Rev Karl Emil Emil Sjölander (2024)

GEDCOM Note

November 4, 2011

After about 12 years of sporadic research, I'm finally learning something about the elusive Rev Sholander. A couple of obituaries were provided by the archivist at College and Lutheran Church Archives Folke Bernodotte Memorial Library, Gustavus Adolphus College, 800 West College Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082 507-933-7554.

C. E. Sholander
Carl E. Sholander was born in Algutsboda parish, Kronobergs län, Sweden, April 10, 1866. He studied at the public schools there, and was confirmed at the age of fifteen. He look up tailoring as a young man, but always felt a desire to serve in some special way the Saviour he early learned to love. He came to this country in 1888, and followed his vocation for many years. In 1896 he made his home in Cherokee, Iowa, where during the years 1897 - 1907 he served as deacon, Sunday school superintendent and lay preacher. 
Urged by many to enter the ministry, Sholander took up studies at Augustana College in 1906, two years later becoming a hospitant at the theological seminary. He was ordained at Chicago in 1912 on a call to the Clarkfield-Fridhem-Swede Home parishes in Minnesota. In the spring of 1918 he was called to East Chain, serving that congregation, as well as Fairmont and Lakefield, until February, 1920. The next four years were spent in Little Falls. Besides Bethel Church of that place, he served also Fridhem and Darling. While in this charge he organized a congregation at Parkertown. In April, 1925, he accepted a call to the Balsam and Range congregations, Amery, Wisconsin. The winter of 1932 - 33 was spent in Minneapolis. After this brief rest, he took up the work of the Conference mission field at Markville and Kingsdale in June, 1933, remaining until October 1935. After that he assisted in congregational work in a number of communities. His health began to fail in January, 1936, and it became impossible for him to remain longer in the active ministry.
During the period of illness, the family resided with a daughter in Minneapolis. Here death came with release from earthly labors and trials on November 24, 1936. The faithful pastor had attained the age of 70 years, 7 months and 14 days. 
The family belonged to St. Paul Lutheran Church (Minneapolis), and in its sanctuary funeral services were held on November 27 under the direction of Pastor G. F. Grahn. Pastor Carl O. Swan preached in Swedish and Dr. P. A. Mattson in English. lnterment took place at Cherokee Iowa, where services were also conducted.
Rev. Sholander is survived by his wife; by three sons, Severt Sholander, Fairmount, Minnesota; Verner Sholander, St. Paul, and Alvin Sholander, Minneapolis; by five daughters, Mrs. Hjalmar Gustafson, Fairmount; Mrs. Emil Johnson, Elmore; Mrs. Clifford Odell, Fairmount; Mrs. Emerson Hill, Minneapolis; and Mrs. Leland Krause, Sheboygan, Wisconsin; also by a brother, Axel Sholander in Fairmount, a sister in Sweden, and six grandchildren. 
Faithful in his calling as a shepherd of souls throughout a ministry of twenty-four years, Pastor Sholander has entered the rest that remaineth for God's people.

A second obituary adds the information that he died "at his home, 3441 Portland Avenue, Minneapolis" and identifies his wife as formerly Miss Selma Sandberg. My understanding, corroborated by Ruth Taylor, Sharon Bergsgaard and Brent Storhaug, is that Sholander and Selma had no children. Neither of the obituaries identifies his first wife, the mother of his eight children. Neither do they identify the daughters by name, identifying them only by their husbands names.

My earlier notes on Sholander are retained for reference below:

Selma's husbands have no first names; when I found the picture of Rev. Sholander in Ruth's collection, she said "Oh, that's Sholander". Death Certificate Records at the Minnesota Historical Society list a Carl E. Sholander, Death Certificate 1936-MN-024555, as having died on Nov. 24, 1936. The death date matches my other information, so I think it is most likely the same person. Sholander apparently had 2 or 3 children by a previous marriage, but he and Selma had no children. He doesn't seem to have left much of a trace on the Internet though. Tough guy to search for.

Marie Andersson <a href="http://resources.rootsweb.com/~guestbook/cgi-bin/public_guestbook.c..."target="new">Family of Floyer Guestbook, 30 June, 2010</a> comments "You have a Rev. Carl. E Sholander listed in your family tree, and you are not sure about the photo you have is of him. I can confirm, you are correct. Carl. E. Scholander was my father's paternal great uncle. We have some more photos from the same sequence. He was born in Sweden, in Algutsboda parish. Left for USA from Ekeberga parish and studied to be a reverend in Chicago."

Algutsboda Parish or Madesjo is near Nybro in the traditional landskap (province) of Småland, southern Sweden.

Further discussion with Marie Andersson (Nov 3, 2011):

From: Tim Sandberg
To:
Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2011 4:45 PM
Subject: Rev Sholander

Hi Marie
Thanks for your note in the Floyer guestbook about Rev Sholander. I note your spelling of Scholander. Probably the original Swedish was Sjölander, but pronounced as an sh or sch, so the spelling changed on emigration to North America. Can you confirm the birthdate I have of "about 20 April 1866"? I'm not sure where I got that from; I'd have to dig through my filebox to find my source.

The suffix 'ander' is common among the Swedish clergy - see http://www.genealogi.se/namneng.htm for a discussion of Swedish naming practices - so I wonder if he chose the name Sjölander because he became a clergyman or if he became a clergyman because it was the family occupation? I really know nothing about him beyond the name and a picture so any information you can provide is welcome. He was my granduncle - my paternal grandfather's sister's husband.

Marie replied:

Hi Tim! Nice to hear from you! I can give you some more info on Carl Emil Sjölander. He was born on 10 April 1865 (acc.to church records and 18 April acc. to emigration papers), father Carl Sjölander, b. 10 July 1829 and Lisa Katarina Johansdotter b. 13 Jan 1837. Carl Sr was a clockmaker. They lived at the time of Carl Emil's emigration in the parish of Ekeberga, near Växjö town, in the south of Sweden. Sjölander is a name given to his father, I believe by the navy, as the name switch occurred at the same time as his time in Karlskrona at the regiment there. Carl Emil studied to become a clergyman in USA so his name has nothing to do with his title. Do you want more info, please ask as much as you like and I will do my best to give you answers.

Best regards! Marie

Rev Karl Emil Emil Sjölander (2024)

GEDCOM Note

References