Klingberg Children's Home


Book Description

Serving as the pastor of a small Swedish congregation in New Britain, Rev. John Eric Klingberg never forgot his own childhood misery. His past inspired a lifelong mission: to provide a home for destitute and forgotten children. In May 1903, Klingberg found three small boys who had been abandoned in a shack and welcomed them into a new home, the first Klingberg Children's Home. After years of prayer and gracious donations from friends and strangers alike, Klingberg gradually acquired the parcel of land overlooking the city of New Britain and built the home that would house more than two thousand boys and girls over the years. The images in Klingberg Children's Home come from the extensive collections of the Klingberg Family Centers. They tell the captivating story of Klingberg's journey in faith as he developed the orphanage. This collection includes photographs of Klingberg's birthplace in Sweden; photographs of the first orphans taken in by Klingberg in 1903; images of the orphanage on the hilltop and the ten orphan houses occupied during the early years; and scenes of the children's everyday life.




New Britain


Book Description

New Britain, Connecticut, is a city that almost didn't exist. In the mid-1750s, the settlers in this area separated from Kensington and founded the parish of New Britain with the establishment of the First Church. It was 1850 before parishioners incorporated as a town. Within twenty years, the town flourished and New Britain applied for and received a city charter. The people of New Britain then voted to incorporate as a city, but the historic motion passed only by the narrow margin of one vote! In this fascinating visual history, city historian Arlene C. Palmer examines the 125-year history of the "Hardware City," through rare photographs highlighting workplaces, treasured clubs and societies, favorite forms of entertainment, places of worship, and men and women who have boldly served their city and country. The cultural diversity and rich heritage of the city's families are also evident in the book's vivid pictures and informative text.










Farmer, Cowboy, Soldier, Spy


Book Description

Just a few months ago I celebrated my 75th birthday with a family reunion on the shores of Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake and the site of our winter home. We ranged in age from 13 months to 75 years. Somewhere along the way I had become the senior member of the family - the previous generation had become little more than memories, lost but for a few faded photographs. I wished I knew more about my parents, my grandparents or perhaps my great-grandparents who lived in a pre-industrial world before the advent of cars and airplanes, before telephones and electricity, even before photography had been perfected. I wished my morfar's morfar, Olaf Borgquist, had written about his life as a blacksmith in the early 19th century. I decided then and there to record the story of my life; to pass on to my grandchildren and great grandchildren what life was like for an average citizen of the USA during the 20th Century.




Juvenile Delinquency (Chicago, Ill.)


Book Description

Hearings were held in Chicago, Ill.




Biennial Report


Book Description




Legendary Locals of New Britain


Book Description

New Britain began in 1754 as an ecclesiastical society and farming village, and with few natural resources, was transformed into a modern industrial city by the time of its incorporation in 1871. Attracting waves of immigrant workers and entrepreneurs, this became a diverse but unified community in which people of all ethnicities worked together, served together in times of war, and even played together on the baseball fields. Legendary Locals of New Britain includes remarkable residents among the early inhabitants and settlers; the people and institutions that brought New Britain to cityhood; artists and entertainers; famous or leading immigrants; sports legends; and men and women who have otherwise made their mark on New Britain, the nation, or the world.