Ebook History of the Swedes of Illinois

In order to bring the foregoing History of the Swedes of Illinois down to date it has been supplemented by a collection of biographical sketches of representative Swedish-Americans "in the living present." In the preceding pages we have endeavored to record the achievements of the Swedish people of the state in the past. In the following is preserved a record of those Swedish-Americans who are now keeping up the march of progress, constantly adding new material to our annals. These biographies are of men and women prominent or fairly representative in church and state, in art, science and literature, in educational and benevolent work, in the learned professions, in commerce and industry, in agriculture and the trades, in short, people of every creditable walk in life.

More than a quarter century has elapsed since the first consistent attempt was made to collect and preserve in book form the past records of the Illinois Swedes. That volume is now rare and, though obsolete as to the biographical part, is a valuable source of information in personal history. The aim of the present work is still greater completeness in this respect, and much that may seem inessential and trivial in these sketches today will be appreciated in years to come.

Not every man has a taste for history nor every Swedish-American a care whether the records of his nationality are preserved. In rare instances persons worthy of a mention in the following pages may have been inadvertently omitted, but in the majority of cases omissions are owing to a lack of interest on the part of the individuals themselves.

To those who have responded favorably to the request for personal data and other information incorporated in this work the editors and publishers are deeply indebted for the successful performance of their task.