The Swedish-American Archives of Greater ChicagoThe Society's Archives, The Swedish-American Archives of Greater Chicago, is a research depository established in 1968. It contains a rich documentary record of the Swedish-American experience in Chicago, once "the world's second-largest Swedish city." These holdings provide a resource for scholars, students, genealogists, American and Swedish journalists, and others interested in our history. Materials include letters, diaries, family histories, organization records, newspapers, periodicals, pamphlets, music, photographs, books, oral histories, and reference files. CollectionsThe largest collection by far is the records of the Independent Order of Svithiod and many of its lodges. Other major local collections are those of the Swedish Pioneer (subsequently Swedish-American) Historical Society, American Daughters of Sweden, Swedish American Athletic Association, Swedish Cultural Society, Dalkullan Publishing Company, Linnea Aid Society, and Swedish Club of Chicago. Smaller, but no less important historically, are records of the American Colony in Jerusalem, Bishop Hill, Independent Order of Vikings, Swedish National Society of Chicago, Swedish Educational League, Svithiod Singing Club, and Central Swedish Committee of Chicago, as well as the papers of Henry Bengston, Carl Hjalmar Lundquist, and Gustav Stromberg and his wife, Helga, known as Syster Benediction. The Archives also contains an extensive collection of American and Swedish imprints of Swedish music. Additional collections in the archives include the Swedish Engineers Society, Swedish Journalist Society [Chicago Chapter], Swedish Typographers Union, United Nordic Dancers of America, United Swedish Radio Service, and Värmlands Nation. For GenealogistsThe Swedish-American Archives of Greater Chicago contains primarily records of Chicago-area organizations, not the vital statistics usually sought by the genealogy researcher. The Society by definition does not engage in genealogical research. Important repositories of information of genealogical interest in Chicago include The Newberry Library and the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County. The Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center in Rock Island, Illinois is a national archives and research institute assisting people researching their Swedish-American family history. Archives locationThe Society's Archives are administered in Chicago by North Park University's Brandel Library. The Center for Scandinavian Studies at North Park is the legal trustee. We encourage your interest in our collections. For a list of the manuscript collection visit the Archives website. For more information or to make an appointment to use the Archives, please contact the Director of Archives and Special Collections, North Park University, at archives@northpark.edu or (773) 244-6224.
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