Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin

New Upsala, the first Swedish Settlement in Wisconsin, the Scandinavian Parish, and the founder of both Gustaf Unonius will now forever be a part of State of Wisconsin history. The State Historical Marker was unveiled at 2 PM, June1, 2024 at St. Anskar’s Episcopal Church in Hartland, Wisconsin. It was a rainy day; moods were still on top as 75 people attended the event. Tracy Redman, SAHSWI Secretary and Project Team member, officially read the text for the first time.

The Historical Marker

Gustaf Unonius, New Upsala, and the Scandinavian Parish, State of Wisconsin Historical Marker number 611 (Historical Marker database.) is the first including a QR code which takes the viewer to a website where they can learn about the story the marker represents. It also enables adding more information based on new research discovery. (Connect to website)

The dedication and unveiling event

Jan Ehrengren, Project Leader, reviewed the program for the day. Dedication Ceremony Program. The event started in the church Nave with speeches by members of the community and the project team.

Jo Ann Villavicencio, President of Chenequa Village, talked about the history of the Village of Chenequa, and began her speech by stating “In order to fully appreciate the accomplishments of Gustav Unonius and his fellow Swedish settlers in Wisconsin, it is important to take note of the difficult environment which he and his fellow countrymen faced upon arrival in this beautiful area.” She gave an example of a Norwegian 1839 settlement near Muskego Lake that was almost being wiped out by cholera. She described Unonius, his travels from Sweden, arrival at Pine Lake, building of his cabin, and establishing the New Upsala settlement together with other Swedish pioneers. The beauty of the area attracted many more immigrants over the years and population increased along with commercial development. Jo Ann, a descendant of Robert Elias Friend continued: “Robert Elias Friend, who was born unexpectedly at Pine Lake in 1886, had concerns about the rapidly increasing development in the area. He set out to protect Pine Lake and its immediate vicinity. In the summer of 1921, Robert singlehandedly went door to door, performing a herculean task, convincing over 90% of the riparian owners to restrict their deeds to prevent overdevelopment. Thus, began discussions to create the Village of Chenequa, incorporated in 1928, codifying these restrictions. Robert Friend’s diligence ensured that one of the pristine lakes in the area remained similar to when its original settlers came over 183 years ago.” Find below the link to Jo Ann’s whole speech.

Early Scandinavian Settlement of Waukesha County – Gustav Unonius

Cletus Hasslinger, SAHSWI member and descendent of George and Ebba Bergwall, pioneers in New Upsala, talked about the peaceful coexistence of the Swedes and the Potawatomi Indians in the region. In his speech, titled “In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union” Cletus declares his view; “Kee-wah-goosh-kum (the chief of the Potawatomi) and his descendants are as much a part of the legacy of the history told on the marker as are I and my fellow descendants of George and Ebba.” To further acknowledge this shared history Cletus donated one volume of Gustaf Unonius memoirs to the Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin with the intent the memoirs in turn would be donated to the Forest County Potawatomi Museum and Library. Cletus closed with the words “It is my hope that this engagement will enrich our understanding of our ties to each other and thereby help us form, together, that elusive “more perfect Union.”

Link to Speech “In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union”

Thomas N. Buchan III, Priest-in-charge of St. Anskar’s Episcopal Church welcomed everybody to the church and thanked SAHSWI and members of the parish for the efforts bringing the Historical Marker to St. Anskars. Reverend Buchan III reflected on Gustaf Unonius life and ministry, “ It is easy to forget that from the time of his arrival to his seminary training at Nashotah house, to his ordination and the beginning of his ministry, to his departure to serve other congregations first in Manitowoc and later in Chicago was a span of less than seven years”.

Link to Thomas Buchan III Speech.

Martha Bergland introduced descendants of Thure Kumlien, a friend of Gustaf Unonius who arrived to Wisconsin a few years after Gustaf and established the second Swedish Settlement in Wisconsin, located by Lake Koshkonong. Martha is the author of the award-winning book “The Birdman of Koshkonong, The life of Naturalist Thure Kumlien.”

Traditional Fika and Swedish Folk music by Goda Vänner

After the unveiling ceremony all attendants could enjoy cupcakes and coffee in the Church Social Hall while listening to Swedish Folk music played by Goda Vänner, Mary Stetson and Carol Gustafson.

