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Swedes In Texas In Words And Pictures

1st Edition 1918 – in Swedish

2nd Edition 1988 – English Translation

3rd Edition 2007 – WEB Translation

NOTE: This 3^rd Edition 2007 does not contain the Family/Individual Photos and Text. Return to www.swedesintexas.com to Search for your ancestors. There you will find all the Photos and Text embedded with each Family/Individual.

SWEDES IN TEXAS IN

WORDS AND PICTURES

English Translation

1838 1918

New Sweden 88 Austin Area Committee

SWEDES IN TEXAS IN

WORDS AND PICTURES

English Translation

1838 1918

Translator:

Christine Andreason

Coordinating Editor:

James Christianson

Christine Andreason of Mercer Island, Washington

and formerly of Round Rock, Texas was the

translator of this book. Christine is a native born Swede

from Boras, Sweden. She attended Goteborg University

and is finishing her degree at Upsalla University in

Sweden.

Dennis Andreason also of Mercer Island,

Washington and formerly of Round Rock, Texas typed

this text. He is a native Texan from Galveston, Texas

and graduated from Washburn University.

James Christianson of Austin, Texas was the

coordinating editor and reviewer of this work. He is an attorney and certified public accountant and is presently the Chairman of the City of Austin Historic Landmark Commission. He has been a member of the commission since 1975.

DEDICATION

This translation project is dedicated to those

Texas Swedish Pioneers who took the long

and dangerous journey to settle in a new place

called Texas, where they built churches, homes,

businesses and farms. This project is further

dedicated to those Texas Swedish Pioneers

who had the vision in 1918 to preserve the

history of our Swedish ancestors so that future

generations may learn of their past.

New Sweden 88 was a celebration in 1988 of 350 years of Swedes in America and 150 years of Swedes in Texas.

The celebration began in October 1987 with the signing of a State of Texas

proclamation by Texas Governor William P. Clements. Representatives from New Sweden

88 Committees in Austin, Dallas and Houston attended the signing ceremony in the governor’s reception room.

Numerous events were held beginning inDecember 1987 witha Santa LuciaFestival

at Hutto Lutheran Church and Julotta, the traditional Swedish Christmas morning service, at

the New Sweden Lutheran Church.

Hundreds attended a Swedish smorgasbord held at the Balcones Country Club in

Austin in January 1988 with guest speaker United States Congressman Charles Stenholm of

Texas. Special guests included former Austin Mayor Lester Palmer, University of Texas

baseball coach Cliff Gustafson, and Caren Patman, former Democratic Committee woman

from Texas. All are descendents of Texas Swedish Pioneers. Our Swedish musical heritage was highlighted in April 1988 in a Swedish Musik Fest held at Perkins Chapel on the campus of Southwestern University in Georgetown. Numerous talented musicians along with the large Jubilee 150 Choir assembled from area churches of Swedish heritage performed before a crowd of over 700 people.

A highlight of the Jubilee year was the visit in April to Dallas and Houston by

Swedish King Carl Gustaf and his wife Silva as part of a Royal Cities tour in honor of New

Sweden 8 8. A national traveling Swedish Heritage exhibit sponsored by the Swedish Council

of America opened in May in the State Capitol rotunda in Austin,

The annual Midsummer Day celebrations were held in Elgin and Palm Valley in

June. The jubilee year closed with a Hog Massa program at Decker Methodist Church in

September and a Grand Finale program on New Year’s Eve at Gethsemane Lutheran Church

in Austin.

These programs were not possible without a host of volunteers. The following individuals were members of the New Sweden 88 Austin Area Committee and deserve a special thanks.

New Sweden 88 Austin Area Committee

Bert Magnuson - Co Chairman

Jim Christianson - Co Chairman

Eric Carlson

Robert G. Carlson

Rod Johnson

Margarita Smith

Julibeth Swenson Parrish

Valerie Hawkinson Armstrong

Dorothy Lundgren

Marilyn Samuelson

Alpha Gustafson Cannon

Pastor Karl Gronberg

Johanna 0. Wimberley

Carvin 0. Youngbloom

Mary Nell Carlson

Clifford W. Carlson

Ruth C. Bengtson Olson

Eric Wahlquist

Caria Lind Jefferies

Earley Magnusoii

Hildegard Hall

Jack Ransom

TRANSLATION

The original preface to the book Swedes of Texas In Words and Pictures first published in 1918 states “it would have been more logical to publish this work in the English language, but it was considered unfair to the many forefathers who are still alive and who better understand the gamla mordersmal (the old mother tongue).” For many generations following its publication this book, Swedes in Texas in Words and Pictures, was simply only pictures because the words were not understood.

This book, however, preserves an important part of Texas Swedish history. Even though it included only a fraction of the some 7,000 Swedes who settled in Texas and although many Swedish families are not included in this book, we can all leam from the experiences told here and better understand what all our people experienced in this new land called Texas.

In this text we read the stories of eighteen and nineteen year old young men and women caught up in “America fever” who said goodbye to a mother or a father that they probably would never see again. We read the stories of whole families who sold everything and left their homeland, never to return again and go to a place they had never seen.

This massive effort to translate this book took almost five years and involved scores of volunteers who help translate and review the text. The final product is far from perfect, and yes, you will discover mistakes, but the original text had many mistakes and in some parts were not well written. Sometimes the Swedish words in the text were no longer used, and we had to seek the help of a 1920 Swedish -English dictionary. But one thing can be said regarding this effort -no one can at least fault us for trying to translate this book and preserve its history for future generations. That is our legacy.

The idea for translating this text begin during New Sweden 88, the celebration in 1988 of 350 years of Swedes in America and 150 years of Swedes in Texas. The New Sweden 88 Committee of the Austin Area asked Marilyn Samuelson of Elgin to contact numerous people in various old Swedish communities in Texas to see if they would help translate the text. Many supplied translations which were later used in reviewing the text.

With money raised during New Sweden 88 and with a grant for the Austin Heritage Society, the New Sweden 88 Committee of the Austin Area decided to have Christine Andreason of Round Rock, a native born Swede, to translate the text. Her husband Dennis Andreason would type the text.

After the translation was completed many volunteers coordinated by Jim Christianson of Austin reviewed the text. One particular volunteer deserves special mention. Her name is Jean Sellstrom of Austin who volunteered many hours in reviewing the translation and translated many sections in the original effort.

After the project was completed Bert Magnuson, the President of the Texas Swedish Pioneers Association, coordinated the effort to sell the book to those who were interested. At 85 years of age Bert had the enthusiasm of someone a quarter of his age. Bert died shortly after this text went to the publisher. For any project that promoted our Texas Swedish heritage, Bert was always there to volunteer his time and support the effort.

We must also give special thanks to Carv^n Youngbloom and the Hutto State Bank who faithfully kept the financial records of the New Sweden 88 Committee of the Austin Area and the moneys raised in this translation project. In addition we would like to thank Cheryl Rae of Austin who with the help of the computer made all the revisions for this text.

Finally we cannot forget our many volunteers who participated in some way in this translation project, as translators, reviewers, or sellers of books. We say thanks to all of the following people.

Dorothy Lundgren

Evelyn Carlson

E. H. Johnson

Astrid Larson

Mildred Magnuson

Ruth Bengston Olson

Judith Palmer

O.C. Olson

Clifford Carlson

Emil Cederblom

Valarie Armstrong

Alpha Gustafson Cannon

Hazel Tholin

Evelyn Lundgren

Agnie Tholin

Dagmar Lind

Mabel Lindell

Quinton Christianson

Rod Johnson

Ruby Christianson

Dorothy Lax Dytrich

Earley Magnuson

Elin Criswell

Margot Peel

Ruth Seth

Dorothy Hermanson

Henry Peterson

Hilma Peterson

Belinda Berkman Oman

Edith Johnson

Bemice Micklethwait

Tina Stallings

Annie Helge

Bert Magnuson

Lydia Hanson

Virginian Lee Malmstrom

Harry Hanson

Hanna Bergstrom Sutton

Ann Mart Lindbloom

Eric Holmquist

Marilyn Samuelson

Christine Andreason

Eric Carlson

Dennis Andreason

Johanna Wimberly

Evangeline Teichman

Doris Wallin

Hildagard Hall

Evert Ryden

Jean Sellstrom

Jim Christianson

Carvin Youngbloom

Gladys Bergstrom

Mrs.Martin Berklund

MAP OF SWEDEN

THE SWEDES IN TEXAS

IN WORDS AND PICTURES

1838-1918

A HISTORICAL-BIOGRAPHICAL WORK

COLLECTED AND PUBLISHED

ERNEST SEVERIN

EDITED AND COMPILED

DR. ALF. L. SCOTT

PASTOR T. J. WESTERBERG

EDITED AND OVERSEEN

PUBLISHER

J. M. OJERHOLM

PUBLISHER AND EDITING STAFF

Pastor T. J. Westerberg Dr. Alf. L. Scott

E. Severin J.M. Ojerholm

PREFACE

“The Swedes in Texas”, which is hereby presented “in words and pictures”, is not a romanticized story of just a few or many, more or less famous personalities, or some scientific report about the Swedes’ economic, social and religious standing in this state, but simply a collection of facts and statistical information as well as true to life pictures and illustrations covering a timespan of over three quarters of a century of the Swedes’ common history in Texas, collected with quite some effort and printed so these facts would not be forgotten in the future.

Our Nordic forefathers took measures to preserve the memory of their dead for both their contemporaries and descendents with rock-carvings and rune-stones, which are now highly valued and appreciated, a thousand years after they were drawn. The value of this historical and biographical information shall be better understood as time goes on, when those, who with tenacity and determination in living actions, wrote the first chapters in the “History of the Swedes in Texas”, have passed on and joined their forefathers.

To better meet the linguistic needs of the younger generations, it would have been

more logical to publish this work in the English language, but it was considered unfair

to the many forefathers who are still alive and who better understand the old mothertongue than the language of our new country. When the need arises in the future for a continuation of the history of the Swedes in Texas, it should be published in the language of this country to be of greater use to the public. The publisher has devoted three full years to collect the statistical information and material for this historical-biographical work. From Stamford in Northern Texas to Galveston in the South, no Swedish home has intentionally been bypassed. The completeness of this work has been made possible only through the support of the pastors and leading men of the different Swedish congregations. The publisher expresses his gratitude to these individuals, to the tireless staff, to the printing firm E. L. Steck, which has done the printing with such merit, and to the Swedish public, without whose help it would have been impossible to publish such thick volumes of “The Swedes in Texas in Words and Pictures”.

Sincerely,

The Publisher

CONTENTS Page

The History of Texas, Carl Fromen................................................ 1

The Physical Geography of Texas, J.J. Hamilton......................... 15

Location............................................................................ 15

Area .................................................................................. 15

Borders.............................................................................. 15

Coastline........................................................................... 16

Topography....................................................................... 17

Sea level............................................................................ 17

Drainage............................................................................ 17

Lakes...................................................:............................. 19

Mountain Areas................................................................ 19

Climate Conditions........................................................... 19

Soil Conditions................................................................. 20

Forest................................................................................ 21

Industry in the State...................................................................... 22

Communication and Transport..................................................... 31

Form of Government.................................................................... 33

Political Division.......................................................................... 37

Texas School System, F.L. Hagberg ............................................ 39

Immigration to the United States and the foundation of

Swedish Churches, Alf. L. Scott................................................ 44

Swedish Churches in Texas.......................................................... 46

The Lutheran Church........................................................ 46

The Methodist Church...................................................... 85

Camp Meetings............................................................... 109

The Epworth League ...................................................... 110

The Free Church..;.......................................................... 112

The Texas Scandinavian Free Mission Organization..... 124

The Mission Church ....................................................... 126

The Baptist Church......................................................... 128

Swedish Colleges........................................................................ 131

Texas Wesleyan College, T.J. Westerberg..................... 131

Trinity College, J.A. Stamline........................................

Societies...................................................................................... 142

The Pioneer Society, Aug. Anderson ............................. 142

Svea ................................................................................ 144

Gota ................................................................................ 145

The Southern Swedish Singing Society, J.M. Ojerholm 147

The Waco Hundredman Society, F.L. Hagberg ............. 149

The Swedish Immigration and Earlier Conditions, Severin....... 151

The First Swedes in Texas, J.A. Stamline .................................. 164

Texas-Swedish Communities and Biographies ..........................

The Austin Colony.......................................................... 182

The Palm Valley Colony ................................................ 299

The New Sweden Colony............................................... 371

The Brushy Colony......................................................... 444

The Georgetown Colony ................................................ 473

The Taylor Colony.......................................................... 515

The Hutto Colony........................................................... 562

The Decker Colony......................................................... 605

Ericsdale......................................................................... 638

The Ericsdale Colony ..................................................... 639

Jonah............................................................................... 698

The Jonah Colony........................................................... 699

Elroy ............................................................................... 708

The Elroy Colony ........................................................... 708

Kenedy............................................................................ 750

The Kenedy Colony........................................................ 751

Manor.............................................................................. 774

The Manor Colony.......................................................... 775

East Sweden.................................................................... 790

West Sweden .................................................................. 790

The Brady Colony .......................................................... 791

Melvin.............................................................................. 826

The Melvin Colony......................................................... 827

Forth Worth .................................................................... 849

The Forth Worth Colony ................................................ 849

El Campo...................................................................... 886

The El Campo Colony.................................................... 887

Dallas.............................................................................. 945

The Dallas Colony.......................................................... 945

Waco.............................................................................. 964

The Waco Colony........................................................... 965

Lund................................................................................ 991

Type................................................................................ 991

Kimbro.......................................................................... l043

The Kimbro Colony...................................................... 1043

Manda........................................................................... 1057

The Manda Colony....................................................... 1057

The Ganado Colony...................................................... 1081

Crosby........................................................................... 1095

The Crosby Colony....................................................... 1095

Elgin.............................................................................. 1109

Louise........................................................................... 1119

The Louise Colony....................................................... 1119

Galveston...................................................................... 1131

The Galveston Colony.................................................. 1131

Olivia............................................................................ 1146

The Olivia Colony ........................................................ 1146

The Temple Colony...................................................... 1160

Swedonia ...................................................................... 1162

The Swedonia Colony .................................................. 1162

Bishop........................................................................... 1165

The Bishop Colony....................................................... 1165

Swensondale................................................................. 1167

Lyford........................................................................... 1168

The Lyford Colony....................................................... 1168

San Antonio.................................................................. 1170

Houston......................................................................... 1172

Our Boys Under the Flag................................................ 1175-1209

TEXAS HISTORY

By Carl Fromen

The history of Texas starts with the white man. The few Indians (maybe twenty thousand), who lived spread over its wide land area, lacked all culture necessary for history. The coastal tribes stood on a very low level and lived off raw fish and shellfish. Those who lived further inland were hunters, and they say that when the immigrants gave them corn to sow, they ate it. Some, like the Tejas Indians after which the state has been named, and in whose area on the banks of the Neches River the first Christian church was built, lived in real houses and grew beans, corn and tobacco. The only trace of the Indians are names of places and the arrows of flint which more than one settler has found when he has plowed his field. Those who live in Texas now have come from other areas, and those who were here, have left the state or disappeared among the closely related Mexicans.

The French and Spanish competed over who would be the first to settle here. The Frenchman, La Salle, died during his third expedition to Texas in 1687 while looking for the Mississippi River, or rather, was killed by his accompanying men near the Trinity River, not far from present Navasota. His expedition perished because of illness, massacres by the Indians, and some of the survivors were spread out among Indian tribes. At the arrival of the Spanish, they found the skeletons of those who had died so sadly, and Fort St. Louis was in ruins. The French were more successful in Louisiana where they had earlier gained a foothold and started building a settlement. It was the rumor of the French expedition which hastened the Spanish in their attempts to colonize Texas.

They started the establishment of missions for missionary work among the Indians. The first church in Texas, “The Mission of San Francisco”, was built in 1690 around 25 miles northeast of the present city of Crocket, and just west of the Neches River. The three main reasons for the Spanish colonization were: (1) the orders of the Spanish king, (2) the fear that the French would conquer Texas and (3) the desire of the Catholic priests to conduct missionary work among the Indians. The first settlements were built in both the eastern and southeastern part of the state. Those which were started in East Texas were built to stop the French from settling in this country. One of these missions, Guadalupe, stood just where present Nacogdoches is situated. Those which were built in the southwestern part, around San Antonio, were larger and lasted longer. In addition to the communities, ruins of their most famous buildings (the so-called “Missions”) are still there in many places.

It is thought that the old ruin of a monastery, Alamo, in San Antonio, was part of the mission, San Antonio de Valero, which was built in 1718. These missions were half monastery, half fortification, which were partially responsible for the spreading and preserving of civilization. Around them the immigrants settled and under the supervision of the monks, the land was cultivated by more or less unwilling natives, who were neither interested in work nor Christianity, but appreciated the protection they received from the other wild tribes. The civilization of the Indians went slowly because even though many of the monks and priests honestly tried to work for the welfare of the Indians, their work was hindered by the rest of the white people. To a large part, these consisted of the worst Spain had left of the uneducated and lazy adventurers, who had crossed the ocean or come from Mexico with the hope that they would quickly gain honor and riches without any effort, but they were disappointed in their hopes. The Spanish remained the only “lords of the land” until the end of the 17th Century, when visitors started to arrive from the east. Slowly but surely, the Americans came conquering the wilderness. The first were adventurers and businessmen, or as they were usually called/Traders”, who were trying to trade goods with the Indians. However, this was strongly forbidden to all foreigners, but those who were successful spread the rumor to others of the riches and beauty of the land. More of them came, not only temporary visitors, but also those who were looking to settle and farm. One of these was Philip Nolan who in 1800 came to Texas with a small troop of men and settled near the present city of Waco. This expedition had a sad ending, however. As soon as the Spaniards found out that Nolan was in Texas they decided to capture him. Heading a hundred soldiers, Lieutenant Musquis found Nolan’s hut at dawn on March 21, 1801. He divided his troop into three divisions and approached with the intent to surround Nolan’s men. They were barely a hundred feet from the hut when Nolan, to the surprise of the Mexicans, came out and let them understand that if they came closer, they would have to be responsible for their own lives. When Nolan refused to surrender, they started to shoot at the hut, and in less than ten minutes, Nolan had died from a bullet through the head. His men continued the fight until around nine o’ clock, when they surrendered since they were out of ammunition, many of them were wounded, and their leader was dead. They were taken to Nacogdoches where they expected to be set free and returned to the United States, but instead they were held as prisoners for six years before they were sentenced. The sentence was that every fifth man should be hung. As there were only nine men left, the kindly disposed judge decided that only one should die. The remaining men were still kept imprisoned and moved from one fort to another until it is not known what happened to more than one of them. Ellis Bean escaped from imprisonment, and then had a varied history during the Mexican civil war as an officer, and after the war, he served as an officer at Nacogdoches for many years. He died in Mexico in 1846.

After the United States bought Louisiana from France in 1803, more and more

settlers arrived. Around 1813 some adventurers tried to drive both Spaniards and

Mexicans from Texas. This expedition is called the Gutierrez and Magee expedition,

and was undertaken eleven years after the death of Nolan. The one who headed the expedition was Lt. Augustus Magee, who had resigned from the U.S. Army, but the one who had actually planned the expedition was a Mexican, Bernardo Guiterrez. The reason they gave was that they intended to help Mexico in the ongoing Revolutionary War against Spain by first freeing Texas, and then helping Mexico. However, this was barely half the truth, because they wanted to conquer Texas for themselves. First they took Nacogdoches in August of 1812, and in April of 1813 even San Antonio fell into their hands. But the Mexicans soon received reinforcement. In August of the same year, in a battle by the Medina River, under the command of Col. Toledo, eight hundred and fifty Americans, six hundred Indians, and about fifteen hundred Mexicans met a Spanish division, but the former were led into an ambush and killed so that of the eight hundred and fifty Americans, less than one hundred returned to tell the story of their failed attempt. The last of these intruder-expeditions to Texas was the so-called Long’s Expedition led by Dr. James Long from Natches, Mississippi, in 1818. Many Americans thought that all of Texas belonged to the United States through the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, and were disappointed in the government’s negotiations at the Florida Treaty of 1819 through which the United States gave up all jurisdiction and ownership of Texas west of the Sabine River.

Dr. Long was one of these. He succeeded in gathering three hundred men with whom he marched to Nacogdoches, declared Texas independent from Spain, and set up a government of sorts. He was determined that Spain would not have Texas, even if the United States did not want it. But even Long failed, his men were dispersed by Spanish troops and were driven from the province. Long did not give up his attempt, and managed to mount another expedition with which he conquered Goliad and enjoyed temporary success. However, he soon had to capitulate. He was taken prisoner and brought to Mexico where he was soon freed. But not long thereafter he was killed by a Mexican soldier. These three expeditions, with the purpose to free Texas from Spain, had failed, but even so, they had served an important purpose, that is, to acquaint Americans with Texas.

At this time, or in 1821, when Mexico had shed the Spanish harness, another era began, and they started to systematically plan an American colonization in Texas.

The man who was in charge of this effort was Moses Austin, who received

permission from the Mexican government, to move to Texas with three hundred

families. Moses Austin arrived in San Antonio in November of 1820 after a long and

trying journey through the wilderness from Missouri. His first visit with the governor

was not successful, and he was ordered to immediately leave the province. On his

way from the governor, he unexpectedly met an old friend. Baron de Bastrop, from

the United States. Baron de Bastrop was a good friend of the governor, and with his

help Austin received another audience, with

the result that the governor, Martinez, recommended his colonization to the one in charge. General Arrendondo Montery.

Austin returned home but did not live to see his big plan realized. On his way home he was attacked by bandits and his followers deserted him. However, he did make it home and after a short time, he had the pleasure of hearing that his plan had been approved. It was not meant to be that the old man should have to endure the trials and tribulations that such an undertaking would bring. He died on June 10, 1821. His son, Stephen Austin, then only 28 years old, took over the project according to his father’s wishes. He immediately set out for San Antonio where he was received well by the governor as the legal representative of his father, and this is how the peaceful American settlement of the area began.

The first immigrants settled along the Brazos River. Every married man received four thousand, four hundred and twenty-eight acres of land from the government. In 1835, there were nearly thirty thousand Americans in Texas, a mixed population from many nations, of many professions and characters, but with the courage of the pioneer and the bravery of the hero in their veins.

It was obvious that the Americans would not let themselves be governed by Mexicans for long, and the Mexicans eventually started to realize this. While trying to keep the recently arrived Americans under their rule, they gave them one reason after the other to be first disappointed and then rebellious. Inexperienced and incompetent at governing themselves, the Mexicans were even worse at governing others. The two races were so different that under the circumstances that existed, they could not live peacefully together for long. The white people looked down on the Mexicans as a lower race. They were different in religious beliefs and thinking. Their ways of life were different, and both groups considered their language the best and they did not want to change it under any circumstances. As they lived in the same communities, disagreements often arose between them, and both appealed to the authorities. If they judged in favor of the Mexicans it was considered, and in most cases it probably was, a biased opinion by the authorities. This is how one of the colonists and an impresario, Hayden Edwards, got the authorities against him. He started a rebellion and declared Texas independent under the name “The Fredonia Republic”, but he did not have the support of the other colonists, and he and his followers had to flee over the border to the United States after six weeks, on January 31, 1827. But even though he had failed, the rebellion had its results. The suspicion and fear the Mexicans had that the Americans would take over increased more and more. Therefore they attempted to stem the flow of immigration to Texas, and placed troops of soldiers here and there in strategic places. These soldiers were often involved in fights with the Americans, who finally rebelled and chased them away until only a few remained.

When the Mexican General Santa Anna rebelled, the white settlers took his side and

hoped to win him over to their side by this action. He accepted their support, but was

determined to crush them at the first opportunity. Since dissatisfaction had arisen, for many reasons which we cannot enumerate here, the settlers called a meeting in San Felipe in April, 1833, to discuss what should be done, but could not agree. Some wanted to separate from Mexico, and others, with Stephen F. Austin as their leader, only wanted to separate Texas from Coauhila and wanted Texas to remain as a separate state within the Mexican republic. A suggested constitution was drawn up by General Sam Houston, who had recently come to the state, and it was accepted at the meeting. Stephen F. Austin was selected to travel to Mexico, even though he was not in total agreement with the decisions that were made, to present to President Santa Anna the wishes of the settlers. He was not successful in his mission, and during his return he was taken prisoner and returned to Mexico, where he was imprisoned for fifteen months. During this time, Santa Anna had started to send larger divisions of troops to Texas and commanded that the leaders should be arrested and sent to Mexico for punishment. The Texans were determined, however, not to let any of their men be taken to Mexico, and when Austin came back from his imprisonment, and expressed his opinion that the only solution to the problems was a complete separation from Mexico, people believed him, because he was known as a man of peace, and they all knew that if he had seen another way out than rebellion, he would have advocated it. It was from this moment that Stephen F. Austin became their leader. On September 19, 1835, a chain-letter was sent out and on his command, messengers were sent to all parts of Texas to gather weapons, ammunition, and men. Austin was elected commander-in-chief and in the first minor skirmishes, the Texans had the upper hand. One of the fiercest of these battles was the conquest of San Antonio led by Ben Milam with only three hundred volunteers. Meanwhile, the rumor was spreading that Santa Anna was approaching with an army of six thousand men and that he had threatened to drive the last of the Texans over the Sabine River. A new meeting of elected delegates convened in November in San Felipe and a temporary government was formed. Henry Smith was elected governor, James W. Robinson, lieutenant governor, as well as a man from each district to make up the Congress. Sam Houston was elected Commander-in-Chief of the Army, and Stephen F. Austin, William H. Wharton, and Branch T. Archer representatives to the United States to negotiate for assistance. Those in charge soon disagreed over who had the greatest power, which made another meeting necessary and one was called to take place on March 1, 1836, in Washington on the Brazos River. The governing body which had been elected at the first meeting was disbanded. Texas declared its independence and a new temporary government was formed with David G. Burnet as President, and Lorenzo de Zavala, vice president, with a cabinet of good advisors, among whom were Col. Thomas J. Rusk, Secretary of War. The newly elected government was to serve until a general election could be held.

Let us remain for a while at this point in time. We are in the era of patriots and

heroes. Even though the troops were small compared to those of the Twentieth

Century, brave men fought even then for home and

freedom, and no country has more wonderful memories of noble men who sacrificed all in the struggle against its country’s oppressors. When General Houston took command, the small troops were spread out all over Texas. Col. Fannin was stationed at Goliad with a force of four to five hundred men. Dr. James Grant had less than one hundred men at San Patricio, and Col. William B. Travis was at Alamo, San Antonio, with one hundred and fifty brave men, among whom were the veterans, James Bowie, and the famous Davy Crockett. The rumor that the Alamo had fallen came to the meeting in Washington on the Brazos. Col. Travis and all his men had been defeated by Santa Anna, who had taken the fort with around three thousand men, and wanted to fulfill his threat to drive each and everyone of them and their people from Texas. The rumor was true.

The Battle of Alamo has no equal in world history. Col. Travis arrived in San Antonio and took command of the fort in Alamo at the beginning of February, 1836.

