Ira O. Nothstein papers

Ira O. Nothstein was born 16 January 1874 in Lehighton, Pennsylvania to Lloyd and Ema Nothstein. He attended Muhlenberg College and graduated in 1897. He was ordained 8 June 1900 by the Augustana Lutheran Church in Philadelphia after graduating from Mount Airy Lutheran Theological Seminary. Later, in 1928, Nothstein was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Muhlenberg College. On 13 November 1900 he married Minne Louisa Kuhns in Allentown, Pennsylvania. They would eventually have five children together. Nothstein served as pastor to several churches in St. Paul and St. Peter, Minnesota and in Summit Hill, Pennsylvania. In 1907, Nothstein became the pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Rock Island, Illinois.

Nothstein was hired as the head librarian at Augustana College in 1918. He also occasionally took substitute teaching positions in subjects such as church history and pastoral theory. For several years, he worked both as a librarian and an archivist. He resigned from his post as a librarian in 1940 to become the college’s first official archivist. Nothstein worked in the archives until he retired in 1959. That same year, he received a gold key for being a faculty member at Augustana for over 40 years. Nothstein was the first librarian at Augustana to take an interest in archival materials. Donations to and purchases for the library during his tenure included several impressive collections.

Nothstein’s expertise was frequently sought by researchers all over the United States, especially those interested in Swedish or Lutheran topics. Nothstein himself authored many books on subjects such as the history of the Augustana Synod and Swedish Lutheran settlers in the United States. Nothstein translated several manuscripts and contributed regularly to a few religious publications. He founded the Augustana Synod annual, “My Church” in 1915, and was the head editor from 1915-1929. He also wrote a children’s book called Sylvia of the Birches: A Tale of the Forties, which was about a young Swedish Lutheran immigrant. His manuscript was never published. Nothstein was an active member of many groups in the Rock Island community, including the Rock Island Historical Society and the Augustana Historical Society, which he played an important role in organizing. Due to his deep interest in local history, Nothstein was commissioned to write A History of the Rock Island Arsenal in 1936 by Colonel A. G. Gillsepie, then commander of the Arsenal.

Nothstein participated in many religious and academic groups in the United States, including the Lutheran Library Association, Sons of the American Revolution, the International Mark Twain Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and he was heavily involved in centennial celebrations for the Swedish Pioneers in America and the Augustana Synod.

Nothstein died 1 May 1962 after several years of failing health. He outlived his wife, who had died in 1953, and was survived by a son, three daughters, five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.