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Processed by: library staff

Control Num.:  SSIRC MSS P:1

Biographical Sketch

Eric Norelius was born on October 26, 1833 in Hassela parish, Gävleborgs län, Sweden.  He received his early education at Hudviksvall's allmänna läroverk.  In 1850, at the age of 17, Eric Norelius immigrated to the U.S. and after 11 weeks at sea he landed in New York City.  After having worked as an errand boy for a bank in the city, Norelius went to Chicago where he met Gustaf Unonius who encouraged him to attend the Nashotah Seminary in Wisconsin.  Instead, Norelius continued west to Andover where L.P. Esbjörn received him.  With assistance from Esbjörn, Norelius enrolled at Capital University in Columbus where he spent  4 years studying.  Norelius was ordained by the Northern Illinois Synod in 1855 and his first call came from Tippecanoe County in Indiana.  From Indiana, he moved to the newly formed congregations in Red Wing and Vasa, Minnesota in 1856.   In 1858, Norelius assumed the editor-ship for the Swedish-American newspaper Hemlandet, a position he held for about a year when he was called to serve the Swedish lutheran congregation in Attica, Indiana.  In 1863, he was called back to the Vasa and Red Wing congregations in Goodhue County, where he spent his remaining years. Norelius was one of the founders of the Augustana Synod and he served as its president between 1870-1881 and 1901-1910. Norelius was also the founder of the Minnesota Conference.

Norelius was active in the publishing field and begun the publishing of Minnesota Posten, which after a year was forced to merge with Hemlandet due to lack of finances . Norelius and P. Sjöblom (Swedish pastor in Red Wing) published and edited together Svensk Luthersk Tidskrift, which became Skaffaren after the first year of existence.  He was also the editor of Augustana for a brief period of time and the synod calendar Korsbaneret.

He married Inga C. Peterson of West Point, Indiana on June 10, 1855. They had four sons and one daughter. Eric Norelius died on March 15, 1916 in Vasa, Minnesota.  

For further detail on Eric Norelius career as a Swedish Lutheran pioneer pastor please see:  Early life of Eric Norelius (1833-1862) : Lutheran pioneer / his own story rendered into English by Emeroy Johnson, published by the Augustana Book Concern, Rock Island Illinois, 1934.

Scope and Content

The bulk of the letters in the collection were received during the period 1851-1916 when Norelius served as the Augustana Synod President,  served as pastor in various pioneer churches in Minnesota and was active in the publishing field.  The letters in this collection are mostly from other pastors and leaders active in the Augustana Synod, but individual Swedish immigrants concerned with the establishment of new Swedish congregations and the administration of the Synod are also represented.  Included are also letters from family members. 

Arrangement

The letters are arranged in chronological order. A card index arranged by writers last name exists to each individual letter at the Swenson Center.  For further questions please contact sag@augustana.edu

Box 1

Letters received between, 1851-1864

Box 2

Letters received between, 1865-1870

Box 2A

Letters received between, 1871-1872

Box 3

Letters received between, 1873-1875

Box 3A

Letters received in 1876.

Box 4

Letters received between, 1877-1879

Box 5

Letters received between, 1879-1881

Box 6

Letters received between, 1882-1886

Box 6A

Letters received between in 1887

Box 7

Letters received between, 1888-1892

Box 8

Letters received between, 1893-1894

Box 8A

Letters received in 1894

Box 9

Letters received in 1895

Box 9A

Letters received in 1896

Box 10

Letters received between, 1896-1899

Box 10A

Letters received in 1899

Box 11

Letters received between, 1900-1901

Box 11A

Letters received 1901

Box 12

Letters received in 1902

Box 12A

Letters received in 1903

Box 13

Letters received between, 1904-1905

Box 13A

Letters received in 1905

Box 14

Letters received between 1906-1907

Box 14A

Letters received in 1907

Box 15

Letters received in 1908

Box 15A

Letters received in 1909

Box 16

Letters  received between1910-1911

Box 17

Letters received between, 1911-1916, n.d, Autobiography, "Memoirs of Eric Norelius." West Coast Missionary Journey, 1885-1886. Trs. by Emeroy Johnson (1933-1934). With separate intro. and name index (1983).