Constantin Magnus Esbjorn papers, 1868-1925 | Augustana College

The Constantin Magnus Esbjörn papers include the following series: Personal, Correspondence, and Notes.

The Personal series dates from 1833 to 1922 and some items are undated. This series includes the birth dates of his parents and siblings and several detailed accounts of his life, some of which are in English and some in Swedish. It holds a speech that C.M. Esbjörn gave in 1876 to the Phrenoskosmian Society. The series contains a Letter of Dismission for him and his first wife. It contains his Baccalaureate Diploma, his certificate and license of marriage to his second wife Anna Sofia, and a record of baptism for their daughter. It also holds several tax notices and a receipt for a clerical frock suit. The series compiles Lars Paul Esbjörn's estate records, death notice, and memoirs. C.M. Esbjörn's Vasa Order and several documents and newspaper clippings are also held within the series. Advertisements for Steel Frame Buck Saws and a Jeweler are also within, and the series ends with three photographs; one of C.M. Esbjörn, one of his second wife Anna Sofia, and one of C.M. Esbjörn and three other sophomores attending Augustana at Paxton.

The Correspondence series consists of letters written to C.M. Esbjörn. The majority of the letters are in Swedish, but a number of them are also in English or are translated into English. It contains letters from 1868 to 1922 and some are left undated. Several letters are from his brothers, as well as some from his mother and father. The latter part of the series contains letters from other pastors and Augustana presidents and faculty.

The third series, Notes, dates from 1877 to 1894 and contains some undated material. The series consists of three notebooks, which are in Swedish but contain some English passages as well as translations. There is a detailed description in English written by Conrad Bergendoff about the contents of the notebooks. They seem to be sermons or notes of his years as a professor. The series also contains several random thoughts or notes on small pieces of paper, as well as newspaper clippings pertinent to C.M. Esbjörn's work as a pastor and professor. Also included in the series are two drafts of a sermon and a draft of a proposal to the Augustana Synod suggesting that everyone has the right to vote for church council.