About the Society
Swedish American Historical Society
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About the Society |
Swedish American Historical Society |
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History:
The
Swedish-American Historical Society grew out of the national 1948
Swedish Pioneer Centennial celebration marking the 100th
anniversary of the arrival of the first Swedish immigrants in the
Midwest. In Chicago, 18,000 people filled the stadium on June 4th
to hear President Truman, Prince Bertil of Sweden, Carl Sandburg,
and representatives from many Swedish-American organizations.
Four months later, on October 15, 1948, the leaders of the centennial celebration met in Chicago and formed the Society, originally called the Swedish Pioneer Historical Society, "established to record the achievements of the Swedish Pioneers."
In 1983, the Board of Directors approved a change in the organization's name to The Swedish-American Historical Society. By then it had moved well beyond a focus on just the "pioneer" period and serves to promote interest in the entire Swedish presence in America, from the first settlers on the Delaware in 1638 to the present day.
Endowment: To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Society in 1998, we launched a "50 for 50" Endowment Drive to raise $50,000 for the Society's endowment fund. A major portion of the annual income is reinvested in the endowment every year to ensure the continued growth of the fund and guarantee the financial security of the Society for the next half century.
The Society has diversified its endowment into five funds, each with an objective:
His Royal Highness Prince Bertil Heritage Fund. This is the Society's principal endowment fund, used to support all of the programs of The Swedish-American Historical Society. His Royal Highness, the late Prince Bertil, personally approved the naming of this fund in his honor. Life membership contributions go into this fund.
Vilas Johnson-Rolf Erickson Publication Fund. This endowment aids in publication of books and the Society's Quarterly.
Nils William and Dagmar Olsson Research Fund. This endowment supports research on topics of significance to Swedish-American history.
Selma Jacobson Archives Fund. Named for archives founder and former archivist Selma Jacobson, this endowment provides support for maintaining the archives.
Franklin D. Scott Memorial Fund. This fund honors a former president of the Society and editor of the Quarterly, and provides an annual prize of $250 for the best article submitted by a new contributor to the Quarterly.
While the Society has historically depended upon membership dues as the principal source of income, the endowment has become increasingly important in maintaining and enhancing the Society's achievements.
We encourage and welcome contributions to any and all of these endowment funds. Contributions can be made through cash gifts, donations of stock, pledges over time or various deferred-giving plans. Contributions to The Swedish-American Historical Society are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
Grants: The Society provides
grants to persons who are conducting research or engaging in an
activity, such as a conference, which fulfills a Society goal.
For information about grant availability and application
procedures, click here:
To learn more about the Society's activities, click
the Meetings, Trips, Newsletters & Archives buttons below.
To learn more about becoming a member, click the Membership
button below.
To buy a book or see excerpts from the
Quarterly,
click the Publications button.
About the Society Membership Publications Society Newsletter Archives Meetings and Conferences Trips and Tours Genealogy Swedish Web Links
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