He immediately realized that it was impossible to defend it with only one hundred

fifty men against

The Battle of Alamo

Santa Anna’s approaching forces. Therefore, Travis wrote again and again to

Governor Smith for help, but he had none to send. A small troop of thirty-two men

from Gonzales made their way past the enemy and came to their aid on March 1. On

March 3, Travis wrote “a blood-red flag waves over Bexar’ s church and in the enemy

camp as a sign that this is a war of revenge against the rebels, but their threats don’t

scare me or my men. We are determined to die defending our country’s freedom and

our own honor.” On the following day, Santa Anna held a war council, and a decision

was made to storm the fort. Early at dawn on Sunday morning, March 6, orders went

out to begin the attack. At first they approached quietly but soon the trumpets

sounded, “No Pardon”, and the attack began. The fort was surrounded by an outer

wall, from which the Texans first

directed the defense. But the line of defense was too long for the few Texans to defend and guard, so the Mexicans stormed the wall and the Texans in small groups now started a deadly fight with their hated enemy. No pardon was asked and none given. Travis and Crockett were fighting as ten men, and Bowie, although confined to his bed, sold his life dearly. The Mexican forces were too powerful, and in less than an hour every defender of the Alamo lay dead. Then the Mexicans piled the fallen Travis and his soldiers into a heap and burned their bodies, but the ashes of these heroes were later collected by the Texans and buried with honors. “Thermopylae had her messenger of defeat, but the Alamo had none.”

Three weeks after the fall of the Alamo, the bloodbath at Goliad followed. Col. Fannin was forced to surrender there with a force of around four hundred men, surrounded by over two thousand Mexicans, after a brave but hopeless fight. A few days later they marched out in small groups, and in spite of all promises, laws, and rules of war, they were shot on Santa Anna’s orders.

President Houston’s Residence 1837-1838 in Houston, Texas

But the day of revenge drew near. When General Houston received the message

about all these sad defeats and about the great forces of Santa Anna, he decided to

retreat, especially as he knew that his forces were too weak to attack or withstand such

force. During the retreat, he stopped where it was suitable to train his troops. The road

was filled with men, women, and children who had left their homes and all they owned

to flee from the enemy. Santa Anna’s victory at the Alamo had made him overconfident,

and when he heard about another victory over Fannin, and the retreat of General

Houston, he thought there was not much more to do but to take Texas. Therefore he

hurriedly left San Antonio

for San Felipe, where he arrived on April 7. The city already lay in ashes, so he

hurriedly marched to Harrisburg, where he intended to take President Burnet and his

cabinet as prisoners. However, the government had been warned and fled to

Galveston only a few hours before the arrival of Santa Anna. Upset that his “prey”

had escaped, he burned the city and marched along Buffalo Bayou and the San

Jacinto River to New Washington. Santa Anna was far from his main army, and this

was the opportunity that General Houston had been waiting for. At a quick march,

he set out after Santa Anna, and on April 20, the two armies met in the area of Buffalo

Bayou and the San Jacinto River. The battle did not start

GENERAL SAM HOUSTON

The First President of the Texas Republic

until the next day at three in the afternoon. Meanwhile, Santa Anna had received reinforcements, so his force was now around thirteen hundred men, while Houston’s was only eight hundred. The Texans were anxious for revenge, and when General Houston gave orders to attack, it was greeted by unanimous approval. Silently they marched forward until they were so close that the Mexicans could hear them when they raised the war-cry, “Remember the Alamo”, “Remember the Goliad”. At a “running march” they attacked the surprised Mexicans to whom the attack was totally unexpected. Santa Anna and many of his men were asleep, some were cooking their dinner, while others were watering their horses, and before they had time to reach for their weapons, the Texans had attacked them. They made a vain attempt to resist but failed, and soon the whole Mexican army had scattered in wild flight, pursued by the Texans.

According to General Houston’s own report it was a fierce but short battle, which lasted, at most, eighteen minutes. But they continued to pursue the enemy until dusk. It was a remarkable battle. Fannin and Travis were avenged because the Mexicans lost six hundred dead, and seven hundred and thirty were taken prisoners. Of those, two hundred were wounded. The Texans had only lost two soldiers, and twenty three were wounded, but of those, two later died from their wounds. General Houston himself got shot in the ankle. This remarkable battle took place on April 21, 1836, and was called the Battle of San Jacinto.

Santa Anna managed to escape, but was taken prisoner the following day. It was his disguise that saved him, because he was so hated that if the soldiers had known who he was, instant death would have been his lot.

General Houston and Santa Anna immediately drew up a peace treaty which was signed on May 14, by President Burnet and General Santa Anna, and was called the ‘Treaty of Velasco”. The conditions of peace were (1) that hostilities

The Texas Republic’s First Capitol in Columbia, Texas, 1836

should immediately cease, and the entire Mexican army should retreat as soon as possible across the Rio Grande River, (2) that Mexico should compensate or pay for all private property that had taken from the Texans, (3) that Santa Anna should be freed with the right to return to Mexico, where he promised to use his influence to get the Mexican government to recognize Texas’ independence from that nation. According to the above-mentioned peace treaty. General Filisola, the successor of Santa Anna, led the Mexican Army out of Texas, General Houston went to New Orleans to receive medical care for his wounds received at San Jacinto, and General Rusk took command of the army. A new era had begun; Texas had driven its hated enemy across the border,and messengers were sent in all directions to spread the good news to the refugees who jubilantly returned to their homes.

The Texas revolutionary history would hardly be complete if nothing was mentioned about the aid which was sent from the United States. Stephen Austin, William H. Wharton, and Dr. Archer had been sent to request aid, and in this matter they met with much sympathy. Large sums of money was loaned and donated, as well as food, clothing, and ammunition, and hundreds of men enlisted as volunteers in the Texas army and gave their lives for the freedom of Texas. Without this generous help from the United States, it is doubtful that the revolution would have been successful. In the Fall, on the first Monday in September, 1836, there was an election when people were asked to vote on three important issues: (1) The constitution of the new republic, (2) President and Vice President and members of Congress and (3) The question whether Texas should remain an independent republic or join the United States if the United States would allow it. The constitution was adopted and General Sam Houston was elected the first President of the Republic, and as the answer to the third question, the people expressed their wish to join the United States. General Sam Houston was one of Texas’ most intelligent and brilliant men. He was born in Virginia in 1793, and died in Huntsville, Texas, in 1863. Twice he was elected President of the Republic, first from 1836 to 1838, and then again from 1841 to 1844. From 1846 to 1859, he represented the state of Texas in the United States Senate, and from this time to 1861, he was Governor of the State of Texas. Big difficulties met the new republic in all areas. They still did not feel secure from Mexico, which refused to recognize Texas as a Republic, and the Indians were also hard to please. Another danger was the sudden immigration from the United States by men unfamiliar with conditions in the South, and because of this, they were the cause of fights and trouble instead of being of help. President Houston developed peaceful politics and wisely avoided problems. To counter the financial difficulties from which Texas suffered after the war, he prescribed a strict economy. During its ten years as a republic, Texas had, except for Sam Houston, two other presidents, Mirabeau B. Lamar from 1838-1841, and Dr. Anson Jones from 1844-1846, and when Texas joined the United States the same year, he transferred the power of ruling the state to J. Pinkney Henderson, who became the first governor of the new state.

President Lamar was, in contrast to Houston, more contentious in his politics and therefore battled with both Mexico and the Indians. Lamar was of the opinion that the Indians were a hindrance to immigration and that people feared coming to Texas because of them. The most feared were the Cherokees in the vicinity of Nacogdoches. Fearing that they would ally themselves with the Mexicans, President Lamar decided to drive them out of Texas. He was willing to pay them for their land and homes, but when they refused to sell, they were driven out of Texas in 1839. At the beginning of the war with Mexico in 1835, there were from 12-15000 Indians in Texas divided into different tribes.

Despite the unsettled conditions, the animosity of the Indians, and the threats of the Mexicans, the immigration increased, and between the 1836-1846, several thousand families came. Many came from Germany, some from England, but the majority came from the United States. In 1846 there were in Texas 102,961 whites, 38,753 slaves, and 295 freed slaves.

As we’ve already mentioned, Mexico had never recognized the peace-treaty of Velasco in May, 1836, and declared that Santa Anna as prisoner did not have the authority to sign the treaty, and they had not given up the idea to send an army to Texas at the first opportune moment to discipline the rebels. Therefore, when President Lamar

Ruins of President Houston’s Residence in Washington on the Brazos, Texas, 1842-44

did not take measures to stop the Texans from helping supply manpower to the Liberal Party in Mexico, which was then fighting against the government with the purpose of establishing a republic in Northern Mexico, and caused further trouble with the Santa Fe expedition in 1841, a Mexican army was sent to Texas, which occupied San Antonio, and simultaneously, in 1842, both Goliad and Refugio. However, the Mexicans left as quickly as they had arrived. San Antonio was occupied a second time in September by a Mexican force. This time they resisted, and the Mexicans retreated with sixty-seven prisoners whom they took with them to Mexico. The Texans were now angered, and over a thousand men in San Antonio were ready to march over the border into Mexico. Houston, who was now President, was against becoming involved in another war with Mexico and did not encourage the venture which had a sad outcome.

Several smaller expeditions were sent out and the animosity between Texas and

Mexico continued, much blood was spilled, and many had to suffer imprisonment in Mexico before Texas joined the United States.

Texas requested to join the United States in 1836, but even though this country had accepted Texas as a republic the same year, it was not immediately ready to accept Texas as a state in the union for two important reasons: (1) The United States knew that Mexico would declare war as soon as Texas was made one of its states, (2) Texas was also a slave state, and there were many in the United States who were working against a union because of this. This angered the Texans so much that they withdrew their request in 1838.

In the following years however, the United States learned the value of Texas, and in addition, the rumor was spread that England wanted Texas, and they started to say that the United States had to accept it to prevent England from being given a chance to acquire it. The slave question was still disturbing, and the United States Congress did not let Texas join the Union until 1845.

At the time of union, Texas was allowed to keep public land which in other states belonged to the government. The state sold a part of this to the United States a couple of years later for ten million dollars, and this sum was used to pay the debt from the days of the Republic. Three million acres of this land was used to pay for a colossal state capitol building which was built of granite. Much of this land has also been given to the railroads to encourage railroad construction. The entrance of Texas into the union did as feared cause war between the United States and Mexico. This war which started in 1846 continued barely two years, and peace was declared in February of 1848, and was called the “Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo”, as it was signed in this city only a few miles from the Mexican capital. In this treaty, Mexico gave up all ownership and governing power over Texas, and accepted the Rio Grande as the border between Texas and Mexico. It also relinquished to the United States for a sum of fifteen million dollars, the vast land area which is now California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, part of New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming. As the result of this treaty, which was the indirect result of Texas entering the Union, the history of these small Texas colonies which were established by Austin and his men has become of greater importance. Texas now had peace and the opportunity to develop its resources. But it was still in great debt. The United States gave an additional three million dollars in 1855 as payment for the expenses Texas had had because of the problems with the Indians and to create more peaceful conditions and encourage immigration, the rest of the Indians were moved from Texas to Oklahoma.

In spite of the stormy times, immigration had continued in such numbers that the

population in 1860 had grown to 421,411 whites with 180,682 slaves, and 339 freed

slaves, all in all 602,432. Farming and

cattle raising were the principal sources of livelihood. In the river valleys there were large cotton plantations, worked by black slaves, and out in the wild plains, large herds of cattle were grazing.

In 1852, the building of the first railroad to Harrisburg was begun with twenty miles built in August the following year, 1853. To encourage the building of railroads, the legislature passed a law which promised more than ten thousand acres of land for every mile of railroad built. Laws for the founding of the state’s public schools were passed in 1853 at the suggestion of Governor E.M. Pease. Times of unrest were approaching and they did not have a long period of time to devote to peaceful development. The reason for this was mainly the slave-question, and then the Civil War broke out in 1861. Among the states which were in favor of slavery and seceded from the Union were South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas. They formed their own republic with a government similar to that of the United States with Jefferson Davis from Mississippi as President. The new republic took the name of the Confederate States of America. Sam Houston was governor of Texas at this time and used his influence to convince Texas to remain in the Union. However, they no longer listened to the formerly-loved leader and veteran, and when he refused to pledge allegiance to the new republic, he was removed from office and Edward Clark. Lieutenant Governor, was installed in his place. Houston died two years later in his home in Huntsville.

Texas was very little affected by the horrors of war. Only two or three attempts were made by the army of the North to enter Texas which were unsuccessful. Texas could correctly be called the warehouse of the Southern States army during the war. When the other southern states were prevented from all trade by the United States Navy which blockaded their coasts, Texas carried on in their substantial trade with Mexico.

Goods bought in Mexico were immediately shipped to the Southern States army. Industry within the state also benefitted to a large degree. Factories were built for the manufacture of cloth, hats, shoes, blankets, tents and other necessities; the state prison in Huntsville was converted into a factory where large quantities of war materials were made for the Texas soldiers or sold to the confederate government. Texas was therefore considered to be in better shape at the end of the war than any other of the southern states.

Home life, however, was one of hardship and self denial. Many things which we now consider necessities were then luxury items. Printed calico was then worth $50.00 per yard (Southern States money). Coffee could not be bought at any price, because it was not available. Instead of coffee-beans, they used roasted sweet potatoes, rye, okra-beans, etc., and instead of soda, they burned corncobs and used the ashes. In almost every home one member of the family was missing because the father or son had been called to serve in the army.

After four years, this sad war ended, on April 9,1865, when the

great southern general, Robert E. Lee, had to surrender to an army more than three times the size of his own at Appomattox, Virginia. With the end of the war came the era of reconstruction with its great problems, which if they had been left to be solved by the population of the south who understood them, would not have been difficult to solve. Those in power in the North made the same mistake as they had done in the other southern states. They put the governing power in the hands of the military, often uneducated Negroes, who could neither read nor write, and carpetbaggers from the North, who were lacking in both insight and experience regarding the people and conditions of the South. The war itself did not produce as bitter feelings towards the North as the Reconstruction Era did. Texas’ place as one of the states was restored in 1870, but it did not get a governor, Richard Coke, until 1874, and he was elected by a popular majority. Texas was again not just a state, but its government was in the hands of its own people. However, one thing remained - it must have a new constitution - the old one reminded them too much of the bitter Reconstruction era, and therefore a new constitution was written in 1875, and it was ratified in a popular election in 1876.

A time of flourishing and development now commenced. Railroads were built, new cities appeared, and old ones grew. Lawlessness which was widespread after the war, was suppressed. In 1881, when Roberts was governor, the old state house in Austin burned down. The legislature was called for an extra session and it decided to have a new building erected for which the cornerstone was laid on “Texas Independence Day”, in 1885, and it was completed in May of 1888. This building, which was made of red granite, is next in size to the capitol in Washington. The inhabitants of Texas were only eight hundred thousand in 1870, compared to 1910, when it was slightly less than four million. Of all the states in the Union, only New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Ohio have more inhabitants and with the ongoing immigration to the state Texas, it should within a few years, have surpassed even these states in population.

The peaceful development has made rapid advances. Politically, the Democrats have always had the majority even if they have been divided among themselves, which has served the same purpose as if the powers had been divided among two parties. At one time the debate was about control of the railroads within the state, and it ended with the formation of the so-called Railroad Commission, with the power to investigate complaints and decide freight and passenger fees. Later Prohibition has been the foremost political question. Time after time, it has been defeated until 1918, when a law was passed, which on June 25 of the same year, closed all bars in the state. Texas is called ‘The Lone-Star State” (Den Ensamma Stjarnans Stat). This star is hardly seen among so many thousand others in the sky of history, but it shines clearly, and the person who has once gotten to know it loves to stay in its radiance.

TEXAS PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

J.J. Hamilton

Location

Texas can, with reason, be counted among the southern states, because next to Florida, it is the southernmost state of the Union. But Texas could also be counted among the central states because its location is about halfway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific, measuring from east to west. Its capital, Austin, is situated upon basically the same latitude, or as far south as Cairo in Egypt. There is the same distance to the polar circle in the north as to the equator in the south, which makes Texas in the heart of the northern mixed-belt.

Area

The acreage of Texas is the largest among the United States of America. It has 265,780 square miles. Of these, 262,290 square miles are land, and only 3,490 square miles are covered by water. Within the state there are 167,865,600 acres of land, or enough to supply every person in the United States with over 1.5 acres each. From north to south there is a distance of 750 miles, and from east to west there is a distance of over 790 miles. The length of the state from north to south is about half the length of the United States in the same direction, and its width from east to west is about a third of the entire country. Texas is 242 times as large as the state of Rhode Island, 30 times as large as the state of Massachusetts, and nearly 6 times the size of the state of New York. The German Empire could be placed within the area of Texas, and a fourth of the state would still not be covered, and Great Britian and Ireland could be placed within half of Texas. Sweden would occupy three-fourths of the state. If Texas was as densely populated as the state of Rhode Island, there would be 90 million people within its borders. Someone has figured out that if every person who has ever lived on this earth returned all at once, we would be able to offer them nearly two square feet of land in Texas.

Borders

Texas borders the state of Louisiana to the east where the border towards the north

is the Sabine River up to the 32nd parallel. From here the border continues northward

at the 94th meridian along Louisiana and Arkansas to the Red River. Westward from

here

the border along Arkansas and Oklahoma is the Red River to the 100th longitude. Here the border turns northward along this longitude on the edge of Oklahoma approximately to the 36th latitude and the border to Oklahoma, turns westward to the 103rd meridian. From here the border runs along this longitude to the south along New Mexico to the 32nd latitude, after which the border continues west along New Mexico to the Rio Grande River. Along this river, which is the border toward Mexico, the borderline continues in a southeasterly direction to the Gulf of Mexico, which in a northeasterly direction stretches along the Texas coast for nearly 500 miles.

The Coastline

Texas has what we can call a slowly sloping coastline. Along all of the coast of both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, the ocean floor is even, and it barely slopes outward. The ocean is therefore very shallow for quite some distance and a slight raising of the ocean floor would cause it to rise above sea level. This is what has actually happened on the Texas Coast. After the ocean floor has risen, it has again lowered so that the ocean has been able to penetrate here and there in the dells, and a series of bays have been formed along the coast, such as Galveston Bay, Matagorda Bay, Esperitu Santo Bay, and Corpus Christ! Bay. These bays, originally not very deep, are constantly being filled with material carried there by the river and by ocean waves and streams. As a result of this, the ports are not very good, except at Galveston. There they have built long stone walls and wave-breakers, so-called “Rock Jetties”, which reach out into the ocean for miles, and therefore they have managed to keep a harbor of 30 feet constantly open, and can receive the deepest and heaviest loaded ships. Because of these port facilities and the excellent location, Galveston is the second city in the nation in regards to shipping.

Another peculiarity which we meet on the Texas coast are the many sandy islands

which probably more deserve the name sandy reefs. These stretch along the entire

coast. The larger waves of the ocean cannot reach the coast, but break where the

water is deeper, sometimes miles out in the ocean. Where this happens the ocean sand

is thrown up into reefs, and as one wave follows the other with its load of sand, the

size and height of the reef increases until it rises above the surface of the water and

creates an island. What the ocean water has started, the wind completes as it

continues to pile up the continuously gathering sand. The islands, which are created

in this way, are usually much longer than they are wide, and run parallel with the

coast, and behind them there is usually an area of calm water. The most important

islands which have been formed in this way are Galveston Island or as it is also called,

“Treasure Island”, Matagorda Island,

St. Joseph Island, and Padre Island, the later 100 miles long and in its own way, the most unusual in the world.

Topography

It is obvious that in a state as large as Texas there must exist a lot of variety regarding the topography, but you can say that mainly Texas is one slightly sloping plateau, gradually lowering towards the southeast, or the Gulf of Mexico. This enormous plain can be divided into three parts: first, the lowlands, or the coastal plains, consisting of rich grazing areas, which gradually have been cultivated and consist of the part of the state which lies along the Gulf of Mexico. Then there is the prairie, which is largely covered with small trees and bushes, slightly hilly and particularly fertile, and this is in the middle part of the state. The third part consists of the mountains in the southwest, which is divided by the Apache Mountains and an extension of the Guadalupe mountain chain, and some separate groups of mountains. The highlands north of these mountains also belong to this area and it is known as El Llano Estacado, or the Staked Plains. Here nothing grows but grass. It is an area totally bare of trees, located 4000 feet above sea level. This area is so flat that if you go out in this enormous area it seems as if you are standing in a big pot where the sides are slightly sloping upward, meeting the canopy of the sky at the horizon around you.

Level above the Sea

Even though the largest part of the state is lower than 1000 feet over sea level, the medium level above the sea is 1700 feet. The most fertile part of the state and the one which is most densely populated, is the one located from 500 to 700 feet above sea level. The highest mountain is Guadalupe Peak, which rises 9000 feet over ocean level.

Drainage

The Texas drainage system consists of all in all forty-four rivers of more or less importance. Most of them run in a southeasterly direction and empty into the Gulf of Mexico. Two of them, the Red River and the Canadian River, are tributaries of the Mississippi River. Commercially, the rivers in Texas are of slight importance.

During a large part of the year the rainfall west of the Brazos is negligable, and the

rivers which are situated there shrink into little creeks, and during times of drought

they are hardly more than a series of puddles. These rivers have clear water however,

and during times of heavy rainfall, they swell and overflow their bed and become

very rapid. The water in the more important rivers seems

murky and has a reddish brown color, which is caused by the leeching out of the soil in the areas where it flows through. The most important of the rivers which originate inside the state is the Brazos River. It is the drainage canal for an area of 59,000 square miles or an area as big as the State of Georgia. Its source is located in Lamb County, just below “The Staked Plains,” and it empties into the Gulf of Mexico. It is navigable to shallow-draught ships up to Columbia, a distance of 40 miles, and they are working on making it navigable all the way up to Waco. The complete length of the river is 950 miles. Second in importance is the Red River, which has its source in “The Llano Estacado” at a height of 2,500 miles above sea level. Along a large part of its length, it makes up the border between Oklahoma and Texas and Arkansas and Texas, and then it runs through Arkansas and Louisiana and empties into the Mississippi River. It is navigable up to Shreveport, Louisiana, and at times, shallow draught ships venture up as far as Jefferson, Texas. It has a drainage area within Texas of 29,000 square miles. The Colorado River has its source near that of the Brazos, and empties into Matagorda Bay. It is known for the scenic beauty along its shores. Austin, the capital of Texas, has a beautiful location along this river, 200 miles from its mouth. The most important tributaries are the Concho, The Llano, and the San Saba Rivers.

It is the drainage canal for an area of 900 square miles, or an area equal to the State

of Tennessee. The Trinity River flows in a southeasterly direction from “The Grand

Prairie,” almost parallel with the Brazos River, and it empties into the Gulf of Mexico

about 40 miles from Galveston. The cities of Fort Worth and Dallas are located by

the Trinity River, and the United States government is considering plans to make this

river navigable all the way up to Dallas. The Sabine River, which makes up the border

in the east to Louisiana, is 500 miles long and has a drainage area in Texas of 17,000

square miles. It was named after the trees which are so plentiful in this area, the

Cypress, which in Mexican are called “Sabinas”. The Rio Grande has its source in

the Rocky Mountains in the southwestern part of Colorado, and it flows in a

southeasterly direction for a distance of close to 1,800 miles after which it empties

into the Gulf of Mexico. It has only one tributary, the Pecos River. From El Paso to

the Gulf of Mexico, it makes up the border between Texas and Mexico. In its upper

portion the flow is plentiful but it is used a large part for irrigation, and what is not

used for this purpose, disappears by seeping through the riverbed which in the upper

portion to a large part consists of sand. Just below El Paso, the riverbed is scarcely

more than a sandy area with a slight indentation and sometimes it is totally dried out,

or with stagnant water in hollows here and there. At other times, when rainfall is

plentiful, the river overflows and floods a large area of the surrounding land and

causes a lot of destruction. Further down towards the mouth of the river, it gets deeper

and the water

more plentiful and at times it is navigable to smaller ships for a few miles.

Lakes

Only about one-eightieth of Texas is covered by water. There are a number of small lakes with both salt and fresh water, but there are no lakes of any importance. The most important are Lake Wichita in Wichita County in the north. Grand Lake in Colorado County, and Clear Lake in Harris County in the southeastern part of the state, some saltwater lakes in Hidalgo and Cameron counties in the southern part of the state, and between the Diablo and Guadalupe Mountains in the west, as well as by “Llano Estacado” and the Sabine Lake by the border to Louisiana.

Mountain Areas

We have mentioned before that Texas is mainly one giant plain, sloping towards the ocean in the southeast. In the northwestern part of the state there are rock formations which even though they do not deserve to be called mountains are still more than hills or slopes. And in the southwestern part, the part which lies west of the Pecos River, we can really find mountain chains as well as single mountains. “The Callahan Divide” is the name of a group of enormous hills in the northwestern part of the state, including Coleman, Comanche, Brown, Eastland, Callahan, Mitchell, Taylor and Runnells counties. Here the area takes on the look of highlands and rises from a height of 700 feet in the eastern part to 2,500 feet in the west. The formation of the surface is very varied, depending on the disintegration, decomposition and leeching out of different materials and constituents which has been created by the influence of air and water. A number of hills or mountains in miniature looking like enormous inverted pots or pans, are spread out over this highland giving it the impression of huge quays placed close together. West of the Pecos River in the part of Texas which juts out with El Paso as its furthest point and lies between New Mexico and Mexico, we find four different branches of the Rocky Mountains reaching into Texas from New Mexico. These branches do not take the form of closely connected mountains or a continuous chain, but give the impression of separate mountains which rise from the plains without any visible connection between them and are, therefore, included in the type of mountains which are called “Lost Mountains.” These mountains and groups of mountains are from west to east: the Franklin Mountains; Hueco, Quitman and Eagle Mountain, the Comanche, Wind and Diablo Mountains; the Guadalupe, Davis and Santiago Mountains. The highest peaks in Texas are: Guadalupe Peak, which is 9,000 feet, Livermore Peak, which is 8,500 feet, and Mt. Emory, which is 8,500 feet.

Climate Conditions

In general, Texas offers three types of climate: what we could

call low, humid and cold, what we could label low, humid and warm, and what could be classified as high and dry. In the northeast we find the first type, on the coast, the second, and in the western part, the third. The average temperature in the coastal area is 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and in the far northwest, the average temperature is 56 degrees. The hot season lasts from May through October. During this time the heat is fairly severe, and the thermometer often shows 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat is seldom oppressive because the air is fresh and clear and the cooling winds from the Gulf of Mexico makes even the hottest day bearable, at least if you seek the shade. Things like sunstroke or overheating are hardly known, or are at least very rare. The nights are particularly pleasant because of the Gulf winds, which are strongest at that time. In the southern and middle parts of the state there is no winter to speak of, but it can sometimes get fairly cold, and it feels much worse because it happens seldom and when it does, it comes very quickly in connection with a strong northern wind. When these northerly winds occasionally sweep down, the temperature can drop by many tens of degrees. The “Northers” are usually preceded by a few hours of unusual heat caused by the approaching wind, which forces the air to the south and causes it to becomes hot and heavy. “Northers” usually do not last for more than three days and arrive quite unexpectedly and with irregular intervals. Sometimes it can happen that a new “Norther” can follow immediately after a preceding one and prolongs the cold-spell in this way. Sometimes these northern winds are mixed with rain, snow, or even sleet and are then called “Wet Northers”. In some parts of the state, the temperature can fall as low as 0 degrees Fahrenheit, and it has happened even in the southern and central parts of the state that the mercury has fallen as low as to 4 degrees above zero. These are exceptions, however. The climate can all in all be said to be fairly healthy, and regarding the winters, southern Texas has milder and more pleasant ones than any other state in the Union.

