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 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 ​
 
"​There was great rejoicing and gratitude in the Lindsborg community when the Olssons arrived at the end of the long journey...
​Many prayers of gratitude were uttered that June evening from dugouts, log-cabins, sod and stone houses. Pastor Olsson had arrived."
                                                                                                                                                                                    -- Lindquist's "Smoky Valley People"

​​
Swedish Pastor Olof Olsson Emigrating to Lindsborg 1869, June 27th Arrival
~ An account by Dr. Emory K. Lindquist

In "The Coming of the Swedes" Chapter II, Dr. Emory K. Lindquist, fourth Swedish American Bethany College President in his 1953 book, Smoky Valley People, A History of Lindsborg, Kansas, writes of the very time when Pastor Olof Olsson decided to go to the Kansas Smoky Valley with his group of pietistic Swedes from the Värmland area of Sweden.  Here, Lindquist describes their emigration experience and his arrival in Lindsborg, the period of which followed would most probably be considered as the official settling of the Swedish community of Lindsborg. 
Here is an excerpt from Dr. Lindquist’s Smoky Valley People, Chapter II, "The Coming of the Swedes," pages 10-14:
                                                
    The decision of Olsson to go to Kansas was clear. The missionary impulse, the quest for religious freedom, the adventure of building a religious community of a distinctive character, the urging of Christian friends combined with economic and social factors to fashion the background for the decision. He was only twenty-eight [28] years of age, with a future ahead of him. The letters from Kansas, portraying the need and the opportunity, impressed him. In a small study at Sunnemo, following consultation with his wife and friends and after serious prayer, the decision was made. Lindsborg came into being at that hour.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Olof Olsson  was the pastor of the Sunnemo Parish Church from May 1867 to  March of 1869 -
(The church was built in 1653 and is located in Sunnemo, Värmland, Sweden.)
Picture
Source: Wikipedia photo by www.bing.com
     There were busy days for Pastor and Mrs. Olsson following the decision to go to America. As a pastor in the church of Sweden, it was necessary for him to receive permission to go to America. His request, addressed to the diocese at Karlstad, December, 1868, was not granted. He appealed then to Carl XV, King of Sweden. In a letter addressed to the diocese at Karlstad on February 19, 1869, the King granted Olsson permission to go to America with the understanding that he would return to Sweden upon completing his mission in America.
- Karlstad Cathedral -
The diocese that would not grant Pastor Olsson permission to go to America.
(This cathedral was established in 1730 and is located in Karlstad, the capital of Värmland County.)
Picture
Sources: From Wikipedia. From Wikimedia Commons: Photograph by Håkan Svensson (Xauxa)
Carl XV, King of Sweden
c1895
The King who granted permission for Pastor Olsson to go to America.
Picture
Source: From Wikipedia, photographed by Mathias Hansen around 1865
    Many farewells had to be said during those spring days as Olsson made ready for the long voyage. On May 3, 1869, he parted from his good friend, C. G. Nyvall, at Sunnemo. Two weeks later he was at Göteborg.  At that place he had great difficulties with the port officials. The police accused him of being an immigrant agent. He had to clear himself of these charges, and, of course, he went free. In writing to his friend, C. W. Weinberg, on May 20, 1869, while still in Leith, Scotland, he expressed great bitterness at the attitude which had been assumed toward him.
 
    The trip across the North Sea from Göteborg to Leith was rough, and while most of the passengers were violently ill, Olsson was spared the ordeal.  Mrs. Olsson and little daughter Anna were very ill. From Leith the party traveled by rail to Glasgow, where all the immigrants were sent to hotels, in groups of thirty [30] or forty [40]. The manager and his wife were exceedingly kind to the Olssons, and Mrs. Olsson was full of praises for their hospitality, although she suffered from the cold and damp climate.
 
