SWEDES: TheWayTheyWere
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    • The Bethany Artist & the Bethany Scientist: Lydia & Emil >
      • Their 1869 Swedish Lutheran Galesburg Colony and Olsson Colony Smoky Valley Arrivals, ~ With a Galesburg account by Mr. Holmquist >
        • Their Värmland Swedes ~ The "First Swedish Agricultural Company" Lindsborg Founders, 1868, ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
          • Swedish Pastor Olof Olsson Emigrating to Lindsborg 1869, June 27th Arrival ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
            • Bethany Lutheran Church and Lindsborg Founder Pastor Olsson, 1869 - 1876 ~ An account by Dr..Lindquist
      • Their 1869 "Bethany Lutheran Church" ~ Accounts by Dr. Lindquist and Mr. Carlson >
        • ​Their 1860-1962 "Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Synod" ~ Gaining and losing its Swedish identity >
          • The 1860 Formation of the Augustana Synod ~ An Account by Mr. Holmquist
          • Their 1892 "Augustana Women's Missionary Society" ~ An account by Ms. Humphrey
          • The 2000 - 2016 "Augustana Heritage Association"
      • Their 1907 "Bethany Lutheran Home" ~ Accounts by Bethany Home Writers >
        • 1976 Lindsborg’s Bethany Home’s Swedish King's Visit ~ An account by Mr. Carlson's
      • Their 1909 and 1919 Swedish Smoky Valley Community Chronicles ~ Compiled and written by Bethany Lutheran Church Rev. Dr. Alfred Bergin, members and others >
        • 1909 translated to "Pioneer Swedish-American Culture in Central Kansas," 1965 ~ By Mrs. Bergin Billdt
        • 1919 translated to "The Smoky Valley in The After Years," 1969 ~ By Mrs. Bergin Billdt & Mrs. Jaderborg
      • Their 1910 Messiah Lutheran Church conducting services in English ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
        • ~ An account on the Messiah Lutheran Church formation from Rev. Dr. Alfred Bergin's 1909 ​"Pioneer Swedish-American Culture of Central Kansas"
      • Their 1919 Lindsborg Historical Society's "Coronado Heights" ~ Emil's 1907 thesis and Lydia's photographs >
        • The ​1919 formation of the "Lindsborg Historical Society" ~ The Smoky Hills' "Smoky Hill" christened "Coronado Heights" May 8, 1924 >
          • Lindsborg's Coronado Heights History ~ Three accounts by Mrs. Jaderborg >
            • Coronado and Bethany College Museum" History ~ An account from Dr. Lungstrom
      • Their 1916 Sohlberg House ​ ~ 322 North First [College] Street ~After their honeymoon
      • Their 1920 Old Main Apartments of Bethany College ~ Living on campus with the students for 20 years
      • Their 1940 Deere Home to 1943 ​~ 344 North First [College] Street ~ With new occupants after Lydia
      • Their 1936 1873 Swedish Homestead," "Our Peaceful Acres" >
        • Their 1873 Swede House ~ A close twin of Founder Rev. Olof Olsson's stone house >
          • Peaceful Acres Smoky Valley descendant friends and helpers ~ Honoring them and remembering them
      • 1943, after Lydia, Emil's part in the building of the Lindsborg Community Hospital ~ An account by Dr. Lungstrom
    • Their “1882 on . . .” Bethany College Handel’s “Messiah" Performances” >
      • "Messiah" Performers, Venues & Audiences, Press and Broadcasts >
        • Special 20th Century "Messiah" Performances
      • Handel's "Messiah" & Bach's "St. Matthew Passion" ~ Described for viewers unfamiliar with these oratorios
    • Their “1899 on . . .” Bethany College “Swedish Artists’ Midwest Art Exhibition” ​~ An account by the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery
    • Their “1902 on . . .” Bethany College ‘Terrible Swedes,’ Their “1903 on” ‘Rockar Stockar’ ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist
    • Their “1904 on . . .” Bethany College St. Louis World's Fair “Swedish Pavilion”
    • Their "1895 to 1981" Bethany College Anniversary Celebrations ~ 15, 20, 25, 100 years >
      • Their Celebrating 15 Years of Bethany College, 1881-1896. The First Bethany Annual, 1895-96
      • Their Celebrating 20 Years of Bethany College, 1881-1901. The "Forget-Me-Not," 1902 >
        • The King of Sweden's Emissary, 1901
        • Yale University's Bethany Club
      • Their Celebrating 25 Years of Bethany College, 1881-1906, "Souvenir of Lindsborg and Bethany College"
      • Their Celebrating 100 Years of Bethany College, 1881-1981, "The Centennial of Bethany College"
    • Their "1937" Bethany College's Introduction to New Sweden ~ Founded in 1638 >
      • Deere's Introduction to New Sweden
  • Swedish Immigration Story, 1854
    • "The Story of the Old Spoon" by Ingrid Anderson Sohlberg & Daughter Lydia Sohlberg Deere, 1937
    • Who They Left Behind
    • From Sweden with Love Collections >
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Kosta Portraits, 1867 >
        • The Swedish Sohlberg Kosta Glass
        • The Swedish Sohlberg Letters