Soil Conditions

Texas offers a rich variety of different kinds of particularly fertile soil. The variety

of good soil means that there is hardly any type of crop of the more common ones

which cannot be grown in some parts of the state. It is not common to add fertilizer,

and in most cases it is not necessary. Thousands of acres have been cultivated for

sixty years or more and give as good a harvest today as it ever did. The richest soil

is the waxy black loam, which is mostly found in central Texas. This soil is most

suitable for growing different kinds of grain and above all, cotton. This black waxy

soil has gotten its name because of its color and adherent nature. It is from one to

several feet deep. The

second richest is the black sandy soil, which can be found in the southern part of the state and on the coast. This soil is easier to cultivate than the former and is particularly suitable for growing rice and sugarcane. Fruit and vegetables also grow well in this soil. The black sandy, the red sandy, and the gray sandy soils which are to be found in eastern Texas, have long been known as particularly suitable for growing fruit. In the river valleys, particularly those of the Brazos, Colorado, Red River and Trinity Rivers, there are deposits of soil, and these vary, depending on the soil in the areas the rivers flow through. These river valleys receive constant deposits of soil when the rivers overflow. Deposits of a depth of an entire inch have occurred at one single flooding of the river. In some areas, it is said that the soil which has been created in this way over the centuries is as deep as fifty feet. The Brazos riverbeds are said to have the richest soil of this kind. It is darker and more waxy, while the soil west of the Brazos is more sandy because of the sandy area where the river flows in its upper course. In the northern part of the state, the soil of these river valleys is particularly suitable for growing corn, but in the south it is more favorable for cotton, rice and sugarcane which gives excellent yields.

Forest

The lumber industry is one of the sources for the riches and wealth of Texas. It is true that Texas does not have much to offer of hardwoods which are used for lumber.

Still, an area of 64,000 square miles is covered by forest, a larger area than in any other

State in the Union. The types of wood which are available in large amounts are pine

and cypress. The true forest areas are limited to the eastern parts of the state, and the

types of wood which are available are two types of pine, i.e., with long or short

needles. The long-needled pine is found in the east from Harris County in the north

and down towards the Gulf of Mexico, to within around twenty miles from the coast

where it stops growing. Around 25,000,000 acres of land is covered by this type of

pine. From here building material is shipped to all parts of Texas as well as

Oklahoma, a part of Kansas, and other states in the west. The short-needled pine

takes over in the north from Harris County along the border-areas, and further up it

is mixed with other types of wood, such as walnut, maple, ash and poplar. Pecan trees

grow in large numbers in the river valleys and along the riverbanks. The pecan nuts

are very tasty. The lumber is used mostly for tools like handles for shovels, pickaxes,

and similar things. Additionally, we find, particularly on the black soil prairies,

woods such as elm, oak, and live oak among others, which obviously do not grow

well, but have taken on a dwarf type of growing, except maybe the live oak, which

is better acclimatized than some of the other trees. Among the trees which are most

suitable as shade trees, hackberry

is the foremost. It also grows wild on the black-land prairies. All of the latter types of wood have no significant value as lumber, but are mainly used as firewood and other less important uses where hardwoods are not needed.

INDUSTRY IN THE STATE

General Overview. The general idea of those who have been lacking in closer knowledge of the true conditions in Texas, has largely been that the state is mainly one giant pasture, and that the most important, yes almost the only industry, is cattle ranching. This is totally erroneous, because among all sources of livelihood, farming comes first, then ranching, and in addition there is important industry and

Rice-thrashing in El Campo, Texas

substantial mining within the state. Texas is not only the promised land of the cowboys, but also that of the industrialist, farmer, craftsman, and miner. We have to admit that some of these fields are in their infancy, but great opportunities lie ahead for them as well.

Farming. Texas’ foremost resource is its rich soil, and thus the most important

industry is farming. The riches of the state lies mainly in the enormous and

inexhaustible production of the rich soil. There are already over half a million farms,

worth about two and a half billion dollars. According to an official report in 1910,

the income from farming within the state reached $650,000,000 yearly. This is a sum

equivalent to $160.00 for each person, man, woman, or child within the state. Only

within a part of the state, the one which

lies east of the 100th parallel, is the rainfall sufficient to bring in a harvest using

conventional means of cultivation. West of this meridian, they must use irrigation, or

so-called dry farming. Water for irrigation is created in two ways, either by damming

up the rivers, or by digging wells. By using the former method, they have managed

to create a system of irrigation in the Rio Grande area, which is among the best of its

kind in the United States. The Medina Dam just below San Antonio, which has been

created by damming the Medina River, will supply an area of 150,000 acres of land

with water for irrigation. Up in the Panhandle, in and around Hereford, Plainview,

Tulia and other

Weighing and transporting of cotton to a gin

places, they use the latter method to drill wells to supply water for watering the fields. When growing rice, they are totally dependent on irrigation and for this purpose, they use water from rivers, brooks, and wells. Another way to produce a harvest where rainfall is not sufficient using conventional methods, is by so-called “dry farming.”

The basic principle for this kind of farming is to preserve the moisture which exists

and not let it evaporate in areas where the rainfall is sufficient, but does not come at

the right time. To achieve this they use suitable methods; deep plowing and constant

turning of the soil to keep the surface loose and crumbly, and therefore prevent

moisture from reaching the surface and evaporating. Through this method, large areas

of land in west central Texas

and up in the Panhandle area which would otherwise be almost useless, have been

able to give ample harvests. Experienced leaders in agriculture are encouraging the

use of this method in even more areas and advise its use even in areas where the

precipitation is sufficient. Another difficulty which meets the farmer is in the form

of too much water

Field of sugareane in southern Texas

Corn cobs from the Black-loam belt

in the areas where the water remains on the ground after continuous rain, because of insufficient drainage. Large areas of land were considered useless or at least useless for anything but grazing until they were given proper drainage, and have now become the most productive fields in the state. They are now most suited for fruit and vegetable farming. We have mentioned before the excellent soil in the river valleys.

In spite of the value of these areas, they have been left uncultivated at least near the

mouth of the rivers closest to the ocean since the rivers now and again have

overflowed and

washed away all that has been planted. Nowadays this problem has been solved in many areas by constructing so called levees, a kind of dam so that the river water is held back even during times when the river rises to its peak. With this method, millions of acres of the most fertile land in the state have been made productive.

The Main Farm Products. The most important farm product is Texas is cotton. Texas is the leading state in the Union in the production of this product. The yearly production of cotton is on the average around four million bales. Around 50,000 square miles in the state are particularly suitable for growing cotton. But while the state is foremost in the production of cotton, conditions are still suitable for almost all kinds of the more common kinds of crops, in addition to other kinds of semitropical crops for which the southern climate is suitable. They grow for example, corn, wheat, oats, sugarcane, rice, kaffir corn, milo maize, peanuts, potatoes and a large number of products too numerous to mention. In a state where cattle ranching is as advanced as in Texas, it is obvious that hay and feed of different types make up a large part of the production. Even tobacco is grown on not such a small scale. To give an idea of how much is produced of the more common types, we can mention that the yearly production of corn has in the latter years been on the average 250,000,000 bushels, and wheat, 25,000,000 bushels. Kaffir corn, milo maize, feterita and related products have been introduced in Texas comparatively recently, but are now among the leading products especially in the plains in the south and in the Panhandle district in the Northwest. A field of kaffir corn or milo maize offers excellent grazing and as feed it is considered far superior to the common maize. Rice is grown in the coastal area all the way from the Sabine River to the Rio Grande, and from 80 to 100 miles inland, an area which compares with the state of South Carolina. In the cultivation of rice, only one state supercedes Texas, and that is Louisiana. The yearly harvest of rice reaches a value of $5,000,000 on the average. Even though the sugar industry has not yet reached an important level, quite a large amount of sugarcane is still grown, particularly in the river valleys at the mouth of the Brazos, Trinity, Colorado, and Guadalupe Rivers, encompassing a combined area of half a million acres.

Fruit Growing and Market Gardening. Texas has long been renowned for its

suitability for growing vegetables and it is also becoming known and is finding its

place as a fruit growing state. The coastal area is particularly suitable for growing

vegetables and the climate is ideal for this purpose since a lot of vegetables can be

grown throughout the year because of the warm and mild climate. Regarding fruitgrowing, apples can easily be grown in the northern part of the state while peaches

from the eastern part are among the most delicious in the world. Figs are grown in

the coastal area, mostly in Galveston, Harris and Jefferson counties. Satsuma oranges

are also grown

with great success. The areas along the Rio Grande River are famous for their juicy

and sweet grapes. Thousands of boxcars filled with produce, such as wild

strawberries, muskmelons, potatoes, cabbage, cucumber, onion, tomatoes, spinach,

etc., are shipped out of

Peaches from orchards in East Texas

the state yearly, and as profitable products, they are second to cotton and corn. Tobacco is grown in ninety-eight of the state’s counties. The tobacco harvest is not important in regards to quantity. However, quality-wise, it is the very best.

Cattle Ranching. Next to farming, cattle breeding or so called “ranching” is the

most important industry. The west part of the state, or the so-called “Plains Region,”

is particularly suitable for this purpose. Because of the scarce rainfall in this area,

farming is not suitable here, but the precipitation is still enough to support good

growth

A herd of cattle on the SMS Ranch in Texas

“Cowboys” changing horses on the SMS Ranch in Texas

of the grass which offers the finest grazing for cattle, sheep and goats. Texas

surpasses all the other states in the number and size of these ranches. In size they

vary from a few thousand to several million acres. The biggest among them is the

so-called X.I.T. Ranch, which encompasses several counties, including an area of

3,000,000 acres of land, the size of Connecticut, and the

property of the Swenson brothers, the well-known SMS Ranch, in northwest Texas, of around 400,000 acres. Over one hundred thousand head of cattle move about in these enormous grazing areas. When the cattle are well fattened up, they are shipped to Dallas, Fort Worth or Houston within the state, or Kansas City, St. Louis or Chicago to be slaughtered and prepared for the meat-market. About ninety million dollars is brought into the state yearly through this industry. The raising of sheep and goats, horses and mules, swine and poultry is carried out on a large scale as well. Beekeeping is also important within the state.

Hunting and Fishing. The state of Texas offers a good supply of wild animals for hunting. In some parts, especially in the western part of the state, there is a good supply of deer and wild birds. Wild doves and partridges are almost every place in the state. Hare and wild rabbit are abundant. Fishing is still not very well developed, at least not to the extent that it can be considered an important industry within the state. It is mainly in the bays along the coast where they fish, but in the rivers, the sport fishermen can find lots of enjoyment and rewards for his effort. Oyster fishing is particularly rewarding in the various bays and river mouths along the coast. Port Lavaca, Matagorda and Galveston are the main areas for oyster fishing.

Swedish cotton gin and saw mill, Crosby, Texas

Industry. We have already mentioned farming and ranching as the main industries

in Texas. But because of the riches and great availability of raw materials in

additional to the abundance of cheap fuel, the industry in the state is developing rather

strongly. Since they discovered how to extract oil from cottonseed, they have also

learned to use the byproducts as feed for cattle, and in this way they have lately started

concentrate more on the dairy industry than before. Important slaughter houses are located in the bigger cities within the state where the meat is prepared for the market. There are large mills where the grain is ground and made into flour. Since a lot of wheat and corn are grown within the state, this industry is well developed. The timber industry in Texas ranks seventh in the Union. Next to the lumber industry in importance is the production of cotton-oil and cottonseed cakes. For a long time they thought that the cottonseed was useless for anything but sowing, so they did not save more than what was needed to plant for next year’s harvest. The rest was left to lie and rot. Later, a part of it was used as feed, but only a very small amount. Now it’s very different. The seed will soon be considered as important as the rest. The oil which is pressed out of the seed is used instead

The Rice Harvest is Brought to the Mill, El Campo, Texas

of olive oil, lard, and in the production of soap and a number of other things. The shells are used as feed instead of hay. The flour which remains when the oil has been extracted from the shelled seed, is used as feed and is also widely used as fertilizer.

Texas produces around 30,000,000 gallons of cotton oil yearly, which is one fifth of

the production in all of the United States. When it comes to industry in general, it is

basically in its infancy in Texas. There is some mechanical industry, but mostly it is

only repair shops which are connected to the railroad. Cotton factories were also

constructed here and there, but are not of importance. In addition, there is naturally

a lot of other industry, such as printing, etc. In addition, every community has one

or more “Gins”, where the cotton is separated from the seed, and the “lint” is pressed

into bales. In the areas where fruit is grown on a large scale,

there are also important fruit packing plants, in the oil districts there are refineries, and in the rice-belts, there are rice mills. “Chalkburning” is a fairly important industry in certain areas. In general, we cannot say that industry is of great importance in Texas, if you compare it to some of the other states in the Union.

Mining. Even though it is yet only slightly developed, mining in Texas offers rather good, yes, important resources. There are rather rich deposits of minerals, even though they have not had time to use these resources to any large extent. Among the metals, we can mention that silver, iron, lead, zinc, copper, manganese, quicksilver, and even gold are available in profitable amounts. Large deposits of iron-ore has been discovered in eastern Texas, as well as in Llano and Burnet Counties in central Texas. Gold, silver, copper and lead are found in the central mining area in the western part of the state along the Rio Grande, or the border to Mexico. Here there are even quicksilver mines of rather great importance. Gypsum, asphalt, building-stone and coal are available in fairly large quantities. Gypsum is found in Hardeman and surrounding counties, asphalt in Montague, Cooke, Anderson and Uvalde counties, and in the Neches Valley in eastern Texas. Building-stone, such as limestone, marble, granite, etc., is found in great abundance. From the granite quarries in Burnet County, they have gotten all the granite which was used to build the State Capitol in Austin, and to erect the seawall at Galveston, as well as the seawalls or wave-breakers, built in Galveston Harbor, the so-called “Jetties”. The coal which is available is mainly of two types, bituminous and lignite. Lignite coal varies in color from brown to “coal-black”. This type of coal is found in layers of three to twelve feet in thickness, and is found in almost all of the fifty-two counties, which lie between Red River and Webb counties along the Rio Grande River. The most important mines that are worked now are Santo Tomas near Laredo, Vogel in Milam County, and Calvert Bluff in Robertson County. There are two important layers of bituminous coal in the northern part of the state, beginning in Montague and Wise Counties, and reaching to the southwest through Jack, Palo Pinto and Stephens Counties, and then ending in Eastland and Erath Counties. A third layer of coal is found along the Rio Grande from Eagle Pass to Laredo. This area is known as the Eagle Pass Coalfield. The Hartz Mine in the vicinity of Eagle Pass is the most profitable in this area. It is estimated that the Texas coal-district encompasses an area of around 40,000 square miles.

Oil Deposits. Petroleum has been found in quite a lot of places in Texas, such as

Corsicana, Sour Lake, Nacogdoches, Beaumont, Humble, Saratoga, Goose Creek,

all in Harris County; Hoskins Mound in Brazoria County; Markham, Matagorda

County; Gaston in Bastrop County; Cardin in Hardin County; Petrolia, Clay County

and Thrall, Williamson County. Oil was discovered at Corsicana in 1894 while

drilling for water. Two types of oil was found there, one which was used for fuel and

one for the oiling of machines. A particularly rich deposit was found at Spindle Top

near Beaumont on

January 10, 1910. A large number of wells were so called “Gushers”. The oil was thrown by its own force as high as 100 feet or more into the air. The well there gave from 25,000 to 50,000 barrels a day. Since this oil field was discovered, it has produced 40,000,000 barrels of oil. Now the oil must be pumped out of this field as well. The Humble oil field in Harris County is now the most productive, and Sour Lake is second in production. Gas pockets have also been discovered in many places within the state. In Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco and other cities, this kind of gas is used both for cooking and heating. Other places use gas from wells with “natural” gas. Laredo receives gas from the Webb County oil and gas fields.

Water Resources. No life can exist and be sustained without water, and whether there is water available or not, decides mainly if an area can be inhabited by humans or not. Texas is fortunate to have an ample supply of water through wells and aquifers. Texas is also well-known for its many and valuable health-spas. Water at these spas comes from springs as well as from drilled or dug wells. The most important of these establishments are: Mineral Wells in Palo Pinto County; Wooten Wells in Robertson County; Marlin Springs in Falls County; Sour Lake Mineral Springs in Hardin County, Lampasas Springs, Lampasas County and Hot Sulpher Wells, Bexar County.

COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPORT

General Importance. Of greatest importance for the development of a state and the comfort and enjoyment of its settlers, is communication and transport. The easier it is to get in touch with each other and travel back and forth and transport products, the easier and more profitable it is for the people within a specific area or community. If we examine the Texas railroad system in regards to miles, Texas has the longest distance of tracks of any state in the Union. But much is not said by that regarding how it meets the existing need since it is the largest state in the Union. Texas railroads have a total length of 14,300 miles. This is only a few miles more than that of New York, which is only one fifth as large as Texas. But we should also consider that it and other older states are more densely populated and that Texas is a comparatively recently settled state. The main lines, which run north to south are The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe, the Houston and Texas Central, and the Missouri, Kansas and Texas lines.

The two main lines in an easterly and westerly direction are the Texas Pacific, and

the Southern Pacific. These lines and their side-lines unite all places of any

importance within the state. The most important rail centers are Fort Worth and

Dallas in north Texas, El Paso

in the far west, Amarillo in the “Panhandle”, and Houston in the southern part of the state. Galveston is the second city in the nation and the first in the South, when it comes to exporting marketing goods. The railroads, which run from the north to the south through Texas and lead to Galveston, are the ones which the northwestern states use in particular to export their enormous masses of products. A great and important trans-continental transport is handled by the Southern Pacific railroad system, usually called ‘The Sunset System”, which also controls and expedites important ocean traffic and transport via Galveston.

Steamer Traffic. We have already mentioned in the description of Texas Physical Geography, that the rivers in the state are only partially navigable. Because of this condition, shipping within the state is of minor importance. However, there are plans to facilitate traffic on some of the rivers suitable for this purpose, and the United States Government in cooperation with the local state government are yearly spending large sums for this purpose. By constructing locks in different places, they are planning to make the Trinity River navigable for light ships all the way to Dallas. They are working on a plan to make the Brazos River navigable up to Waco, and it has been strongly advised that the Colorado River is to be made navigable to light ships all the way up to Austin. By using Buffalo Bayou and then digging a canal, Houston has been connected with the open sea, and the deepest ocean-going ships can now come up all the way to Houston with their cargo. The Houstonians have great hopes for their “Deep Sea Channel” and are soon expecting important import and export through this area. Improvements are also in progress where they expect light ships to be able to traffic the Sabine River and the Neches River all the way to Beaumont and Orange. By connecting bays along the coast with canals, an inland waterway has been created reaching from Galveston to Corpus Christi. In this way, they have greatly facilitated the constantly increasing coastal traffic. A plan is in progress to extend this waterway from Galveston to the Sabine River in the east, and from Corpus Christi to the Rio Grande in the south. In this way, they would get a channel of about five feet deep and an average of forty feet wide along the entire Texas coast.

Electric Train lines. As the population increases, the demand for faster and

cheaper transportation increases as well. They are trying to meet this demand by

building an electric train system between the larger cities and through the most

densely populated areas. Such railroads have been built between Dallas and

Denison, Dallas and Fort Worth, Dallas and Waco, Fort Worth and Cleburne, Belton

and Temple, Houston and Galveston, and they are entertaining plans to extend these

lines from Waco south all the way to San Antonio and Houston. The first electric

railroad between two cities in Texas was built between Denison and Sherman, and

it was opened to traffic in 1900. These “intercity” railroad

connections fill a long-known need for cheaper and faster connections between larger communities than can be established by the railroads. Highways. A strong force has been established in this country which wants to improve the highway system. They are making strong efforts to make every important road within the state not only drivable in all kinds of weather, but also comfortably so. This is being accomplished with federal aid, which is generously given, with state means, and through local taxation. They are making efforts to make ‘The King of Trails”, which is a continuation of “The Meridian Highway” which reaches from Quebec, Canada, and is intended to reach the Mexican border, into one of the most modern and finest highways in the country. You cannot overestimate the importance of a good highway system. For the transport of farm products to the market place, for pleasure trips or whatever it may be, the country dweller mainly uses the roads. Lately the highways have been appreciated for another reason: they started to realize how valuable the roads were to transport troops and war material. And Texas has been found to be more suitable than any other state in the Union for the establishment of military posts and encampments. Because of this fact, the state’s highways will be noticed by the federal as well as local authorities even more, and in all areas we can expect the state’s transport system to see a great upswing.

GOVERNMENT

Constitution or Constitutional Amendments. Early Texas history is very much connected with the history of Mexico which country Texas was once a part of until 1836, when the part of Mexico which is now Texas formed a separate Republic. In 1846, the Republic of Texas joined the Union of the United States. During the early years, the constitution was therefore the same as the Mexican states except for the ten years when it was a separate republic. The present constitution of Texas was written and ratified in 1876 and gives the state the same right to self-government as the other states in the Union. In this constitution we find the principles in accordance with which all state laws must be written. We also find rules regarding the power of state officials and agencies as well as their duties. According to this constitution, the state shall be governed by three different bodies or departments, that is: the Legislative Department or Congress, the Courts or Judicial Department, and the Executive Department.

The Legislative Assembly or The Legislative Department. The legislative

power belongs to the Senate and the House of Representatives, which together

are called the Texas Legislature. The Senate consists of thirty-one members who serve for four years. For this purpose, the state is divided into thirty-one senatorial districts which can each consist of no less than one county. When one senatorial district contains more than one county, they must be bordering each other. After each federal census, these districts must be re-zoned. This is what is called “redistricting” and it is carried out by the legislature. After the census new senators are elected, which are divided into two groups, those who will serve for two years and those who will serve for four. Then half of the senators are up for re-election every other year until a new census is done and a whole new group of senators are elected and grouped as mentioned before. The House of Representatives can never exceed one-hundred-fifty members. Their term is only two years because the Legislature meets only every other year. The size of the district from which each representative is elected depends on the density of the population, because the district is formed according to the size of the population, by dividing the total population of the state by 150. Every county has the right to as many representatives as its population entitles them to according to the above-mentioned rules. If a county does not have enough population to qualify for its own representative, it will be joined with a neighboring county and thus forming a “joint district”. When a county is entitled to a fraction more than one or more “whole” representatives, the part of the county which is superfluous can be joined with a neighboring county in the same situation, and form what is known as a “Floating District”. The representative who is chosen from such a district, is usually called a floater. Presently there are twenty-three such districts in the state. The legislature meets only every other year, and then it meets on the second Tuesday of January in the Capitol. The regular session cannot last for more than ninety days, but extra sessions can be called by the Governor, and these cannot last for more than thirty days.

The Courts or Justice Department. The Justice Department is divided into different courts which are grouped into higher and lower ones. The higher courts are The State Supreme Court and the Appellate Courts. The Courts of Appeal are divided into two classes, one for criminal and eight for civil cases. The “State Supreme Court” has its seat in the Capitol Building in Austin. Three judges jointly hear each case which has been referred to this court. This court is in session from October 1 to June 1 every year. The judges are chosen directly by the people for a term of six years, and they are elected so that the term lapses for one of them every other year. The Appellate Court or Court of Appeals for criminal cases has its seat in the Capitol in Austin, and it too is chosen by the people for a period of six years. There are eight Courts of Appeal for civil cases within eight different districts, and there are positioned as follows:

1st District, Galveston; 2nd District, Fort Worth; 3rd District, Austin; 4th District, San Antonio; 5th District, Dallas; 6th District, Texarkana; 7th District, Amarillo; 8th District, El Paso. These courts have three judges each which are also elected for a period of six years. They can only hear cases which come to them from County or District courts within their own respective district. From these, one can in certain cases appeal to the Supreme Court, but in most cases their decision is final. These courts are also in session between October and June. The lower courts are District Courts, of which there are a large number which are located in the main cities of each county. County Courts, of which there is one in each county with its seat in the courthouse of each county. Justice of the Peace, of which there can be no less than four and no more than eight in each county. In addition, the large cities have their own Municipal Courts, or “Corporation Courts”, and Police Courts. District Courts must be available for at least two terms yearly. In these courts, they hear the most severe criminal cases and civil cases as well. The District judges are elected by the people for a term of four years. They must live in the district where their court is located. County judges must be available at least once each quarter and more often if the need arises. County judges are elected by the people for a term of two years. The County Courts have jurisdiction over minor civil as well as criminal cases. The Justice of the Peace must hold court at least once a month and be ready to hear criminal cases and judge when someone has been arrested under suspicion of a crime, whether he should be jailed or released under bond, awaiting trial, or if the suspicions are sufficiently well founded, to hold the suspect for further questioning by a higher court or a “Grand Jury”. The right to have your case judged by a “jury” is given to each person. In the lower courts, the jury consists of six men, and twelve in the higher courts, the so-called District Courts. In the Appellate Courts and in the State Supreme Court, the verdicts are handed down by the judges themselves without a jury.

The Executive or The Executive Department. The Executive Department

consists of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Treasurer, Comptroller of

Public Accounts, Land Commissioner, Superintendent of Public Schools, the Attorney

General, and the Railroad Commissioner. All are elected for a period of two years,

except for the Railroad Commissioners whose terms of office last for six years. Other

members of the Executive Branch are the Secretary of State, the Insurance Commissioner, the Banking Commissioner, etc. who are appointed by the Governor and

whose term are equal to that of the Governor’s. The Governor’s duties are very much

like those of governors in other states. He has to ensure that the laws are enforced in

all respects within the state. To accomplish this, he has the right to command the

state’s militia to maintain law and order anywhere,

or wherever the need arises. We have already mentioned that some of the state executives are appointed by the governor. He has the power to appoint a large part of the state’s executives and commissioners. If the Senate is in session, the governor makes these appointments. It is his duty to submit the names of those whom he intends to select. If they are not approved by the Senate by two-thirds majority, the governor must make another selection until the chosen individual is confirmed. If none of those are selected by the governor while the Senate is in session, the governor will fill the post with someone who is suitable and can legally hold the position, but none of those whom the Senate has vetoed can be appointed. The governor also has the right to pardon prisoners who have been granted a stay of execution or sentencing. He has to personally handle all correspondence and all official business between Texas as a state and the federal government. At the opening of the legislative session, it is his duty to send a message in which he is expected to summarize the state of affairs within the state, make suggestions for new laws, propose new taxation based on existing need, and give a complete account of the handling of all public funds, and be able to show receipts for the use of those funds. At the end of the session, it is his duty to make a summary of all work that has been carried out by the legislature, and to them send a message about that. He can call an extra session whenever he sees the need, but must specify the reason for the extra session in this message. When the session is open, he can suggest other business, but no other than those which the governor has proposed can be considered during the extra session.

The Lieutenant Governor in the capacity of his post presides over the Senate. His duty is to serve as Governor when the Governor is incapable to fulfill his duties;when the Governor is out of state, severely ill, or when accused by the Senate because of misconduct.

The Secretary of State is in charge of the state’s archives, its books, maps, documents, protocol, and other papers, as well as the State Seal for all proclamations and documents issued by the Governor. He also issues permits for corporations of different types to carry out business according to the regulations established by the legislature. He must always be ready to give all information to the Legislature which he has access to according to his position. He must print and distribute all new laws passed by the Legislature so that the public will be informed of these. He must keep careful records of all elections held within the state and give to the Legislature the complete election information during their session.

The Superintendent of Public Schools is in charge of all public schools within the state.

“The Comptroller of Public Accounts” is actually the state’s accountant.

In his office are kept all records regarding money, public lands and other property belonging to the state, as well as all records of indebtedness owed to the state and all morgages in which the state is interested.

The duty of the State Treasurer is to control all money belonging to the state and to make payments according to directives signed by the Comptroller. The first Monday of November of every year, it is the duty of the State Treasurer to make a complete statement to the Governor regarding the state’s finances. When so requested, he must turn over all books, receipts and other papers in his office to the Legislature for examination or to a committee appointed by the legislature for their scrutiny. The Railroad Commissioners, which are three in number, have as their duties to negotiate between the railroad companies and the general public, and above all, to insure that the rightful demands of the general public are met by the railroad companies.