Thank you – Tack Så Mycket

Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin announced, in the 2020 annual meeting, a project to establish a State of Wisconsin Historical Marker to commemorate Gustaf Unonius, New Upsala and the Scandinavian Parish. The purpose of this historical marker was to recognize the pioneers and missionaries that in the early 1840’s laid the grounds for the immigration of Swedes to Wisconsin. This project lasted for almost 4 years, and during this time many people have been involved that have made a difference.

The Project Team

Tusen Tack (a thousand thanks) to the project team members who have invested a great amount of time and effort in research, documentation and meetings. All team members have some natural connection to this project. Special Thanks to Meg Haag and Sarah Hintz and St. Anskar’s church for providing a place to hold meetings and their hospitality.

• Martha Bergland, SAHSWI, Board Member and Historical Projects Committee Chair. Connected to this story through her research being an author.
• John Yewer. Long time Chenequa resident with many connections, the Yewer family have through the years been influential part of Chenequa.
• Tracy Redman, SAHSWI Board Member and Secretary, Tracy: “Growing up in Lake Country and my Swedish roots led me to SAHSWI”.
• Kirsten Benidt, Current Chenequa resident, with Norwegian roots, with many connections.
• Cletus Hasslinger, SAHSWI Member, descendant George and Ebba Bergwall, and 6th generation of Ebba’s parents Bengt and Charlotta Petterson.
• Meg Haag, Member of St. Anskars Episcopal Church and SAHSWI, many area church connections
• Sarah Hintz, Member of St. Anskar’s Episcopal Church, served as Junior Warden, SAHSWI member.  
• Jan Ehrengren, SAHSWI President and Project leader, grew up near Uppsala, Sweden.

Members of the Local community.

Many thanks to all the community members lending their support to the project, both by providing related historical information and by helping with various activities.

• Roger Johnson, Historian at St. Olaf’s Church in Ashippun, together with late Clayton Swanton, historian at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Stone Bank. Their book “the Early Years of St. Olaf’s 1841 to 1860” provided a lot of insight and interesting stories.
• Judy Stark, and son Peter Stark. Late Bill Starks Pine Lake books describing the history of Chenequa provided the first and very complete picture of the immigration of all, not only the Swedes, but also Norwegians, Germans and Swiss
• Dan Neumer, Police Chief, Chenequa Village, Dan gave a tour of the Village Hall, with many historical exhibits, and also helped organize the move of the existing Unonius- New Upsala monument to the Village Hall property, where it is much more accessible for viewers.
• Dan Schlise Owner and President, Garden Gate Nursery and Landscaping, who helped moving the monument with his front loader one early Sunday Morning.
• Cody Lincoln, Director of Public Works, Chenequa helped with preparing the landscaping around the new place for the monument.
•  Jo Ann Villavicencio, Village Board President, Chenequa provided us with historical reference material and presented Chenequa History at Heritage Tour
• Tom and Marypat Dalum, Chenequa Owner of property where Unonius built his cabin. They graciously let the project team walk the property to get an understanding where Unonius cabin was built. They also gave a tour of their beautiful garden.
• Fitzie Heimdahl, Historical Marker Program Director of Wisconsin Historical Society helped us meet all the requirements of Historical Marker program.
• Harry H Anderson, Historian and one of the founders of SAHSWI. Harry wrote many stories which are published on the SAHSWI website, including stories related to Gustaf Unonius and New Upsala.
• Mike Kilsdonk Sexton for helping receiving and moving the Historical Marker indoors in late December after it was dropped off by a shipping company.
• Erik Ehrengren and his friend Greg Schmidt helped modify the mounting of and then erect the Historical Marker.
• Doug Haag, Tim Redman, Jim Urinak supported their spouses Meg, Tracy, and Martha and the project with several tasks during the past three years.

Help from Sweden

Donations funding

Great thanks to all donors helping to fund the project. 53 donations have been received by 44 donors for a total of 12 TUSD. 27 of the donors have agreed to have their name published on the project website donation page. The donation page is updated as agreements to publish name is received.

Historical Marker Donors

Come, celebrate the traditional Scandinavian Midsommar on Sunday, June 23, 2024 from 1 – 4 p.m. at Heidelberg Park by Bavarian Bierhaus, 700 West Lexington Blvd., Glendale, Wisconsin. The event is open to the public.

