Rev. A. Alfred Engdahl, pastor of the Swedish Baptist church of Meriden, was born in Dalsland, Sweden, December 14, 1872, a son of Eric and Anna (Roth) Engdahl, both of whom have passed away, the former having died in 1913 and the latter in 1894. Their son, A. A., attended the public schools of Sweden and following his graduation began to work, but while employed attended a night business school. After pursuing his business course he secured employment with a big construction company, with which he worked for four years in Christiania, Norway. He spent altogether six years in Norway and then decided to study for the ministry. He returned to Sweden in 1897 and entered the Baptist Bethel Seminary at Stockholm, where he simultaneously pursued four years' theological and collegiate courses. He took both courses at the same time and was busy from early morning until late at night. He was graduated in 1901, winning his certificate of graduation, the college conferring no degrees. He was ordained in August of the same year by Dr. K. O. Braady, who was the famous Colonel Braady of the Union army during the Civil war in the United States. He had been superintendent of the Baptist Seminary in Sweden for years and is still occupying that position, although he is now very old and most of his duties have been delegated to others.

Rev. Engdahl's first charge was at Lesjöfors, Sweden, in the province of Vermland, where he remained for two and a half years. He then became pastor of the church at Borås, in the province of Vestergötland, where he continued from 1903 until 1907. He next accepted tin- pastorate of the First Baptist church at Örebro, Sweden, where lie. labored until 1911, when he accepted a call to the Harlem Street Baptist church in Worcester, Massachusetts, there continuing from the 1st of September, 1911, until the 1st of September, 1916. At the latter date he came to Meriden as pastor of the Swedish Baptist church. He speaks English, Swedish and Norwegian, and delivers his sermons in both Swedish and English. The church in Meriden has a membership of one hundred and sixty-seven well-to-do people. There are no poor in the church, although Rev. Engdahl seeks out those who need aid elsewhere and does much charitable work. The church property is valued at eighteen thousand dollars, upon which there is no indebtedness, and the church edifice has a seating capacity of four hundred and fifty. The work of the church is thoroughly organized in its various departments and he has the hearty cooperation and support of his people.

On the 14th of May, 1904, Rev. Engdahl was married to Miss Anna Elenor Rudquist, of Sweden, a daughter of Andrew and Martha (Rudquist) Rudquist, both of whom have passed away. Her father was a corporal in the Swedish army and Mrs. Engdahl before her marriage was a trained nurse attached to the Red Cross in Sweden for eight years. Rev. and Mrs. Engdahl have become the parents of three children who are living: Samuel Alfred, born December 28, 1906; Eric Alfred, born April 13, 1911; and Martha Elenor, a twin of Eric. Rev. and Mrs. Engdahl also lost two children: Martha Elenor, who died in infancy; and Folke Alfred, who died at the age of sixteen months.

Rev. Engdahl is doing excellent work among his people. He is a man of broad and scholarly attainments, of liberal culture and of high purpose, and he commands the respect and confidence of people of other denominations as well as of those with whom he labors for the moral development and progress of the community.