The duties of the Insurance and Bank Commissioners are to protect the general public from being defrauded by swindlers in the form of insurance companies and bank institutions, which are willing to take the public’s money without being able to meet their obligations to them when requested. Before the bank can be opened or an insurance company can be formed, their business principles as well as their assets are carefully scrutinized by their respective commissioners who have been appointed for this purpose. They will then have their books and accounts opened for auditing whenever these commissioners arrive for this purpose. The State’s Attorney Generals duties are described by his title. He is the State’s representative in all legal affairs. He must interpret all legal paragraphs, and when requested, give his opinion. He is the advisor in all legal questions concerning the State to the Governor and all state executives.

The duties of the Commissioner of Public Lands are to keep careful accounts of all negotiations of the sale of state lands to private individuals, and to protect the state from unfounded claims regarding the state’s lands and in general, to hold in trust all public property.

POLITICAL DIVISION

Politically, the state is divided into 251 different counties. Their original number was 23. By dividing these original counties, the numbers have been increased to the current one, and as the population increases it is probable that continued division will be done. Some counties are still comparatively large, for example El Paso County,which alone encompasses an area as large as all of the State of Massachusetts. The smallest county within the state, that is Rockwall, has an area of 149 square miles.

The inhabitants of the state of Texas in 1910 were 3,896,542, or 14.8 people per square mile. If Texas were as densely populated as the state of New York, it would have over 50,000,000 inhabitants.

The most densely populated counties within the state are as follows: Dallas, with the city of Dallas, Bexar, with the city of San Antonio, Harris, with the city of Houston, Tarrant, within which we find the city of Fort Worth, McLennan, where Waco is situated, Grayson, with the cities of Denison and Sherman, Travis, with the capital city, Austin, Ellis, with the city of Waxahachie, and El Paso, with the city of El Paso. We find the state’s densest population within the “Black-land Belt”. The state has 131 cities of which four have a population of over 100,000. According to the latest estimates, Dallas has 129,632 inhabitants, San Antonio, 135,610 inhabitants, Houston, 112,215 inhabitants, and Fort Worth has a population of 104,562. Among cities which have over 25,000 inhabitants, but under 100,000 inhabitants, we can mention El Paso with 63,705, Galveston with 52,289, Austin with 34,814, and Waco with 45,237. The different military camps near many of these cities have lately practically doubled the number of inhabitants, and most of these “cantonments” will probably become permanent institutions. The different counties have no right to legislate, but are ruled in this area by the state’s legislature. However, the cities can promulgate and accept particular restrictions which are called city ordinances, but these cannot conflict with state laws. Regarding other legislation, each county is represented by a representative in the House of Representatives who has been elected by the county, alone or in conjunction with a nearby county and by the Senator chosen by the senatorial district to which the county belongs.

In Congress in Washington, the State of Texas is represented by 16 Congressmen

who represent in the House of Representatives, and like other states in the Union, by

two Senators.

THE TEXAS SCHOOL SYSTEM

F. L. Hagberg

The educational system in Texas consists of public schools, high schools which

give an education in agriculture, national economics, home economics, teachers

colleges,

Southwestern University, Georgetown, Texas

Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas

schools for women teaching home economics, schools for agriculture, vocational schools and the State University.

The Public Schools in Texas have received larger donations than the schools in any other state in the Union, and the permanent school-fund has now reached $84,055,636.

This fund has mainly been created by selling large land areas which from time to time

The State University

have been set aside by the state. Presently (1913), this state-fund consists of land, and promissory notes to the value of $50,909,287, interest-bearing bonds, $16,703,361, unsold land $3,000,000, stocks in railroads $ 1,172,817, and cash funds $90.729. In addition to the permanent fund which cannot be touched, there is also another state fund which is at the disposal of the schools. This fund which amounts to around seven million dollars is partly derived from the yearly interest from capital and still unsold land areas, partly through a yearly taxation on all male citizens from the age of twenty-one to sixty, as well as an additional tax of twenty cents per one hundred dollars on all property.

Baylor University, Waco, Texas

The Main Building at A & M College, College Station, Texas With a Company of Cadets

This fund is divided proportionally to the schools in the different counties. The school districts are also allowed to collect a local school tax not exceeding fifty cents for property of a hundred dollars value. This local taxation usually reaches five million dollars, and this sum, in addition to the seven million available from the state fund, a total of twelve million dollars, can be used for the yearly upkeep of the schools.

According to the state laws, the schools are kept open at least six months every year,

and the school age is from seven to seventeen years of age. The public schools are

under the supervision of the State Education Department consisting of the Governor, the Controller of Public Funds, and the Secretary of State. The Superintendent of Schools is the Secretary of the Department of Education. There are four schools for the education of white teachers, that is: Sam Houston Normal Institute in Huntsville, North Texas State Normal College, Denton, Southwest Texas State Normal School, San Marcos, and West Texas State Normal School in Canyon. The Normal and Industrial College for the education of teachers of the colored race is situated in Prairie View. Normal schools are professional, and their main purpose is to educate teachers for practical subjects in the schools.

The Agricultural and Mechanical College near Bryan, Brazos County, is a division of The State University and

The Sam Houston Normal Institute, Huntsville, Texas

teaches mechanics and connected sciences. This school has established so-called ‘testing stations’ in different parts of the state where scientific advancements are used in practice on land donated by the state for this purpose. The Government gives funds for this glorious work, and supports “the Office of Dry Land Agriculture” in Dalhart, the Office of Grain Investigation in Amarillo, and the Bureau of Plant Industry in Chillicothe.

The College of Industrial Arts, a state school for women, is situated in Denton. Here they teach home economics, crafts and business, stenography and typing. The school also has a department for education in singing, piano and violin. All courses are free.

The State University is located in Austin. It was opened on September 15, 1883,

and all education is free to residents of the state. Students from high schools affiliated

with the University of Texas are admitted with a diploma from such a school. The

University awards the same degree as the other American universities, but no honor

degrees are given. In addition to the academic courses, there are courses in home

economics, crafts, agriculture,

architecture and business. There is also a correspondence school for those who cannot attend classes. To keep the university in close contact with the other schools in the state, there is a special lecturer with the responsibility to visit the schools in the state and advise their leaders about the best methods of carrying on the education. For the upkeep of the university, the legislature sets aside a certain sum of money each year as well as the interest from the real estate set aside by the state for the university.

The state has two schools for the deaf and dumb, and for the blind, both located in Austin, and a home for the orphans, the State Orphan Home in Corsicana. In addition to the schools organized by the state, there are institutions of higher learning for both the white and colored races, which are supported by churches and private individuals. Among those are: Baylor University, Waco, supported by the Baptist Church; Southwestern University, Georgetown and Dallas, and the Polytechnic College, Fort Worth, belong to the Methodists, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, is supported by the Christian Church and the Austin College, Sherman, and Trinity University, Waxahachie, by the Presbyterian Church. St. Mary’s College, Dallas, belongs to the Episcopal Church, and St. Edward’s College, Austin, belongs to the Catholic Church. Rice University, Houston, was founded by William M. Rice with a fund of ten million dollars and was opened in October, 1912. This institution with its great resources will certainly take a leading role among the educational facilities in Texas.

IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA

and the Foundation of Swedish Churches here

Alfred L. Scott

History tells about three large waves of immigration from the Nordic countries. The first age of immigration, which is partially obscured by the mist of the fairy-tale, started about 1000 A.D. The second exodus happened during Sweden’s era of empire when Gustav n Adolf’s grand idea for a Swedish colony in the new world was realized. The third and probably the last immigration actually started in the 1840’s. The only thing we know about the Nordic colonies in “Vinland the Good”, is that they once existed. Without carefully examining the historical facts which lie behind the statement that the Norsemen (Swedes, Norwegian, Danes and Icelanders) discovered North America around 1000 A.D., I only want to point out a few things in this country which stand there as a reminder from a time when our old forefathers went west. One such is the Assonet Rock or the Dighton Writing Rock at Assonet, on the bank of the Cohammet River in Massachusetts. On this rock, which is about 12 feet tall, there are several Latin letters and primitive hieroglyphs which researchers consider to be an illustration to Thorfinn Karlsefne’s story. The writing, deciphered, goes like this: “Thorfinn’s 151 men took possession of this land.” Another ancient monument is the ruin of a round building in Newport, Rhode Island, probably used by the Norsemen as a church. When Christopher Columbus later steered his ships over the Atlantic waves, these daring journeys to Vinland were a lodestar for him. But we leave “Vinland the Good” of the middle ages with the impression that Christianity was first preached in this country by our ancestors. It is in the spring of 1638, when the second wave of immigration from the High North commences. A “New Sweden” is founded in the New World. Swedish is spoken and evangelism is preached according to the Lutheran faith for nearly 200 years, and we also see one after the other of the Swedish churches joined with the English-Episcopal Church. The last Swedish pastor, Nils Collin, entered the Kingdom of God on October 7, 1831. The Swedish Mission in Delaware which lasted for 193 years is now just a memory but a valuable and educational one. On the rock by the Delaware River where our Pilgrim forefathers landed. The Delaware Society of Colonial Dames erected a stone on the 200th anniversary of the landing.

You can read on the granite block: “This stone is a portion of the rock on which

landed the first Swedish colonists in America,

29 March, 1638.” On this spot stood Fort Christina. Here the Swedes held their first Civil Courts, and in the Chapel of the fort they celebrated their first Christian worship in the New World.

Eighteen years after the death of Nils Collins in 1849, the Swedish Lutheran pastor, Lars Paul Esbjom arrived in the U.S. and started his work in Andover, Illinois, among his fellow Swedes. Four years earlier, the Father of Swedish Methodism, O.G. Hedstrom, preached to a few Swedes at the Bethel Ship in New York, and on December 15,1846, the world’s first Swedish Methodist Church was founded by five people in Victoria, Dlinois. It was pastor Jonas J. Hedstrom, the brother of O.G. Hedstrom, who was the founder and pioneer of Swedish Methodism in the West.

Around 16 miles north of Victoria, .Eric Janson founded the Bishop Hill Colony.

This was in 1846.

The first Swedish Lutheran Congregation during the later period of immigration was founded in New Sweden, Jefferson County, Iowa, in 1848. On March 18,1850 the previously mentioned Pastor Esbjom founded the Lutheran congregation in Andover, Illinois. This congregation is considered by many to be the first, but the New Sweden congregation in Iowa should be just as qualified for first place even if its organization was not quite complete.

We also count the Swedish Episcopal minister, Gustav Unonius, as a founder. He was not a minister when he came to America in 1841, and settled with his followers on Pine Lake (Tallsjons) in the State of Wisconsin. When he arrived, he had planned to peacefully spend his days on the beautiful shores of Pine Lake. But circumstances took him on a different road than he had anticipated. This activity led him to a newly built bigger “Pine Lake” and other colonies where laid a strong foundation in the area. In 1849 he was called to become the minister of the Swedish congregation in Chicago. He returned to Sweden in 1858 where he died in 1902.

SWEDISH CHURCHES IN TEXAS

The Founding of the Swedish Lutheran Church in Texas

and the Northern States

Alfred L. Scott

The large numbers of strong young men and beautiful blue-eyed maidens who emigrated from Smaland and came to Texas during the latter half of 1849, and in the 1850’s, 1860’s, and 1870’s, were, without exception, Lutherans. It may be true that their rich heritage of Nordic strength and deep faith lay unused. Here however, it would come to use. In the transformation of the Texas wilderness and the creation of happy communities with the advantages of Christianity and civilization, these early immigrants got deeply involved and made lasting contributions. The oldest colonies we can find in Texas are in Austin, Brushy and New Sweden.

In these communities, Swedish Lutheran work started early. It was natural that the first Swedish immigrants to Texas turned to their old homeland to get pastors. The Swedish Lutheran Augustana-Synod in North America was at that time really new, and its work was barely known in Texas. In the beginning of 1870, we can find two Lutheran pastors, Karlen and Tillman, the first from Sweden and the latter from Finland, working for a time among their countrymen in Texas. Little is known about Karlen; Tillman founded Swedish Lutheran churches in Austin and Brushy in 1870. He did his best as long as he was here, but as soon as he returned to his homeland, the Swedish pioneers again had to look around for pastors.

This time they turned to the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Augustana-Synod of

North America with the result that the Pastors S.P.A. Lindahl, L.A. Hocanzon, and

J.O.Cavallin, one after the other, visited the Swedish communities in Travis and

Williamson Counties. Hocanzon founded in 1875 the congregations in Austin and

Brushy, and Cavallin organized the congregation in New Sweden in the beginning

of 1876. In the summer of 1876, Pastor Martin Noyd came to the Brushy

congregation, and in addition to that one, served both Austin and New Sweden

churches. As the first permanently stationed Swedish Lutheran Augustana pastor in

Texas, Pastor Noyd is thus the pioneer of our church. After his 42 years as pastor

in the Augustana-Synod, he spent over 30 years devoted to the spiritual work in the

field of the Lutheran Church in Texas. The experienced veteran from

many spiritual battlefields is still active in one of our outposts in the South, a faithful guardian on the walls of Zion.

In 1882, six years after Pastor Noyd arrived. Pastor J. A. Stamline came to Austin. In addition to the congregation there, he also served New Sweden. He had worked in Texas before as a student, so he was not a stranger to the conditions here when he arrived as a pastor. With the exception of a few years when he worked in the missionary field of the Conference, he has spent all of his career in Texas. For many years he was also the headmaster of Trinity College, Round Rock, Texas. He has retired from active service as a pastor, but is still very active visiting missionary areas and vacant “pastorships” where he preaches the gospel. He has been present from the beginning and witnessed the founding of our church. He is not only a founder; he has also helped build the foundation.

The third pastor who has carried out blessed work within our church in Texas was Gustav Berglund. His first post was in New Sweden. With his arrival in 1886, the first three Swedish congregations in Travis and Williamson Counties had acquired pastors. Berglund later became pastor in Austin and in Brushy, where he died in 1899.

The Swedish Lutheran Church in Texas was founded with the above mentioned congregations and joined with the Augustana-Synod. Among the founders we count the pastors, M. Noyd, J. A. Stamline, and to some extent, Pastor Gustaf Berglund. During the years the Church has grown and now in 1918 it has 19 congregations and 15teachers. The members are 1,910, and the entire congregation is 3,015. There are 844 children taught in Sunday school by 114 teachers. The expenses for different purposes in 1917, amounted to $23,500. The congregations are divided into two missionary districts, Austin and El Campo, which are joined organizationally to the Kansas Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Augustana-Synod of North America. The Augustana-Synod was founded in the Norwegian Lutheran Church in Clinton, Rock County, Wisconsin, June 5, 1860. It consisted of Swedish and Norwegian congregations and mixed ones. At the founding meeting in Clinton, the Augustana-Synod counted 36 Swedish congregations with 3,753 members and 17 pastors, 13 Norwegian congregations with 1,220 members and 10 pastors. There were 21 Swedish churches and 8 Norwegian ones. For ten years, the Swedes and Norwegians worked together. At a meeting in Andover, Illinois, in 1870, they decided to divide. During the ten years they were together the synod developed and in 1870, it had 99 Swedish and 30 Norwegian congregations; 13 were mixed; it hadl6,376 Swedish and 1,784 Norwegian members; and there were 46 Swedish and 27 Norwegians pastors.

The work of the Augustana-Synod, and its growth during the years 1860-1917, is shown by the following statistic: Year 1860 - 17 pastors, 36 congregations, 21 churches, 3,753 members, total expenses $9,171.00.

Year 1917: 710 pastors, 1,225 congregations, 1,110 churches, 191,390 active members, 278,333 members, total expenses $2,383,920. The synod owns and controls 32 charitable establishments, with an estimated value of $2,203,628: a theological seminary and ten colleges with a property value of $2,300,000. The synod’s church property is valued at $2,207,404. The total value of all property belonging to the Synod amounts to $6,711,032. The Augustana-Synod contains 12 conferences and 4 missionary districts. The Swedish Lutheran Church in North America has grown during a period of 70 years (1848-1918) to the point that it now has 1,225 congregations served by 710 pastors.

These are just some outlines of the history of the Swedish Lutheran Church in Texas and some recollections about the founding of our church and its early development in this country. “Now we see through a mirror in a hazy way, but later we will be face to face; now we feel only partially, later we will feel totally, like we will also be known.”

GETHSEMANE CONGREGATION IN AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY

This is the oldest Swedish Lutheran Church in Texas. In 1915 there was the celebration of its fortieth anniversary.

The facts for this review are taken from the church history compiled by Pastor Gideon C. Olson and read by him at the above-mentioned celebration. From the information received from an early immigrant, there were 16 families living in Austin in 1868 as well as 50 unmarried young farm-hands. Two Lutheran preachers, Karlen and Tillman, the former from Sweden and the latter from Finland, were the first to preach in the Swedish tongue to our people in Texas. Their activities here were very short in duration.

A Swedish Lutheran Congregation was established in Austin in 1870. It was reorganized under Pastor Tillman in 1871. According to the churchbook, this congregation consisted of 39 members among whom were Anders Liden, Gustaf Johan Lundell, Johannes Manson, Olaus Nelson, Karl Rydell, Adolf Skogland, Johannes Swenson, Otto Swenson, Johan Peter Swenson, Karl Tornblom, and Nels Johan Westerberg. On February 11, 1872, the group decided to build a church. An organization named Svea took care of the building of the church. The church was dedicated on March 10,1874, by a Norwegian Lutheran pastor called 0. 0. Estrem. On November 15,1874, Dr. S. P. A. Lindahl preached in the new church, and was the first pastor within the Augustana-Synod to preach for the Swedish people of Texas. Because of his account to the directors of the missions, they sent Pastor L. A. Hocanzon to serve for a time among the Swedes of Texas. On February 14,1875, he organized the Swedish Lutheran Gethsemane Church in Austin.

At the founding of the church, the congregation consisted of 8 8 active members and

46 children. The first church was built on West 9th Street. “It was”, said Pastor

Hocanzon,

“small and simple, and located between two Negro churches, which was very disturbing.”

During the Fall of 1875, Pastor J. O. Cavallin arrived in Texas and worked here six months. The following year, the Austin and Brushy congregations joined together to form a pastorate, and called theology student, Martin Noyd, who accepted the call. As soon as he was ordained, he came to Texas, settling in Brushy in July, 1876. Of his experiences, he writes, “In July, I took charge of the congregation. Since I had to live in Brushy and also had to take charge of the New Sweden congregation, I could not give the Austin group anywhere near the attention they needed. In addition to occasional evening services, I preached in Austin regularly, every other Sunday. At different times I also had to go to Manor in the afternoon so that Austin received no more than a high mass. Those who attended services did so regularly, and valued the opportunity to hear the Word and showed me much devotion. The congregation increased almost unbelievably.

While I saw clearly that if any good was to be done at least one more man must be secured, I resigned and advised the congregation to call a student.” In October, 1879, Pastor Noyd resigned from the congregation. The Austin-Brushy pastorate dissolved, and Austin and New Sweden combined to form a pastorate. During the vacancy, the students, J. A. Stamline, C. J. Collin, and J. R. Hemborg, served the congregation. Theology student, J. A. Stamline, was called as pastor for the Austin-New Sweden pastorate, and accepting the call, he came to Austin in July, 1882. He carried on the pastorate work here until November, 1887. In the Fall of the same year, the congregation agreed to sell the church property and to buy in a more suitable location. A subscription was taken up, the old church building was sold for $900, and a new place was bought for $ 1600.00. The location chosen, which is the present one, is on the city’s most prominent street. Congress Avenue, two blocks from the Capitol. The work went so well and was done so promptly that in November, 1883, the new church was dedicated by Pastor J. A. Stamline who was the only pastor in the district. The student, Ostergren, Professor Anderson, and the deacons of the church assisted at the dedication. With the exception of the steeple, the new church cost $6,500. We are aware that it was well built for even today it is the place of worship for the congregation.

Theology students, G. Landin and E. Glad, took care of the congregation during

the vacancy between 1887-1889. In the beginning of 1889, Pastor GustafBerglund

took charge of the congregation in Austin. He was pastor in Austin until August,

1892. After he moved away the church was served by the students, C. 0. Strom and

A. E. Johnson. Pastor G. A. Dorfcame to Austin in July, 1895, the same year he was

ordained. Services and Sunday school classes were held in Decker during this

period. Church work was continued in Elroy with the result that a church was

established there in 1897, and a building was finished in 1899. Pastor Dorf moved

away in August, 1899, and the following

November, Pastor C. G. Widen, arrived. Austin and Elroy combined to form a pastorate, and Pastor Widen served the same until his death. May 13, 1907.

The Swedish Lutheran Church and Parsonage, Austin, Texas

In the fall of 1899, a pipe-organ was installed at the cost of $1,150.00. The congregation celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary in 1900. Concerning this celebration. Pastor Widen said:

“Our congregation celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary on December 9th. For

Saturday

night, the Gustaf Adolf Society had arranged an exceptionally good concert performed by the choir and the orchestra, which was well attended. This tended to put the congregation in tune from the very beginning. The church had been renovated and with the beautiful pipe-organ, it was clad in holiday array. All the preachers in the district were at hand, and distributed among us, the Word of Truth. At the three services which were held during this holiday, the church was filled to capacity with attentive listeners. With gratitude to the Lord for His work among us during the past 25 years, we wish to raise the banner in His name.” Pastor J. S. Ryding took over the congregation in May, 1908, but remained only a year. Pastor G. A. Ekman came in September, 1910, and was the congregation’s pastor until July, 1913. Concerning this period. Pastor Ekman writes as follows:

“It is not up to me to praise my own work, but the services were all well attended with the exception of the week-day services. The young people seemed to take more interest in the weekly services than the older people did. The different organizations were very active and helpful in keeping the treasury strong. A new electrical lighting system was installed by the Luther League, cement sidewalks were put down by the Ladies Aid, the church was renovated, and paving of the street in front of the church on Congress Avenue was contracted for. The expenses for missions and schools were paid regularly. Everything moved along peacefully and smoothly; there was no friction, and the congregation grew. The Austin congregation is probably one of the Synod’s most active groups. May the Lord bless to the utmost His Swedish Lutheran Zion in Austin.”

Theology student, Gideon C. Olson, was called to be pastor of the congregation, after he was ordained at the synod meeting in 1913. He came here in the late summer of the same year. At the yearly meeting in 1914, the congregation decided to build a new parsonage. A building-committee was elected, consisting of Pastor Gideon C. Olson, Carl Bergstrom, Carl Widen, Dr. J. A. Udden, William Anderson, John Bergstrom, Alfred Tornquist, Aron Wetter, Otto Danielson, Adolf Bergstrom and Olaus Nelson. A beautiful and practical parsonage was built for $4,500.00. Services in English began during Pastor Olson’s tenure and were held the first Sunday night of each month. The old parsonage was remodelled to serve as a Luther Hall.

The Luther League has bought and installed a fine piano in the church. August Swenson from Hutto gave a chime clock to the congregation at its fortieth anniversary in 1915.

At the yearly meeting in 1918, there were 253 members of which 180 were communicants. In June, Pastor Gideon Olson left Austin to take charge of a congregation in Woodhull, Illinois.

Sunday School has been conducted during the entire period of the existence of the congregation. Mr. Carl Bjorkman served as Sunday school director for many years.

C. J. Carlson, John Ljunggren, C. A. Holm, N. Mellin,

Oscar Carlson, C. J. Ekman, Alfred Tomquist, and Victor Bengtson have since filled this position. Including the “cradle roll” in which 30 are enrolled, there are 85 children taught by 9 teachers.

A school for the entire congregation has been held every summer for many years.

Organizations

The Ladies Aid has worked without interruption since 1883. It has been the congregation’s best financial aid, and without its assistance, it would have been hard to meet outstanding expenses.

The Luther League. This organization is a continuation of the Gustaf Adolf group. The group meets twice a month, and the meetings are held alternatively in Swedish and in English. In addition to its normal work, this organization has worked for the financial aid of the church.

The Art Club, Dorcas, was established by Pastor C. G. Widen during the Spring of 1901. At first the girls would do handicrafts at their meetings. They have ceased doing this, and now the young people gather for a social meeting in various homes to which they are invited. The purpose of the group is to bring together the young people and to add to the church treasury.

The Choir. Church singing and music has had a prominent place in the Austin congregation and there has always been a choir. During the time of C. G. Widen, there was an orchestra. No one has done as much for music and choir-singing as Miss Hilda Widen who has been organist and choir director for many years.

PALM VALLEY CONGREGATION IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY

The first Swedish immigrants who came to Texas settled as a rule in the beautiful country where live oak, elm, and pecan trees flourished in the river valleys. By the riverbed they built their log-cabins, because there was a ready supply of water and the ancient live oaks provided shade. The open prairie became the best grazing land; the possibilities for cultivation were great. The wide out-stretched prairies belonged during the first part of the pioneer period to the ranchers, and the cowboy was king over his long-homed Texas cattle.

The second oldest of the Swedish colonies in Texas is Brushy. The name for the community was derived from Brushy Creek near which the first settler built their homes. Among those settling in the Brushy valley was the famous Palm family, and thus this area was called Palm Valley. Since then, tlie Swedish Evangelical Lutheran congregation in Brushy has used this name. The Lutheran Church in Brushy and the Lutheran Church in Palm Valley are therefore different names which apply to the same congregation. The most important events in the history of the congregation were recalled by Pastor 0. M. Bloom’s historical account, read at the fortieth anniversary of the congregation.

The first settlers speak in particular of two of the pastors of the Swedish church who were drawn to Texas. These were Karlen and Tillman. The former is almost forgotten while Tillman with his quaintness is still remembered by the older people. In the old church book. Pastor Tillman has written: “Churchbook for the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Brushy Church in Williamson County, Texas, North America, founded on November 27,1870, because that was when the undersigned preached for the first time in the schoolhouse. On April 21,1872,1 made my farewell sermon there. D. M. Tillman, Swedish Lutheran pastor from Gla parish, Finland, Sweden, where I have now returned.” Some are still alive who remember Pastor

The Swedish Lutheran Church, Palm Valley, Texas

Tillman’s farewell sermon. In another place in the church-book, he writes: “On November 27,1870, on the first Sunday in Advent, the undersigned preached for the first time in the Brushy congregation’s schoolhouse, situated in Mr. Cauldwells field.” In another entry, “On February 10,1872, one acre of the 22 acres of ground, which Mr. Consul S. M. Swenson from New York gave to the congregation as a cemetery, was solemnly dedicated in the presence of a large group of people.” According to Pastor Tillman, the first Lutheran church in Brushy, was founded on November 27, 1870.

A Norwegian Lutheran pastor, Estrem, from Bosque County, Texas, preached

for the settlers, and administered the Holy Communion. He, too, founded a church in Brushy on May 17, 1874. A constitution was drawn up and was included in the first book of records. In the “Memoirs of C. Chamquist”, we find the following:

“Pastor Tillman had many good qualities, and great knowledge. As a preacher, he was orthodox and adhered to ceremony, staying close to the Swedish state church ritual. In sermonizing, he surpassed all other pastors which the Smaland people had ever heard.” Concerning a sermon that Pastor Tillman gave on Christmas morning, 1871, he says the following: “Pastor Tillman does not deserve any praise for being excellent in extemporaneous speaking, because his sermon was only a compilation from beginning to end.”

Thus both Karlen and Tillman have come and gone; and it became evident that if our people in Texas were to have spiritual teaching and fellowship, they

The Swedish Lutheran Parsonage, Palm Valley, Texas

must turn to the founding church in this country, that is, the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Augustana-Synod. Anders J. Nelson read the Augustana-Synod newspapers, and was very familiar with its work. He wrote to Dr. T. N. Hasselquist and asked him to send a pastor to Texas to take charge of the Swedish people. In answer to this plea, Dr. S. P. Lindahl, pastor of the Swedish Lutheran Church in Galesburg, Illinois, came here. He preached in the Swedish communities in Travis and Williamson counties and investigated the district. As a result of this investigation, Pastor L. A.

