: 1. Utvandrarna (1949) 2. Invandrarna (1952) 3. Nybyggarna (1956) 4. Sista brevet till Sverige (1959) These novels have been translated into English and are: 1. The Emigrants (1951) 2. Unto a Good Land (1954) 3. The Settlers (1961) 4. The Last Letter Home (1961) The novels to date have sold nearly 20 million copies and have been translated into more than 20 languages. Swedish film director Jan Troell turned the books into two major feature movies 1971-1972, The Emigrants and The New Land, starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann as Karl-Oskar and Kristina. Additionally, a musical by former ABBA members Björn Ulvaeus (lyrics) and Benny Andersson (music), based on Moberg’s four emigrant novels, was produced in the 1990’s, “Kristina från Duvemåla” ("Kristina from Duvemåla"). It was a great success in Sweden and abroad.

The Emigrants

The first part of the novel describes some families’ emigration from Småland province, Sweden at the end of the 1840’s, leaving famine and poverty behind. Karl Oskar Nilsson and his wife, Kristina, have a farm in Ljuder parish. They have four children and work hard to make a living, but poor crops lead to famine. Karl Oskar and his brother Robert are interested in emigration to the United States, but Kristina has no desire to leave her home country, knowing that she will never see the rest of their family again. However, when their oldest child died, she changes her mind. They sell their farm, pack up all their belongings and book a passage together with others from the Ljuder parish. They departed from Karlshamn, Blekinge province. On the journey Karl-Oskar and his family are accompanied by his brother Robert, Kristna’s Uncle Daniel Andreasson with family including the farmhand Arvid (a friend of Robert), Jonas Petter Albrektsson and Ulrika from Västergöhl and her daughter Elin. The Emigrants is about the country they left.

Unto a Good Land

This novel describes the journey of the emigrants across the Atlantic to New York City. They sailed aboard the brig Charlotta from Karlshamn, Sweden to New York City where they arrived in Midsummer of 1850 after 8 weeks at sea. From New York they had to travel overland to Minnesota where they settled at Lake Ki-Chi-Saga (today's Lake Chisago) in what today is Chisago County. Here they start building a dwelling and begin a new life. However, it is not easy in their new country. Karl-Oskar’s brother Robert was attracted by the California gold fields and headed off to California to search for gold together with Arvid. Unto a Good Land is about their new country.

The Settlers

In this novel Karl-Oskar and Kristina have arrived in Stillwater, Minnesota where they have built a home by a lake named Chisago Lake. The novel is about their life in their new country. Every new day is a day of labor as the years pass and the children grow up. More families settle around the lake and a new community with a school and a church is established. This novel also follows Robert's adventures on the "The California Trail". The Settlers is about the country they shaped.

The Last Letter Home

This novel is about Karl-Oskar and Kristina in their late life and eventual death. The novel has a slightly more reflective perspective than the other three, and it follows events such as the American Civil War and the Sioux Outbreak of 1862 through the perspective of the settlers.

Andrew Peterson

Andrew Peterson, who was the model for Karl- Oscar in Vilhelm Moberg's Emigrant series, emigrated from Östergötland province, Sweden, in 1850 and eventually settled east of Lake Waconia, Carver County, Minnesota, about 50 km (30 miles) southwest of Minneapolis. His name in Sweden was Anders Pettersson and he was born on October 20, 1818, in Sjöarp, Västra Ryd parish, Östergötland province and died on March 31, 1898, in Clearwater Lake, Carver County, Minnesota. Andrew emigrated with his sister and 14 other emigrants and arrived in Boston on July 2, 1850. They arrived in Burlington, Iowa 4 weeks later where they stayed for 4 years. In 1855 he moved to Minnesota where he claimed homestead land of 160 acres (65 ha) on the southeastern side of Lake Waconia (previously known as Clearwater Lake). He has been remembered to present days by his diaries which he wrote from June 23, 1854, until 2 days before he died in 1898. Andrew Peterson’s diaries are kept today at the Minnesota Historical Library in Saint Paul, MN. He married Elsa Ingman in 1858 and they had 9 children but no grandchildren. The image to the right shows Andrew Peterson in 1885 in front of his first built log cabin which was erected in 1855. In the background we see his present dwelling (1885). Wikipedia Public Domain image. As stated above, Andrew Peterson settled by Lake Waconia, Laketown Township, Carver County, Minnesota while Vilhlem Moberg’s fictitious Karl- Oskar settled in Chisago County, Minnesota. Andrew Peterson has a few comments about The Dakota Uprising of 1862, Minnesota, in his diaries.