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Royal Gold Thread Embroidery Sampler (c1890s)
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Post Cards (c1890s)
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Magazines, (c1940s)
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Books, 1819/1886 to 1899
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Albums, ~ Late 19th early 20th centuries
      • The Swedish Deere Coins -- 1801-1929
  • Artist Lydia Sohlberg Deere
    • Lydia's Lindsborg Photography, 1900-1925 >
      • The Hats
      • The Smoky River
      • The Smoky Hills >
        • Coronado Heights -- One Winter's Day
      • In and Around Lindsborg
      • Sohlberg House with Parents >
        • Our Sohlberg Home and Neighbor Alma Luise Olson
      • Sohlberg House with Emil 1916 to 1920 >
        • Lydia's Travels with Deere 1916 - 1930s >
          • Lydia's California Photographs for Painting
          • Lydia's Palm Springs Pictorial Magazine, 1938-1939
          • Lydia's California Pressed Wild Flowers, c1930
      • "LYDIA'S WORLD" Photography Exhibitions in Lindsborg, 2005 - 2011
    • Lydia as Bethany College Lane Hart Hall Dean of Women, 1906 - 1913 >
      • Lydia's Signatured Black Book of Her Handwritten Sewing Instructions >
        • Nina Sohlberg's Child's Sewing "Little Dots" PICTURE BOOK
      • Lydia Sohlberg Deere's 1927 "Lindsborg Swedish Club's" Handwork >
        • The Lindsborg Swedish Club's "Allers Monster-Tidnings" magazine, 1940
    • Lydia's Art, 1919-1938 >
      • Lydia's Art: The Kansas Collection >
        • The Sketches
      • Lydia's Art: The Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico Collection >
        • The Sketches
      • Lydia's Art: The California Collection >
        • The Sketches
        • Lydia's "Palm Springs Magazine " 1938-39
    • Lydia's Art Professor Sven Birger Sandzén, 1871-1954 >
      • Lydia's Assignments for Professor Sandzén >
        • Students of Sandzén 2019 Exhibition
        • Bethany Home ~ Celebrating Artist Birger Sandzén through his students' paintings
    • Lydia's Art Professor Birger Sandzén's "Art Exhibitions" and "Reviews" .. 1893-1940 >
      • Lydia's Art Professor Sandzén's Exhibition at the Babcock Gallery in New York, 1922
      • Lydia's Sandzén's Body of Work Reviewed by N.Y.C, 1984 "American Impressionism," author William H. Gerdts
    • Lydia's and Sandzén's Swedish Artist Friend Charles Edward Hallberg, 1855-1940
    • Lydia's and Sandzén's Swedish Artist Friend Oscar Brousse Jacobson, 1882-1966
    • Lydia’s Sohlberg Family Connection to Sandzén, 1880-1894-1993
  • Scientist Emil O. Deere
    • Deere & Lydia's Bethany -- Lydia's Photography, 1906-1925 >
      • Bethany College "Campus from Above"
      • Bethany College "The Gateway," 1917 and "Bethany Campus Association," 1912
      • Bethany College "College Street," today's "North First Street"
      • Bethany College "Campus Life"
      • Bethany College "Field Trips"
      • Bethany College's "Earliest Buildings" >
        • Bethany College "​Ladies Dormitory" / "Lane Hart Hall" 1883 - 1899 - 1983
        • Bethany College "Old Main" 1887-1968 >
          • Lydia's and Emil's Old Main Apartments, 1920 to 1940
          • Deere's Bethany College Classes in Old Main
        • Bethany College "Messiah Auditorium" / "Ling Auditorium" / "Ling Gymnasium" 1895 - 1946
        • Bethany College "Swedish Pavilion," 1904
        • Bethany College "​Carnegie Library" / "Bethany Library" 1908 - 1980
        • Bethany College "​Bethany Academy" 1882 -- Swensson's Bethany's Beginnings
    • Deere's 1959 Interview on Rev. Dr. Carl A. Swensson (On YouTube) >
      • Rev. Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson, 1857-1904 ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
        • Swensson's "Bethany Lutheran Church" and the "Augustana Lutheran Synod"
        • Swensson's Bethany's Beginnings: "The Bethany Academy of 1882"
        • Olsson's Influence, the Swenssons,' the Musicians' and Singers,' "Messiah," 1882 on … >
          • Thure Olof Jaderborg ~ One Lindsborg "Messiah" Commitment from 1901-1954
        • Swensson's Swedish Artists of the 1890s
        • Swensson's "Bethany College Museum," 1882 - 1966
      • In Memorium**Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson, 1904 ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist
    • Deere's Rev. Dr. Ernst F. Pihlblad, 1873-1943 ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
      • In Memoriam**Dr. Ernst F. Pihlblad, 1943
      • Rev. Dr. Pihlblad on Bethany College, 1904 - 1941
    • Deere's Smithsonian Institution's Souvenir, 1904
    • Deere's 1940 Presidential Address to the Kansas Academy of Science
    • Deere's 1955 Letter to President Eisenhower re Tuttle Creek
    • Deere's Service, 1901-1966 >
      • Deere's Education & Degrees
    • The Deere's Library ~ What remains of 2,000 books -- pending project
