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Chapter 1 JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK Jamestown, New York, is my home town. Although I went to college and moved away at the age of eighteen, my formative years were lived in Jamestown, and Jamestown will always be my home town. My mother’s family moved to Jamestown in 1925, and all of them lived the rest of their lives in Jamestown except for my mother who spent five years in West Newton, Pennsylvania. I was born in West Newton, Pennsylvania, my father’s hometown, but my parents moved to Jamestown when my father bought his own grocery store in 1940. I’m certain that having been away for the first five years of her marriage, my mother wanted to live in Jamestown with the rest of her family. Some of our relatives already lived in Jamestown, and perhaps my grandfather had an opportunity to get away from the coal mines of Dagus Mines where he worked when he first arrived in America. Immigrant Swedes helped other Swedish relatives as much as possible to get ahead in their new land. THE SWEDES IN AMERICA The first Swedes came to Delaware in 1638, just eighteen years after the Pilgrims. They made real contributions to both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. The Swedes were the first to preach the Gospel to the American Indians, and Luther’s Small Catechism was translated into the Delaware Indian dialect. Many of the Swedes came for economic reasons. Much of the land in Sweden was not able to be farmed, and as the population grew and the small farms went to the eldest son, there was not much left for the remaining sons. Crop failures also contributed to their determination to go to America where it was reported that everyone was rich. In his book, Saga From the Hills, M. Lorimer Moe says: “In America there were only two classes: the rich and the newcomers who had not yet been in America long enough to become rich!” With that enticement and the encouragement of relatives who were already here, it did not take much for many of them to leave everything and travel to the “Promised Land.” Later, the Homestead Act of 1862 also promised free land in the Midwest. There were reasons other than economic, however, for coming to America. There was a very sharp class distinction between the privileged and the non-privileged. Many wanted to avoid the required military service with its harsh discipline. Others came for political reasons. In Sweden the right to vote was based on how much land a person held, some having no right to vote at all. Many came because of a very serious problem with alcohol in Sweden, and some brought that problem with them. Many came for religious reasons. There was a State Church in Sweden supported by taxes, but there was indifference and cold formalism in many parishes. However, when they came to America, they realized that the churches were not supported by taxes, and people soon learned that if the church were to survive, they had to support it. This was a new concept for Swedish immigrants, but it quickly took hold, and the Swedes built over two thousand churches and several schools and colleges in America, many of which are still thriving today. Many Swedes were simply looking for adventure, and they certainly found it in this new world. Many Swedish immigrants stopped and settled in Jamestown for several reasons, but perhaps the most important was that the trees, lakes, and hills reminded them of their homeland. Many were headed for the Midwest but upon finding the Jamestown area in Western New York, they didn’t go any farther. Most of them came in the 1850s. The earliest immigrants were farmers, but each one had a trade or skill that contributed a great deal to the success of the community. Swedish immigration was at its peak in 1882 when sixty-eight thousand Swedes came to America. It’s interesting to note that of one million two hundred thousand immigrants during that period, at least one out of four, came from Sweden.
Cameos are “brief writings that bring into delicate or sharp focus the character of a specific person, place, or event.” In her latest book, Barbara Ann Hillman Jones does just that from her own personal experiences. Her cameos are real—she writes about real people, real places, and real happenings. Most of them are centered around her Swedish heritage and of growing up in the predominantly Swedish community of Jamestown, New York. Barbara’s cameos are inspiring and uplifting, and her hope is that the book will bring happy memories and warm feelings to each reader.
OUR SCANDINAVIAN HERITAGE is a collection of true stories by members of The Norden Clubs, Jamestown, NY, stories of themselves and/or their ancestors their adventures, customs, and the sacrifices they made to come to America, a land where streets were paved in gold, as one young girl was told. Included is a history of the emigration from Scandinavia to America and to Jamestown, NY, in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Norden Clubs are pleased to permanently record these memories as part of history, particularly the Scandinavian influence in America.
