Our Beloved Sweden

Two centuries ago when the kingdoms of Northern Europe were struggling for supremacy on the Baltic and control of the narrow portal to the sea, there appeared a young prince, the marvel of his age, who made himself the arbiter of these kingdoms and of their rulers. The military successes of Charles the Twelfth of Sweden even forced obsequious consultation from the greater nations beyond the fields of his conquest.

"...my report of the religious condition and needs of the Scandinavians, embracing their situation in Sweden and Norway, and the United States. Such glimpses of Swedish life and customs are given as may be side-lights on the chief theme." Cf. the author.

This study in comparative conceptual history reveals how the concepts of nation and fatherland were redefined within public religion in eighteenth-century England, the Netherlands and Sweden, leading to more positive and inclusive conceptions of nationhood and the gradual reconfiguration of national identities in more secular terms.

By 1900, Worcester was home to the largest Swedish population in the eastern United States. These new residents brought an innovative and unique spirit to the community. Industrialist John Jeppson invented an artificial emery stone, and his experiments in the abrasives field became the foundation of the Norton Company. Worcester welcomed Swedish immigrants who preserved traditions through various lodges, church congregations and Swedish-owned businesses like Holstrom's Market, Lundborg's and Crown Bakery. Fairlawn Hospital and the Lutheran Home were other mainstays that marked the Swedes' local presence. Author Eric J. Salomonsson explores how Worcester's Swedish immigrants became Swedish-Americans while making vital and vibrant contributions to their adopted city.