  • "The Other Swedes"
    • Honoring Them and Remembering Them ~ The Smoky Valley Writers >
      • A suggestion to individuals and entities in charge of these books ~ ​Digitalize for posterity and perpetuity
      • Rev. Bror Carlsson and Mr. Alf Brorson from Sweden ~ Tracing Värmland's Rev. Olof Olsson's church life in Sweden and in Swedish America with the Augustana Lutheran Synod >
        • ​"He Gave God Glory" "The Story of Olof Olsson, ​" 1841 - 1900 ~ By Rev. Bror Carlsson
      • Rev. Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson ~ Author of countless Swedish & English publications, newspapers articles & books for local, national & European readers
      • Bethany Church, Bethany College, Augustana Synod Writers ​~ Remembering Rev. Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson and Rev. Dr. Ernst Frederick Pihlblad
      • Rev. Dr. Alfred Bergin ​~ Compiling foundational Swedish Smoky Valley Augustana Lutheran settlements' histories and more
      • Dr. Emory K. Lindquist ~ Chronicling Swedish Augustana Lutheran Lindsborg and Bethany College from their earliest years >
        • ​1953, "Smoky Valley People, A History of Lindsborg, Kansas" ~ The Words of Dr. Lindquist and Contents & Illustrations
        • 1975 "Bethany in Kansas, the history of a college" ~ The Words of Dr. Lindquist >
          • "Bethany in Kansas" PART I ~ Contents & Illustrations
          • "Bethany in Kansas" PART II ~ Contents & Illustrations
        • 1984 "Hagbard Brase, Beloved Music Master" ~ The Words of Dr. Lindquist >
          • "Hagbard Brase" ~ Contents and Illustrations
      • Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg [Selma Lind] ​ ~ Chronicling the Lindsborg of her day, its early histories, its early citizens >
        • 1965 "Lindsborg On Record" ~ Contents & Illustrations
        • 1967 "Living in Lindsborg and Other Possibilities" ~ Contents & Illustrations
        • 1973 "Talk About Lindsborg" ~ Contents & Illustrations
        • 1976 "Why Lindsborg?" ~ Contents & Illustrations >
          • 1975 Why Lindsborg ~ For the King of Sweden
        • ​1990 "Two Reprints" ~ Contents & Illustrations Lists
      • Mr. Thomas N. Holmquist ~ Chronicling Lindsborg's neighbors, the Galesburg Swedes of Salemsborg and Freemount, with a personal connection, 1868
      • Mr. Bill Carlson ~ Chronicling Lindsborg's earliest and later histories, with a personal connection, 1867
      • Ms. Karen A. Humphrey ~ Chronicling highlights of Swedish Augustana Lutheran Lindsborg and Bethany College culture in the earliest years >
        • 2012 "Grace, Faith and the Power of Singing: The Alma Christina Lind Swensson Story" ~The Words of Ms. Humphrey
        • "Grace, Faith and the Power of Singing" ~ Contents & Illustrations
      • Mr. A. John Pearson ~ Chronicling the Bethany College Presidents from 1882 to 1983
      • Mr. Kenneth Sjogren ~ Chronicling the Bethany College Presidents from 1941 to 2016
      • Mr. Chris Abercrombie ~ Remembering him as "The Historian," the SVHA president and his body of work
      • Rev. Eugene K. Nelson and the Bethany Home Writers ~ Chronicling the "only known" Smoky Valley story on Bethany Home since 1907
      • Smoky Valley Historical Association Members ~ Chronicling 1993 " Where Did They Live? " "Early Residences of Lindsborg, Kansas"
    • Honoring Them and Remembering Them \\// >
      • Mrs. Alma Christina Lind Swensson ~ Remembering her as Mrs. Rev. Dr. Swensson, the "First Lady" of Lindsborg, organizer of the "Messiah Chorus" and much more ~ From ​Ms. Humphrey's Book
      • ​Samuel Thorstenberg ~ Remembering him as the "earliest" internationally acclaimed Bethany College "Messiah Chorus" conductor
      • Dr. Hagbard Brase ~ Remembering him as the second "earliest" internationally acclaimed Bethany College "Messiah Chorus" conductor
      • B.G. Gröndal ~ Remembering him and his photography in the earliest years of Lindsborg and Bethany College >
        • B.G. Gröndal ~ Accounts by Mr. Abercrombie and Mrs. Jaderborg with LINK to Mrs. Eddy, B.G.'s granddaughter's book review
      • International "NY Times" Correspondent Miss Alma Luise Olson ~ Remembering her as "First Honored American Woman by Sweden" ~ An account by ​Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg* >
        • ​​Miss Alma Luise Olson ~ Remembering her and the extraordinary life she led at home and abroad ~ An account by Ms. Karen A. Humphrey
      • Artist Birger Sandzén ~ Remembering him for "sharing his art with the world," starting "first" at Lindsborg's Bethany College >
        • Dr. & Dr. Mrs. Charles Greenough III ~ Remembering them for their gift of the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery -- pending
      • William Holwerda, M.D. ~ Remembering him as "Doc Bill," a city father and loving citizen, by Dr. Leon Lungstrom and Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg >
