Emmy Christina Carlsson Evald was born September 18, 1857, in Geneva, Ill.

Emmy Evald was very active in the Lutheran Church. Mrs. Evald founded the Woman’s Missionary Society of the Augustana Synod in 1892 and served as its president until 1935. After retiring from the office, she served as President Emeritus until her death in 1946. Mrs. Evald served as president of the Lutheran Woman’s Congress at the Chicago Exposition of 1893. In 1894 she established the Lutheran Woman’s League of Chicago, as well as chapters in Philadelphia, New York, and Pittsburgh.

In 1906, Emmy Evald began Mission Tidings, the publication of the Woman’s Missionary Society. She was a frequent contributor to Mission Tidings and wrote a column, “Among Us,” for some time. In that same year, she became a charter member of the International Suffrage Association.

Emmy Evald’s travels took her to mission sites in China, India, Palestine, and Europe. She wrote nine books about the Woman’s Missionary Society, a history of the Lutheran Home for Women, and a biography of her husband, Dr. Carl A. Evald.

Many awards and honors were given to Emmy Evald. In 1922, Gustaf V, King of Sweden, awarded Emmy the Order of Vasa. Emmy also received an honorary Masters of Arts from Augustana College and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Upsala College, East Orange, N.J.

Description:
Types of materials include biographical information, papers from Emmy’s student days, notes for speeches, correspondence (both in Swedish and English), and photographs.