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Centennial Monograph: The Scandinavians: Danish, Swedish, Norwegian

mhs-2019.199.pdf

Dublin Core

Title

Centennial Monograph: The Scandinavians: Danish, Swedish, Norwegian

Description

A brief account of how Scandinavian peoples came to Maynard.

Creator

Unknown

Date

CA1968

Identifier

2019.199

Relation

Document Item Type Metadata

Text

The first Danes to settle in Maynard came in the early l890's. By 1899 they were numerous enough to have organized a club and to hold a dance in their clubroom on Acton Street. That same year rellgious services were held in the Union Congregational Church. The following year a new pastor arrived and by 1901 the church had forty communicants. The young Danes organized a club in 1903 known as the young Danish Peoples' Social Club.

Danish Brotherhood Society, Maynard Lodge No. 204, was instituted December 23, 1904. This was a fraternal benefit society which lasted until 1929. The society built a hall on Hastings Street, Stow, just over the town line in 1912. There is no record of the first officers, but Hans Erikson was on of the stalwarts in the latter years of the society.

The Swedes started to settle in Maynard around the turn of the century. By 1904, a Sunday School was organized at the home of John Nordberg. Sometime just before 1913 the Hamer Lodge, No. 126, Scandinavian Brotherhood was organized. In its ranks were also Danes and Norwegians and at it peak had a membership of about one hundred and forty. In the latter 1930's it combined with the Lindberg Lodge of Waltham. Some of the early officers were Charles E. Ekstadt, Sanfrld Swanson, Carl Emanuelson, Mrs. Bemt Anderson, Mrs. Hudda McClean, Rlchard Swanson, Bemt Anderson, Ernest Johnson, Oscar Johnson. Religious services by 1913 were held by the Swedish Lutheran Congregation in the vestry of the Finnish Lutheran Church.

Norwegians in limited numbers entered Maynard life about the same time as the Danes and the Swedes. They apparently joined in the soclal life of the above in their organizations as there is no record of any Norwegian societies.