Industrial expansion in New England gave impetus to large-scale Swedish immigration by the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Swedish American communities were established in many areas, including Worcester County in Massachusetts and adjacent northern Windham County in Connecticut. Swedes of Greater Worcester Revisited, a companion to Swedes of Greater Worcester (2002), expands upon the story of the region's Swedish American population. Vintage images capture the immigration experience, family and organizational life, and religious aspects of the community.

By the late nineteenth century, Swedish immigrants began arriving by the thousands in New England, attracted by the area's heavy industry. In particular, the steel and ceramic shops of Worcester provided a livelihood for many of them. As a result, new areas of Swedish settlements developed throughout the surrounding towns. Swedes of Greater Worcester captures the area's Swedish heritage through a collection of images that displays everything from vintage weddings to ski-jumping events and stories known only by the families of the Swedes who first traveled to Worcester. These images represent a time when the Swedish element was a vital and vibrant part of the identity of the greater Worcester area.

By 1900, Worcester was home to the largest Swedish population in the eastern United States. These new residents brought an innovative and unique spirit to the community. Industrialist John Jeppson invented an artificial emery stone, and his experiments in the abrasives field became the foundation of the Norton Company. Worcester welcomed Swedish immigrants who preserved traditions through various lodges, church congregations and Swedish-owned businesses like Holstrom's Market, Lundborg's and Crown Bakery. Fairlawn Hospital and the Lutheran Home were other mainstays that marked the Swedes' local presence. Author Eric J. Salomonsson explores how Worcester's Swedish immigrants became Swedish-Americans while making vital and vibrant contributions to their adopted city.

Swedes came to America filled with hope tempered by the uncertainties of new surroundings, customs, and language. The first Swede to arrive in Brockton, then North Bridgewater, was Daniel Larson (Lawson), in 1844. Since that time, Swedish immigrants and their descendants have left a profound and positive imprint on the character of this region. With an excellent collection of more than two hundred vintage images, The Swedes of Greater Brockton tells the unique story of the immigration to this area of Massachusetts. Greater Brockton was the shoe-manufacturing center of the United States, with such factories as W.L. Douglas, George E. Keith, and D.W. Field. These magnets of immigration drew thousands to the region. Within these pages, meet hundreds of these Swedish immigrants and their descendants. Join in their journey to America, visit their homes, churches, and places of business, and experience their leisure activities. Learn about the establishment of the "Swedish" churches-Lutheran, Congregational, Baptist, Methodist, and the Salvation Army-and see how the entrepreneurial spark in America caught fire in Brockton's Swedish community.

"In this collection are seventeen essays and seven editorials by Barton and published in leading journals between 1974 and 2005. The subjects include post-World War II Swedish immigration and remigration to Sweden. A full bibliography of Barton's publications on Swedish-American history and culture is included"--Provided by publisher