"Our Scandinavian Heritage," a unique collection of true stories about the immigration of Scandinavians to the Jamestown area, is now available. The book was written by 66 authors.
The stories are about the authors and their ancestors and share the experiences, adventures and sacrifices made to come to America, "a land where the streets were paved in gold," as one young girl was told.
Included is a history of the emigration from Scandinavia to America and to Jamestown in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Several articles by Scandinavian writer and historian, The Rev. Dr. Arland O. Fiske, are interspersed throughout the book, as well as a history of the book's sponsor, The Norden Women's Club.
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Every story or anecdote contained in the book is a valuable piece of Scandinavian history now preserved for generations to come. Many of them are intensely emotional.
The editor of the book is Barbara Ann Hillman Jones, who is a third-generation Swedish-American who grew up in Jamestown. She has authored three other books prior to editing and introducing "Our Scandinavian Heritage."
The collection contains 105 stories and has 371 pages. It is available in both hard cover ($25) and soft cover ($18). It will be sold at Scandinavian Culture Days on Saturday at Jamestown Community College from 9 a.m. to noon.
The book is also available locally from Yvonne McNallie, who can be reached at 664-2977. Additionally, for those out of town, it can be ordered through Barbara Jones: 1811 Brandywine Trail, Fort Wayne, IN 46845, 260-637-1836 or bajfw7@frontier.com. To learn more about the book, visit the editor's website: phalanxassociatesinc.com.