        • "Svensk Hyllningsfest" ​ ~ Remembering Dr. William Holwerda as a founder and "the key" organizer in 1941
        • Dr. William Holwerda ~ Remembering their family doctor and Messiah Lutheran Church tributes to him by Dr. Leon Lungstrom
      • Artist Lester Raymer ~ Remembering him as the renowned virtuoso artist and "behind the scenes" community supporter
      • Dr. Arvin W. Hahn ​​~ Remembering him for saving Bethany College from going under!​ >
        • Dr. Arvin W. Hahn ~ Remembering him handing me my Bethany College Diploma on Sunday, May 26, 1968
      • Dr. ​& Mrs. Elmer Copley ~ Remembering them and their 29 years of dedication to that Bethany College "Messiah" tradition of excellence >
        • 1976 Dr. Elmer Copley ~ Remembering him as the “Messiah” conductor for the Bethany College "Swedish King’s," Carl XVI Gustaf's, performance >
          • 1981 Dr. Elmer Copley ~ Remembering him as the "Messiah" conductor for the Bethany College "Centennial Celebration" performance >
            • 1986 Dr. Elmer Copley ~ Remembering him as the televised "American Easter" conductor of the Bethany College Oratorio Society Holy Easter Week
      • Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg ~ Remembering her as the founder of the 1963 "Lindsborg Swedish Folk Dancers" ~ An account by Mr. Chris Abercrombie
      • Mr. & Mrs. Hilding Jaderborg ~ Remembering them and their “Swedish Crafts Shop” of 65 years and 50 trips to Sweden
      • The Swedish Lindsborg Builders ~ Remembering them for the lovely homes they built
      • Mr. Chris Abercrombie ~ Remembering him for "first" shining an international light on Lindsborg and Bethany College, via YouTube
      • Dr. Greta Swenson and Mr. & Mrs. Mark Esping ~ Remembering them for founding Lindsborg's “first” "Swedish-American Folklife Institute of Central Kansas," 1986 >
        • Remembering their Lindsborg's Folklife Institute's "Swedish-American Heritage Center," 1996
      • Mr. Claude Koehn ~ Remembering him as restorer and preservationist of Smoky Valley stone farmhouses and other stone structures
      • Ms. Rebecca Copley ~ Remembering her as Bethany College's “first” graduate to become an International Concert & Opera Soprano >
        • Ms. Copley's "International Concert and Opera Soprano" ​~ The REVIEWS
      • Mr. Bruce Karstadt ~ Honoring him as a Bethany College graduate for heading up a major national Swedish American institution
      • Dr. Mark Lucas ~ Messiah conductor bringing the Lindsborg “Oberammergau of the Plains" to a "new" world audience
    • 1894-1962 Bethany College Graduates in Augustana Lutheran Synod World Mission Work ~ An account by Dr. Emory K. Lindquist
    • 1901-2014 The ​Bethany College Swedish Knights and Ladies ~ Honored by the Kings of Sweden
    • 1961-2021 ​"McPherson County Old Mill Museum" leaders ~ Moving forward in August 2021 as "The Lindsborg Old Mill and Swedish Heritage Museum"
    • 1971 -2020 "American Scandinavian Association of the Great Plains" leaders ~ Providing cultural history and heritage programs with meaningful links to Sweden and Swedish America
    • 1976 His Majesty the King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf's Visit to Lindsborg April 17th >
      • The Lindsborg & Bethany College "Swedes" ~ Honored by the King of Sweden, June 6, 1976
    • 1977​ Swedish Emigrant Institute Staff from Växjö, Småland Visits Lindsborg October 16-18
    • 1978 Swedish Documen- tary Film Crew Visits Lindsborg October 2-9 >
      • "Lindsborg News-Record" Clippings of 1978 Swedish Film Crew Visit
    • 1992 - 2020 ​Honoring Them and Remembering Them ~ Their ​Smoky Valley History Research Writers Website Designers
  • Contacts
    • For 1869 Lindsborg CONTACT Today >
      • "A Time to Remember" 1882 - 1988
    • ​For 1881 Bethany College CONTACT Today >
      • "Bethany Campus Walk” ~ Remembering the buildings and the "Bethany Family" of their era, 1882 - 2015
      • Their "I WAS THERE" Coin ~ Bethany College 21st Year Celebration, 1902
    • For 1957 Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery CONTACT Today >
      • Sandzén: "Ecstasy of Color" ~ PBS Doucmentary ~ Aired 6/11/21
    • Closing Remarks >
      • Traveling through SWEDES ​~ The Table of Contents ~ The "Outline" "Online"
      • SWEDES' Swedish American Legacy Photographs >
        • ​Lydia's Lindsborg Photography​, ​1900 - 1925 >
          • Lydia's Bethany College Photography, ​1906 - 1925
    • Kansas Smoky Valley Swedish People's Memorial, 2009 ~ The virtual one >
      • In real time, the real 1941 memorial, the "Pioneer Cross" ​~ Created by Messrs. Lindholm and Oberg
 Home
​<>  Remembering the Augustana Synod Legacy  <>
Gained with the break off of the North the beloved Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Synod congregations of 1,269 and members of 629,547 were joined to the
​Lutheran Church in America (LCA) in 1962.

