When Sweden Came to Northern Illinois

The Reasons for Emigration

Reasons for Emigration: Overpopulation“We put our little emigrant trunk in father's old cart, and with

many tears and the breaking of tender heart-strings we bade farewell to our brothers and sisters. Mother went with us as far as to the churchyard, so that we could say that she had followed us to the grave… I turned to take a final look at our village, Norrback, and I felt as if my heart was being torn from my bosom. When we passed the dear old church, my soul was again stirred to its depths as I recalled that it was here I had been baptized and confirmed and had taken part in the worship, and now I would most likely never see it again.”

• Hans Mattson, from Reminiscences: The Story of an Emigrant

• http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmattson.htm

Hans Mattson’s recollections mention leaving his mother and his siblings. In the second half of 19th century, Sweden experienced significant decrease in infant mortality, resulting in much larger families and unsustainable population growth, especially in the rural countryside. Younger siblings in particular were forced to leave as a result.

Average natural population growth in Sweden(year to year)

• 1800 – 1850: 0.78%• 1850 – 1900: 1.15%http://www.ehl.lu.se/database/LU-MADD/population/

Default.htm

“And the Lord was with us always, as he was with our father Abraham, when he was called to leave for the land which he would inherit, and didn't know where he should go. So it was, even with us… And now I can greet you, that the word is fulfilled upon us, and the prophesies of our opponents are as nothing. For the land which we have taken is large and wide, and is such a land that nothing on earth is lacking us,for it flows with milk and honey”

A. Anders Son, Bishop Hill, Illinois

http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/npu_sahq&CISOPTR=3696&CISOBOX=1&REC=5

Reasons for Emigration: Religious Freedom

A. Anders Son compares his journey to America with Abraham’s journey to the Promised Land of Canaan. The state religion of Sweden was (and is) Lutheran. Swedes who professed a different faith in the 19th century often were not permitted to worship freely, and were required to support the Lutheran Church financially. This led many non-Lutherans to come to America where they could worship as they chose.

Reasons for Emigration: Economic Opportunity“You see, Claudia, it was in Sweden as it was in many European countries, you were what you were born into and that was pretty much the end of it. After young William came here, spent a few years working like a fool himself, then more years working his family half to death (more of that later), he acquired considerable property…

“There was just no way he could ever have been more than someone's hired man in those days. The army years hung over him. And there, just beyond his grasp, was America! He wrote to his mother's brother in Alido, Illinois, to send him a ticket which he would work out when he got here.”

Linnea Sonquist in a 1969 letter to her daughter, discussing her father’s and uncles’ 1865 emigration from Sweden to the United States.

Quoted from http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/npu_sahq&CISOPTR=4201&CISOBOX=1&REC=16

The Route to America

"Every week we witness larger and smaller groups of peasants from almost every province in Sweden, who have arrived here, ostensibly to travel with the large British steamships to the New World.”

Göteborg Handels, Aug. 25, 1865

http://www.genealogi.se/roots/

The typical route for the Swedish emigrant would be to take a small steamship from one of the Swedish ports, such as Göteborg or Stockholm, to England. From England, the emigrant would join hundreds or thousands of others from all over Europe on a much larger vessel bound for one of the large American ports, usually New York City, but sometimes Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, or New Orleans.

Image on previous slide from Library of Congress: http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/map_item.pl?data=/home/www/data/gmd/gmd370/g3701/g3701e/ct000244.jp2&itemLink=D?gmd:182:./temp/~ammem_6jvF::&title=Auswanderer-karte+und+wegweiser+nach+Nordamerika.&style=setlmap&legend=

Emigration from Sweden: The Pace QuickensEmigration of Swedish citizens grew exponentially during the

last half of the 19th century, peaking in the 1880’s.http://www.ehl.lu.se/database/LU-MADD/population/Default.htm

