The Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies

of The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

 

Swedish

[Return to the Table of Contents]

SWEDISH

MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS

Ardin Family

Papers, 1898-1907.  1 folder.  William Ardin was born in Sweden and came to the United States in 1892, settling in Philadelphia.  The papers consists of a 1905 document in Swedish, a naturalization certificate for Ardin, and an uncataloged photograph of Ardin with his wife Bridget McNulty, an Irish immigrant, and their six children.  In Swedish and English.  Inventory available Gift of Thomas Clarke.

Gloria Dei Church, Children's Club

Records, 1941-1951.  3 folders.  Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church was founded by Swedish Lutherans in 1700 in Philadelphia.  The collection consists of a scrapbook and ephemera regarding Philadelphia and the Swedish settlers on the Delaware River.  In English.  Register available Gift of Catherine Rambo.

Gloria Dei Church, Children's Club

Photographs, 1950s.  62 prints.  Children in workshop and theater activities, church events and historic buildings; Philadelphia Gift of Catherine Rambo.

Hoving, Johannes (1868- )

Papers, 1904-1933.  2 ft.  A physician, Johannes Walter Wilhelm Hoving was born in Wilborg, Finland of Swedish parents.  He immigrated to the United States in 1903, returning to Sweden in the 1930s.  He was active in the American Scandinavian Society, Folk Festival Council of New York, and other similar organizations.  The collection contains organizational correspondence, minutes and committee reports.  Also included are personal correspondence, financial records, and other papers.  In English and Swedish.  Register available Gift of Esther Chilstrom Meixner.

Hoving, Johannes

Photographs, 1920-1930.  12 prints.  Musicians' portraits, Swedish festivals and friends; United States Gift of Esther Chilstrom Meixner.

Johnson, Amandus (1877-1974)

Papers, 1897-1974.  37 ft.  Amandus Johnson was born in Langsjo, Smaland, Sweden and immigrated to the U.S. ca. 1880.  He was a leading historian of Swedish-American colonial settlement in the Delaware Valley, and a motive force in the promotion of Swedish-American historical consciousness.  He helped to found a number of Swedish-American cultural organizations, including the American Swedish Historical Foundation and Museum, where he served as first curator.  The collection includes correspondence, speeches, and other records from Johnson's involvement in a large number of Swedish-American organizations, along with very extensive research files regarding Sweden's relations with North America from 1621 through the mid 1850s.  In English and Swedish.  Register available.  Gift of the Swedish Home for the Aged.

Johnson, Amandus

Photographs, 1900-1970.  883 prints.  Prints, original negatives in many formats, and three sets of lantern slides.  They span Johnson's adult years, ca. 1900 to 1970.  The variety and complexity of the collection makes its range difficult to summarize.  A description of the subjects and photograph formats in each series is part of the register.  The collection includes: biographical records, professional associations, correspondence, writings, monographs, portraits, groups, historical markers, building interiors/exteriors and outdoor scenes, and albums of 1909 Scandinavian travels; Sweden and United States (especially Philadelphia area).  Gift of the Swedish Home for the Aged.

Scandinavian Fraternity of America

Records, 1909-1992.  1.5 ft.  The Scandinavian Fraternity of America was founded in 1915 as a consolidation of three other organizations, among them the Scandinavian Brotherhood of America.  The Scandinavian Fraternity was principally a beneficial group dedicated to aiding members threatened by sickness, unemployment, or death.  The organization was open to both women and men, and their non-Scandinavian spouses as well.  The Fraternity attracted new immigrant members largely through an influx in Scandinavian immigration to the United States during the early 1920s.  By 1991, however, its national membership dropped to only 2500 persons.  This collection spans the years 1909 to 1992, with the largest single body of records coming from Fram Lodge of Philadelphia.  The records from Lyran Lodge of Syracuse, New York, are nevertheless more complete in nature, featuring membership applications and meeting minutes in addition to financial data.  There is only a limited amount of information dealing with the Scandinavian Fraternity of America on the national level.  In English and Swedish.  Gift of Charles Appelgren.

United Methodist Church

Records (microfilm), 1800-1947.  27 reels.  Records of state and regional governing conferences of predominantly German American predecessor bodies of the United Methodist Church.  Churches represented are the Evangelical Association, Evangelical Church, United Brethren in Christ, and Methodist Episcopal Church.  The collection also contains material for Swedish and Mexican-American church conferences.  Original records are held by the General Commission on Archives and History, the United Methodist Church.  In German, English, Swedish, and Spanish.  Inventory available.

Vasa Order of America, Oscars Borg Lodge No. 172

Records, 1910-1991.  3 ft.  The Vasa Order is a national fraternal organization. The Oscars Borg Lodges was founded in Philadelphia in 1910.  In 1923 the lodge formed a ladies' auxiliary and in 1950 the lodge merged with the Printz Lodge No. 606.  The collection includes correspondence, financial and membership records, lodge histories, and miscellaneous records and ephemera.  In English and Swedish.  Inventory available Gift of the organization.

Wallin, Anna (ca. 1872- )

Scrapbook, 1893-1940.  1 volume.  Anna Wallin came to the United States from Sweden in 1889 and settled in Philadelphia.  She worked as an instructor in the Piano Department at the Philadelphia College of Music, gave private lessons, and participated in public recitals sponsored by the college and by the Scandinavian Artists' Association.  She was active in several Swedish and Scandinavian cultural organizations.  The collection consists of a scrapbook containing programs, clippings, correspondence, and ephemera.  In Swedish and English.  Register available Gift of Marie Turin.

SERIALS

California Veckoblad

Newspaper, 9/30/1988-2/18/1997.  2 reels. Published semimonthly in Los Angeles, California, beginning in 1910. In Swedish and English.

Leading star (Ledstjaran)

Newspaper, 10/1988-2/1997.  1 reel. Published monthly in Portland, Oregon by the Fraternal Order of Runeberg, beginning in 1923.  Official organ of the International Order of Runeberg. In English and Swedish.

Norden

Newspaper, 1989-2/27/1997. 4 reels. Published weekly in Brooklyn, New York by the Finnish American , Inc. beginning in 1935. In Swedish and English.

Return to Table of Contents

 Home | About | Information | News 

     

The Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies
of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania

1300 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
https://balchinstitute.org

http://www.hsp.org


Copyright © 1996-2002 The Balch Institute. All Rights Reserved.