​Their "Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Synod," 1860 - 1962
The events of the Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Synod were constantly affecting the spiritual and secular lives of Bethany Church members like Lydia, Emil, their families, and friends.  The conferences of the Synod were key to the management of the congregations and in communicating the mission and vision of the Church.

Lindsborg's Bethany Lutheran Church would host six (6) of these Augustana Lutheran Synod Conferences:  In 1875, the year in which the Church building (which was completed in 1874) would be dedicated with the founding pastor Olof Olsson presiding conducting a large choir for the ceremony; in 1881, the year when Bethany College was founded by second pastor Carl Aaron Swensson who would be presiding; in 1892, the year when the Augustana Women's Missionary Society was founded with Rev. Swensson presiding; and in 1904, 1919 and 1939, when Bethany Lutheran Church and Lindsborg were celebrating their foundings -- in their 35th year, in their 50th year and in their 70th year respectively with Dr. Rev. Alfred Bergin presiding at all three conferences.


This Synod, first called the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod in North America, was established in 1860 by a group of eleven or so Swedish Lutheran pastors which included Erland Carlsson, Lars Paul Esbjörn, Tuve Hasselquist, Eric Norelius, and Jonas Swensson at the Jefferson Prairie Settlement near Clinton, Wisconsin.  It would be eventually named the Augustana Lutheran Evangelical Church and later referred to by other names such as the Augustana Lutheran Synod, the Augustana Synod, the Augustana Lutheran Church, the Augustana Church, the Synod.

