Rev. O. C. Wieden: Sixteen Years of New Sweden Baptist History
Reverend Oscar Carl Wieden was minister of the First Baptist Church of New Sweden for sixteen years from 1910-1926. He was born 26 August 1868 in Borgvik, Varmland, Sweden. Selma Swanson was Oscar’s first wife. She was from Skane, Sweden. The couple lived in Wilmington, Delaware. Selma died 8 September 1910.
They had four children: Clifford Oscar Titus, Mildred S. R., Floyd, and Reuben (Lawrence.) Clifford (30 August 1902 in Wilmington, Delaware-3 March 1997 in Presque Isle, Maine) was president of the University of Maine at Presque Isle retiring in 1969. Rev. Wieden performed his son Clifford’s wedding ceremony as a gift to him. Mildred (5 November 1904-December 1984) graduated from Caribou High School in 1922. She was buried near her parents in New Sweden.
Floyd was born 12 August 1907. His brother Clifford tried to trace his whereabouts in the 1940’s through the Selective Service but he was not found and was presumed deceased. Reuben (19 August 1910- 18 October 1978 ) was adopted by his uncle Otto Swanson. Reuben’s name was changed to Lawrence Swanson.
After his first wife’s death, Oscar moved to New Sweden in 1910 with his three young children, Mildred, Floyd and Clifford. The children’s aunt (their mother’s sister), Hilma Swanson, accompanied the family as housekeeper to New Sweden on a temporary basis.
Oscar’s second wife was Annie D. Nelson who was a widow. She was married to George A. J. Stadig on 26 June 1901. Annie and George had a son Alger Joseph (15 July 1903-26 April 1954 in Pembroke, Plymouth, Massachusetts). George died at age 34 on 11 October 1909 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Annie was born in New Sweden on 29 October 1881. She taught at the East Road School in New Sweden 1899-1900. Annie remembered how her mother related how snakes sometimes wriggled up between the flooring logs of the first log houses where the family lived. She told how people’s homes served early on as schoolhouses and if a boy was naughty, he was often tied to the bedpost.
Annie and Oscar had two children, Elida (1912-1916) and Lindley (born 10 February 1920.) A stained glass window in the First Baptist Church of New Sweden was given in memory of daughter Elida Wieden 1912-1916. The window was restored in 1987. The Wiedens lived across the road from Herman Anderson, the mailman.
O. C. Wieden died at age 83 on 10 September 1951 and was buried at Capitol Hill Cemetery in New Sweden, Maine. Annie died in 1960 at age 78 years.
Written by Jean Duncan, Madawaska Lake, Maine, July 2007.
Works Cited:
Arcturus. Caribou High School: 1922.
Cemetery stone. Oscar and Anne Wieden. New Sweden, Maine.
Fisher, Rhonda. “Stadig Ancestors: Seven Generations.” The Stadig Family Website. 3 June 2005. <http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Village/2245/7Generations.html>
Maine’s Swedish Colony files. 2007. New Sweden, Maine: Capitol Hill School.
Maine’s Swedish Colony, Inc. Nonagenarian Booklet.
New Sweden Baptist Church. Genealogy records for 1987 restoration of memorial stained glass windows.
Nilson, Dr. Allan T. New Sweden, Maine: Changes and Characteristics among Swedish Descendants as Compared with some other Ethnic Groups within Northeastern America. Goteborg, Sweden: Sjofartsmuseet, 1973.
Silver, Nathan. Ravenwing: All My Relations. Feb. 4, 2001. Sept. 17, 2005. <http://www.ravenwing.freehomepage.com/stadd001.HTM#id283>
The Church of Latter Day Saints. Family Search. 2007. http://www.familysearch.org/
Young, John. “ Dr. Clifford O. T. Wieden.” University of Maine at Presque Isle. Sept. 30, 2003. <http://www.umpi.maine.edu/info/lib/history/cotwie~1.htm>
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March 16, 2012 at 1:46 pm
Thank you for this history. I finished transcribing the records of the Calvary Swedish Baptist Church in Meriden, Ct. Some folks went between New Sweden Baptist and the Meriden church. I am writing a report on Swedish immigrants in Meriden, comparing and contrasting to other areas…MN, NJ, Maine…It is now onfile in Meriden and the CT. So.c of Genealogists….Windham, ME and a Glantz line, not related to mine…so I have records from various societies from them. Some of my info is on a private tree on ancestry..Good reading: Resources for Studying Hist..our state hist. and some hist. profs are connected to share data with…
thanks again for this report and the names.
Deb Glantz Hanna
member of CT. Hist. Soc., Ct. Gen. Soc., Grinnell Family Assoc., Meriden, Ct. Hist. Soc., Wethersfield Hist Soc. used to belong to DAR but gave it up….
My Swede was Peter (Per Erick Söderlund) Glans from Matfors and LAngby sweden.
March 16, 2012 at 1:59 pm
My info from the Calvary Swedish BAptist Church, Meriden, Ct.
1910 Lundeen, Rev. A.O. From New Sweden, Maine. Added 1910. To Alexandria, Minn. Feb 28, 1913.
his wife:
Lundeen, Hilma (Mrs. A.O). From New Sweden, Maine. Added 1910. To Alexandria, Minn. Feb 28, 1913.
The handwriting is very bad…archaic cursive so I thought I might have the first letters to the last name wrong…
March 16, 2012 at 2:50 pm
In the 1910 New HAven, Ct. census, there is an O.C. Wieden, pastor…..another bit of info…..
March 16, 2012 at 2:52 pm
and in the 1901 census, wife is Selma…census probably before Sept. and Selma’s death…
March 16, 2012 at 3:23 pm
Here is some info about Rev. Lundin
March 16, 2012 at 7:29 pm
Wonderful! Thanks so much……
March 16, 2012 at 7:35 pm
I mentioned your work on my ancestry tree…..can I show folks the work (cut and paste) with citation, or would you like me to paraphrase it….and cite you…
Thanks you so much for showing me this!
Deb Glantz Hanna
March 22, 2012 at 4:00 pm
Either would be okay with me, whichever is best for you. I am glad that you have found my work to be helpful to you and that you think some of your group would be interested also. Thank you for asking!
June 26, 2014 at 12:10 pm
Thank you for the wonderful article on my grandparents and father, Lindley L Wieden. Having all the details of dates and relationships in writing is invaluable.
June 26, 2014 at 2:44 pm
Thank you for your research. My father, Lindley Wieden passed away today on his and my mother’s anniversary one year ago. I appreciate so much reading the family history.
June 28, 2014 at 2:18 am
Lindley Wieden was born on Feb 10, 1920. not Feb 12. Thank you for the story.
September 19, 2021 at 7:51 am
Thank you for info. My grandgrandmother Alma was Selma Lovisa Wiedens older sister. Im searching info about how Selma died. And what happened to Hilma and her siblings? So you have any info about familj Swanson or Thompson? Their older sister Alma emmigrated to Sweden Gotland with her husband Jakob. They were baptists. They had 6 children. Alice Elmer Mabel Sven Gunhild and Märtha. Märtha is my fathers mother. Im searching all info and fotos.
Regards
Ulrika Nygren Stockholm Sweden
ulrika@nygreen.de