Year

Mid population

Immigration Emigration

1851 3,499,594 . 0.31

1852 3,528,528 . 0.94

1853 3,551,863 . 0.84

1854 3,585,720 . 1.18

1855 3,624,568 . 0.30

1856 3,656,999 . 0.31

1857 3,680,295 . 0.50

1858 3,710,921 . 0.15

1859 3,760,987 . 0.07

1860 3,823,732 . 0.09

1861 3,888,534 . 0.59

1862 3,941,619 . 0.64

1863 3,994,232 . 0.78

1864 4,046,313 . 1.28

1865 4,092,101 . 1.64

1866 4,137,409 . 1.74

1867 4,178,179 . 2.23

1868 4,184,381 . 6.46

1869 4,165,919 . 9.38

1870 4,163,641 . 4.80

1871 4,186,351 . 4.17

1872 4,227,295 . 3.76

1873 4,274,192 . 3.18

1874 4,319,766 . 1.80

1875 4,362,425 0.64 2.23

Year

Mid population

Immigration Emigration

1876 4,406,502 0.73 2.14

1877 4,457,127 0.74 1.71

1878 4,508,203 0.63 2.00

1879 4,555,382 0.57 3.87

1880 4,572,285 0.66 9.21

1881 4,568,955 0.65 10.07

1882 4,575,680 0.78 10.97

1883 4,591,350 0.90 6.88

1884 4,624,022 1.06 5.10

1885 4,663,609 1.24 5.04

1886 4,699,979 1.11 7.00

1887 4,726,045 0.98 10.75

1888 4,741,579 1.02 10.61

1889 4,761,333 1.16 7.01

1890 4,779,695 1.26 7.16

1891 4,793,866 1.28 8.92

1892 4,804,808 1.36 9.47

1893 4,815,508 1.53 8.49

1894 4,848,667 2.15 2.75

1895 4,896,221 1.74 3.87

1896 4,940,914 1.58 3.96

1897 4,986,100 1.58 2.92

1898 5,036,275 1.58 2.71

1899 5,080,160 1.61 3.32

1900 5,116,922 1.57 4.04

Leaving Sweden

image from http://www.emiweb.eu/EmiWeb/switchlanguage.x?language=EN&currentView=/EmiWeb/WEB-INF/SE/login.jsp

“On the 17th, the weather turned quite cold. Seasoned seafarers believed we were in the path of the North Sea wind or the cold stream which comes down from the Arctic Ocean. Thereafter, we saw both whales and other large fish every day We also saw birds, both large and small, which we never see on land.

“On the 21st, the year and a half old daughter of Gustaf Larsson from Västra Ryd parish slept away. She was wrapped in fine linen and then placed in a coarse sailcloth wherein was placed old (pieces of) iron so that (the body) would sink to the bottom. The Captain conducted the burial service. “

Erik Johan Pettersson, Dec. 28, 1850

http://www.genealogi.se/roots/

Even thought the trans-Atlantic journey was not as treacherous in the mid to late 19th century as it had been in previous centuries, it could still be very dangerous, and disease and mortality among the passengers was high.

Arriving in America

Immigrants approaching New York City harbor, circa 1892:http://www.ellisisland.org/photoalbums/ellis_island_album107.asp

On to Illinois“Looking back to those days, I see the little cabin, often with a sod

roof, single room used for domestic purposes, sometimes crowded almost to suffocation by hospitable entertainments to newcomers; or the poor immigrant just landed from a steamer, in his short jacket and other outlandish costume, perhaps seated on a wooden box, with his wife and a large group of children around him, and wondering how he shall be able to raise enough means to get himself ten or twenty miles into the country.”

Hans Mattson, 1892, from Reminiscences: The Story of an Immigrant

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmattson.htm

Harper’s Weekly, Mar. 4, 1865, p. 142By the mid-19th century, railroads like the Illinois Central actively advertised inexpensive lands located along their rights-of-way. The ad at right would have been seen by many recent immigrants on the East Coast who were looking for a place to settle and start a farm. By the late 1800’s, a large number of Swedes owned farms in Northern Illinois and neighboring parts of Wisconsin and Iowa. Many of those who were attracted to Illinois by ads like this remained in Chicago or other cities in the Midwest, including Rockford.http://thewest.harpweek.com/

Chicago: The Second Largest Swedish City in the World

The first Swedish immigrants arrived in Chicago in 1846. As the gateway to the agricultural heartland, Chicago was a natural destination for rural Swedes seeking to start a new life in America. By 1900, there were more native-born Swedes living in Chicago than any other city in the world except for Stockholm.

http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1222.html

Death in Chicago…• In 1851, the mortality rate in Chicago was

23/1000, meaning of every 1000 inhabitants, there would be 23 deaths during the year. In 1852 cholera struck Chicago. Here are the mortality rates during the years of the cholera epidemic:

• 1852: 36/1000• 1853: 23/1000• 1854: 62/1000• 1855: 26/1000

http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/3608.html

…Escape to Rockford

“Reverend Erland Carlsson of Emmanuel Church met a band of Swedes at the Chicago train station. Chicago was experiencing a cholera epidemic and was no place to start a new life. He advised them to take the Chicago and Galena to the end of the line. The immigrants followed the pastor's advice.”