​The Swedish American Smoky Valley descendant historian Mr. Thomas N. Holmquist in his 1994 Pioneer Cross, Swedish Settlements Along the Smoky Hill Bluffs, presents with a back story a very detailed account of how the Augustana Synod was formed in the Chapter, "By Faith Alone," in the subsection:  The Rise of the Augustana Synod.  Of the eleven informative paragraphs, here are four:  

"Not only was a rift developing between the Swedes and Norwegians, but the Norwegians were showing great strain among themselves. The Swedes too were disagreeing over Synod affairs.  Esbjörn was fully supported by Norelius.  Hasselquist and Carlsson agreed with each other on most points but usually disagreed with Esbjörn
 and Norelius.  The Synod of Northern Illinois began to unravel.     

"Finally, a convention was called to deal with the problems of the growing rift in the Synod of Northern Illinois. The delegates convened at Jefferson Prairie, Wisconsin, on June 5, 1860.  Twenty-six pastors and fifteen laymen were present for the meeting. The majority of the delegates were Swedish, as were the majority of the congregations in the Synod. All the prominent Lutheran pastors were in attendance, including Esbjörn, Norelius, Carlsson, Hasselquist, Andrén, and Jonas Swensson.


"In a move strongly supported by Esbjörn and Norelius, the Swedish delegates to the convention soon decided to withdraw from the Synod of Northern Illinois and form their own synod.  Esbjörn still felt snubbed by the lack of support from the Norwegians for losing his professorship at Illinois State University. The delegates set to work, drew up a new constitution and prepared for the future under the umbrella of a new Augustana Synod.  The Swedish delegates abandoned the school at Springfield to the Norwegians and established the new Augustana Seminary in Chicago.

"Pastor Esbjörn was awarded the Presidency of the Augustana Seminary and also the position of Professor of Theology.   T. N. Hasselquist became the first President of the Augustana Synod while still retaining his pastorate at First Lutheran in Galesburg.

---
​
"As the 1850s ended, a significant population of Swedish born people were living in many communities of Illinois and the surrounding states. The Swedish Lutheran churches were growing and new ones were founded each year. Ten years earlier, when the Swedish population was small and its churches were few, Pastor Esbjörn had aligned the Swedish Lutheran churches with the Americanize Norwegians to give his fledging churches some stability. This predominantly Norwegian group was called the Synod of Northern Illinois. However, by 1860, the Swedish and Norwegian members of the Synod increasingly were disagreeing on matters of policy, doctrine and leadership.

