Nancy Forsberg papers
Scope and Contents
This collection is mostly comprised of a vast array of materials that Forsberg collected. These materials include, but are certainly not limited to: printed materials, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, magazines, sheet music, maps, essays, transcriptions, photographs, certificates, and plaques. In Series I, Subject files and Series II, Church work/ministry, the majority of the materials were collected by Forsberg, with little created by Forsberg herself, and were collected throughout her adult life. The bulk of the correspondence, in Series III, is letters written by Professor Edgar Auerbach, and other letters and greeting cards are available from the 1950s through the 2000s. There are also many interesting personal papers included in this collection, also in Series III, such as Forsberg's resume, report cards, and her parent's marriage certificate (written in German). The collection also includes documents concerning Forsberg's death and memorial, including many responses from charitable organizations regarding bequests made in Forsberg's will. In Series V, there is detailed information about Forsberg's lectures regarding the Middle East, Israel, and Jewish-Christian relations. Forsberg received quite a few awards throughout her lifetime, which can be found in Series IV, Ephemera, including one from Hadassah, of which Forsberg was the first Christian member. The collection also includes many photographs that range throughout Forsberg's lifetime, from early childhood through her eighty-second birthday.
Dates
- Creation: 1898-2011 (bulk 1950-1984)
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1950 - 1984
Conditions Governing Access
Photographic negatives may only be viewed with the assistance of the Archivist. Collection is open to researchers at the Msgr. William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center. Advance appointments are required for the use of archival materials.
Conditions Governing Use
All materials available in this collection (unless otherwise noted) are the property of the Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center and Seton Hall University, which reserves the right to limit access to or reproduction of these materials. Reproduction of materials or content is subject to United States copyright restrictions and may be subject to federal or state privacy regulations. Permission to publish exact reproductions must be obtained from the Director of the Archives and Special Collections Center.
Biographical / Historical
Nancy Elizabeth Forsberg was born in Jersey City, New Jersey on 5 August 1922 to Sofie Knusten Forsberg and John Albert Forsberg. Forsberg grow up at 173 Jacoby Street, Maplewood, New Jersey and attended Seth Boyden School in New Jersey at least through 1929-34. Forsberg attended Maplewood Junior High School from 1934-37, and Columbia High School from 1937-40 in the school district of South Orange and Maplewood, New Jersey.
Forsberg received her Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors, from Dension University, Granvielle, Ohio in 1944, majoring in education. She received her Bachelor of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School, New Haven, Connecticut in 1951, focusing on religious leadership in higher education. She also audited two courses at Harford Seminary Foundation, Hartford, Connecticut in 1946, and took a summer session at Union Theology Seminary in New York City in 1949. Forsberg attained her Master of Arts degree from New York University, New York, New York in 1965 concentrating in Hebrew culture and education. According to her resume, Forsberg was working to complete her Ph.D. in 1966, but there is no information available from where or whether she did complete it.
Forsberg's professional experience includes teaching high school Speech and English in Macheniscburg, Ohio. She was a YWCA Program Director for Business, Professional, and Industrial Girls in New Britain, Connecticut and later a Program Coordinator in Patterson, New Jersey. Forsberg was a Girls' Director at the Community House in West Haven, Connecticut. She was also a Campus Minister (Congregational Christian, Evangelical, and Reformed) at the State University of Iowa. Forsberg was a free-lance lecturer throughout the United States and Canada, giving talks on Israel and the Middle East: Land of Promise: B.C. and A.D., Spotlight on the Middle East, Religions in the Land of the Bible, the Youth Aliyah Story, Israel through the Eyes of Israeli Women, Everyday Life in Israel – in Kibbutz, town and city, Hadassah – Healing, Health, Hope, and Arab life in Israel. During this time she also served part-time as the Executive Secretary of the New Jersey Christian Palestine Association.
Nancy Forsberg also spent summers participating in Intergroup Relations Experiences at home and abroad. This includes a trip to Driebergen, Holland sponsored by the Youth Department of the World Council of Churches and the Reformed Church of the Netherlands, and a study tour of church projects in Germany and Switzerland in 1953. In 1957, Forsberg did a Middle East study tour in Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel. Later, in 1960 and again in 1963, she did an independent study and work in Israel, living with Jewish and Arab families.