FOREWORD Every man who is a success, regardless of how gifted he may be, did not manage to achieve his goals, rank, station or wealth by his own efforts, but he is indebted to a number of key persons in his life without whose mentoring, support, and encouragement he would quite likely have been a miserable failure! * * * KING DAVID of Israel was surrounded by a magnificent corps of extraordinarily strong, courageous, unflinchingly brave and self-sacrificing men who were his confidants, his personal bodyguard, and comrades-at-arms. They were the special elite corps of fearless warriors whose devotion to their king placed his welfare and that of his kingdom above their own personal safety – every one of these champions would gladly have sacrificed his own life to honor, advance and protect the life of their king. The annals of Holy Scripture single them out by the accolade that marks them as David’s Mighty Men. Their names are recorded in the Hebrew Old Testament book of II Samuel, chapter 23, verses 8-39. They were thirty-seven of the most fierce and dedicated warriors that ever lived. In a parallel list of these men which is recorded in I Chronicles 11:11-47, the number of warriors is expanded by 16 names (I Ch. 11:41-47), probably because additional men were added to replace those who had died, some in battle, giving their lives for their king. They were truly men of extraordinary valor, physical might and unwavering loyalty. They were a combination of “combat commandos,” “stealth rangers,” “navy seals,” “green beret,” “special ops” and “Delta forces” who had acquired the skills of battle demanded to survive and conquer in hand-to-hand warfare. They engaged in clandestine operations and were often outnumbered by staggering odds pitted against them, yet they stood their ground. Time after time on fields of battle they were “the last men standing.” They defended their king and gained victory over their enemies by sheer strength of determination and by the inexplicable physical and mental character with which they were endowed by their God, Yahweh, Who Himself had chosen David as their king. “These are the names of David’s Mighty Men: “Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was the chief . . . he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter. “Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite . . . he was with David when they taunted the Philistines that were gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. The men of Israel retreated, but he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. “Shammah son of Agee the Harrarite. When the Philistines banded together . . . Israel’s troops fled from them. But Shamma took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory. “Abishai the brother of Joab . . . he raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed. “Benaiah son of Jehoida was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel . . . he struck down two of Moab’s best men. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion, and he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.” Abishai, Benaiah and another warrior risked their lives to break through the lines of the Philistines and draw water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem to bring back to David a drink from that well. Although he longed to taste that water, David poured it out as an offering unto the Lord rather than to drink water for which his loyal and devoted warriors risked their lives. There were also among David’s Mighty Men the following warriors: “Ashel the brother of Joab, Elhanan so
City founder James Prendergast and other industrious pioneers were drawn to the outlet of Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York State because of its abundant waterpower and virgin forests. The skills of these settlers, coupled with the area's natural resources, led to the emergence of industrial Jamestown, known worldwide for its diverse manufacture of quality products, including furniture, metal, and textiles. The authors have chosen more than two hundred vintage images based on historic markers for Jamestown. Thorough research and oral histories reveal contributions made by trailblazing immigrants, philanthropic families, diverse ethnic groups, earnest businessmen, and three hometown notables who achieved global fame: Lucille Ball, Roger Tory Peterson, and Robert H. Jackson.
The period from the late 1800s through the mid-1900s is fondly remembered as the heyday of the Chautauqua Lake region in southwestern New York State. It was a wondrous era, when railroads, steamboats, and trolleys transported local residents as well as wealthy and socially prominent families from Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Cincinnati, and St. Louis to their summertime destinations around Chautauqua Lake.Showcased in Chautauqua Lake Region are not only adjacent lakeside communities, industries, and occupations of the residents but also the exceptional natural beauty of the lake itself, its importance to early navigation, its recreational attributes, and its overall allure as a tourist mecca. This "pocket museum" focuses on the myriad attractions that once dotted the lake's forty-two-mile shoreline: hotels, parks, camps, picnic groves, rowing clubs, boat liveries, fish hatcheries, icehouses, railroad and trolley depots, and steamboat landings.