"Eric Norelius, in Minnesota, questioned the validity and wisdom of having joined with the Norwegians in the first place. He was fermenting for an all Swedish Synod.  Erland Carlsson and T. N. Hasselquist were much more at ease with the Americanization, the Norwegians, and any changes that needed to be made. They felt that compromise could re-establish harmonious relations with the Norwegian members of the Synod.

"The most significant problem in the Synod centered around 
Esbjörn and Illinois State University.  Esbjörn was teaching the theology classes from the Swedish Lutheran point of view. The foreign language stressed was Swedish and not Norwegian. Not surprisingly, the Norwegians showed little interest in the school and even less financial support for the professorship of Lars Esbjörn. Indignant, Esbjörn resigned his professorship at Illinois State which underscored the rapidly growing tensions between Swedes and Norwegians.

"Not only was a rift developing between the Swedes and Norwegians, but the Norwegians were showing great strain among themselves. The Swedes too were disagreeing over Synod affairs.  Esbjörn was fully supported by Norelius.  Hasselquist and Carlsson agreed with each other on most points but usually disagreed with Esbjörn and Norelius.  The Synod of Northern Illinois began to unravel.     

"Finally, a convention was called to deal with the problems of the growing rift in the Synod of Northern Illinois. The delegates convened at Jefferson Prairie, Wisconsin, on June 5, 1860.  Twenty-six pastors and fifteen laymen were present for the meeting. The majority of the delegates were Swedish, as were the majority of the congregations in the Synod. All the prominent Lutheran pastors were in attendance, including Esbjörn, Norelius, Carlsson, Hasselquist, Andrén, and Jonas Swensson.

"In a move strongly supported by Esbjörn and Norelius, the Swedish delegates to the convention soon decided to withdraw from the Synod of Northern Illinois and form their own synod.  Esbjörn still felt snubbed by the lack of support from the Norwegians for losing his professorship at Illinois State University. The delegates set to work, drew up a new constitution and prepared for the future under the umbrella of a new Augustana Synod.  The Swedish delegates abandoned the school at Springfield to the Norwegians and established the new Augustana Seminary in Chicago.

"Pastor 
Esbjörn was awarded the Presidency of the Augustana Seminary and also the position of Professor of Theology.   T. N. Hasselquist became the first President of the Augustana Synod while still retaining his pastorate at First Lutheran in Galesburg.


Mr. H goes on to say====
​

​"Esbjörn assisted ??? by his friend Erland Carlsson in Chicago.  Through the first formative years these eminently able men provided great strength and leadership assuring the success of this new synod and the Swedish Lutheran Church in the United States.

"By the year 1862, Pastor Lars Esbjörn had lost his position of preeminent leadership in the Augustana Synod, and younger, stronger men were taking over the yokes of responsibility and leadership.  His time had passed. The years of toil and hardship had taken its toll, but one final blow still remain.....  For these reasons, Esbjörn decided to take a leave of his work here in America and return to his native land..... 

"The Lutheran Church and the first Swedish immigrants took root and grew in the new world largely as a result of the great courage, and dominant faith, hard work, and pioneering spirit of this great man. All those Americans whose heritage is Swedish, remain forever in his [Lars Esbjörn's] debt.

"The Augustana Synod met to choose new leaders to succeed the retiring Lars Esbjörn.  The Synod chose Erland Carlsson to be the new synod president.  T. N. Hasselquist was chosen as a temporary President of the Augustana Seminary until a new theologian could be found in Sweden to take the position. Hasselquist remained in that "temporary position" until his death in 1891.

"When called to serve as seminary president, Hasselquist resigned from his position at First Lutheran in Galesburg. This church was one of the most prominent in the Synod. The pastor chosen to occupy this pulpit would also inherit great prestige and power.  Many applied for this coveted position, but instead of choosing one of the senior pastors of great reputation, First Lutheran chose one of the most promising of the young pastors serving in the synod.  The name of the successful candidate was A. W. Dahlsten."

(Note that the "Augustana" name was chosen at that first meeting of the Synod.  It is Latin.  It translates to Augsburg, a city in Germany, and birthplace of a most important Lutheran document for the Protestant Reformation, that of the Augsburg Confession!  The Catholic German monk Martin Luther is considered the founder of Lutheranism following his famous posting of the 95 Theses on the Wittenberg Church door on October 31, 1517.  The "Theses" was against the practices of indulgences by the Catholic Church.)