Hocanzon was sent here to organize the work. A. J. Nelson sent Dr. Hasselquist

$50.00 of his own money for Pastor Hocanzon’s trip and promised that his travel

expenses would be paid. Pastor Hocanzon came to Brushy in January, 1875, and on

February 14, the following year, he founded the Brushy congregation. From this

date, the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Brushy or Palm Valley Church counts its

existence. The number of “charter” members was 156, of which 95 were active

members. Of these first members, many have had to lay down the staff of life

and now rest in hallowed graves; a few have moved to other areas, and others have gone to other denominations. The charter members who lived and belonged to the congregation at the fortieth anniversary in 1915, are as follows: Mrs. H. T. Stark, Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Bjork, Mrs. John Berg, Mrs. Anders J. Nelson, Mr. Sven A. Anderson, Mrs. Carl Forsman, Mr. and Mrs. Johan Israelson, William Hörd, Mr. and Mrs. P. J. Peterson, Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Palm, Mr. A. Peterson, Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Engstrand, Mr. Adolf Engstrand, Mr. Gottfrid Anderson, Mr. A. J. Seth, and Mrs. J. Johnson. At the synod meeting in Vasa, Minnesota, 1875, the congregation was taken in as a member of the Augustana-Synod. The synod’s missionary board called Pastor J. 0. Cavallin to work for a time among the people of Texas. At the yearly meeting in 1876, the church called theology student, Martin Noyd, to become their pastor. He accepted the call, and after he was ordained at the synod meeting in Jamestown,

The Swedish Lutheran Church Cemetery, Palm Valley, Texas

New York, on June 25, the same year, he came to Brushy, Texas. Young and powerful both in body and in soul and burning with a desire for the spiritual welfare of our people, he used his youthful strength on the spiritual field among his people in Texas, not only in Brushy, but also in Austin and New Sweden. As the first Swedish Lutheran pastor who has held a pastorate in Texas Dr. M. Noyd is the founding father of the Swedish Lutheran Church in Texas.

The old church was built in 1874. During the first years the church also served as a public schoolhouse. At the yearly meeting in 1882, a decision was made to add to the church. From time to time, necessary repairs were made, and the little place of worship was always beautiful and inviting.

The congregation grew. New times brought new demands. At a special meeting in

March, 1890, it was decided that a new church should be built, and at a meeting held

in August the decision was made that the church was to be built of wood. They did

not stick to this decision, and at the yearly meeting held in 1891 the congregation

agreed that the church was to be of brick or stone. B ut no church building came about

because they could not agree on a building plan. At a special meeting in April, 1984, all previous decisions regarding church building were repealed and new plans were made. A building committee was appointed, consisting of the following: Pastor GustafBerglund, Anders J. Nelson, John A. Nelson, J. E. Gustafson, P. J. Peterson, A. J. Palm, J. F. Blad, A. J. Anderson, and N. J. Westerberg. The cornerstone for the church was laid on June 19, 1894. The church is built in the Gothic style and is of red brick. It is 70 feet long, 40 feet wide, 20 feet high along the walls, and has a high steeple which can be seen from far away. It is the largest and most beautiful of the Swedish churches in Texas. Dedication of the church took place on April 12,1896, at the same time as the Kansas conference held its yearly meeting in Brushy. Only five pastors have had the pastorship in the Brushy congregation. They are as follow: Theology student. Dr. Martin Noyd, 1876-1883, Pastor A. W. Stark, 1885-1886, Dr. Martin Noyd, 1887-1892, Pastor GustafBerglund, 1892-1899, Dr. R. P. Acsell, 1899-1905, and PastorO. M. Bloom, from 1905 until the presenttime. Pastor Berglund passed away while pastor in Brushy, April 6,1899, and is buried in Brushy. As a symbol of gratitude to their devoted pastor, the congregation has erected a beautiful monument on Berglund’s grave.

The congregation has constantly been concerned with the Christian upbringing of the children and the young people. Sunday school and a Swedish-Christian weekday school have been held during the existence of the congregation. In the church the following organizations work: the Luther League, the Willing Workers, the Mission Society, and the Ladies Aid.

There has always been a choir to sing at the services and for special occasions. The church now includes 380 communicant members and 219 children, for a total of 599 members. The church property is valued’at $20,000. Pastor 0. M. Bloom finished his description of the congregation, during its first 40 years, with these words: “In God’s kingdom there is much that belongs to eternity. Now we can see only a part, and of that part I have presented only a bit. A beautiful day is dawning forGod’s people when all shall be revealed in the light. Then we shall see all.”

NEW SWEDEN CONGREGATION IN NEW SWEDEN,

TRAVIS COUNTY

The Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Congregation in New Sweden, Travis County, Texas, was established on February 23,1876, in Manor, and carried the name Manor until 1887 when it was renamed and took the name, New Sweden. Pastor J. 0. Cavallin served as chairman and G. J. Ax as secretary.

The following persons and families signed as members: Gustaf Johanson Ax and

his wife, Johanna Swenson, the son of the preceding couple, Johan Axell and his wife,

Anna Carolina, and their son, Henry; Anders Johan Almquist and his wife, Stina

Catharina Nilson, and

their children, Emelia Christina, Anna Augusta, Maria and Johanna Matilda; Adolph

Fredrik Anderson and his wife, Josephina Christina, and their daughter, Anna

Josephina; Claes Johan Skog and his wife, Hedvig Larsberg, and their children,

Johanna Rosalie and John Oscar; Carl Johan Johanson Krut and his wife, Anna Stina

Johanson, and their children, Nels Johan Lindstrom and Christina; Anders Gustaf

Swenson and his wife,

The Swedish Lutheran Church, New Sweden, Texas

Maria Carlson, and their children Frans Oscar and Anna Sofia; Carl Peter Manson and

his wife, Emma Katharina Johanson, Peter Johan Swenson and his wife, Emma

Wilhelmina Frick, and their children, Ida Maria and Johan August, C. L. Wandali,

born in 1871 on the ocean, and Joseph William; Johan Alfred Stenholm and his wife,

Mathilda Maria Gylfe, and their sons, Carl Herman and Sven August; Gustaf Frederik

Hedberg and his wife, Anna Sofia Gustafson; Peter Olaf Larsberg and his wife,

Christina Johanson; Johan August Anderson and his wife, Carolina Sofia

Israelson, and their sons, Axel Albin and GustafEmil; Sven Johan Lyckman and his wife, Clara Mathilda Stark, and their sons, George, Wilhelm, and Swante; Brita Helena Sjoberg; GustafPeterson; Anders Johan Anderson, brother of A. F. Anderson;

Claes Johan Jonason Ljungdahl; Claes Linus Johnson; Josef Martenson; August Newman; Anders Olson; Carl Peter Peterson and his wife, Johanna Samuelson;

Gustaf Manson; Gustaf Wilhelm Anderson, Gustaf Hellgren; Johannes Holmberg;

Carl Victor Hollerson; Gustaf Johnson, and Per Isakson. Of these 67 charter members, only 9 are left in the congregation when this is written (1918).

The first deacons were A. F. Anderson, A. J. Almquist, and C. P. Manson.

The first trustees were: P. J. Swenson, J. A. Stenholm, and J. Axell.

The Interior of the Swedish Lutheran Church, New Sweden, Texas

Since these immigrants have now joined together to form a Swedish Lutheran Church in this country, one of the congregation’s first considerations was to make sure that the word of God would abide within the congregation through regular services as well as reading of the Bible in the different homes. In the record of the yearly meeting held on February 26, 1877, the following agreement was found:

“That services be held as usual. On Sundays when the pastor cannot be present, the services will be held during the week in a private home. Otherwise, services will be held in the so-called stone church.”

Two preachers from the Swedish Church, Karlen and Tillman, were the first who served among the Swedes in Travis and Williamson counties;

but their work was less than successful for many reasons, and they soon left even this missionary field. In the summer of 1876, Pastor Martin Noyd came to the Swedish Lutheran Congregation in Brushy, Williamson County. Young and full of life, he became involved with the church work, not only in Brushy, but in Austin and New Sweden as well. Dr. M. Noyd writes about his work in New Sweden:

“In December, 1875,1 received orders from the synod’s missionary board, through Dr. Norelius, to travel to Texas and preach to our countrymen during the Christmas holidays. Dr. Hasselquist advised against it and said that another man who needed the change of climate could go instead. I answered in accordance with this advice and also told them that another man could be found. Dr. Norelius responded: ‘The missionary board does not retire sick people. We have called you and want you to go.” I obeyed the order and went.

The Swedish Lutheran Parsonage, New Sweden, Texas

Pastor Cavallin was at that time the synod’s missionary in the field, but he was to return in the spring. When I came to Austin, he and I made up a program which resulted in us holding services almost every day while I was in Texas. The incessant rain, however, made great changes in our program. On New Years’ Day, A. Nelson harnessed his strongest horse to the “buggy” and sent me off with Mr. Lindstrom as coachman. We got as far as Mr. Almquist’s home, because the horse became tired. Mr. Almquist harnessed his good mules to the buggy, and the journey continued to Manor where the service was to be held. As well as I can remember, that was the only vehicle at the church, but several had arrived on horseback among them I remember one woman, Mrs. John Axell.

The church was quite delapidated. Some members of the church had braced it so

that it would not fall over. Here I held

my first sermon to the New Sweden congregation. The text for the day was about the fig tree.

When I returned to Texas in July of the following year, I undertook to serve this congregation, as well as the other two. In the beginning, this congregation has had to make do with Sunday afternoon services. The services were held in different places, but the so-called “stone church” in Gregg was in the best location for most of our people for awhile. In that church a meeting was also held to incorporate the congregation. It was found that the congregation did not have three citizens of the United States, so we elected a native-born as a temporary trustee in order to legally incorporate.

Holy Communion. I am not sure if this was the first I held with the congregation, but it was celebrated in the home of Carl Petter Petterson, who was a tenant farmer at Gilleland (Gilden). The table was covered to serve as an altar, and so-called “topboards” were placed in front, to form the altar ring and a place to kneel. It was all as simple as could be, but neither the Word or the Sacrament suffered.

Services In The Homes. These services belong to my most pleasant memories. It was only those who lived nearby who attended, but we received many blessings from these meetings. Sometimes inspiring conversations followed when the service was over.

The Church Building. The question of building a new church arose quite early, but we were uncertain as to where it should be built. For a while Brushy Knob, now in the middle of the large German colony, was considered. But Knight Ranch attracted more Swedes since land there was cheap and good. At a meeting which was held in Frank Smith’s schoolhouse where we sometimes held our services it was decided to build the church in the place where it now stands, even though some thought it was too far to the east. A committee was chosen and given the power to handle this matter with the only restriction that it did not put the congregation in debt for the church itself. I was not appointed to this committee, and I said I was glad not to have to take part, but I got the information that I was automatically a member and the chairman due to my position. A simple design, much lacking in detail, was accepted and used. Solicitation for contributions was begun, and when I had approached everyone in the congregation, everyone had contributed without any urging from me. The Ladies Aid Society had already collected a small sum. I was notified that some rich landowners, who were leasing land to the Swedes, were willing to help us, and I visited them, but the result was only around $40.00. All the rest was collected among our 43 members. A large part of the work was carried out by volunteers among our people.

The Dedication Of The Church. We were so far away from our conference govemmen, that it was not possible for us to invite someone and pay for the trip. The church was still to be dedicated with proper ceremony. Our pastor gave the dedication and transacted the ceremony with the help of the deacons and the building committee serving as assistants. I will never forget the deep feeling with which this ceremony was carried out.

Later the account for expenses and income was read, and it was found

that the church stood there ready and free of debt, according to the decision of the committee. No meeting had been held in the meantime. The committee understood all and everything was to their satisfaction.

It was a great surprise that the poor Swedes had been able to erect the most attractive church in the entire area. It was unity which made it possible. There was no Sunday school in New Sweden during the first years, because there were no children old enough to attend. That changed with time, and a significant Sunday school was established.

I have memories from this time which are personal, however, I want to mention that I was witness to the power of the Word to save.”

The Swedish Lutheran Chapel, Manda, Texas

For six years. Dr. Noyd was the only Swedish Lutheran pastor in Texas. In his work, he was assisted by students from Augustana College and the Theological Seminary in Rock Island, Illinois. In 187 8, J. A. Stamline served as teacher and preacher down here. Later he was called to serve as pastor by the Austin and New Sweden congregations, he accepted the call, and started serving as pastor in 1882. In the years between 1878 and 1882, the preaching was carried out by Theology students C. J. Collin and John A. Hemborg, both of whom are now pastors in the Augustana-Synod. In 1886, Dr. Stamline resigned from the work in New Sweden, and theology student Gustaf Berglund was called as pastor, and he came here in 1886, He was the first pastor who lived in New Sweden. He stayed only three years, or until 1889, when Dr.

J. A. Stamline was appointed pastor to the congregation for the second time. He held

that position in the congregation until 1894. After that,

Pastor L. W. Gullstrom was called, accepted, came to New Sweden in 1894, and remained until 1899. In the fall of the same year. Pastor C. P. Rydholm arrived, and he was the congregation’s pastor until his death. He died on August 16, 1902. A vacancy of a year and a half existed in the congregation and during this time the work was carried out by the students, J. P. Albertus and H. J. Hoff, who is now a professor at Washington State University, Dr. Hans J. Hoff. In January, 1904, Pastor Alfred Scott took over the congregation in New Sweden, and is still (1918) the congregation’s teacher. In addition to the above-mentioned students, the following have served as preachers and teachers: Olson, G. A. Brandelle, L. P.Bergstrom, Herman Lind, and Theodor S. Johnston. The first mentioned is dead, and the others are pastors in the Augustana-Synod. Dr. G. A. Brandelle is the president of the Augustana-Synod. The school teacher, C. A. Peterson, also worked for many years in the congregation. Miss Mathilda Israelson served the congregation for many years as teacher in the Christian week school and Sunday school.

The congregation now has 433 members, of which 303 are communicants. Under ordinary circumstances, the congregation cannot get much larger than it is because the land all around it is occupied; but it can very well sustain itself, even if it can not grow outwardly, as there is still some inward growth. A large number of former members in New Sweden have moved to other Lutheran congregations in Texas, such as Lund, Manor, Ericksdale, Austin, etc.

The church in New Sweden was built in 1879. At the yearly meeting in 1878, a committee of three people was elected, A. J. Anderson, C. P. Petterson, and J. A. Stenholm, to choose a plan for a new church. At the next yearly meeting, it was decided to buy the fifty acres of land upon which the church is built and to actively start the work of building the church. A. F. Anderson, Charles Axell, and J. A. Stenholm were elected to the building committee. On April 5,1885, it was decided that a parsonage was to be built in the same year, before September 1, that Pastor J. A. Stamline would take up donations for this purpose, and that A. F. Anderson, John Lindstrom, and John Axell would serve as the building committee. At a special meeting, which was held on November 7,1894, the congregation decided to build a chapel on the land ofJ. E. Rolf as soon as $ 1,000 had been collected. A fund-raising committee was appointed, consisting of Pastors Gullstrom and Stamline as well as John Nelson and P. J. Sandstrom.

The Church’s Governing Body presently consists of deacons: John Nelson, Oscar Lundgren, August Holmberg, Frank Johnson, Gust. Fritz, and John R. Olson. Trustees: Andrew Berkman, Carl 0. Sellstrom, Gust. Kylberg, August T. Josefson, Carl Stenholm, and Albert Munson.

Something about the different organizations growth and work within the congregation should have a place in this history.

The Ladies Aid Society must be mentioned first because of its age and the

priceless work it does for the benefit of the congregation. In the yearly meeting in

1878, it was decided “that the congregation shall remind its women

members to start a sewing circle for the benefit of the building fund, and the congregation will take up a collection to help this society to form.” The group was founded and worked faithfully. The sewing auction brought in between two and three hundred dollars. The work was probably interrupted because at the yearly meetings in 1886-1888, the admonition was repeated to the women of the congregation. They were now asked to work for the defraying of the church debt. The sewing circle has been reorganized, and the members no longer do any sewing for the society, but pay a certain fee at their meetings. Much money has been collected by this society through the years not only for the congregation’s needs, but also for their school and missionary work. The officers are: the pastor of the congregation, chairman, Mrs. Andrew Berkman, vice-chairman, Mathilda Israelson, secretary, and Mrs. Gust.

Fritz, treasurer.

The Luther League, which was formerly called the Youth Society, was organized quite early in the history of the congregation. This organization has not only been of value and pleasure to its members, but also of great help to the congregation. Time after time, the League has given large or small sums of money to the congregation or for good causes outside the church. Among the most valuable things the League has bought, we can mention the pipe-organ which cost more than $1,000, and the piano which cost close to $500. Monthly meetings are held in the church or in the different homes of the members. At these meetings programs in the Christian spirit are presented, such as singing, music, recitals, and speeches by the members, as well as shorter speeches or Bible studies by the teachers of the congregation.

The Women’s Foreign Missionary Society is the youngest branch within the congregation. As the name implies, this group works solely for foreign missions. Hundreds of dollars have already been given to our missions in India, China, and Puerto Rico. Present officers are: Mrs. Oscar Lundgren and Mrs. August Sundberg.

The Choir can look back on many years of service even if many changes in the membership have taken place during the years. The schoolteacher, C. A. Peterson, who came to New Sweden in 1889, taught the young to play and sing. His work is gratefully remembered. During many years, the present organist, E. L.Sandahl, has led the choir with the aid of the pastor. The Lutheran Church has been called ‘The Singing Church”. There are notes “which will never die.” The congregation’s Christian school and educational work is without doubt the most important branch of the congregation’s work. This is done through Sunday school, the day school, and confirmation instruction.

Sunday School traces its existence from the beginning of the 1880’s. At the yearly

meeting of 1883, C. J. Skog was elected Sunday school director. It is obvious that

its beginning must have been humble since there were so few children. But the

Sunday school enrollment grew during the years, and the

spiritual blessings of the Sunday school work has already begun to be noticed by the congregation. These words can be given as encouragement to the Sunday school teachers: “In the (eyes of the) Lord, your work is not in vain.”

The Christian Swedish Day School has been held yearly since the beginning of the 1880’s. At the yearly meeting in 1883, the congregation decided the following:

“That the public school shall start on February 1 this year, and as a salary, $40.00 a month will be allotted for a time of two and a half months. And if circumstances between the teacher and the district are pleasant, the school shall continue another month and a half. Parents and guardians who send their children to school are responsible for the teacher’s salary from.the first day to the last.” In this public school the children were also taught English. It was a school according to the Swedish pattern where religious instruction went hand in hand with the teaching of general knowledge. The public English schools in Texas were at that time very primitive particularly in the country. Everything has changed for the better. The enrollment in later years has been around 80. The significance of this school, for the continuation of the Swedish language, and for the religious training of the children can hardly be overestimated.

Confirmation Instruction has been given almost every year. There have been 371 children confirmed in the congregation since its beginning.

The Johanna Peterson Estate. In 1867, Carl Petter Petterson and Johanna Samuelson came to Texas from Smaland. They were both charter members of the congregation. They entered into matrimony, and shared both good and bad during pioneer times in New Sweden. Through industry and thrift they acquired a valuable property in New Sweden. In 1892 C. P. Petterson died and in 1902 his surviving widow also died. They left no children. She established a will, according to which the New Sweden congregation inherited 203 acres of land and a sum of money. According to the will the property shall be managed by the church trustees, the profit going to the poor and to needy children of the congregation; three acres of land are set aside for a church school as well as a sum of money for the above-mentioned school. The congregation is not permitted to use this fund for outstanding debts. This large and considerable gift has already been encouragement for many in the congregation who have received a helping hand when they have been in need. The congregation gratefully preserves the memory of these noble benefactors.

The Congregation’s Cemetery was legally recorded in 1912 so that a valid deed could be provided to the purchaser. A cemetery fund was established at the same time. The committee which had been given the task to collect money for this fund consisted of C. J. Skog, J. E. Rolf, and Pastor Alfred L. Scott. There is around $3,000 in this fund which is managed by the church trustees.

PHILIPPI-CONGREGATION IN EL CAMPO, WHARTON COUNTY

The history of the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Philippi Congregation in El Campo was obtained from the present pastor. Doctor of Theology, M. Noyd, and it was read by him at the twenty-fifth anniversary on February 8-10, 1918, and in a somewhat condensed form it reads as follows:

As chairman of the conference and its missionary board at the time of the founding of the congregation, I had reason to be interested in the immigration to Texas of our people. Pastor C. J. Damstrom first came with some of his countrymen and settled near Beeville. I visited this new settlement, but I did not hold any great hopes for its future. Then Dr. C. J. E. Haterius came up with a project to colonize the so-called Paradise, or Wolfs Point. Some settled east of Victoria,

The Swedish Lutheran Church, Parsonage, and Schoolhouse, El Campo, Texas

and others north of that city. Meanwhile, some of our countrymen moved to these regions, and started a colony northwest of the town. The Kansas conference missionary board called Pastor C. P. Rydholm to be in charge of the spiritual welfare of our people. It was during one of his visits here on February 6, 1893 that he organized those who requested it into a congregation which took the name. The Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Philippi Congregation in Wharton County, Texas. The following twelve people signed their names as charter members: Anders Swedlund, his wife, Karin, and one child, Louise 0. Larson, John Edward Larson, Andrew Wahlstrom, his wife, Sofia, John Lindbloom, Henry 0. Moberg, his wife, Julia, and six children, Olof Larson, his wife, Karin, and one child, and Theodor Peterson. Anders Swedlund, Henry 0. Moberg, and Olof Larson were elected deacons. Andrew Wahlstrom, Louis Larson and John Lindblom were elected trustees.

There was no time to formulate a constitution in detail, but it was decided that matters which warranted a special decision should be decided upon at the following yearly meeting.

It was also decided to incorporate the congregation and to ask Dr. S. D. Hanna to donate land for a church, parsonage, and cemetery. It was also decided that those who submitted their names before the next yearly meeting would be considered charter members. Only Henry Anderson, his wife, Johanna Margareta, and their children were signed up.

Soon it became known to the missionary board that a large immigration was expected and that most of them would settle south and east of the city on land belonging to the Texas Land and Cattle Company, and therefore the town of El Campo would be a better location for the church. I went there to see if that could be arranged. Either soon before or after this visit I had, together with Pastor C. E. Elving who had signed a contract with the company’s chief, Mr. Kountze, received a promise for city lots, and also a contribution of money for a parsonage from said company. At a congregational meeting which was held in the home of Henry Anderson, on November 28,1893 when quite a few people were present, it was unanimously agreed to build a church and a parsonage in the city. A plan for the church was drawn up and Peter Hegelin, Charles Ellwood, 0. R. Johnson, P. J. Isaacson, and J. E. Westberg, were chosen to form a committee to continue raising funds and build a church. At the next yearly meeting, the committee’s plan for a church was accepted, and it was decided to start collecting money and build the church. That same year a Sunday school was started, land for a cemetery was purchased, and things proceeded smoothly. Many new people joined the congregation, and the deacons arranged for services either by holding them themselves or by arranging for a visiting pastor. The congregation had the benefit of being led by men with a Christian spirit, who were used to the order and ceremony in the congregations they came from, and that is why things went as well as they did. Dr. J. P. Aurelius, who had been called as pastor arrived at the end of November that year. Serious diseases had plagued the people however, and five adults and three children died that year. In May of 1895, a special meeting was held to decide about the repair of the church which had been damaged by a hailstorm.

On February 4, the same year, a new organization was founded by the youth, and it took the name: The Swedish Lutheran Philippi Congregation Luther League. This society met once a week, and every fourth meeting was held on a Sunday night in the church. This was an inspirational meeting which was also attended by many adults.

On February 6, the congregation celebrated its fifth anniversary. Of the twelve

charter members, there were eight left as members. The congregation now had 130

members, and counting the children, there were 228. At this time, this colony had won

quite a reputation. There was even talk of building a higher school or a Lutheran

college here. But at this time, some clouds arose on the horizon, and during the

following years these were more devastating and caused great problems. Then came

the day, September 8,1900, memorable not only in this community, but in the entire

South, a day when the great storm totally destroyed the harvest, and the loss of other

property

was also considerable. The congregation was considerably reduced through the move of 35 of its members, and other losses, and therefore they had to request aid from the Conference.

The tenth anniversary was celebrated in February, 1903. Dr. J. P. Aurelius had to resign in the spring for health reasons. Selection of a pastor was made time after time, without positive results. Pastor J. P. Borg came here on a trial basis for a few months, but did not accept the offer. On March 6, Pastor A. J. Ryden was called and accepted, and he served the congregation for a few years. After him. Pastor E. Swanson was called, but refused. On May 28, Pastor A. A. Swanlund was called; he accepted and served the congregation until February, 1908. During his tenure, they obtained a fine church bell, the youth group paid for the organ, and financed the installation of electric lights in the church, schoolhouse, and parsonage. Pastor Swanlund was succeeded by Pastor H. Colliander. The following year the congregation had the church fully furnished and nicely decorated, and they were ready to hold a large celebration with the dedication of the church. Then on July 21 came a rainstorm which totally destroyed the furnishings, and the dedication was therefore postponed. When the church had been repaired, the dedication was held on the first Sunday in November, 1909.

In September, 1911, Pastor Colliander resigned and was succeeded by Pastor Theodor Seashore, who accepted the call and served the congregation from February, 1912, to the summer of 1915. During his tenure the congregation celebrated its twentieth anniversary.

Dr. M. Noyd came here on November 12, 1915. In 1905 the Ladies Aid Society offered to build a schoolhouse for the congregation which was done with the assistance of the men. This house has been of great value not only as a school but as a meeting place for the Ladies Aid Society, the youth organization, and the confirmation classes. Important remodeling and renovation of the parsonage was done in 1917, and it is now a comfortable and modern house. Crop failures, which occured time after time mainly because of strong winds and heavy rains have been a hindrance to the growth and success of the congregation, but is has recovered and the last two years have been particularly good. The congregation now includes 160 members, and counting the children, 229. There is one side of the history of the congregation, which is not so easy to describe and that is the spiritual one. It is difficult to describe the spiritual work in figures. What the Lord has promised, remains, and His Word will accomplish what He has sent it to do. When the members of the congregation are diligent in hearing the sermons, taking Holy Communion, and partaking of God’s word in the home, the spiritual life has to bear fruit. When I made a visit to a congregation where I had served for many years and wandered alone in the cemetery, saw the many gravestones and remembered how many of those who rested there had shown to me when I was with with the congregation proof of a living faith, then I felt strongly the importance of God’s promise that work in the name of the Lord is not in vain.

THE SWEDISH EV LUTH. CONGREGATION IN HUTTO,

WILLIAMSON COUNTY

This congregation celebrated its 25th anniversary, September 28-30,1917, and the history which the congregation’s present teacher. Pastor C. J. Rosenquist, had gathered and which he read at this celebration is here given in somewhat condensed form.

Most of the Swedes in the Hutto community belonged to the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Brushy Congregation. The first teacher from the Augustana-Synod in this congregation. Pastor M. Noyd, was the first one to preach to the Swedes in the Hutto area. Pastor G. Berglund, who succeeded Pastor Noyd in Brushy, also made visits.

Eventually there was talk of founding their own congregation in Hutto, and for this

purpose they met

The Swedish Lutheran Church, Hutto, Texas

in the schoolhouse in Hutto on January 25,1892, and at this meeting they decided that they should start the building of a church. They decided to build the church before they had formally founded a congregation. But the intention was that as soon as the church had been built, they could move their membership from Brushy to Hutto.