To celebrate Midsommar in Wisconsin, is to celebrate the longest day of the year the Swedish way! This means decoration of the Majstång (Maypole) with greens and flowers, joining in the procession of raising the decorated pole led by Goda Vänner playing “I sommarens soliga dagar” (In the sunny days of summer) on violin. Then dancing around the majstång and singing the special Swedish songs like “små grodorna” (the little frogs) and “vi äro musikanter” (we are all musicians). The Midsommar celebration includes a lot more…

• Make your own flower crown to wear.
• Enjoy traditional Swedish folk music played by the music group, Goda Vännar.
• Learn and play the game of Kubb, known as “Viking chess.”
• Have your children participate in games and crafts.
• Learn about the first Swedish settlement in Wisconsin, New Upsala.
• Learn about Swedish Genealogy, maybe research your own ancestors
• Win a basket filled with delightful Swedish items!

Bring your own lawn chairs, and join us for a FREE afternoon of fun at our Scandinavian Midsommar Celebration. If possible, bring greenery and help decorate the Majstång. Bavarian Bierhaus staff will provide a variety of food for sale, including Swedish meatballs and other Swedish items. Note: No food may be brought into the Park.

Read about the History of “Midsommar” Celebration

Harry H. Anderson, age 93, died peacefully on May 21, 2024. Harry, who is of Swedish descent, is one of the founding fathers of Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin and served as the president from 1975 to 1980 and more recently from 2004 to 2008. He has written and presented many stories related to Swedish American immigration and traditions. He is the author of Milwaukee, at the Gathering of the Waters (American Portrait Series), a pictorial and entertaining commentary on the growth and development of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Harry Anderson Obituary

Our sincere condolences go to Harry’s wife Evelyn and family.

The memory of Harry is represented by his stories of which many are available on the SAHSWI website page “Bits and Pieces of Swedish American History.”

Harry Anderson Funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 5th at Bayshore Lutheran Church, 1200 East Hampton Rd., Whitefish Bay, WI. 53217. Reception and visitation with family follows the service.

Memorials suggested:  
Harry Anderson Library at Milwaukee County Historical Society
Bayshore Lutheran Church 

The Wisconsin State Historical Marker honoring Gustaf Unonius, New Upsala and the Scandinavian Parish is scheduled to be unveiled on June 1, 2024, at 1 PM at St. Anskar’s Episcopal Church, N48W31340 Hill Rd (Hwy 83) in Hartland, Wisconsin. This is a public event, and all interested are welcome.

Dedication and Unveiling Ceremony Program

The purpose of this historical marker is to recognize the pioneers and missionaries that in the early 1840’s laid the grounds for the immigration of Swedes to Wisconsin. In 2012 Census there were 150 thousand Wisconsin residents who claimed Swedish ancestry.

The project to establish the marker was initiated in October of 2020 at the SAHSWI annual meeting, and after much research and documentation the application was submitted in July of 2022. After several discussions with Wisconsin Historical Society and resolving suggested modifications in the text, the final approval was received in May 2023 and the marker was placed on order and was delivered it at the end of December 2023.

In October of 1841 Gustaf Unonius arrived at Pine Lake, travelling from Upsala, Sweden with his wife Charlotta, and friends. Within a year several other Swedes arrived in the area, and they established a second Swedish settlement in the United States, and the first in Wisconsin, they called it New Upsala. This was over 200 years after the establishment of the first Swedish settlement in USA “New Sweden”, founded in 1638 by the Delaware River.

Unonius, being a devoted man, held religious gatherings at his cabin for family and friends, including settlers from Norway and Denmark. A priest was needed and in 1842 Unonius met James Lloyd Breck, an Episcopal Missionary, who would assist with ministerial services such as communions, baptisms, and marriages. In 1844 Bishop Jackson Kemper visited New Upsala, the Holy Innocents cemetery was consecrated for the Scandinavian community, and the Pine Lake Scandinavian Parish was established. Mr. Breck founded the Nashotah House Seminary in 1842.

Nashotah House played an important role supporting the Scandinavian Parish through the years of the settlement. Later the church was renamed Holy Innocents Episcopal Church.  In 1968 a new church was built together with Grace Episcopal Church and the two congregations merged naming the church Grace Holy Innocents Episcopal Church. In 1975 the congregation had grown to gain the status of a parish in the union with the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee. Grace Holy Innocents name was changed to St. Anskar’s Episcopal Church, named after St. Anskar (801-865) who was the Archbishop of Hamburg, Germany, and a missionary to Scandinavia near the beginning of the Viking Age.