From “The Rock River and the First Swedes in Rockford”

http://www.lib.niu.edu/2002/ihy020224.html

The immigrants who were met by Rev. Erland Carlsson in 1852 took his advice and boarded the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad with no idea where they were going. Since the bridge crossing at the Rock River was not finished, the immigrants de-boarded at Rockford. The city’s first Swedish settlers had arrived.

Hash marks indicate completed rail lines, solid lines are planned, but not completed lines. This map is from 1854 and shows the line ending in Rockford.

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/S?ammem/gmd:@FILREQ%28@OR%28@field%28TITLE+@od1%28Map+of+all+the+railroads+in+the+United+States+in+operation+and+progress+%29%29+@field%28ALTTITLE+@od1%28Map+of+all+the+railroads+in+the+United+States+in+operation+and+progress+%29%29%29+@FIELD%28COLLID+rrmap%29%29

Letters to Sweden“I am in America all right, and I have good health and feel well up

to this moment of writing. Now I must tell you what my first task was: it was to sit down and eat! On the second day I washed my clothes and on the third day I was at Nils Asp's and scrubbed [the word "skude" in the original may be intended for "skurde"=skurade]. So it isn't difficult for me. Now I must let you know that I can stay at the home of my cousin Nils Asp for a month until I can get some employment.”

Sara Matilda Samuelson, June 13, 1869

Quoted from http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/npu_sahq&CISOPTR=3026&CISOBOX=1&REC=13

Immigrants would write letters to their families and friends in Sweden about “the good life” in America. The letters would often exaggerate their success, but still led to greater emigration to America from Sweden.

Image from http://proveniens.ifokus.se/blogs/

An Immigrant’s Song: “Amerikabrevet”The American letter

Well, now I will write home to you a small letters letter to tell [you] how very well I feel,But it’s a pretty long time ago, you see, that I wrote with a pen, so I hope you understand.

Many days have fled since I left from Sweden’s land, but I love you still my little friend,And even though you cheated on me and embarassed yourself with another, I shall love you until my bitter end.

I am well and fit of health, and I have it pretty good, without bragging I’m already quite rich,For I earn fairly very much of dollar each day, at Varner Jonsons Factorifabrik [Factory].

This folk song imagines the letter an immigrant would write to his lost love who cheated on him and stayed behind in Sweden. It is illustrative of the attitudes of many Swedish immigrants in America who wished to entice their countrymen to join them in the New World.

http://www.lottaworld.com/songs#amerikabrevet

U.S. Census Bureau StatisticsSwedish/Norwegian born residents of Winnebago

County(Swedes and Norwegians were aggregated together by census bureau until 1890):

• 1870: 1707 (the immigration from Sweden is just beginning to gain steam)

• 1880: 2105• 1890: 6,419• 1900: 8,005• 1910: 10,470• 1920: 11,056

Census data from http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/php/newlong3.php

Ratio of Scandanavian-Born Residents to Total Population

This map, from 1884, shows the high concentration of Swedes and Norwegians in the Upper Midwest, including Northern Illinois where Rockford is located.