Nancy Forsberg was ordained in June, 1951. She became pastor of the First Congregational Church in Union, New Jersey in 1967. Forsberg accomplished many things as a Reverend at First Congregational Church, listed in detail in the collection, and these accomplishments include: a bus ministry, for which she is best known, exhibiting denominational responsibilities, turning the church into a relief center, creating a nursery school, focusing on Christian-Jewish relations, interfaith cooperation, and founding the Union Interfaith Committee on Holocaust Studies. Forsberg is known for her dedicated work for her community until her retirement in 2000.
Reverend Forsberg was awarded a lifetime membership of Hadassah, honored by Beth Shalom and Temples in Union for her commitment to the Judeo-Christian partnership. She was honored by the Five Points YMCA, the Township of Union, and various other organizations for her commitment to religious life and education. Nancy Forsberg died on April 5, 2008 at the age of 85.
Extent
18 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Nancy Elizabeth Forsberg was born August 5, 1922 in Jersey City, New Jersey, and died April 5, 2008. Forsberg studied at many institutions, receiving her Master of Arts degree from New York University, New York, New York in 1965 concentrating in Hebrew culture and education. She was ordained in June 1951 and became pastor of the First Congregational Church in Union, New Jersey in 1967. The Nancy Forsberg papers include printed materials, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, magazines, sheet music, maps, essays, transcriptions, photographs, certificates, and her awards, focusing on her work on matters of interfaith and interreligious topics, and religious education.
Arrangement
The collection has been arranged into four series, with subseries, as follows:
The collection has been maintained in original order as much as possible, and is otherwised arranged by subject. Series and subseries created by processors.
The collection has been arranged into four series, with subseries, as follows:
Arrangement of the collection.
- Series I. Subject files,
- Series I.I. Topics on Israel,
- Series I.II. United Nation/Middle East affairs,
- Series I.III. Social justice issues,
- Series I.IV. The Holocaust,
- Series I.V. Places/geography,
- Series II. Church work/ministry,
- Series II.I. Religious subject files,
- Series II.II. Organizations,
- Series II.III. Interfaith topics,
- Series II.IV. Programs,
- Series II.V. Arts, music, and literature,
- Series III. Correspondence and personal papers,
- Series III.I. Correspondence,
- Series III.II. Personal and family papers,
- Series III.III. Death and memorial,
- Series III.IV. People of note,
- Series IV. Speaking engagements and programs,
- Series V. Ephemera,
- Series V.I. Photographs,
- Series V.II. Awards,
- Series V.III. Memorabilia
Preservica Internal URL
Preservica Public URL
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Collection is the gift of Dr. Lawrence Hogan of Union County College to the Archives and Special Collections Center on September 27, 2012 via Father Lawrence Frizzell of the Institute for Judaeo-Christian Studies. Accession number 2010.0037.
Processing Information
This collection was preliminarily processed by Caroline Marrin in 2009 and Michael O'Connor in 2009-2010. Full processing of entire collection and creation of finding aid by Bridgette Frank and Tracy M. Jackson, 2012-2013.
Genre / Form
Geographic
Topical
- Antisemitism -- Research.
- Arab-Israeli conflict.
- Christian education directors.
- Christian education.
- Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust.
- Drama in Christian education
- Ecumenical movement -- New Jersey.
- Fasts and feasts -- Christianity.
- Fasts and feasts -- Judaism.
- Holocaust Remembrance Day.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Research.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Study and teaching -- United States.
- Islam -- Relations -- Judaism.
- Jewish refugees.
- Jewish-Arab relations.
- Judaism -- Relations -- Christianity.
- Judaism -- Relations -- Islam.
- Middle East -- Politics and government -- 20th century.
- Refugees, Palestinian Arab.
- Social justice -- Religious aspects -- Christianity.
- United States -- Foreign relations -- Israel.
- Women clergy -- United States.
- Title
- Nancy Forsberg papers, 1898-2011 (bulk 1950-1984)
- Author
- Bridgette Frank and Tracy M. Jackson
- Date
- 2013
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
- TypeCollection
Repository Details
Part of the The Monsignor Field Archives & Special Collection Center Repository
Archives, Walsh Library
400 South Orange Ave
South Orange NJ 07079 US
973-761-9476
archives@shu.edu