    On May 22 the Olssons and their friends boarded the S. S. Columbia of the Anchor Line, a steamship of 1,367 tons. There was great confusion as the 700 passengers tried to find their places, arrange their baggage, and get settled for the long journey across the Atlantic. Mrs. Olsson was ill when she embarked, and her illness, coupled with sick seasickness, made her so weak that when she attempted to stand, her husband had to support her. The 14 day trip seemed endless, especially to Mrs. Olsson. The storms were so violent that people were frightened. Olsson seemed calm, and fortunately he was well during the entire voyage and rendered comfort and assistance to members of his immediate group as well as to other travelers. The appearance of Pastor Olsson on the deck was always a source of encouragement to these seasick and homesick immigrants, who undoubtedly wondered if their decision to leave Sweden had been a wise one.  Life and death ­­accompanied the immigrants. On the first day of the voyage a son, Charles Gustaf, was born to Johan and Maria Solomonson. Three days later Johannes Snee, age eighty [80], died. Eighty-one [81] of the 735 passengers were children of six years or younger according to the Ships List.  Included were the six children of Mr. and Mrs. Ole Anderson.  There were Bror, fourteen;  Anders, eleven; Martha, ten; Carl, seven; Ola, three; and an unnamed infant one year old.
- The ship line that Pastor Olsson and his group used to transport them from Glasgow to New York -
- S.S. Columbia - Anchor Line -
- to see the interior and hear the music of their day, "Castle House Rag" -
click HERE
Picture
Source: Simplon - The Passenger Ship Website - www.simplonpc.co.uk


    The long voyage came to an end on June 8 amidst great rejoicing. Olsson has written: “It was a beautiful June morning as we slipped into the harbor at New York. It was really a magnificent view from the ship. But what terrible bullies in Castle Garden. The stay in New York was the worst during the whole trip. I strolled around the finest and the poorest streets one evening. What sights during that little excursion! As soon as I got out of New York, I began to breathe easier. Yes, the further west I came, the more pleasant I found it.”
 
    The trip from New York to Chicago was interesting. The speed of the express train, a good night’s rest on route, and the prospect of seeing friends cheered the tired travelers. In Chicago they were guests of friends including John Ferm, who was born at Storfors Bruk in Värmland.  The size of the city impressed the visitors from the quiet countryside of Värmland. Olsson met the Rev. Erland Carlsson, pastor of the Immanuel Lutheran Church, and the Rev. A.  W. Dahlsten, a fellow student at Upsala, and in the latter’s company attended the meeting of the Augustana Synod at Moline, Illinois. Olsson was present at various sessions and addressed a full session on June 22, using  the Twenty-third Psalm as his text. Mrs. Olsson stayed in Chicago and pointed out that the great festive Midsummer Day was not observed in America, and that she had spent the day sewing on a dress. She was quite fearful about the prospects in Kansas because the previous day a report, which proved to be false, declared that twenty [20] Swedes had been killed by Indians in Kansas.
 
    On June 25 the Olssons said farewell to friends in Chicago and started the two-day trip to Kansas by rail. The Kansas Pacific Railroad brought them to Salina, twenty miles [20] north of their future home in the Smoky Valley. Many of their friends were already in Kansas since they had gone to Lindsborg directly from Chicago.
 
    The trip for the Olssons from Salina to Lindsborg was made in a wagon hauling building materials to the new settlement.  Francis Johnson has described his first view of Pastor Olsson:
 
         “The first time I saw Dr. Olsson was on the way to Salina. He sat riding on a load of lumber and was reading a newspaper. In Salina he had bought a slouch hat for a dollar.  ‘Here is the new Swedish pastor that just now is coming from Sweden,’ said the man driving the load as he introduced him. I thought: 'That cannot very well be much of a preacher, who comes in that matter.' ”

- A lumber wagon, most likely, similar to the one Dr. Olsson used to arrive in Lindsborg from Salina -
Picture
Source: "Pioneer Swedish-American Culture in Central Kansas" by Ruth Billdt, 1965


    There was great rejoicing and gratitude in the Lindsborg community when the Olssons arrived at the end of the long journey. The members of the party who had gone directly to Lindsborg were there to greet them. Other people were also present to welcome them. There was C. R. Carlson, the former schoolmaster, who had been instrumental in urging the young pastor to come to Kansas. Other associates of by-gone days also greeted him with enthusiasm. A new confidence came to these immigrants at the sight of the pastor. Moreover, they realized that soon a congregation would be formed. They could worship God in the language which they knew and in an order of service familiar to them. Confirmation instructions would be available for their children, and the sacraments would be administered. It was the beginning of a new era in the Smoky Valley.  Many prayers of gratitude were uttered that June evening from dugouts, log-cabins, sod and stone houses. Pastor Olsson had arrived.
D u g o u t     L i v i n g
- Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Bethany Church -
First Church in Lindsborg built in 1869-1870