Source: Library of Congresshttp://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?

collId=setlmap&action=browse&fileName=gmd370m/g3701m/g3701gm/gct00009/ct_browse.db&recNum=72&itemLink=r?ammem/gmd:@filreq%28@field%28NUMBER+@band%28g3701gm+gct00009%29%29+@field%28COLLID+setlmap%29%29&linkText=0&title2=Scribner%27s%20statistical%20atlas%20of%20the%20United%20States,%20showing%20by%20graphic%20methods%20their%20present%20condition%20and%20their%20political,%20social%20and%20industrial%20development%20by%20Fletcher%20W.%20Hewes%20and%20Henry%20Gannett...&displayType=3&maxCols=3

From 1850 through 1930, close to one in five Swedes left the country of their birth to live in America. By the 1930’s, however, the mass migration of Swedes to America had largely come to an end. In Rockford, where Swedish had once been nearly as common as English, few spoke the language of their ancestors anymore. But the Swedish legacy lives on…

The Swedish Legacy in Rockford:Healthcare

Swedish American Hospital

The Swedish Legacy in Rockford:Cuisine

The Stockholm Inn Restaurant

The Swedish Legacy in Rockford:Int’l Tourism and Lodging

Sweden House Lodge

The Swedish Legacy in Rockford: Swedish Imports

Finial’s Scandinavian Gifts and Interiors

The Swedish Legacy in RockfordAnnual Festivals

Midsommar Fest St. Lucia Christmas Festival

The Swedish Legacy in Rockford:Honoring Swedish Heritage

The Erlander House, home of the Swedish Historical Society

The Swedish Legacy in Rockford:Reviving Ancient Traditions

The introduction of “Kubb”, a traditional Swedish lawn game.

Saturday June 05, 2010Rockford Swedish Historical Society Kubb Tournament and Sweden National Day Celebration Location: Rockford, IL - Ingersol Centennial ParkTime: 8:30am-9:30am - registration; 10:00 - games beginTeams: Minimum two players. All teams welcome. 32 team limit.

Video: http://mystateline.com/fulltext-news?nxd_id=158335

The End

Bibliography

• “The American West”. Harpers Weekly: http://thewest.harpweek.com/, accessed July 19, 2010• Brandelius, Harry. “Amerikabrevet”. Lotta World: http://www.lottaworld.com/songs#amerikabrevet, accessed July 21, 2010• Carlson, Miriam. “The Rock River and the First Swedes in Rockford”. Northern Illinois University: http://www.lib.niu.edu/2002/ihy020224.html ,

accessed July 19, 2010• EmiWeb Swedish Emigration Website: http://www.emiweb.eu/EmiWeb/switchlanguage.x?language=EN&currentView=/EmiWeb/WEB-INF/SE/login.jsp,

accessed July 20, 2010• Federation of Swedish Genealogical Societies: http://www.genealogi.se/roots/, accessed July 19, 2010• Finial’s Scandinavian Gifts and Interiors: http://www.ifinials.com/, accessed July 22, 2010• Historical Census Browser: Census Data over Time. University of Virginia: http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/php/newlong3.php, accessed July 21, 2010• Library of Congress. American Memory: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html• Lund University School of Economics and Management. Macroeconomic and Demographic Database: Population: http://

www.ehl.lu.se/database/LU-MADD/population/Default.htm, accessed July 19, 2010• Mattson, Hans. Reminiscences: The Story of an Emigrant. Spartacus Schoolnet: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmattson.htm, accessed July

19, 2010• Proveniens iFocus: http://proveniens.ifokus.se/blogs/, accessed July 21, 2010• Rockford Convention and Visitor’s Bureau: http://www.gorockford.com/, accessed July 21, 2010• Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation: http://www.ellisisland.org/photoalbums/ellis_island_album107.asp , accessed July 19, 2010• “Swedes”. The Encyclopedia of Chicago: http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1222.html, accessed July 21, 2010• Swedish-American Historical Quarterly, Carli Digital Collections: http

://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/npu_sahq&CISOPTR=3696&CISOBOX=1&REC=5, accessed July 19, 2010• Swedish-American Historical Quarterly, Carli Digital Collections:

http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/npu_sahq&CISOPTR=3026&CISOBOX=1&REC=13, accessed July 21, 2010• Swedish Historical Society: http://www.swedishhistorical.org/, accessed July 19, 2010, July 21, 2010• Williams, Matt. “Kubb tournament touts appeal of ‘Viking chess’”. Rockford Register Star. June 5, 2010: http://

www.rrstar.com/news/yourtown/x293548952/Kubb-tournament-touts-appeal-of-Viking-chess, accessed July 22, 2010• WTVO Television: http://mystateline.com/fulltext-news?nxd_id=158335, accessed July 22, 2010