Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - VIII. The Church in the last century (1811—1910 A.D.)
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
8. SWEDES IN U.S.A. UNONIUS. 401
ally and morally, and he did what he could as a layman to
keep the settlement religious. In a very short time his
neighbours asked him to become their regular pastor, and
he consented to do so. Having consulted the leading men
of the Swedish Church in regard to his plans for the future,
he decided to affiliate himself to the American Episcopal
Church, and he became a student at the recently-founded
Seminary of Nashotah. After three years study in that
quiet and beautiful spot he came out as its first graduate,
and was ordained in 1845 by Bishop Kemper. He re
mained in Wisconsin till 1849; but the Swedish element in
Tallsjon was gradually dwindling, and when Frederica
Bremer visited it in 1850 but few families remained. A
number of them had moved to Chicago, which was becom
ing a considerable Swedish settlement, and Unonius had
naturally received a call thither. Thus he became the first
pastor of the newly-founded Church of St. Ansgarius,
which had its origin in the church in which I am now speak
ing (St. James). But, before he moved to Chicago, his
letters to Swedish newspapers had induced other Swedes
to come to U.S.A., and especially a company of fifty per
sons from Haurida in Smaland, who came also to
Wisconsin first to Sheboygan.
Unonius worked hard to obtain money for the building
of his church, and travelled much for the purpose, evan
gelizing his countrymen wherever he found them. He
was very successful in raising money in Delaware and
Pennsylvania, and he also received considerable help from
the great Swedish singer, Jenny Lind, on her American
tour. One of her gifts, a valuable and beautiful silver
communion cup, is still in use in St. Ansgarius Church.27
She also gave 1,500 dollars to the Rev. Lars Paul Esbjorn,
27
It is figured in The Swedes of Illinois, p. 418, and bears the
inscription :
"
Gifvet till den Skandinaviska Kyrkan St.
Ansgarius i
Chicago af en Landsmaninna, A.D. 1851." It was
happily in safe custody at the time of the fire in 1871. I saw it
29th October, 1910, the day on which this lecture was delivered,
by the kindness of Pastor Lindskog.
26
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