Come to the next Fika meeting Saturday, May 18, 2024, starting at 1:30 PM to find out more about Swedish Genealogy. The meeting will be held at Martin Luther Lutheran Church, 9235 West Bluemound Road, Milwaukee located just east of the Milwaukee Zoo.

The program will feature presentations by the Swedish Genealogy Research Group (SGRG) members about their Swedish and Scandinavian roots and their ancestor’s immigration to Wisconsin. The SGRG is a part of Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin (SAHSWI) and is led by Swedish Genealogy Committee Chair John Engel who has nearly 50 years of experience in Genealogy Research. John and members Melanie Herriges and Renee Swanson-Boos will talk about their ancestry and their research, and John will also explain how you can start your own research into your family’s background.

After the presentation enjoy traditional Fika the Swedish way. If you can, bring a dish to share. Do you have a favorite Swedish recipe you want to share, bring it and we can add it to the website Food Heritage page.

One area of focus for Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin is to document unique stories from people in Wisconsin of Swedish descent. These stories may be about the life in Sweden, the journey and immigration to America or life after settling in Wisconsin.

The following story is told by Karen Snowberg. Karen was born in Wisconsin but spent most of her adult life in Westchester County, New York.  During 25 years of membership in the Vasa Order of America, she has served in many officer positions in the local, district and the Grand Lodge levels. She is the Grand Lodge Past Cultural Director for the USA & Canada and is currently serving her 10th year as Secretary on the Board of Directors of the Vasa Order of America National Archives.  Karen’s many trips to Sweden allowed her to learn quite a bit about her family history on Öland. With an advanced degree in the performance of Renaissance and Baroque music, Karen has been a dedicated church musician all her life, coaching choirs, recorder ensembles and brass groups to enhance the worship service. Moving back to Wisconsin Karen became a SAHSWI member in 2022. This is Karen’s story about her great uncle Herman Miller Snöberg.

The youngest brother became a world traveler

  “When I first visited Degerhamn on Öland with my brother and his wife, we met many descendants of my mother’s grandmother.  One of these relatives, Gösta Wahlgren, was the town historian who had organized a small museum for the records, photos, and other things he had collected to preserve the history of Degerhamn.  He was able to fill in the background of our grandmother who left Sweden at 16 to emigrate to America. 

In telling us about our grandmother’s family, Gösta mentioned that he had lost track of her younger brother, Herman, who had run away to sea as a teenager.  Gösta asked us if we would try to trace him in the United States.  Over the years since, I have found ship’s records of Herman’s various entries into the U.S. and his application for citizenship.  This year I found a number of documents detailing his life as a seaman, as well as his death certificate.  The following is a synopsis of his life.  I feel that I’ve finally found Herman, the youngest and lost brother.

The rest of the story…press the link below.

The Youngest Brother Becomes a World Traveler

On the SAHSWI website you can also find previously published immigration stories. Brent Erikson’s immigration story was first told by his grandmother Sarah, Carol Gustafson story is about her great great niece and famous opera singer Christina Nilsson, Bev Wenzel‘s story is about how the Spanish Flue affected her family in Sweden, and Martha Bergland’s story is about her ancestor Anders Berglund who arrived at Bishop Hill in 1847 to join the Swedish colony there. To read these stories go to the following page:

Swedish Immigration Stories

These are all unique stories all related to our membership. If you have a story to tell about your family’s Swedish heritage and/or immigration, please contact Martha Bergland and she will help preparing it for publication. Martha’s contact info: email marthasbergland@gmail.com or through postal mail: Martha Bergland, 7460 North Longview Avenue, Glendale WI 53209.

Goda Vänner performed Swedish Folk Tunes and presented the history of Swedish Folk Music at the Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin Fika meeting on March 16, 2024 at Martin Luther Lutheran Church, Milwaukee. Goda Vänner Spelmanslag members are Mary Stetson, Carol Gustafson, Patty Horn, and Eva Christiansen

Carol discussed the history of Swedish Folk Music. It began in the early 19^th century. The Gothic Society was formed 1811and the first Swedish Folk Tune was published in 1813 in the Gothic Society Journal. In the early 1890’s the first “public” performance by folk musicians called “Spelmen” took place at Skansen in Stockholm. Skansen is the first Open Air Museum and Zoo founded in 1891. In the 1940’s, the first Spelmanslags, (musicians, fiddlers) were established, associated with the music of Dalarna, Sweden. The primary instrument was the fiddle, another common instrument was the nyckelharpa. In the 1960’s, other instruments were added.