Some of those who were intending to join the planned congregation wished to have

an independent Lutheran congregation. These seemed to have formed a majority

because they decided to call a minister from Sweden. First they turned to the Vaxjo

diocese, and then to Linkoping. The answer in both cases was: “Turn to the

Augustana-Synod.” The advice was taken and on June 25, 1892, the Swedish

Evangelical

Lutheran Congregation in Hutto was established. The record, which was kept at this founding meeting, does not give the names of those who were charter members but according to the church book they were as follows: Johannes Anderson, and his wife, Hedvig Anderson; Anna Lovisa Anderson; Claes Axel Ahlgren and his wife, Ida Chariotta Ahlgren; Johan AdolfJohnson, his wife, Clara Justina Johnson, and seven children; Johan August Jonason; Johannes Oscar Johnson; Carl August Johnson, his wife, Jennie Victoria Johnson, and six children; August H. Johnson, Pehr Adolf Johnson, his wife, Edia Maria Johnson, and five children; Carl August Greek and his wife, Lovisa Greek; Gustaf Magnus Hyltin, his wife, Maria Christina, and three children; Claes Emil Peterson; Carl August Peterson; John Peterson, and his wife, Ellen Peterson; Anders Willie Swenson, his wife, Mathilda, and one child; Carl Johan Swenson; Sven August Svenson, and his wife, Johanna Svenson; and Carl August Svenson. Thus, there were 29 members and 21 children.

The Swedish Lutheran Parsonage, Hutto, Texas

The officers who were elected at this meeting were S. August Svenson, chairman, and C. A. Greek, secretary. The following deacons were elected: Johannes Anderson and John Peterson; trustees: S. August Svenson, Carl Svenson, and Johan A. Johnson. A building committee was chosen, which consisted of S. August Svenson, Carl Svenson, John Peterson, C. A. Jakobson, and Johan A. Johnson, and they were given the task of “to carry out all that is necessary for the building of the church.” It was also decided to borrow $300 from the Church Extension Society.

At the extra meeting of October 6, the same year, the building committee reported

that nothing had been done in the way of building a church. It was then decided that

the church would be built during the Fall; and S. August Svenson and C. Westman

were appointed to obtain the material. They now went to work on building the church,

and it was soon ready with interior decorating and the church bell. The congregation

was not to have the pleasure of worshipping in their first holy building; on Saturday,

July 21,1894, the church was destroyed by a storm similar to a hurricane. The

following Monday the men gathered in the churchyard to clean up the remnants of their destroyed church.

At the yearly meeting in 1901, they decided to build a new church if $2000 could be collected for this purpose. The following were elected to a committee which was to submit plans for a new church: August Svenson, John Ljunggren, Gustaf Hyltin and A. Spong. At a special meeting in March of the same year, this committee was given the job to contract for the building of the church. In the pastoral report of 1902, we can read: “that the congregation has a new and practical church and when all the donations have been collected, there should be little or no debt at all.” At the yearly meeting in 1902, they decided to find a suitable place for a cemetery and gave this job to John Ljunggren, A. Spong, and Johan Johnson. On July 2,1914, it was decided to start a collection to build a new parsonage. Carl Almquist was put in charge of this collection. A building committee was elected, consisting of the trustees of the congregation and August Svenson, John Ljunggren, and Gustaf Hyltin. The new modem parsonage was built during the summer of 1915. Now the Hutto congregation owns a beautiful church and a parsonage, which meets the demands of the time. Its property value is estimated to be $ 11,000. The number of members has reached 296 of which 187 are communicant members. The valuable pipe organ is a gift from August Swenson to the congregation at its 25th anniversary. The different organizations of the congregation, like the Womens’ Aid Society, the Luther League and the choir have worked for the benefit of the congregation. The Sunday school and the Christian everyday school are warmly treasured. Throughout the existence of the congregation, the following pastors and students have served: J. A. Ediund, now pastor in Axtell, Nebraska; Pastor A. A. Swanlund;

Pastor L. W. Gullstrom; J. Alfred Anderson, now pastor in Brooklyn, New York; E. Stenholm, died, as pastor in Iowa; C. 0. Lund, now pastor in Skandian Grove, Minnesota, Dr. Elofson, deceased; Dr. R. P. Acsell; student Otto Jonason, now living in Ericksdale, Texas; Pastor 0. H. Sylvan, who joined the congregation in the fall of 1899, and remained as pastor for 14 years, and Pastor C. J. Rosenquist, the present teacher in the congregation, who came to Hutto in 1915. In addition to those mentioned, student Hans J. Hoff, now Doctor of Philosophy and professor at the state university in the state of Washington, and student Carl Odell, now pastor in Clinton, Iowa, have served the congregation preaching God’s word and teaching in the congregation’s school.

With the exception of the first year, the Sunday school has been held since the beginning of the congregation. Johannes Anderson was elected the first director, and he served until 1898 when he was succeeded by John Ljunggren. Ljunggren served for two years and was succeeded by 0. T. Anderson, who, with the exception of one year when C. 0. Johnson served in this capacity, has been and still is, the director of the Sunday school.

ZION CONGREGATION IN GALVESTON

The Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Zion congregation in Galveston celebrated its

25th anniversary on October 2, 1917. During the first years, the congregation grew

and had reached its peak when the tropical storm of September 8,1900, destroyed so

much property and killed so many people in Galveston. The Zion congregation has

never recovered

The Swedish Lutheran Church, Galveston, Texas

The Swedish Lutheran Parsonage, Galveston, Texas

from this blow. Not only were many of the members of the congregation killed in the

catastrophe, but for a long time there was also an exodus from the city. This is the

reason no larger number of our people have settled in Galveston. The result has been

that church work since 1900

has lived on hope alone. In the congregation there are both men and women who have been members from the founding and who are now there as support. Among those, N. J. Anderson occupies a prominent place.

The following pastors in consecutive order have served in the Zion congregation:

Dr. J. A. Stamline, who founded the congregation, D. A. Lofgren, Eric Swanson, A. S. Segerhammar, A. A. Swanlund, and Oscar Cassling. Presently, the congregation is served by Eric J. Heurlin, student of theology. Charles W. Mattson serves as secretary, and N. J. Anderson as treasurer.

There are 102 members of which 62 are communicants. The Sunday school has 55 children and 7 teachers. The Ladies Aid Society and the Luther League have greatly contributed to the work through the years.

The congregation owns property valued at $ 15,000. The blueprint for a new church has been drawn, and a substantial amount exists in the treasury for this purpose. In connection with the church work, the Seamen’s Mission has been carried on.

EDEN CONGREGATION IN OLIVIA, CALHOUN CO.

It was organized on August 16,1893. The congregation consisted of 12 members.

The Swedish Lutheran Church, Olivia, Texas

During many years, the work was carried on by Dr. J. P. Aurelius, who was pastor in El Campo, and made one or two visits per month to Olivia.

He had to make the thirty-mile long trip between the two places in a lumber wagon, and in all kinds of weather.

In 1900, Pastor C. J. Damstrom accepted the call to Olivia. He faithfully stood on his watchpost down there on paradise point until his resignationfrom the care of the congregation a few years ago. Pastor 0. H. Sylvan, who is a home missionary in Southwest Texas, now sometimes visits Olivia. The old veteran, C. J. Damstrom, still holds services for the congregation. The Eden congregation is still not very large. It still counts only around 50 members of which 40 are communicants. The congregation has proved itself to be zealous and self-sacrificing in all things which concern the congregation, as well as the community.

Pastor Damstrom’s Home, Olivia, Texas

Services have been held every Sunday since the founding of the congregation, and when there was no pastor the deacons read the sermon. The Sunday school has been a prominent branch of the congregation.

Most of the children have been confirmed by Pastor Damstrom.

The choir has held a prominent place in this congregation. Mrs. Skogsberg has been the organist for 25 years, or since the beginning of the congregation. She started this duty as a girl and has faithfully carried on for all these years.

SALEM CONGREGATION IN GANADO, JACKSON COUNTY

Ganado, a railroad community, with 600-700 inhabitants, along the Southern

Pacific Railroad, is situated about 20 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, and 90 miles

southwest ofGalveston. At the end of the 1880’s, a general migration of countrymen

from the northern states to southern Texas took place, and it was during this migration

that Ganado and the land around it started to be settled by Swedes. The colony was

found by Pastor C. E. Elving. Like all settlements, Ganado suffered challenges and

deprivation. Those who

came to Ganado first, are listed in the Lutheran congregation’s history. Among the most prominent farmers mentioned are the Landin, Wendell, Hultquist, Olson, Ross, Cato, and Lind families etc. In the town is the Ganado Hardware Company, and the oldest and most reliable bank in the area. Citizens State Bank of Ganado, Texas. Both of these businesses are owned by the Mauritz brothers. John Lind is the owner of the cotton gin but also a farmer. Rice and cotton are the main products of the community. The Swedish Lutheran Congregation in Ganado, Texas, was founded on January 30,1895. Dr. J. P. Aurelius, now pastor in Fremont, Kansas, served as chairman, and H. E. Olberg, as secretary. Those who signed on as members at the organizational meeting, were as follows: P. W. Landin, his wife and children, Nels H. Landin and Nellie Landin; N. P. Mauritz, his wife and son, Theofil W., and the daughter, Paulina;

Hakan Dalstrom, his wife and the following children: Martin, Carl, Frank, Victor, John and Oscar, and these children have taken the name, Dalton; H. E. Oberg, and his wife; G. A.. Ericson, his wife, and Anna Ericson, Ludvig Svenson, and his wife, Henrietta; J. A. Johnson, and his wife, the total number of members being 26. Of these charter members, the following are still members of the congregation: Mrs. N. P. Landin and Nels H. Landin, Theofil W. Mauritz and Paulina Mauritz (Mrs C. F.

Combs). The first deacons were: N. P. Landin, Hakan Dalstrom, and G. A. Ericson.

Trustees were: H. E. Oberg, C. A. Dalton, and N. P. Mauritz. During the first year, 1895, the present church was built. It is 48 feet long, 32 feet wide, and 16 feet high. The building committee consisted of the congregation’s trustees, W. P. Landin, J. A. Johnson, Ludvig Svenson, M. Dalton, and J. P. Aurelius. The congregation is joined with the Philippi Congregation of El Campo, and these congregations form a pastorate served by the same pastor. The following pastors have served the congregation: C. J. Damstrom, and others during the year, 1904, A. J. Ryden, 1905-1906, A. A. Swanlund, 1907-1908, H.Colliander, 1909-1910, and Theodor Seashore, 1912-1915. Since 1915,Dr.M.Noydhas been the congregation’s teacher.

At the meeting on February 8,1914, the congregation decided that English should be the official language. Since then English has been used during the services and during Sunday school.

The congregation has always held a Sunday school and since the English language has been introduced, the school has grown considerably. The first Sunday school director was N. T. Mauritz with Edia Oberg and Carl A. Dalton as assistants. The present director is T. W. Mauritz.

The board of directors consists of the deacons: W. J. Olson, M. H. Landin, and John Lind; trustees: Alfred Landin, T. N. Mauritz and John Wendell. Mrs. Eben Williams, serves as organist, and John Lind serves as secretary.

The congregation also has an active Ladies Aid Society which holds regular meetings every month. The income from the work of this society is mostly used for the benefit of the congregation.

MOLINE CONGREGATION IN ELROY, TRAVIS COUNTY

Of those countrymen who settled here, many came from our older Swedish communities, Austin, Brushy, New Sweden, Jonah, and Decker. Others came here directly from Sweden. The first migration to this area took place in 1892. The founders of the community were Christian men and women. The Bible and the hymnal were dear and priceless books to them. They felt the need to hear the Holy Word preached.

Theology student, A. E. Johnson, who was in charge of the work in the Gethsemane Congregation in Austin was as I have been told, the first visiting preacher out here. This meeting was held in the home ofJ. Magnuson in 1894. In the following year, Pastor G. A. Dorf took up the post of teacher in the Gethsemane congregation in Austin and soon started to make

The Swedish Lutheran Church and Parsonage, Elroy, Texas

preaching visits. The first service was held on September 8,1895, in the home of the Hyltin family. There was no other service until December 3. This time it was held at the home of the J. Hokanson family where a christening was also performed. After having gathered in the homes for some time, it was arranged for the services to be held in the old Driskill schoolhouse usually on Sunday afternoons. In this schoolhouse, the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Congregation in Moline was established on January 21, 1897 with 17 members. It was decided that the congregation should be annexed to the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Gethsemane Congregation in Austin Texas. In the following year, the congregation received a valuable gift from the Hume Brothers in Austin in the form of 2 acres of land as a cemetery and lot for the building of a church.

In the beginning of July of 1899, they started building a church, and in the beginning of September the church was finished and was dedicated to the Lord with great ceremony.

Pastor Carl Wallin presided, with the assistance of Pastor J. A. Stamline and Pastor G. A. Dorf. The size of the church is 36 feet by 28 feet. The tower was erected in December, 1908.

On the same day that the church was dedicated. Pastor G. A. Dorf gave his farewell sermon in the Moline congregation. The actual groundwork of the church out here had hereby been concluded. The foundation was laid and the later history of the congregation has clearly proven that the foundation was well laid. From November, 1899, until June, 1906, the congregation was served by Pastor C.

G. Widen who followed Pastor Dorf as pastor of the Gethsemane Congregation. During Pastor Widen’s tenure, the congregation was also served periodically by the students Jonason and Hoff as well as Professor Wald. During Pastor Widen’s time, there was a significant influx of countrymen to this community. The congregation could therefore take pride in a significant growth at this dme. The communicant membership was increased from 21 to 40 and the total membership from 37 to 66.

Pastor L. J. Sundquist, who was in charge of the congregation in Manor, was called to succeed Pastor Widen. He accepted this position.

During the year of 1908, the active Ladies Aid Society purchased an acre of land along the church property to erect a parsonage on this site. The congregation had already received a promise for this lot at the yearly meeting, the same year. In 1908, the parsonage was built there. It was free and clear of debt. After three and a half years of blessed work, Pastor Sundquist resigned. At a special meeting on May 20,1909, Pastor Nordell was called as his successor. The call was accepted and he assumed the duties in the beginning of November. Pastor A. E. Johnson in Austin served the congregation during the vacancy as its interim pastor. During the twenty-year old existence of the congregation, the following have held positions.

Deacons: J. Magnuson, N. A. Olson, A. Molund, August Ekstrom, E. E. Ericson, and C. G. Olson. Trustees: Edvin Bjorkman, Emil Wissen, Gottfred Johnson, Carl A. Blomquist, A. Molund, Levin Johnson, Gustaf Bjorklund, Herman Lundquist, J. Fagerquist, Andrew Johnson, A. N. Ekstrom, and C. 0. V. Carison. Church secretaries: Emil Wissen, Andrew Johnson, Arthur Olson, and Emil T. Nelson. Organists: Mrs. Clara Johnson, Mrs. L.J. Sundquist, and Nanny Wissen. Sexton: N. A. Olson. Sunday school directors: Mrs. J. Magnuson, J. Magnuson, N. A. Olson, Emil Wissen, Frans Berglund, C. G. Olson, and Pastor C. 0. Nordell. Since the beginning of the congregation, a church school has been held. The following have served as teachers: Clara Magnuson, Mathilda Israelson, the students Jonason and Hoff, Mrs. L. J. Sundquist, and Pastor C. 0. Nordell.

BETHLEHEM CONGREGATION IN LUND, TRAVIS COUNTY

Swedish church work was started in the Lund colony in 1891 by J. A. Stamline, Doctor of Theology, who was then pastor in New Sweden. No congregation was founded for several years. In the beginning. Dr. Stamline preached in several of the homes, and it was not until July, 1896, that he accepted the missionary work in the Lund community on a permanent basis at the prompting of the Kansas Conference Missionary Board. A Sunday School was organized and a study with confirmation class began.

The Swedish Lutheran Bethlehem Congregation in Lund was founded under the leadership of Dr. Stamline, on January 16, 1897, with 19 active members and 20 children. Carl Bergman served as secretary at the organizational meeting. The following signed as charter members:

Carl Bergman; Anders Engblom,and his wife, Josephina Charlotta, their daughter Elenora Johanna and their son, Frank.Theo.; Peter Victor Nelson, his wife, Emma Maria, their sons, Anders G., Henry F., and their daughter, Maria Elizabeth; Magnus Bengtson, his wife, Johanna, the daughters, Signe Betty, Frida Naftalia, and the sons, Botvig Hildur and Oscar Arnold; Anders Velander, and his wife, Cecelia; Per Sjoholm, and his wife, Katarina; Per Johnson, his wife, Christina, their daughter, Anna Katarina, and the sons, Nels and GustafHilding; Erik Erikson, his wife, Tilda, and daughter, Emma Victoria; Carl Levin Smith, his wife, Amanda Lovisa, and their son, Walter Arthur; Nels Nelson, his wife, Hanna, their daughters, Hulda and Sadie Augusta, and the son, Arthur Wilhelm; Nels Magnus Anderson, his wife, Eina, and the children, Anders Frederick, Alma Maria, and Fritz Arthur; Carl Levin Anderson, his wife, Hilda, and the daughters Agda and Anna; Johan Swenson, and his wife. Of the above mentioned, about one-fourth are still members of this congregation. As the first deacons, the following were elected: Magnus Bengtson, Nels Magnus Anderson, and P. V. Nelson; as trustees: Carl Bergman, Anders Engblom, and Erik Erikson. Carl Bergman was appointed as organist. Per Johnson as sexton, and Magnus Bengtson, Sunday school director. At the same time, they were also making arrangements for acquiring a church yard and a building lot. The congregation was given half an acre by P. V. Nelson, and was given an additional half acre by Nels Ankarstoipe and J. E. Rivers. The latter two also donated one acre to the community for a graveyard.

A Ladies Aid Society was started in the spring of 1897. The church was built in the Fall of 1899. The congregation celebrated its first service on Thanksgiving Day, that same year. The congregation has steadily grown since its founding. It now has 168 communicant members, and 120 children, a total of 228 members. Since the Swedes more and more started to settle northeast and east of the church in Bastrop and Williamson counties, and the congregation started to gain many members in this direction, it was decided to build a chapel in so called Type.

This chapel was built in 1908. The parsonage was built in the autumn of 1902. The Sunday school activities have been carried on since the founding of the congregation. In the beginning only in the church, then in both, but lately alternating between the two.

The Ladies Aid Society was organized on September 27,1899, and since then it has been continuously active. Its membership has varied, and at times it has been more numerous than now. This organization has helped the congregation with fairly large sums of money to help fund its activities.

The youth organization is mentioned as far back as 1901. The young people of the congregation have been faithful and have worked for the good of the congregation and God’s Kingdom.

An organization named Linnea, consisting of young girls, was in existence for some time. Since a few years back, the young women’s organization “Forget- Me-Not”, has done much good work for the congregation.

There has been a choir for some time.

As early as 1899, it was decided to hold a Swedish day-school, and ever since then, it has been held in one or two places within the congregation every summer. In February, 1906, Dr. J. A. Stamline resigned from the congregation to accept the position of president of Trinity College in Round Rock, Texas. He had been the pastor of the Bethlehem Congregation for ten years and served this community for five years before that, preaching the Word.

After Dr. Stamline, the following have been pastors in Lund: Erik Swanson, 1906-1908, E. V. Isaacson, 1910-1912, G. A. Ekman, 1913-1916, and S. P. Holmbergtook charge of the congregation in the beginning of 1918, and is at present the leader of the congregation. During vacancies, the congregation has been served by Pastor A. L. Scott, and J. A. Stamline, theology, student 0. B. Nelson, and Professor B. M. Samuelson. Pastor G. A. Ekman was moving from Lund when he was taken ill and died in Austin, Texas, on March 4, 1917. Pastor Eric Swanson died in Ericksdale, Texas.

The property value of the congregation is now somewhat over $8,000. Since the year 1900, the combined expenses have been: for different purposes within the conference $ 1,146.64; for the synod, $3,389.12; within the congregation $22,740.33; a total of $27,276.09.

This is an outline of the history of the congregation. Many separate things could have been written down which must be left out.

EMAUS CONGREGATION IN MANOR, TRAVIS COUNTY

It was founded by Pastor L. J. Sundquist in 1905. Since Pastor Sundquist left Texas, the congregation has mostly been served by the pastors of the Gethsemane Congregation in Austin.

The congregation has a well situated property and a beautiful church.

The membership is 64 of which 42 are communicant members.

GUSTAV ADOLF CONGREGATION IN FORT WORTH

The first who felt the need for a Swedish Lutheran congregation in Fort Worth were several women. In May of 1904, they turned to the Kansas Conference Missionary Board with a request to get a minister. The Board called theology student David Nordling, now pastor in the Augustana-Synod, to carry on missionary work in Fort Worth for three months. During Christmas the same year, theology student G. A. Johnson preached to his countrymen in Fort Worth. In the beginning of October of 1905, Pastor Theodor Seashore took over the work, and on November 6, the same year, the congregation was founded. The charter was made up of twenty members. At the yearly meeting in 1906, a committee was appointed to find a suitable site for a church and to start the collection of money for the property.

The Swedish Lutheran Church and Parsonage, Fort Worth, Texas

The sewing society, Dorcas, was established in 1904.

The Luther League, Concordia, was established in 1905.

The Sunday school began in 1905.

At a special meeting in March of 1905, it was decided to buy a lot on the comer of Jennings Avenue & Broadway for $4,000. The subscription committee had by then collected so much that one third of the purchase price could be paid. In March of 1907, the congregation sold this property for $7,000, and instead, they bought a lot for $4,500 at Hemphill & Broadway, the congregation’s present property. They then decided to build a church. At first only the ground floor was constructed, which was used for services.

In October of 1907, Pastor Seashore resigned from his post. For four months, the congregation was served by theology student Tillman, and thereafter, Pastor Seashore made temporary visits until Pastor E. V. Isaacson took up the work in 1909. During his time there, the ground-floor was finished, and the parsonage was built. In May of 1910, Pastor Isaacson resigned, and Dr. M. Noyd was called as his successor. During his five years with the congregation, the church was completed, and they could hold services in the completed shrine on Christmas morning, 1912. On this holy morning, the congregation gave thanks for what God had given them both in material and spiritual things. The church, as it stood then, had cost the congregation $16,000.00. A debt of $2,800 remained. Collections had been made in the Austin area amounting to $1,983.95, and in Kansas to $356. The Ladies Aid Society had contributed $1,994.00, the Youth Society, $1,075.00, and the members of the congregation had individually given rather large sums. In November of 1915, Pastor Noyd resigned. Theology student Hugo B. Haterius was now called to become the leader of the congregation after he was ordained. During the vacancy, the congregation was served by Ragnar Byrenius for three months, and by theology student Bengtson, also for three months. Pastor Hugo Haterius arrived in the fall of 1916, and preached his first sermon to the congregation on August 27. In 1918, he accepted the call from the Lutheran National Commission to serve as field pastor at Camp Bowie, Fort Worth. However, he is still in charge of the congregation. Lately, the number of members has grown by 15. In the beginning of 1918, there were seventy members, of which forty-five were active, new pews with seating for 180 people have also been installed this year. The interior of the church has been painted.

EMANUEL CONGREGATION IN DALLAS

The Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Emanuel Congregation in Dallas was organized in 1906. It consists of 17 members and five children. In 1911, the congregation bought a church which with the lot was valued at $3,200. This church property is the result of the diligent work of the Ladies Aid Society.

The Gustaf Adolf congregation in Fort Worth, and the Emanuel Congregation in Dallas have from the beginning made up one pastorate. The following pastors have served in Dallas: Theodor Seashore, E. V. Isaacson, Dr. M. Noyd, and Hugo Haterius. Axel Johnson is the secretary, and E. E. Quist is the treasurer.

BETHEL CONGREGATION IN ERICSDALE, JONES COUNTY

The Ericsdale settlement, which consists of Swedes and quite a large number of

Danish families from Travis and Williamson Counties, as well as a family or two from

the northern states, was founded in 1905. Before the colony was founded, there were

some families in Jones County who were employed by the S. M. Swenson Bros. on

their cattle ranches. Of these families, we can mention

A. J.Swenson, C. G. Seth, N. M. Segerstrom, S. P. Bengtson, and John Lund. There were no Danes in Ericsdale at that time. The land area which had been taken by the Swedes and Danes, stretches from Stamford to Lueders, and lies northeast of the M. K. & T. Railroad, and it also reaches into the western part of Shackleford County.

The land is high and hilly.

The Swedish Lutheran Church,Ericsdale, Texas

The Parsonage in Ericsdale, Texas

California Creek and Clear Fork run through the community. By the rivers there are oak, elm, pecan and other trees growing, and in the highlands there is mesquite.

The Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Bethel Congregation was organized on January

25, 1906, by Dr. Stamline, who together with Pastor L. J. Sundquist, can take the

biggest credit for the colonization of Ericksdale. The congregation owns 80 acres

of land, southeast of Stamford, and on a knoll on this acreage lies the church and the parsonage. Here, the congregation also has its cemetery. The church was built in the summer of 1907 for a sum of $2,520. The building committee consisted of: Edvin Valentine, P. V. Nelson, Jonas Magnuson, John Lund, and F. E. Olson. The subscription committee consisted of: A. J. Svenson, C. G. Seth, and M. J. Olson. The congregation has a Sunday school, a Luther League, Willing Workers, and a Ladies Aid Society. They are all very active. There is also a very good choir. The present church-board consists of these deacons: J. B. Carlson, C. A. Lundgren, 0. E. Soderberg, A. H. Lundgren, August Gustafson, and J. S. Hansen; trustees: N. P. Eckdahl, 0. D. Swenson, F. E. Olson, A. W. Stenholm, Niels Jensen, and John Snygg. C. A. Lundgren is the secretary of the congregation and John Snygg the treasurer. Ellwood Carlson serves as organist.

The following pastors have served the congregation: Theodore Seashore, Eric Swanson, and Carl Henderson.

The membership is 330 of which 215 are communicants.

SW. EV. LUTH. CONGREGATION IN CARANCAHUA,

JACKSON COUNTY

This congregation was organized in 1910. It has 12 members and 2 children, and is visited by Pastor O. H. Sylvan.

ELIM CONGREGATION IN KENEDY, KARNES COUNTY

This Swedish colony lies west of the railroad-station community of Kenedy, and the Lutheran church is around 10 miles from Kenedy. Swedish Lutheran work started a few years after the colonization in 1911 when Dr. J. A. Stamline started making monthly visits. The Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Elim Congregation was founded under the chairmanship of Dr. Stamline on December 8,1912, in the schoolhouse in Cadillac. The following were charter members: C. F. Blomquist, his wife, Emma, and their children, Gustaf, Harry, Elmer and Herbert; F. 0. Monson, his wife, Anna, and the children, Hilmer and Louella; 0. A. Carlson, his wife, Adelia, and the children, Dorothea, Lee and Ruth; Otto E. Wessman; F. 0. Anderson; A. G. Anderson; A. V. Edborg, and his wife, Anna; C. A. Nelson, his wife, Sofia, and the children, Lovisa and Anna; Gustaf Flodquist, and his wife, Anna. The membership of the congregation was 15 communicants, and 11 children at the time of the founding. With the exception of two members who have moved, they all still belong to the congregation.

At the first yearly meeting on January 6, 1913, when Dr. Stamline served as chairman, it was decided, among other things, that the trustees be given authority to purchase for the congregation a piece of property for a church and cemetery; also, that the congregation was to request help from the congregations in the Austin district for the building of a church.

The congregation elected the following as its first officers: secretary of the congregation, C. F. Blomquist; deacons: C. F. Blomquist, 0. A. Carlson, and C. A. Nelson; trustees: F. 0. Monson (treasurer), F. 0. Anderson, and Gustaf Flodquist;

Sunday school director, C. F. Blomquist, and O. A. Carlson as his assistant. On March 15,1913, a Ladies Aid Society was formed in the home of O. A. Carlson, and it has been particularly active. The first officers were Mrs. O. A. Carlson, president, Mrs. F. 0. Monson, secretary, and Mrs. C. F. Blomquist, treasurer. At special meetings in the homes of O. A. Carlson and John Swenson, it was decided

The Swedish Lutheran Church, Kenedy, Texas

at the first meeting to build a church, and at the second, the size of this church. The building committee consisted of the trustees. The church, which measures 36 feet long, 28 feet wide, and with a special added choir and with a steeple, was finished in March, 1914, and was dedicated by the vice president of the Kansas Conference, Dr. G. A. Dorf, on May 2, 1915. Arthur Swenson was the builder. Dr. Stamline was in charge of the church until March, 1914, when it was taken over by Pastor 0. H. Sylvan.

