The Lars Paul Esbjörn and Esbjörn family papers
Scope and Contents
The Lars Paul Esbjorn and Esbjörn family papers, 1778-1982 and undated, contains notebooks, personal writings, letters, and professional writings that pertain to Lars Paul Esbjörn’s life and career as Augustana’s first president. Also included are letters from Esbjörn’s wives and children. This collection has been arranged into seven series.
Series I: Biographical and Background Material (1882-1960 and undated) includes a collection of articles and excerpts pertaining to L.P. Esbjörn’s life and work as a minister. Background materials include clippings and maps of L.P. Esbjörn’s home in Sweden.
Series II: Documents, Letters, and Financial Records (1778-1925 and undated) contains official documents (originals and copies), including L.P. Esbjörn’s grades and official school documents, documents from L.P. Esbjörn’s time as a minister and professor, and personal family records, including material related to Esbjörn's wives. This series is arranged into four subseries.
Series III: Writings-Personal series (1825-1869, 1982 and undated) contains L.P. Esbjörn’s autobiographical accounts of his years at school in Sweden, dairies and excerpts from his immigration to America and his trip east, as well as notes and thoughts on mathematical and scientific readings. This series is arranged into four Subseries.
Series IV: Professional Writings and Papers (1828-1870 and undated) contains articles and notes on biblical passages, accounts and advice to immigrants, records of Augustana Theological Seminary, letters to other academic and ministry professionals, and a collection of L.P. Esbjörn’s sermons. This series is organized into three Subseries.
Series V: Newsclippings and Printed Matter (1849-1911 and undated) contains printed material collected by L.P. Esbjörn related to his research and interests as well as information about personal and professional contacts. Information included is in both Swedish and English.
Series VI: Compilations (1848-1948 and undated) contains information about L.P. Esbjörn compiled by peers and other parties including Constantin Magnus Esbjörn, Sam Ronnegord, Ira O. Nothstein, S.W. Harkey, and O.N. Olsson. This series is organized into three Subseries.
Series VII: Library Books (1826-1860) contains a small collection of books from the personal library of L.P. Esbjörn including a bible in Swedish and a Handbook of Comparative Religions in Swedish.
Dates
- Creation: 1778-1982 and undated
Creator
- Esbjörn, L.P. (Lars Paul), 1808-1870 (Person)
- Esbjörn family (Family)
Language of Materials
Swedish, English and Greek
Conditions Governing Access
There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.
Conditions Governing Use
Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from Augustana College Special Collections and the copyright holder.
Historical Note
Born in 1808 in Delsbo in the province of Hälsingland in central Sweden, Lars Paul Esbjorn studied at Uppsala University and was ordained in the Church of Sweden in 1832. In 1849, Esbjörn immigrated to western Illinois where he established a church in the small town of Andover, 20 miles southeast of Rock Island. In 1859, Esbjörn moved to Chicago where he and other Scandinavian church leaders formed their own synod.
In June 1860 in Jefferson Prairie, Wisconsin, Esbjörn and his colleagues formed the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod, which immediately founded its own school, Augustana Seminary. The purpose of the seminary was to prepare men for the ministry in the Lutheran Church and to teach in congregational schools. Esbjörn was asked to serve as the school’s president. On 1 September 1860, in Chicago, the college opened its doors to 21 students.
As president of Augustana College, Esbjörn acted as administrator, professor, and parent. In 1863, discouraged by the Synod's decision to move Augustana to rural Paxton, Illinois, Esbjörn resigned his position and returned to Sweden until his death in 1870. Esbjörn had three wives, Amelia Lovisa Planting Gyllenbaga (1810-1852), Helena Catherina Magnusson (1827-1853), and Gustava Albertina Magnusson (1833-1925). He also had twelve children, Paul Wilhelm (1837-1861), Alfred Johannen (1839-1922), Maria (1841-1861), Joseph (1843-?), twins David L. and Emmanuel (born and died 1849), Amelia Lovisa (July 1852- October 1852), Constantine Magnus (1858-1911), Gustaf Adolf Luther (1860-1880s), Carl Linus Eugene (1862-1939), Maria Redviva (1864-?), Hanna Dorthea (1866-?), and Lars Paul Oscar (1870-1908).
Extent
6.54 Cubic Feet (/ 22 boxes)
Abstract
The Lars Paul Esbjörn and Esbjörn family papers primarily documents the personal and professional life of the first president of Augustana College, Lars Paul Esbjörn. Esbjörn was born in Sweden in 1808 and immigrated to America in 1849. In 1860, he became the first president of Augustana College, and remained in this position until 1863, when the college was moved to Paxton, Illinois. That same year, Esbjörn returned to Sweden where he lived until his death in 1870. His papers include biographical and autobiographical accounts, birth and marriage affidavits, legal and financial documents, immigration papers, diaries, notebooks, personal and professional correspondence, sermons, newspaper and newsletter articles, and some of Esbjörn’s personal books. Materials are in Swedish, English, and Greek. Additional papers in the collection concern Esbjörn’s three wives and seven of his children. These documents include personal and family correspondence, legal and financial documents, estate records, photographs, and scrapbooks.
Arrangement
Materials arranged chronologically within series.
Other Finding Aids
An older finding aid for this collection is available at http://www.augustana.edu/files/2018-05/MSS1index.pdf
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Processing Information
Processed by Elena Leith, August 2016.
Geographic
Topical
- Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.) -- Administration
- Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.) -- faculty
- Education, Higher -- Religious aspects
- Families -- Illinois -- Rock Island County
- Swedish Americans
- Swedish language -- Study and teaching
- Universities and colleges -- History
- Universities and colleges -- Illinois
Uniform Title
- Title
- Lars Paul Esbjorn and Esbjorn family papers, 1778-1982 and undated.
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Elena Leith
- Date
- September 2016
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Augustana College Special Collections Repository
639 38th Street
Thomas Tredway Library
Rock Island Illinois 61201 United States
specialcollections@augustana.edu