Etching by G. N. Malm
Picture
Source: Deere Papers
​
    The first weeks and months were full of difficulties for the newcomers. Every effort was made by the Swedes already in the settlement to provide places for whole families until sod or stone houses could be constructed. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing exactly how many Swedes were in the area when the large influx of immigrants occurred in June, 1869. On the basis of the records of the Bethany Lutheran Church, there were only twelve families and four single men in the Lindsborg community in 1868 who later joined the church. There were perhaps a few Swedes in the valley at that time who never joined the church. Several families came in 1869 before the arrival of the Olsson party. There may have been some twenty [20] Swedish families here by June 1869.

​- Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Bethany Church -

Founded 1869
(New church building of 1874, additions were made in 1880)
Picture
Source: Pioneer Swedish-American Culture in Central Kansas by Ruth Billdt, 1965
- Lindsborg, nine years after Olsson's Arrival -
Picture
Source: "Pioneer Swedish-American Culture in Central Kansas" by Ruth Billdt, 1965
- 50 Years in Lindsborg -
A Group of Most of the Surviving First Citizens
c1919
(On the College Campus, they are posed on the steps of the Carnegie Library also called the Bethany Library.)
Picture
Source: "The Smoky Valley in the After Years" by Ruth Billdt and Elizabeth Jaderborg, 1969
 The size of the Olsson party which came to Lindsborg is not known exactly. No documentary evidence substantiates the off–quoted designation of eighty [80] families or 250 persons which undoubtedly referred to all who left Sweden under Olsson’s leadership.  A careful check of the records of the Bethany Lutheran Church accounts for 110 individuals – men, women, and children – who came directly to Lindsborg from Sweden in 1869, excluding those known definitely not to have been associated with the Olsson party. It is possible to account for only thirty-five [35] families. Included in the total figure of 110 were thirty-nine [39] children.  Twenty [20] single men came to Lindsborg in 1869 on the basis of the records.
 
     It was always a source of great regret to Olsson that the full membership of his party failed to come to Lindsborg. In a letter on May 13, 1870, Olsson wrote: "What gives me greatest disappointment is that the majority of my party stayed in Missouri where they bought railroad land and paid $10 per acre. My intention was that they should remain in Missouri over the summer, until I arrived in Kansas. Dangerous rumors about the Indians and the like caused me to not feel able to urge them to come immediately. Meanwhile, some unscrupulous land agents fooled them to take railroad land in Missouri."  On the basis, therefore, of Olsson’s  statement that the majority of his party stayed in Missouri, it seems reasonable to assume that the estimate of 110 as constituting the Lindsborg members is close to the exact figure.
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End of excerpt from Dr. Lindquist’s Smoky Valley People, Chapter II, "The Coming of the Swedes," pages 10-14.

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- Surviving Members of the 1868-1869 Swedish Immigration -
c1920
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Source: "Pioneer Swedish-American Culture in Central Kansas" by Ruth Billdt, 1965
OLOF OLSSON
1841 - 1900
(Born in 
Karlskoga, Värmland)

Swedish Founder and First Pastor
of the
Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Bethany Church
who officially led the first Swedish party from 
Värmland
 to settle in
Lindsborg, Kansas.
(He would become the third President of Swedish Evangelical Augustana Lutheran College.)
Picture
Source: Bethany College "Forget-Me-Not" annual 1902
Overlooking the Mississippi River and  Bettendorf and Davenport, Iowa is the final resting place of Lindsborg's beloved Pastor Olof Olsson and his wife Anna Olsson.  They are laid to rest in Moline, Illinois, Riverside Cemetery, a few miles from Rock Island, Illinois, where he served as Augustana College's third president from 1891 - 1899.
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Go HERE to Church and Lindsborg Founder Pastor Olsson, 1869 - 1876 ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist.
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All color photography throughout Swedes:  The Way They Were is by Fran Cochran unless otherwise indicated, or obviously concluded it is not.
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