Jefferson County Online The Swedish Community of Jefferson County, Iowa

   The influence of the church on the lives and conduct of its members and even on the community was great. Norelius states that Pastor Olson was troubled by the influence of drink in the congregation. There was even a tavern near the church. On Christmas Day, 1860, he started a revival and had prayer meetings in homes in evenings, even all night, for weeks. After that it was possible for Pastor Olson to have Christian church discipline. John L. Sandall wrote back to Sweden about that Christmas: "We have a zealous and consecrated pastor who ministers to our spiritual needs and Pastor Hasselquist has visited us three times. He is one of our best ministers. He and Pastor Carlsson of Chicago have been with us during the Christmas season so we have had religious services every day even to the thirteenth day after Christmas. We have indeed had a joyous Christmas."

   The next year church minutes showed that anyone who let his dogs run loose would be fined 25 cents. The Puritanical views of the early immigrants and the church forbade the performance of traditional Swedish folk dances, folk songs and the ancient Swedish midsummer festival with its dancing around the May pole. Even the midsummer picnic with a children's program common in later Swedish communities was not held in New Sweden. There were few leisure hours in pioneer days and what social life there was centered around the church. From about 1880 the women of the "Ladies Aide Society" met to sew articles for the church benefit auction. Even the young people of the 'Luther League' did their bit for the church.

   The granddaughter of Nils Johan Quick who came to New Sweden in 1886 has remembered his account of Sundays in early days. The first settlers walked to church and this practice continued for many years. Those who lived farthest from the church started out across the fields or by roads and were joined by others along the way. As they neared the church they could see other groups coming from all directions. Those who had walked three or four miles might be tired yet anyone except a small child, who fell asleep during the one to two hour sermon, was promptly awakened. After the service the people walked back home. They could have driven to church in their wagons but they felt their horses should have a day of rest and those who drove oxen found walking much faster. People were accustomed to walking then and a leisurely walk and visit with friends, with a possible invitation to stop for coffee, was something to look forward to all week. Housewives were prepared to feed extra people and no doubt the Sunday quest had something with them to put on the table.