Mary introduced the different types of Swedish Folk Tunes and Spelmanlaget Goda Vänner then played the tunes. Most common tune is the Polska, the other popular tunes include: Gånglåt, (Walking tune), Vals (Waltz), Schottis, and Mazurka. For further information see presentation link below.

Svenska Låtar

Video from three of the songs performed are included below.

Christina in Christina’s waltz refers to Christina Nilsson the famous Swedish opera singer, who sang at the opening night of the New York Met in 1883, and was very popular in USA, Russia, UK, France, and Sweden. It is a story about a poor girl from a small village in Sweden who became famous worldwide. Christina Nilsson is the Great, Great Aunt of Carol, who presented her relation to Christina in early 2020 Fika meeting. You can read her story in the website section “Stories of my Swedish Heritage” (Press the link then scroll down to find the story).

The program was ended by showing a YouTube peformance of Gånglåt från Äppelbo, a 1997 performance from the Polar Music Price ceremony where the Swedish Royal Family participated in company with Bruce Springsteen, a favorite performer of the Swedish king.

Gånglåt från Äppelbo

Everybody at the meeting greatly enjoyed the program, music and performance by Goda Vänner. After the program traditional Fika with food and baked goods brought by meeting participants was enjoyed by all. This meeting also included a table with items for sale, items that previously had been donated to the society.

Thanks Goda Vänner for great entertainment, thanks to everyone donating the food, thanks to everyone supporting the meeting by set-up of the facility, preparation of the Fika, welcoming meeting participants, handling the sale table, and take-down and clean-up after the meeting, and thanks Martin Luther Church for having us in your church.

Congratulations Majorie Warme Jothen on your 105th Birthday and thank you for 40 years of service in Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin, you have done it all, you are a role model to all of us today serving in this Historical Society! When you were just 102, we wrote this article Marjory Jothen 102

March 16, 2024 at 1:30 PM at Martin Luther Lutheran Church, 9235 West Bluemound Road, Milwaukee located just east of Milwaukee Zoo.

Don’t miss the March Fika meeting featuring Swedish Folk Music group Goda Vänner. Three years ago, in the March of 2021, during the pandemic, using ZOOM, Carol Gustafson and Mary Stetson discussed and demonstrated various types of Swedish folk tunes. Goda Vänner have now been expanded with new members Patty Horn and Eva Christiansen and have played at different venues including at last year’s Holiday Folk Fair International. At the March Fika meeting Carol and Mary will discuss the history of Swedish Folk Music from its formation in the early 19th century until today. Goda Vänner will perform examples of polskas, waltzes, marches and the schottis. After the program attendees will enjoy the traditional Swedish Fika – if you can, bring a dish to share.

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SAHSWI membership. Not a member?

Consider joining the Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin, Inc. It is now easier to become a member with the new option to pay on-line. Membership is open for all with interest in Swedish immigration to Wisconsin and the impact Swedish immigrants have made on USA and the State of Wisconsin. As a member you will be invited to all society meetings and special celebrations, including Fika (Swedish appetizers cookies, pastry and coffee), have access to historical research, society newsletters and website and be invited to join the Swedish Genealogy Research Group – all for a membership fee of just $15 per year.

SAHSWI Membership link

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Do you want to honor a fellow Swedish American?

The State of Wisconsin Historical Marker honoring Gustaf Unonius, New Upsala, and the Scandinavian Parish is scheduled to be unveiled on June 1, 2024 at St. Anskar’s Episcopal Church in Hartland, Wisconsin. This project which started in the fall of 2020 is now coming to an end. The marker has been produced and delivered. Final preparations include landscaping and installation. Donations to cover the costs have been generous, but still some additional funds are needed. There is still an opportunity to contribute to the marker recognizing what started the Swedish American population of Wisconsin.

Donate to State of Wisconsin Historical Marker

A donation dedication is a thoughtful gesture where someone makes a charitable contribution in honor of another person. It’s a way to recognize and celebrate someone’s impact or memory while supporting a cause. If you donate to this cause, would you like to dedicate your donation to someone, and if so, would it be “in honor of” or “in memory of”. Please advice, send your dedication statement to Jan Ehrengren, jesahsow@outlook.com.

Historical Marker Donors