The Synod was made up of an assembly of Swedish Lutheran clergy, pastors of churches from different parts of the country, which would meet periodically at appointed churches to attend to the concerns, needs, business and Christian matters affecting its various church congregations.  These meetings were called conferences.  In these early years, there was no official headquarter location for the conferences to take place.

Among ministering to social concerns overseas in Africa, China and India where its missionaries served, this growing Swedish American Lutheran Synod was first, and originally, committed to local social and educational service at home which found it supporting hospitals, orphanages, homes for the aged, and educational institutions.

Nine years after its founding, the Synod accepted Lindsborg's Bethany Lutheran Church as a member into its body in 1869.  In 1884, it would "adopt" Lindsborg's Bethany Lutheran College as its "child."* Lindsborg's Bethany Home for the Aged established in 1907, the Synod would also adopt in 1911, the time in which the Home was accepting residents.


In 1910, the Augustana Synod, celebrating its fiftieth (50) year anniversary, compiled a book titled "The Augustana Synod 1860 - 1910," and in 1911 it compiled another book titled "Minnen från Jubelfasten" loosely translated "Memories from Jubilee."  These were both published by the Augustana Book Concern in Rock Island, Illinois, home to Augustana College and Theological Seminary located on the shores of the Mississippi River and just west of neighboring Moline, Illinois.
​
In our day and age now, we can actually read The Augustana Synod 1860 - 1910 from our computers and even have it read to us.  Below is the "digital" book for you to review.  It is fascinating to just browse a bit.  Just click on it to begin.
Picture
Source: Internet Archive, San Francisco, California
*   *   *
​This is the 1911 book belonging to my great grandparents
Ernst and Selma Sohlberg.  The title reads:
  "Minnen från Jubelfesten" loosely translated "Memories from Jubilee"
Picture


and the rest on the cover translation is
"Program, Sermons and Speeches at Augustana Colleges and Augustana-Synods"
"Fifty Years - The Jubilee"
  "5 to 15 June 1910"
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Listed below are the Swedish Lutheran pastors who served the Augustana Synod from its beginnings in 1860 to its end in 1962 when the Augustana Synod merged with other Lutheran synods to form the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) at which time it lost its Swedish identity forevermore!

​The Augustana Synod Swedish Lutheran Pastors
​Tuve Hasselquist 1860–1870
Jonas Swensson 1870–1873
Eric Norelius 1874–1881
Erland Carlsson 1881–1888
Sven Peter August Lindahl 1888–1891
P. J. Svärd 1891–1899
Eric Norelius 1899–1911
L. A. Johnston 1911–1918
Gustaf Albert Brandelle 1918–1935
Petrus Olaf Bersell 1935–1951
Oscar A. Benson 1951–1959
Malvin H. Lundeen 1959–1962
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- Jonas Swensson -
Augustana Synod Pioneer 
- First Secretary and second President of the Synod -
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Source: "Forget-Me-Not." 1902
He was the father of Rev. Dr. Carl Arron Swensson, Bethany College Founder and second President.
Rev. Dr. Jonas Swensson and his wife are buried in Andover, Illinois on the grounds of the Jenny Lind Chapel,
Mother Church of the Augustana Lutheran Synod.
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- The Jenny Lind Chapel -​
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Courtesy of the Jenny Lind Chapel Museum
To learn more about the Augustana Synod, go HERE to The Augustana Heritage Association, 2000 - 2016. 
For a concise detailed description on the founding of the Augustana Women's Missionary Society, go HERE.
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World War I American Red Cross members of the Augustana Lutheran Church
My great grandmother Selma Sohlberg is in this photograph.  See the X for her location.
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*Source:  Emory Lindquist 1975 book, Bethany in Kansas, the history of a college, page 11
Other sources:  Wikipedia:  Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church;  Augustana College;  ​Augustana Heritage Association website
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Swedes: TheWayTheyWere
~ restoring lost local histories ~

reconnecting past to present
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