There are 37 communicants and 37 children.

The congregation owns six acres of land, and its property value is estimated at $1,800.

SW. EV. LUTH. CONGREGATION IN BISHOP,

NUECES COUNTY, TEXAS

It was founded in 1914. The membership is 18, or whom 14 are communicants. The congregation is visited by Pastor 0. H. Sylvan. Sunday school has been led by Robert Berkman.

BETHEL CONGREGATION IN LYFORD, CAMERON COUNTY

This Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Congregation was founded in 1916. It has 10 acres of land. The membership is 25, of whom 11 are communicants. Pastor 0. H. Sylvan makes preaching visits here.

SHARON CONGREGATION IN LEON VALLEY, PECOS COUNTY

Among the new settlements in the hill-country in western Texas, none has a brighter future than the Leon Valley colony which was founded in 1917. As the name implies, this colony is located in the Leon Valley, Pecos County, a few miles west of Fort Stockton. From ancient times, natural springs have flowed from this valley, and the mighty mass of water has run forth to the ocean without irrigating more than the river beds. A company known as the Leon Springs Irrigation Company in Fort Stockton was founded. An irrigation system was built, and the endless masses of water will now be used to irrigate fertile fields.

The colony in Leon Valley is a new one and mostly consists of Swedish Lutherans who have come from the northern states. The first Swedish family that settled in Leon Valley, was W. A. Christenson from Marquettte, Kansas. They arrived in 1917. Since then, many families have moved here.

Under the leadership of Dr. J. A. Stamline, the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Sharon Congregation was founded in Leon Valley, Pecos County on May 12,1918, with ten communicants and ten children. Deacons were: A. W. Larson, J. A. Olson and 0. G. Larson; trustees: 0. G. Larson, W. A. Christenson, and J. E. Strom. J. A. Olson was elected secretary. The congregation has received as a gift from the land company, 10 acres of land, all cultivated.

SWEDISH METHODIST CHURCH IN TEXAS

T. J. Westerberg

The activity of this church among the Swedes in Texas, counts its beginning from 1871 when its founder and old pioneer pastor, C. C. Charnquist, arrived in Austin. He did not come here as a pastor, but as a ordinary worker from Ishpeming, Michigan, neither with the intention to get into church work, nor to become a pioneer for Swedish Methodism in Texas. Chance, or rather, a higher power led him to this career; his work in a quarry outside Austin was exchanged for exclusively evangelical work in the fields of the church. He writes about this time in “Autobiographical Notes”: “During the day I quarried stone for merchants and bankers and in the evenings far into the night, I quarried living stones for the King of Heaven. Often tears fell from my eyes on the heavy stones as I put them in the wagon, and at the same time prayers rose from my heart to God that I might be there to quarry many stones for the heavenly temple. I felt so blessed that sometimes I felt there was no happier man on earth than I. Finally, I had to leave the quarry in the cedar forest and devote my time to spiritual work. The fields began to whiten and be ready for harvest.” Charnquist, who had early converted to God, had in Sweden taken part in free-religious meetings in speech, song and music. Even though he did not have a higher education, he became a suitable tool for the Lord in the evangelical work of his time, and for his people because of his natural talents, his earnestness and religious conviction. In the beginning of the 1870’s, the Swedish homes in Central Texas were few and far in between, but Charnquist visited them, preached in the small pioneer homes, held outdoor- or camp-meetings in the summer, and was the only Swedish preacher of his church until 1880 when he moved to Scandia, Kansas, and the work in Texas was taken over by Victor Vitting.

The spiritual movement which was the result of Charnquist’s activities in Austin,

initially had neither a name, form or church organization. In October, 1873, when

the Southern Methodist Church held a yearly conference in Austin, Charnquist and

six other Swedes entered that church; Charnquist was ordained and was given

$200.00 by the conference for their work. Charnquist was made the Methodist

preacher for the Swedes in Texas. This was on October 10, of the same year. After

this the church work was under the southern branch of the Methodist Church until

Pastor Vitdng took over the leadership when it was united with the Methodist

Episcopal Church. For many years the Swedes belonged to an American district with

an American chairman but in 1896 a Swedish district was established,

when O. E. Olander was named the presiding elder. The congregations had then grown in number and when his 6-year term had ended. Pastor O. F. Lindstrum was named to succeed him. He held this position during the years 1902-1908. During the following six years. Dr. Olander was again the district chairman, and in 1915 Pastor T. J. Westerberg held the position as well as that of pastor in Taylor. Since December, 1915, Pastor J. J. Hamilton has been the district chairman and one year later, two districts were formed, and Pastor H. A. Peterson in Decker was elected to head the newly formed one.

Until 1912, the Swedish organization belonged to the Austin conference within the Methodist Episcopal Church. The same year, it was disbanded and the Swedish organization was given the opportunity to create its own conference. This happened at the yearly meeting in Austin on December 5,1912, when Bishop Robert Mclntyre organized the Southern Swedish Mission Conference with its field of work being the state of Texas. The conference now has a membership of 1500, between eleven and twelve hundred children in Sunday School, and about 500 members in the Epworth League. The various Youth Organizations formed a district in 1907 which holds yearly meetings. There are sixteen congregations divided into two districts, Austin and Taylor. In addition, there is more or less regular work in seven or eight places where no organized church is yet formed. The full property value - the Texas Wesleyan College in Austin not included - amounts to about $ 150,000. More detailed information will be given in the histories of the various congregations.

AUSTIN DISTRICT

AUSTIN

The Swedish Methodist Congregation in Austin, the oldest in the conference,

counts its existence from 1873 when in the month of October six believing men and

their wives, organized themselves into a Christian congregation under the name “The

Lutheran Brotherhood Congregation.” They were C. C. Chamquist, S. A. Lundell,

C. J. Swahn, Mathias Goldstein, Josef Ledin and Johannes Johnson. The group

increased quickly under the powerful leadership of Chamquist, and as mentioned

above, they soon joined the Southern Methodist Church. The need for their own

building became greater, and the following Spring, the congregation erected its first

church. It was built on Swedish Hill on a lot costing $450.00 and it was dedicated on

Whitsunday, 1874. Later, a parsonage was built near the church. Even with

renovations and additions, this building became too crowded. The present church

property, located close to the State Capitol, and valued at $35,000 was purchased

through Dr. O. E. Olander in 1899 when he was the congregation’s preacher. It

belonged to the American Church Building Organization which had taken over the

property, when the original congregation which had occupied the building, had

ceased to exist. This valuable property was

purchased for $2,500. The delapidated temple was thoroughly renovated and later the towers were built. Many improvements were made to both the church and the parsonage. The preachers who served this congregation were as follows:

The Swedish Methodist Church, Austin, Texas

C. C. Chamquist, 1871-1880; V. Vitting, 1880-1882; P. A. Juhlin, 1882-1884; S. L.

Carlander, 1884-1886; A. J. Gustafson, 1886-1891; Nels Ekiund, 1891-1896; O. E.

Olander, 1896-1908. The present pastor, Bernt Howe, began his time of service in

1908. Three young men

have left this congregation to serve the church, F. L. Hagberg, who is pastor in Waco,

Texas, and Joseph Karling and William Gustafson, who are still students at the

Seminary

The First Swedish Methodist Church in Texas, Built on Swedish Hill, Austin, Texas, 1874

in Evanston, Dl. J. M. Ojerholm is the local elder, E. Severin the local deacon, Lawrence Olsen, the Sunday school director and P.A. Ekdall, a veteran organist and choir leader.

The present membership is 300, the Sunday school consists of 150 pupils, and the Epworth League which was founded in 1891 has somewhat over 100 members. There are women’s societies for both home and foreign missionary work, and these too, have many members. Around thirty young men from this congregation serve in the U. S. Army and Navy.

DECKER

About the same time as work was begun in Austin, Pastor Chamquist took up

church work in the Manor and Decker area. As early as 1872, meetings were held in

the above-mentioned town where many were converted who later became founders

of the congregation in Decker. The Swedish settlers at this time were spread out and

lived far apart from each other so it was not easy to hold regular meetings. It soon

became evident that Decker was to become the main Swedish community since many

started to purchase land there; and they chose to build a church here which was

dedicated on Whitsunday, 1879. The area, a beautiful knoll in the middle of the

settlement, is located ten miles from Austin and five miles from Manor. One acre was

originally donated to the congregation for the building of a church, but later they

purchased the neighboring nine acres which the church still owns. Next to the church,

a cemetery and parsonage was built in 1884, and the church as well as the parsonage

were simply designed and in harmony with the demands and style of the time. Even

though they had regular services

here, the members still belonged to the Austin congregation, and were served by

pastors from there until 1883 when they were separated from the mother congregation

and secured their own preacher. Pastor P. A. Lundberg was the first leader of the

congregation. Pastor Peter Newberg was selected for

The Swedish Methodist Church, Decker, Texas

The Swedish Methodist Parsonage, Decker, Texas

Decker in 1881, preached for the first and only time on Christmas morning after

which he became ill with smallpox and died in Austin. He is buried along the

Colorado River in South Austin. The first buildings became too small and insufficient

and had to give room for newer and more up-to-date accommodations. Therefore, the

congregation’s present, beautiful church

was erected in 1901 when C. O.Freeman was pastor and the parsonage in 1904 during T. J. Westerberg’s time. The church cost about $4,000 and the parsonage $2,000. The pipe-organ was installed and other improvements were made in 1910. The present membership of the congregation is about 200, the Sunday school around 125, and the Epworth and Junior Leagues around 70. In addition to that, the Ladies’ Home and Foreign Missionary Society and the Standard Bearers are very successful. The property value is estimated to be $10,000. Among those men who have been served for many years, and in many ways within the congregation can be mentioned F. G. Swenson, S. A. Lundell, lay preacher, C. J. Swahn, Claus and Victor Anderson, August Ekdahl among others.

The following pastors have served the Swedish Methodist Congregation in Decker: C. C. Chamquistfrom the inception in 1872 to 1880; V. Vitting, 1880-1882;

P. A. Lundberg, 1883-1886, August Wallin, 1886-1891, P. A. Juhlin, half a year, 1891-1892; C. F. Levin, a year and a half, 1892-1893; C. C. Chamquist, 1893-1895;

J. M. Ojerholm, 1895-1897; C. O. Freeman, the spring of 1898-Sept., 1902, the congregation’s lay preacher, S. A. Lundell, then filled in until June, 1903; Thor J. Westerberg, July 1903-Dec. 1909; Gustaf Lindstrom, Dec. 1909-May, 1912; and Hugo Peterson took charge of the congregation in October, 1912. More or less regular work has been carried out in the neighboring town of Manor where many of the members are living. A camp-meeting was held every summer in Abram’s Park near the town until the tabernacle was washed away in a flood a few years ago.

MANDA

The work here was started in 1891 by Pastor August Wallin, who was then the preacher in Decker. Some of the members of this congregation, among them, Victor Morell and family, had moved to this new Swedish community and regular visits were made by the pastors in Decker: Juhlin, Levin, Ojerholm and Chamquist. A Sunday school was formed as early as 1889, with Morell as director. A schoolhouse, which was to be used by different congregations as a place for services, was built the same year, but was later bought by the Decker congregation for $ 165.00, was moved to the present location and was taken over by the newly founded congregation. This served as a meeting place until 1910 when the present temple was erected at a cost of $7,000. C. G. Lindberg was pastor at the time.

The congregation was organized in 1892 by Pastor C. F. Levin with the following seven members: Mr. and Mrs. Victor Morell, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Lyckman, Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Anderson, and Mr. Otto Bengtson. Pastor Carl Fromen was the first permanent preacher, and he took over the work on January 1, 1897. During his tenure, the first parsonage was built, and it was remodeled by J. J. Hamilton in 1914.

The church and parsonage with a few acres of land are valued at $11,000. The

membership exceeds 100,

the Sunday school has around sixty, and the Young People’s Organization around 25.

Four of the young men in the congregation have been drafted for military service. The names and terms of the pastors are as follows: concurrently with the Decker congregation: August Wallin, 1891; P. A. Juhlin, 1891-1892; C. F. Levin, 1892-1893; C. Chamquist, 1893-1895; J. M. Ojerholm, 1895-1896. Serving only Manda:

Carl Fromen, Jan. 1897-1900; C. Chamquist, 1900-the Spring, 1904; August Wahlberg, Spring 1904-Sept. 1905; Otto Anderson, Dec. 1905-Dec. 1907; C. J. Rosenquist, Dec. 1907-the Fall. 1908; C. G. Lindberg, Dec. 1908-

The Swedish Methodist Church and Parsonage, Manda, Texas

Dec. 1911; John J. Hamilton, April 1912-Dec. 1915. The present pastor, Otto Martinson, started his term in June, 1916. C. T. Skoglund is the lay preacher. During the latest of Pastor C. Chamquist’s terms, work was started in Type, a Swedish community near Coupland. A class of several members was started and more or less regular visits were made until 1906 when it ceased. In Lund and Elgin, where many members have been living, the pastors have held meetings, and the summer meetings have been held for many years with the Decker congregation at the Manor campground.

EL CAMPO

At the conference in November, 1891, John Ovall was elected for the Victoria

group, which included Nursery, Keeran, Louise, El Campo and Victoria. More or less

work was carried out in these places, but the largest number of Swedes lived around

El Campo. Therefore the church work there was more extensive and lasting, and as

our countrymen soon moved from the other areas, the activities

there were cancelled, and of the large group, only El Campo remains. Here a congregation was founded by six people on May 8, 1892, land was secured in the town and a church and parsonage was built in 1894. The parsonage was remodeled and enlarged in 1906 during Pastor Edwin Sahlen’s tenure. The church was badly damaged in a storm which hit the area in 1909, but was repaired and improved soon thereafter. The property is worth $5,000.

This congregation has probably more than any other in the conference been hindered in its growth and development by its members constantly moving away from the area. The membership is currently around fifty, and an equal number

Swedish Methodist Church, El Campo, Texas

in the Sunday school. Twenty five belong to the Youth Organization, and two women’s societies work for home and foreign missionary work. The following pastors have served this church: John Ovall, Nov. 1891-Dec. 1894;

J. F. Sarner, Dec. 1894-Dec. 1897; Aug. Wallin, Dec. 1897-Dec. 1900; Nels Nelson, Dec. 1900 to his death a few months later; C. J. Rosenquist, June 1902- Sept. 1903;

F. A. Lundberg during the summer of 1904; Edwin Sahlen, Sept. 1904-Sept. 1909;

Carl Fromen, Jan. 1910-May 1917; at this time E. J. Anderson took charge of the congregation.

From the original Victoria circle, two young men served for a short time within the church after having completed their training at the Seminary in Evanston, 111. These were C. E. Wohlander who died during his time in Hutto, and C. J. Rosenquist, who is the pastor of the Lutheran Congregation in the same town.

GALVESTON

All historical information about the organization and early activities of this

congregation was lost in the tropical storm which devastated the city on September

8, 1900; we know, however, that the work was started by Pastor P. A. Juhlin in

January, 1885, and he stayed until November

the same year. A. Peterson served the congregation for a year and was succeeded by 0. Halvorson, 1886-1891 during which time a church was built but later, because of internal strife, it was sold and a new church with two residences were built. After Halvorson’s period of service, there was a three year vacancy, the membership dropped off and the church debt increased. This was the situation when John Ovall took up the work on December 3,1894, and he stayed for three years after which he was succeeded by J. F. Samer. A heavy, pressing debt rested on the property, and only thirteen Scandinavians belonged to the congregation. The work proceeded however, and the membership reached forty when in September, 1900, the terrible storm swept away a large part of the city and between six and seven thousand people perished. The church property was destroyed, and only eight members remained, and they had lost everything.

Now Galveston had to start from scratch, both in the church and other

Swedish Methodist Church and Parsonage, Galveston, Texas

areas. The tenacity which is characteristic of the population of this city, also existed within the small group led by Pastor Sarner, and soon the organization started to see brighter days. The Church Building Organization came to their help and eased the burden of debt, and the church was remodeled in the Spring, 1901, for a sum of $3,300. The Scandinavian Seamen’s Mission joined the congregation, so the church was opened for services and as a reading room with Samer as the chaplain. Since then the work of the church has steadily progressed, the debts have been paid, and hope has been increased. The Seamen’s Mission has lately been separated from the church, and through a gift of $40,000 from the Swedish Consul, Mr. Adoue, a large and modern building was erected in the center of town for this mission which carries out far-reaching and blessed work. Through a donation by the son of the abovementioned consul, a modem two-story house has been built next to the Mission as a residence for the chaplain. J. F. Samer is still the chaplain.

According to the latest information, the congregation consists of 71 members, the Sunday school over 120, and the Epworth League, 40. The property is estimated to be worth about $10,000. The preachers who have served this congregation are: P. A. Juhlin, Jan. 1885-Nov. 1885; A. Peterson, Dec. 1885- Dec.1886; 0. Halvorson, Dec. 1886-Nov. 1891; John Ovall, Dec. 1894-Dec. 1897; J. F. Samer, Dec. 1897-Dec. 1913; 0. E. Linstrum, Dec. 1913-Dec. 1917; J. F. Samer has been serving the congregation since then.

CROSBY

In this community, located around twenty miles east of Houston, there have been Swedes for many years, but there has been no organized church work until the last couple of years. Occasional preaching visits had been made both by pastors of the Methodist Church and other denominations until the Winter of 1915, when 0. E.

Linstrum, the current pastor in Galveston, became a regular visiting preacher. In the

month of April that year, the district leader, T. J. Westerberg and Pastor B. Howe,

were visiting the local pastor for a few days. They held a large mission meetingwhen

a congregation

A Group at the Swedish Church in Crosby, Texas

was formed on April 11,1915, with 21 members. Since then, the work has progressed steadily, the membership increased, a Ladies’ Aid Society with some thirty members has been formed, and a Sunday school with around forty members has been organized.

At the conference in 1917, Houston and Crosby were united into one pastorate to be served by Pastor 0. E. Linstrum in conjunction with Camp Logan. He lives in Houston, but visits Crosby every Sunday.

The congregation leadership consists ofC. A. Gustafson, Lars Nelson, R. Kenning, Gust Lindstrom and Henry Peterson. Ten young men from here are serving in the military.

HOUSTON

This is the youngest Swedish Methodist congregation in Texas, and it was organized on April 16, 1917, by H. A. Peterson, the district superintendent. Its membership is still small, but it carries out important and blessed work both among the Swedes in the city and the soldiers at Camp Logan. The first Swedish Methodist preacher who served here was Abner Hanson, but when his field of activity became West Texas the work in Houston was- at a standstill. It was not until Pastor 0. E. Linstrum, who was stationed in Galveston, started to visit the Swedes in this big city on his travels to Crosby and started to hold services with them, that regular church work became steady and influential. Meetings were held the first year in a German Methodist church, but lately they have been held in the Bering Memorial Church on Milam & McKinney Street.

O. E. Linstrum is the pastor, and he lives in the city. His area of work also includes Crosby and the training camp. Camp Logan, where the number of Scandinavians at times can be counted in the thousands. Here there are opportunities for multifaceted and blessed work which is furthering God’s cause for present and future gain. A Ladies’ Aid Society has been formed with around thirty members and the youth society, the Epworth League, counts as many as seventy members. There is a reading room and social gatherings are organized for the soldiers in the church. Swedish services are held on Sunday nights and on one night a week.

LYFORD

A large number of Swedes moved to this community when the colony was founded a few years ago. It is located in the beautiful and fertile Rio Grande Valley in the southwestern corner of Texas only thirty or forty miles from Mexico. The settlers here were of different faiths and used to organized church work in the areas where they came from. This had the result that pastors from different denominations soon started religious work and congregations were established. If war and severe drought had not slowed down the colonization as well as people moving out of the area, there would have been powerful and flourishing congregations at this time. But the future should be brighter for these colonists in the Rio Grande Valley both in a material and spiritual way.

Occasional preaching visits were made by the pastors of the conference, as in the first years of the existence of the colony, and when the district superintendent. Pastor T. J. Westerberg, visited the community and held a mission meeting in the summer of 1915, he founded, at their request, a congregation on July 3 consisting of fourteen members.

A Group at the Methodist Church in Houston, Texas

Pastor O. E. Linstrum’s Temporary Parsonage, Houston.Texas

Group from Camp Logan on a Visit at the Swedish Parsonage

before their Departure to France, May, 1918

Pastor A. Wikstrom, a preacher for the Free Church, and a resident, looked after the work for the first six months after which the district superintendent arranged preaching visits until the conference in 1917. Then the area was joined with El Campo and is now served by E. J. Anderson. The Land Company, Wallin, Johnson, and Mattson of Minneapolis, Minn., has donated ten acres for the church.

TAYLOR DISTRICT

GEORGETOWN

This congregation was, in the beginning, known as the Brushy Swedish Methodist

Congregation, and had both its church and parsonage located in the countryside,

about three and a half miles from the town. The first Swedish Methodist preacher,

who visited the Swedes in this area, spreading God’s word, was C.C. Chamquist, the

present pastor in Austin. During the years 1871-1880, he made many visits in the

Brushy area, travelled the

Swedish Methodist Church, Georgetown, Texas

long way there by horse and carriage and held meetings in the simple farm homes. His first official service in this area was held in the home of S. M. Johnson. Other homes were opened for these religious meetings, such as that of the widowed Mrs. Lundblad, the Kristersons, the C. J. Monsons, etc. The spiritual interest grew more and more, and the homes soon proved too crowded; they had to move to the schoolhouse.

Progress often met with bitter resistance, but the dauntless pioneer did not flee, but

continued in his diligent and

enthusiastic way, and the work gained more and more stability. When Pastor V. Vitting became Chamquist’s successor in Austin, he too, visited the community during the years 1880-1882 and preached to the Swedes.

The need for their own as well as a better meeting place became more apparent, and

when P.A. Juhlin came to Texas in 1882 to take charge of the work in the different

communities, a three acre lot was purchased south of Georgetown, and a church was

built there at a cost of $2,200. It was dedicated in the Fall of 1883. As early as March

10,1882, the first step towards the founding of a congregation had been taken, when

several persons had been accepted as probationary members, but the congregation

was not actually founded until October 28,1883, when Pastor P. A. Lundberg, who

succeeded Juhlin, organized it with the following members: August Johnson, Anna

Johnson, Helena Gehagen, C.J. Monson, Oscar Forsvall, Andrew Swenson, Ida

Swenson, William Sandberg, Hedda Sandberg, Johan A. Sandberg, Anna Sandberg,

Swen Johnson, Charlotta Johnson, John and Christina Bergstrom, Joseph and

The Swedish Methodist Church Parsonage, Georgetown, Texas

Clara Ledin; altogether seventeen people. During the tenure of Lundberg, a

parsonage was erected by the church, which was later expanded, and at that time a

cemetery was laid out. When the church was built in this area, it was centrally located

for our countrymen in the area, but as the years passed many of them moved to the

east and north of the town, which meant that the church was soon situated on the

outskirts. It was decided during 0. F. Linstrum’s time to centralize the work in

Georgetown, which apparently was a wise decision. For this purpose, a spacious and

well situated lot was purchased in the summer of 1902 on University Avenue, the

town’s most beautiful and most trafficked street. On this lot, which consists of threequarters

of a city-block, an attractive and modem parsonage was built and later, a

beautiful stone church. It was built in 1906 and dedicated on Dec 23. The total

property then cost around $15,000 and this value

The Bible Class, The Swedish Methodist Church, Georgetown, Texas, 1918

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has risen with the years. A few years later, or 1908, the congregation celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary with a great celebration.

The membership has continued to increase and many of its members have moved to other areas. In the early years, some lived in Hutto and others in Jonah, and in the former location a congregation was established and a church built. During the time when John Ovall served the Brushy congregation, a church was built in Jonah. It was an active congregation for many years until it was closed because so many people had moved away. The church was sold and all this happened during Pastor 0. F. Linstrum’s time there. Temporary preaching visits by the pastor in Georgetown are now made to this place and Berry’s Creek, north of the town. The congregation now has around 300 members, its Sunday school, 225, and the Epworth League, 90. A strong Ladies Aid Society, Junior League and Young Women’s Sewing Club, are also active, each in its own area. In the Sunday school, a youth Bible class was organized in the Winter of 1917, by Pastor T.J. Westerberg, and the following Summer it had around 100 members. It is continuing its work, even though many of its young men have gone to war.

The following pastors have served this congregation and have worked in this area:

C.C. Chamquist, 1871-1880; Victor Vitting, 1880-1882; P.A. Juhlin, 1882-1883;

P.A.Lundberg, 1883-Dec.l884;AugustWallin,Dec. 1884-Dec. 1885;J.O.Wahlberg,

Dec. 1885-Dec. 1887; F.U. Liljegren, Dec. 1887-Jan. 1889; P.A. Lundberg, Jan.

1889-June of the same year; J.M. Ojerholm, Oct. 1889-Nov. 1891; C. C. Chamquist. Dec. 1891-Dec. 1893; C. F. Levin, Dec. 1893-July 1894; August Wallin, July 1894-Dec. 1897; John Ovall, Dec 1897-Dec. 1901; 0. F. Linstrum, April 1902-Nov. 1910;

O.E. Olander, Dec. 1910- Dec. 1911; C. G. Lindberg, Dec. 1911-June 1916. The present pastor, Thor J. Westerberg, took over the congregation in Dec., 1916. C. J. Monson and Carl Brady are lay preachers, and H. E. Stromberg has been the organist for many years as well as choir leader.

Many young men and one woman from this congregation are active in the armed forces, most of them as volunteers during the ongoing war.

HUTTO

The pastors in the Brushy congregation now and then visited the new community of Hutto, preaching the Word, and meeting for this purpose in different homes. Interest grew and the visits became more frequent during C. C. Chamquist’s time, during the years 1892-93, when he preached every Sunday afternoon in a schoolhouse north of the city. They soon started to speak of founding a congregation and building a church, and to make a decision about these matters, they met in August Hammar’s home on May 27,1892. The following decision was made according to the minutes:

“1. To build the church according to the blueprint; 46 feet long, 30 feet wide and 14 feet high. 2. The church shall have a steeple, a balcony, and two aisles inside. 3. Ordinary chairs shall be used in the church.

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4. Carl A. Gustafson shall build the church and be paid $2.00 per day. 5. The building shall begin on the first Monday in June, 1892.” The church was finished and dedicated in the fall of the same year. At the meeting the congregation was also founded consisting of fifteen people.

This first church, located in the west part of the town, became old and impractical with the years, and a new temple in another part of town was planned. In May, 1901, two lots were purchased on the main street, and here a parsonage was built the following year. Two nearby lots were purchased seven years later and in 1910, during T. J. Westerberg’s tenure, the new church was built, and it was dedicated on May 28, 1911. It cost close to $6,000, is practically furnished, tasteful and with artistic windows. The entire property is valued at $10,000.

