Cambridge MA - The Cambridge Historical Commission Blog

In this post, our archives assistant Meta shares highlights and images from the recently processed and digitized Ella Jepson Nylander Photograph Collection. This collection is open for research at the CHC.

This collection consists of photographs found in a trunk that belonged to Ella Jepson Nylander. Mrs. Nylander was born Rozella Josephine Jepson in New Sweden, Maine in 1883 to Swedish immigrants Mons and Elna Jepson. Ella and her husband Olof Conrad Nylander lived within the closely-knit Swedish-American community in Cambridge for many years, and a number of the photographs in this collection were taken by photographers in Cambridge and across the water in Boston. Members of the Nylander and related families are represented in the images, in addition to friends and fellow church-goers of the Swedish Baptist Church located at the corner of Washington and Columbia streets.

nylander_1 — *Portrait of Anna Nyman (left) and Ella Jepson Nylander (right)*, c. 1890-1905.

Cambridge began seeing a rise in Swedish immigrants during the late-nineteenth century, and by 1905 the population had reached 1,645. Many Swedes were employed in trades and as craftsmen, but quite a few members of the younger generation began working in a more professional capacity. The Swedish and Swedish-American community in Cambridge was a close-knit and religious group during this time, and many of their activities centered on their religion.

nylander_2 — *Portrait of Olof Conrad Nylander (left) and Otto H. Anderson (right)*, c. 1900-1910.

Ella Jepson married Olof Conrad Nylander in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 30, 1908, and the ceremony was performed by Reverend C. (Carl) E. Johnson, the couple’s first pastor in Cambridge. Reverend Johnson became the pastor for this congregation in 1899. During his time in Cambridge, Reverend Johnson performed wedding ceremonies for various friends of the Nylanders and was very active in organizing church social events.

nylander_3 — *Portrait of Reverend Carl E. Johnson*, c. 1900.

By 1902, the Swedish Baptist congregation in Cambridge had expanded to over 100 members and began taking bids to create a new church. Many members of the congregation were said to be poor or working class immigrants, and the surrounding community of Cambridge was encouraged to aid in fund contributions to the new church. Construction began in late 1902, and during this time the congregation worshiped in the YMCA building. The cornerstone for the new church was laid on March 8, 1903 and dedicated the following May in 1904. As it stands today, the building at 77 Columbia Street is a substantial improvement to its predecessor and embodies the spirit of community and fellowship of the Swedish community in Cambridge.

nylander_4 — *Swedish Baptist Church at 77 Columbia Street, Cambridge*, c. 1903-1915.

For a more in-depth history of this collection and the individuals photographed, click the following text to open the Ella Jepson Nylander Photograph Collection finding aid.

To view the full collection of digitized images, visit the Cambridge Historical Commission Flickr page.

References:

“Ancestry,” Retrieved from http://www.ancestry.com/.

“Death of Iowa Rev. Olof Lindh.” Cambridge Chronicle, October 12, 1912. Accessed October 7, 2016. http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Chronicle19121012-01.2.117&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN——.

“Harvard Square.” Cambridge Tribune, June 15, 1907. Accessed October 11, 2016. http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Tribune19070615-01.2.44&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN——.

“Midsummer Festival.” Cambridge Chronicle, June 29, 1918, Accessed October 11, 2016. http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Chronicle19180629-01.2.59&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN——.

“Midsummer Festival by Swedish Church.” Cambridge Chronicle, June 28, 1919. Accessed October 11, 2016. http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Chronicle19190628-01.2.54&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN——.

“New Swedish Baptist Church.” Cambridge Chronicle, July 19, 1902. Accessed October 7, 2016. http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Chronicle19020719-01.2.157&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN——.

“Over 600 Present at Annual Swedish Night.” Cambridge Chronicle, March 10, 1923. Accessed October 11, 2016. http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Chronicle19230310-01.2.75&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN——.

“Proposed Swedish Baptist Church.” Cambridge Tribune, March 7, 1903. Accessed October 7, 2016. http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Tribune19030307-01.2.109.3&srpos=9&e=–1846—1935–en-20–1-byDA-txt-txIN-%22swedish+baptist+church%22+columbia—–#.

“Prospect Union.” Cambridge Sentinel, January 7, 1911. Accessed October 11, 2016. http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Sentinel19110107-01.2.58&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN——.

“Swedish Baptist Church.” Cambridge Tribune, June 13, 1896. Accessed October 7, 2016. http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Tribune18960613-01.2.51&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN——.

Woods, Robert A. and Albert J. Kennedy, The Zone of Emergence: Observations of the Lower Middle and Upper Working Class Communities of Boston, 1905-1914. Abridged and Edited with a Preface by Sam Bass Warner, Jr., 70-74, Cambridge: The M.I.T. Press, 1962.

Corcorans011

Thanks to the hard work of our archives interns and assistants, many of our archival collections are now available for research at the Cambridge Historical Commission. We are constantly processing new and existing collections, so check here often for updates.

Click here to discover full finding aids for the collections listed below (as well as many other collections in our archives):

Cambridge Engineering Department Collection
Cambridge Ephemera Collection (Updated). This collection contains ephemera related to Cambridge industry and business, institutions and organizations, local history, photographs and published materials.
Cambridge Traffic Department Collection
Cambridge Women’s Commission Collection. The collection is comprised of photographs, negatives, and planning materials relating to Cambridge Women’s Commission activities between 1979 and 1993.
Charles W. Eliot 2^nd Collection. Eliot was a landscape architect and early advocate of urban planning.
Corcoran’s Department Store Collection
Doyle Family Photograph Collection
Frederick Hastings Rindge Collection (includes materials from Cambridge Rindge & Latin and Rindge/Cambridge Manual Training School)
Gladys G. Boyce Photograph Collection
The Electronics Corporation of America Collection (Updated)
Ella Jepson Nylander Photograph Collection
Harvard Naval Radio School Collection
Henry Deeks Photograph Collection
Latino History and Culture in Cambridge Research Collection
Lois M. Bowen Photograph Collection (Updated). Cambridge-based photographer and entrepreneur.
William Lawrence Galvin Collection (Updated). Cambridge architect.

Above Image:

Corcoran’s Department Store, new store opening, 615 Mass Ave, 4/13/1940. Corcoran’s Department Store Collection.

About our archives:

The Cambridge Historical Commission maintains an archive of material on Cambridge buildings, organizations, and people. The primary collection is the Inventory of Cambridge Buildings, which documents every building in the city. Other collections include materials on Cambridge businesses and industries, transportation in all its forms, local government, biographical files, ethnic and minority groups, social history, and more.

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Ella Jepson Nylander Photograph Collection