During 1853 , Pastor Carlsson and a party of 17 members of his parish departed for the United States . He became the minister of the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Chicago , Illinois . Carlsson would lead Immanuel through the terrible 1854 cholera year during which one-tenth of the congregation ’s members died and the Chicago Fire of 1871 which destroyed the church buildings and the homes of 90 % of the congregation . Pastor Carlsson served at Immanuel Lutheran Church until 1875 . He then moved to historic Andover Swedish Lutheran Church ( now Augustana Lutheran Church ) in Andover , Illinois where he would serve until 1887
Chicago Fire of 1871
Great Chicago Fire
Erland Carlsson