Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of a Swedish-language Bible owned by the Celander family of Moline, Illinois. The Bible contains photographs and ephemera inserted throughout its pages.
Frank Philip Celander (1850-1947) immigrated to Moline, Illinois from Sweden in 1881. He married Anna Mattsen (1859-1939), also a Swedish immigrant, in 1885. They had five children: Blenda (“Brownie”), Nella (“Nellie”), Agnes, Alvin (“Philip”), and Herbert (“Mencer”). This Bible is believed to have belonged to Brownie Celander before being passed down to her niece, Phyllis Fink (1931-2007) of Freeport, Illinois.
The Bible was published circa 1889 in Rockford, Illinois by Giffen Bros., a subsidiary of Rockford Publishing Co. owned and operated by William (1858-1920) and James (1857-1917) Giffen. The brothers started the business in 1885 and worked out of 423 East State Street, west of Rockford’s “Swede Town.” This area made up a substantial portion of southeast Rockford and housed approximately 85% of the city’s Swedish population from 1880-1900.
This collection is comprised of a Swedish-language Bible owned by the Celander family of Moline, Illinois. The leaves are bound between two boards covered in brown leather, which are gilded and intricately detailed. Each leaf has a gold-painted edge and many of the pages are illuminated—depicting natural motifs, Greco-Roman styles, and religious scenes. Three small sections before the start of the New Testament, titled “Bröllopsdagar” (Wedding Anniversaries), “Födelsedagar” (Birthdays), and “Dödsdagar” (Death Dates), include written names and dates for Celander family members. The final section following the New Testament includes portraits of various family members, many with the subject’s name written beneath their photo.
Apart from the Bible, this collection includes ephemeral objects that were inserted between the volume’s pages—pressed flowers, photographs, a slip of paper, and a newspaper clipping. These materials were removed from the Bible and placed into folders that are labeled to note their original placement.
This collection was donated by Steven Fink in 2022.
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