Swedish Methodist Church, Hutto, Texas

The congregation has about ninety members, sixty pupils in the Sunday school, an active Ladies’ Aid Society, and about twenty-five young people in the Epworth League. Seven of these young men are serving in the army. The first preacher who was selected and stationed in Hutto, was August Wallin, who took over the newly formed congregation in 1892, and stayed until 1894. The succeeding pastors have served during the following periods: J.M. Ojerholm,1894-1895;C.C.Chamquist,Dec. 1895-Dec. 1898;F.A.Lundberg,Dec. 1898-Dec. 1899;

E.Severin.Dec. 1899-1901;C.E.Dahl,Sept. 1901-Dec. 1902; C. E. Wohlander, July 1903 to his death in Oct. 1904. During the Spring of 1903, the work was carried out by August Wahlberg a lay preacher from Galesburg, 111., later pastor in Manda until his death. C. E. Dahl served a second term, from Dec. 1904-Dec. 1905; Charles A. Nyman, Dec. 1905-Dec. 1906; G.A. Ekstrand, 1906-1907; Gustaf Lindstrom, Oct. 1907-Dec. 1909; T. J. Westerberg, Dec. 1909- Dec. 1914; 0. E. Olander, Dec. 1914-Dec. 1915; T. J. Westerberg, Dec. 1915- De. 1916;

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when the present pastor, J. J. Hamilton took over. Ever since 1909, with the exception of 1915, the congregation has been joined with Taylor in a pastorate with a parsonage in the latter.

TAYLOR

When C. C. Charnquist was the pastor in Hutto during the years 1895-98, he occasionally visited the Swedish homes around Taylor and held religious gatherings.

This was the beginning of the organization of a congregation. In the summer of 1897,

a big meeting was held in the home of Mr. Edward Carlson in Waterloo, six miles

north of Taylor where plans were made for more regular work. The pastors from

Hutto served this area, and

Swedish Methodist Church, Taylor, Texas

when the congregation was founded, it formed a pastorate with Hutto for many year’s, until 1905, when C.E. Dahl was nominated for this place and served it exclusively for four years. After that it was united with Hutto again and has had the same pastor except in the year 1915 when T. J. Westerberg served there and took care of the district activities.

The church and parsonage were purchased in 1900 from an old American Presbyterian

Congregation when E. Severin was pastor. This property, in the west part of

the town was not centrally located, so they tried to find a more suitable place, and three

lots were purchased on the comer of 10th and Hackberry Street in January, 1911 at

a cost of $1,400. In the month of April, the church was moved

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to this place, renovated and improved at a cost of around $1,000. In the meantime, the old parsonage was sold, and a new one was built next to the church in 1914. This modem two-story house cost around $3,500, and it is one of the finest parsonages in the conference. These improvements to the church property were made during T. J. Westerberg’s tenure.

The number of Swedes in this town and area is not large, and it is the only Swedish

congregation in the area. It has 125 members, a Sunday school with a hundred

members, an active Ladies’ Aid Society

The Swedish Methodist Parsonage, Taylor, Texas

and the young people are organized in the Epworth League with around thirty members. The property is valued at $10,000.

The tenure of the pastors since the organization of the congregation is as follows:

C.E.Dahl,Sept. 1901-Dec. 1902; C. E. Wohlander, July 1903-Oct. 1904;C.E.Dahl, Dec. 1904-Dec. 1909; T. J. Westerberg, Dec. 1909-Dec. 1916; at this time J.J. Hamilton was selected to lead the congregation. Hjalmar Sandstrom, the pastor in Brady and West Sweden, left this congregation to go to the Seminary in Evanston to be trained for the ministry. Many young men have placed themselves under the country’s flag and are now fighting in the World War. In the neighboring communities, Thrall and Jonah, the pastor these last three years has held more or less regular meetings among our countrymen.

WACO

The Scandinavian Methodist Church in Waco was started in 1885 when John

Swenson, leader of this church, first preached in Swedish for the Scandinavians

living here. The same year. Pastor P. A. Juhlin, who was the presiding elder for the

Swedish Methodists in Texas settled here and by a request

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from the believers to hold regular services here, Pastor S. L. Carlander was appointed the congregation’s first pastor in the Fall of 1886. On December 12, the same year, a meeting was held in the American Methodist Church on Washington and 7th Street, when the congregation was founded with the following as its charter members: Aug. S. Hart, Carl Josefson. Gustaf Olson,

The Swedish Methodist Church, Waco, Texas

John Ovall, Gustaf Gustafson, J. L. Bergstrom, Mathilda Hjort, Anna Anderson, Albertina Peterson, Hilda Anderson, Amanda Swenson, Emma Nelson, Mrs. P. A. Juhlin and Mrs S.L. Carlander. A Sunday school was also organized with Aug. Hart as superintendent.

The Swedish Methodist Church Parsonage,

Waco, Texas

During the period of a little over thirty years that the congregation has been active, it has been served by the following pastors: S. L. Carlander, Sept. 1886-Sept. 1887;

J. M. Ojerholm, Sept. 1887-1888; Aug. S. Hart, Sept. 1888-Jan. 1891; C. Chamquist, Jan. 1891-Nov. 1891; J. M. Ojerholm.

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Nov. 1891-Dec. 1892. During the following four years, the congregation had no permanent preacher, but Pastors J. F. Sarner and Carl Fromen made occasional preaching visits. A. Peterson served from July 1896-Dec. the same year; F. A. Lundberg, Dec. 1896-1898, and 1902-1904; C. A. Nyman.Sept. 1904-July 1906; C. A. Holmgren, Sept. 1906-Aug. 1911; 0. E. Linstrum, Dec. 1911-Nov. 1912; Otto CheUberg, Nov. 1913-Dec. 1915; John J. Hamilton, Dec. 1915-Nov. 1916; John Karling during the summer of 1917. The present pastor, F. L. Hagberg,was appointed in October, 1917. During vacancies the work has been carried out by lay preacher, Aug. S. Hart, and the Sunday school director, C. A Ryden. The congregation has around fifty members, the Sunday school, sixty, and the Epworth League, thirty. A strong Hundred Man Society is of great financial help. During the first years the services were held in the homes and in American churches, but in 1890, a meeting room was built on the corner of 9th and Morrow Street which was later expanded and improved. During Pastor C. A. Holmgren’s tenure in 1912, a Baptist church was bought on Vermont and 10th street which was remodelled and redecorated. The following year a parsonage was built next to the church, under the leadership of Pastor 0. E. Linstrum. The total property value is estimated at $7,500. Located near the large training camp. Camp McArthur, the church has an important mission to carry out and varied duties at hand. It meets these demands very well through the work of a zealous pastor and willing and sacrificing members. Five young men from here are serving in the army.

FORT WORTH

Pastor P. A. Juhlin was the first preacher who started work here in 1883. In the Fall of the same year, L. S. Carlander took over, and the following Spring a congregation was founded. A lot was soon purchased for $550.00, and a church and parsonage were built the same year, 1884. This lot was located on the corner of Broadway and St. Louis Ave. and has an excellent location, and its value has risen tremendously. Fort Worth has always been been a very limited field for Swedish church work, because the Swedes here have been few, and large numbers have moved from the area. However, a small group has always been steady and has carried out good work even through sacrifices and adversities. In many ways, the future looks brighter here, and the work is of great importance because, in addition to the Swedes living here, there are many young men who come to the military training camp. Camp Bowie, where this congregation and others carry out good and influential work.

During the years, improvements were made to the property, and a new parsonage

was built in 1905, when C. G. Lindberg was pastor. In the big fire which ravished the

town in April, 1909, both the church and the parsonage were laid in ashes,

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and for a few years the services had to be held in a temporary chapel. E. Severin, who was the pastor then, soon began taking donations for new buildings, and first the parsonage was built and later a church. It was built in 1914 and dedicated at the conference in November that same year, and it is both beautiful and practical. Built of brick with the bottom floor for Sunday school rooms and a kitchen, the second floor for an auditorium with a balcony and a study, it cost $9,000 and was quite an undertaking for such a small congregation. Gordon Olson, who was the pastor then, led the undertaking with wisdom and power; and through the work and sacrifice by certain people, it was a success. The total property value is estimated at $20,000. The membership is around fifty, and the Sunday school has around sixty people. A powerful and active youth group of around thirty members is working among the soldiers in many ways. This congregation has been served by many preachers, whose names and tenure are as

The Swedish Methodist Church and Parsonage, Fort Worth, Texas

follows: S. L. Carlander, Nov. 1883-Dec. 1884; John O.Wahlberg, Dec. 1884-Dec. 1885; Aug. Wallin, Dec. 1885-Dec. 1886; P. A. Lundberg, 1886-87; A. Swanlund, the greater part of 1888; J. M. Ojerholm, the Fall of 1888-Oct. 1889; J. A. Deichman, during a few months of 1890; John Ovall, Jan. 1891 -Nov. the same year; Aug. Wallin, Novl891-Dec 1892; Carl Fromen, Dec. 1892-1896; E. Severin, Dec. 1896-1899; F. A. Lundberg, 1899-1902; C. E. Dahl, Dec. 1902-Dec. 1903; A. J. Hallington, July 1904-Dec. the same year; C. G. Lindberg, March 1905-Dec. 1908; E. Severin, Dec.

1908-May 1911; 0. E. Linstrum, May 191 l-Dec.,the same year; Gordon Olson, July

1912-Oct. 1917. C. F. Thorneblade from the eastern conference has served

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the congregation until Aug., 1918 when pastor Hjalmar Sandstrom took the position.

DALLAS

The Swedish Methodist Congregation in Dallas has formed a pastorate together with

Fort Worth except for one year; and the pastors who have served there have also

served the congregation in Dallas. The only exception is 1916, when Pastor Otto

Chellberg was the preacher in this place. One of the pioneers of the church in Dallas

was E. W. Erickson who invited preachers from Fort Worth to make preaching visits

among the Swedes there, and the first one who did this was probably S. L. Carlander

in 1883 when a congregation was founded by some of those who were faithful, and

who had an interest in its creation. A sfnall meeting place was built on Harwood and

Live Oak Streets, which was later sold, and another building was purchased on Good

Street. This too, was sold,

Swedish Methodist Church, Dallas, Texas

and the congregation was without a meeting place for many years. During this time the meetings were held in an American and a German Methodist church. In 1897, when E. Severin was the preacher in Fort Worth and also served Dallas, the congregation was reorganized and received encouragement in this. A lot was later purchased on Word and Villars Streets, and plans were made to build a church here. It took until 1913 before the congregation had its own meeting place, but in June that year a chapel which had been built for $1,200 was dedicated. The spirit of this undertaking was A.W. Swanson who headed the efforts and took most of the responsibility. Even though it is small, the church serves its purpose, and when a larger one is needed, this one can be moved further back on the lot and be remodeled into a parsonage. The property is valued at $3,500.

The congregation has about 25 members, an Epworth League, and Ladies’ Aid

Society, and they all work for both spiritual

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and financial concern. During times when regular meetings have not been held by the pastors from Fort Worth the lay preachers, Carl Petrini and A. W. Swanson, have led the congregation. The society, “Klippan” (the Cliff), with Ms. C. A. Holmquist as its leader, has been very active for many years and has carried much of the financial burden.

WEST SWEDEN

The Swedish community. West Sweden in McCulloch County, was founded in 1906 by Swedes who moved there mainly from Travis and Williamson counties.

Reared in Christian communities and accustomed to church activities, these settlers

soon began to feel the need for religious gatherings and an organized church. Abner

Hanson, a lay preacher in the Swedish Methodist church, was one of the founders of

the community and

Swedish Methodist Church, West Sweden, Texas

he started to organize religious gatherings and preached to the new settlers. The first services were held in Mr. John Anderson’s home, on March 23,1907, according to a decision made at a general meeting in the home of Mr. Axel Spong in February. A Sunday school was started at the same time with Mr. Spong as director, and when the district superintendent. Pastor 0. F. Linstrum, visited the community a little later, a congregation was founded with seventeen charter members on April 23, 1907, and Abner Hanson was selected as pastor. He worked faithfully for many years and carried on his farm-work . He looked after the spiritual and earthly needs of the pioneers and expanded the work to include the Swedish community east of Brady as well as the town itself.

Gatherings were first held in the small homes, but the need for a bigger and more

suitable meeting place was soon evident, and the building of a church became the next

step for the small group’s efforts. Pastor Abner Hanson donated ten acres in the

middle of the community, nine miles west of Brady along the big highway, and here

they laid the foundation for a temple in the Fall of

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1907. The next Spring the first service was held in the church, which was not finished and dedicated until three years later. The dedication ceremonies took place on May 7, 1911. The cemetery is located near the church.

In 1914, after seven years of faithful work, Hanson resigned as pastor, and C. V.

Gustafson took over.

Gustafson, who had moved there from Austin had for many years been the lay preacher, and during his three years of service in West Sweden, the church grew and the membership almost doubled. Besides being a pastor, he also took care of his farm. In August, 1917, Hjalmar Sandstrom, who had graduated in the Summer from the Swedish Theological Seminary in Evanston, 111., took over. West Sweden and Brady still make up one pastorate. The membership is around seventy, the Sunday school has nearly one hundred, and an Epworth League with thirty members, in addition to a Ladies’ Aid Society, work in their own way for the advancement of the church. The property value is estimated at $5,000.

BRADY

The beginning and organization of this congregation is closely tied to that of West Sweden. They were one group until a few years ago when the members in the eastern community and the town were separated and started a new congregation, but they have made up only one pastorate. The Swedish community east of Brady is old, and our countrymen there belonged to the American Presbyterian Church before Swedes moved to this area in larger numbers during the years 1906-07. Meetings were held here in Swedish at the same time as in West Sweden by the preacher, Abner Hanson. This was continued in the eastern settlement and partly in the town, but as the distance to the church was great, it was finally decided that they would organize their own congregation with the activities centered in the town. This happened on August 14, 1915, under the leadership of the district superintendent, T. J. Westerberg, and seventeen people joined at the time. A Sunday school had been started, led by A. J. Johnson. The services are still held in an American Church. The membership has doubled since the founding of the congregation.

CAMP MEETINGS

The custom of holding open-air services was started in England by John Wesley and

gave the idea for the Methodist Church camp meetings. This idea was picked up by

Pastor Charnquist during his time of service in Austin. In an attractive grove in

Fiskville about six miles north of Austin, such meetings were held during the summer

with large attendance and with much blessing for the organization. Later this place

was replaced by Manor, where meetings of this type were organized for many years

in Abrams

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Park under the leadership of the congregations in Decker and Manda. A tabernacle was also built here and many improvements were made which were washed away in a flood a few years ago.

In Williamson County, camp meetings were first held near Hutto, and later in Brushy, and both the congregations in Georgetown and Hutto worked together at these. During Pastor 0. F. Linstrum’s time in Georgetown, Katy Lake, a few miles north of the town was the location for the camp meetings for three summers. The religious gatherings here were particularly well visited by Swedes from different parts of the state. Later this meeting was moved to Old Settlers Campground near the town, where a large tabernacle had been built, and other amenities arranged, but here too, floods washed them away. At these meetings, people would camp and stay there during the whole meeting period, which lasted for ten days or a couple of weeks. Since the coming of the automobile, however, this custom has ceased and these large religious gatherings are held close to the churches.

THE EPWORTH LEAGUE

A work among the young people within the Methodist Church was organized some thirty years ago, as a local and district organization, called the Epworth League. The first local organization within the Swedish Methodist congregations in Texas was founded in Austin in 1891, and since then, the other congregations have followed. In 1907, at a meeting in Georgetown, a district organization was formed with yearly meetings to which local delegates are sent. The different divisions carry out good work, both in home and foreign missionary work, charity work, reform, as well as educational and social work. One missionary in India is supported by the district organization.

At the latest yearly meeting, it was reported that the membership was 460; 572 meetings had been held and $1,133 had been paid out for charity and other purposes. Mr. C. A. Ryden in Waco has been the district president for many years.

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A group of Epworth League members at the Epworth League Convention in Austin, 1917

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THE SWEDISH EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH

ORGANIZATION IN TEXAS

E. H. Lindquist

THE SWEDISH EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH IN BRUSHY,

In the Fall of 1884, four young people from the region of Jonkoping in Smaland, Sweden, arrived in Round Rock, Texas. Their names were: Oscar Johnson, C. 0. Youngblom, Ed Frizen, and Christina Forswall. These young people found occupations and settled in and around Georgetown.

One afternoon in the Summer of 1885, these people gathered with several other

youths in Miss Forswall’s home in Georgetown, where God’s word was read, songs

sung, and Oscar Johnson and C. 0. Youngblom made testimonies for God. This is,

as far as we know, the first meeting that was held,

Swedish Free Church in Brushy, Texas

by this organization in Texas. After this beginning, the young people met quite often in the same place to contemplate God’s word. In the Winter of 1888, Pastor C. W. Peterson came to Texas, and preached God’s word to this group. Later, Pastor N.

Saabye arrived, and he was a great blessing. In the Winter of 1891-1892, Pastor C.

0. Sahlstrom was here and in other parts of Texas. He was of great help to this small

group in Georgetown. Many found communion with God. At this time, more and

more people joined the group, and meetings were held regularly in their homes

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in the countryside. The A. Sandbergs, Swen Petersons, S. A. Johnsons and others always opened their homes for these meetings.

In the Spring of 1891, the Swedish Evangelical Free Church in Brushy was organized, with 23 charter members. Their names were: C. 0. Youngblom, J. J. Lawson, Hans Bostrom, Mrs. Bostrom, J. A. Sandberg, Mrs. Sandberg, S. A. Johnson, Mrs. Johnson, C. E. Anderson, Mrs. Anderson, Carl Bjork, Mrs. Bjork, Swen Peterson, Mrs. Peterson, John Brogren, C. H. Gustafson, G. F. Johnson, Carl Anderson, Mrs. Anderson, J. A. Ekiund, Mrs. Ekiund, John Lax and Mrs. Lax. The constitution for the congregation was accepted, and the following officers elected: C. 0. Youngblom, chairman, Hans Bostrom, secretary, and J. J. Lawson, treasurer. It was incorporated on July 7, 1891. This was the first Free Church that had been organized in Texas.

At the time of the founding, the church received as a gift from

The Swedish Free Church Parsonage, Brushy, Texas

Mr. C. J. Gustafson, one and a half acres of land, located five miles southeast of Georgetown. In 1907, Mr. Gustafson added three and a half acres to this lot, which made it large enough for a parsonage and cemetery to be built. They started to raise funds for the building of a church immediately. In the Summer of 1892 this church was built.

During the first years of activity, the congregation was not strong enough to support its own pastor. However, regular meetings were held and some of the older and more talented of the members read and spoke of God’s word. They also had visits from travelling preachers and missionaries.

Since all the children of the families were young, Sunday school activities were not

started at the founding, but by the Summer of 1894, a Sunday school was started with

a class for children, and a Bible class

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for the adults. From this humble beginning, the Sunday school has flourished and grown to the size and strength it has now.

In the year 1895, the congregation got its first teacher when Pastor A. Klint served for a while. In 1896 and 1897, with Pastors G. F. Johnson and J. Hemer at the helm, a glorious revival occurred, and the number of members increased greatly. Between 1897 and 1905, the congregation was served by the following pastors: A. Klint, Aug. Modig, William Nilson, and L. M. Ekman. During this time, a steady and healthy growth and development took place. In 1905, Pastor C. G. Anderson arrived, took up the leadership of the congregation, and continued with that task until 1908. A great growth in membership was noticed during this time. The church grew in other ways as well. A branch of the Sunday school was organized in the community of Berry’s Creek, in 1905. The church building got an addition in 1906, and it grew to the size and form it has now. A Women’s Society was founded to work among the women and to support the congregation, as well as missionary work, and other good deeds.

Swedish Free Church Chapel, Berry’s Creek, Texas

It has done this ever since. The youth organization, “The Army of Hope”, was organized in June of 1907 with 30 members. During 1907, Pastor Anderson made a visit to Sweden, and Pastor E. Cederberg served as substitute. In 1908, Pastor Anderson was replaced by Pastor C. J. E. Nelson. At this time a parsonage was built. Pastor Nelson served with great success for two years, but had to resign because of failing health and was succeeded by Pastor 0. Zahr for a short time. In January, 1911, Pastor H. E. Gusten took up the care of the congregation and continued until March, 1915. As well as the everyday work with the church. Pastor Gusten spent much time and energy in holding meetings in Jonah and Berry’s Creek. Through his faithful work, he won the love and respect of the people. The congregation is served by Pastor E. H. Lindquist, since July 1, 1915.

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These latest years have been remarkable by inner strength and outer success, with a steady increase in membership in the church, as well as the different activity groups. In December, 1916, a useful chapel, which belongs to the congregation, was built in Berry’s Creek, the Sunday school there which at this time consists of 25 children and youths, is held every Sunday. Sermons are delivered once a week, for the members who live there and Swedes in the area. Regular meetings are also held in Jonah. During the twenty-seven years which have passed since the church was founded, the organization has steadily continued even during changing times and circumstances. In addition to the work at home, the congregation has strongly supported missionary work both in the homeland and in heathen areas. Two pastors have left this church and spread far afield in the country; Gustaf F. Johnson, pastor in the Swedish Mission Tabernacle in Minneapolis, and Ernest Johnson, pastor in the Swedish Evangelical Free Church in Keene, Nebraska, as well as a missionary, F. 0. Bergstrom, who, for more than twenty years has worked in the missionary field in Japan and who is now a state missionary in California, preaching in English, Swedish and Japanese.

The congregation now has 110 members. Sunday school has 130 pupils with youth classes counted as well. Inclusive of the Sunday school in Berry’s Creek, there are 155 pupils. The membership in the young people’s organization is 79. The total property value is $4,000. Since quite often there is not enough space for the crowds that gather and with the growing Sunday school, the old church which has served so faithfully for many years will probably have to give way for a more spacious and modern building.

THE SWEDISH EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH IN DECKER

As early as 1889, the Decker community was visited by Pastor C. W. Peterson, and later by Pastor N. Saabye and C. 0. Sahlstrom etc., who preached the word of God. The meetings were held in the school houses and the homes where many people gathered. At this time, Gust. F. Johnson, one of the young men from the congregation in Brushy, also started to preach at the meetings. During the summer of 1891 a group of believers gathered for regular meetings.

In July 1892, the Swedish Evangelical Free Church was founded in Decker. In the summer they built their first church.

Because of incomplete records from this time their work cannot be described in detail, but it should be mentioned that the work has continued with regular meetings and a Sunday school.

In the beginning,the most talented members of the congregation put in a lot of work, particularly in leading the meetings and preaching God’s word. Among those can be mentioned Aug. Anderson and C. G. Nelson.

The congregation’s first pastor was Chas. Smith who arrived from Minnesota

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in 1893 and served the congregation until the following Spring. During the following three years, the congregation was served by Pastor G. F. Johnson, A. Klint, and John Hemer.

During the years 1896 and 1897, when meetings were held by Gust. F. Johnson and J. Hemer, many were converted to God, and as a result, the membership grew considerably.

During 1899, the congregations in Decker and Kimbro were served together by

Pastor W.NUson. Thepastorin 1900wasA.Wiborg,andfrom 1901 until 1904itwas

John Hemer. Next, the work was taken up by Pastor C. G. Nelson, who served the

congregation for a year and a half. Pastor Nelson has also served on other occasions,

when the congregation

The Swedish Free Church, Decker, Texas

The Swedish Free Church Parsonage, Decker, Texas

117

had a vacancy, and through the years he has been a faithful and strong supporter of the work.

In the beginning of 1907, Pastor Alf. Stone served the congregation, but he soon resigned to go to Japan as a missionary. Next the congregation was taken up by Pastor H. A. Gusten, who held the position for two and a half years, worked with zeal and faith, while at the same time carrying on studies at Southwestern University in Georgetown.

In the beginning of 1911, a parsonage was built. The cost was $1,850.00.

Pastor P. Lindstrom was the next preacher for two and a half years after which C. J. E. Nelson was called and served until June 1915, when he had to move to another climate because of bad health. Now there was a vacancy for a long period, and the work was carried out by the above mentioned Pastor C. G. Nelson. In January 1917, Pastor S. E. Green was called and he arrived on March 2, the same year, from Boulder, Colo.

The general meetings, the Sunday school and the Ladies’ Society are active and successful. At a meeting of the congregation held in April 1918, it was decided to build a church and a building committee was given the task to collect money, to have a plan drawn up, and to find a suitable place for the church to be built.

THE EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH IN KIMBRO

Nils Tom and his family, who had belonged to the Free Church in Decker, moved to this area fairly early. It led to this place being visited

Swedish Free Church, Kimbro, Texas

and meetings being held by the pastors, C. O. Sahlstrom, N. Saabye, and others on their travels around the state. Meetings were held in the homes and in the school houses.

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In the Fall of 1896 and Winter of 1897, the pastors, G. F. Johnson and J. Hemer arrived, who were young, warm-hearted and zealous. They held meetings in the Kimbro school house and in the homes ofWm. Smith, C. Berg, Aug. Lind, N. Tom and others. A strong spiritual movement arose from this, marked by deep seriousness. Many of the members count this as their spiritual birth, and as a result of this, the congregation was founded.

Under the leadership of the pastors Johnson and Herner, the Swedish Evangelical Free Church in Kimbro was organized on July 30, 1897, with thirty-seven charter members. On Aug 14, the organization was completed and a constitution was accepted. The first governing board consisted ofWm. Smith, chairman and elder, C. F. Berg.secretary, Aug. Lind and C. Sandahl, deacons, Aug. Lind, C. Berg and Wm. Smith, trustees, and Aug. Lind, treasurer. At this meeting the congregation received one acre of land from Mr. N. Torn to build a church. The decision was made to build a church and the task was turned over to a building committee. The church was built

Swedish Free Church Parsonage, Kimbro, Texas

in November, 1898, and it seats almost four hundred people. The congregation’s Sunday school was organized in the spring of 1898 with around thirty children.

In the beginning the congregation was served by the pastors, Johnson and Hemer.

Meetings were also held by visiting preachers and missionaries, who stayed to help

the congregation for longer or shorter periods. In this manner, the work was carried

out for half a year. On Jan. 1,1899, Pastor N. W. Nilson started to serve Kimbro and

Decker and continued in this work until the end of July, 1900. He was succeeded by

Pastor L. M. Ekman, who served until the end of 1901. During 1902, the work was

carried out by Aug. Anderson. In the beginning of 1903, Pastor C. G. Nelson served

and continued until the Fall of 1904. The next pastor was J. Hemer who worked

zealously and faithfully for almost two years. During the last

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mentioned seven years, many members were accepted into the congregation, but many also left, partly because of moves to other areas, and partly because of apostasy. Next, Pastor H. E. Sundberg was called. He served with success for two and a half years. The congregation was strengthened and its branches were developed. At this time the Ladies’ Society was formed and it has been of great benefit to the congregation since then. In addition to local work, Pastor Sundberg devoted interest, time and strength to the surrounding areas. When he left in the beginning of 1909, he was succeeded by Pastor P. Lindstrom. After two years he accepted the call to another congregation and was succeeded by Pastor Clemens Martenson, who stayed with the congregation for four years. The work seems to have been successful, particularly during the first years of Pastor Martenson’ s tenure. A strong interest was noticed and the work of the different organizations prospered. During this time a society was organized among the young people, with the name”Helping Hand”. It is still active and has served the congregation and the young people well through the years.

After Pastor Martenson left in March 1915, they had trouble finding an equally talented and capable man to fill the post and a long vacancy existed. This was partially filled by Pastor Andr. A. Anderson from California, who interrupted his trip through the state and stayed for a year before he went to Kansas. The congregation managed to get Pastor John Udd to take on the congregation. He arrived from Holdrege, Nebraska, in June 1917 and immersed himself in the work with zeal and strength. During the twenty-one years that the congregation had been organized, they had gone through both some good and bad times. One hundred and nine members have belonged to it during this time. Some have been taken away by death,’others have moved to other areas, or been separated from the congregation in other ways. The membership is now fifty. The Sunday school has sixty pupils, the youth classes included. The property value is at least $3,000. The congregation has been considering the building of a church at different business meetings, and this should soon be decided and carried out.

THE SWEDISH EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH IN TYPE

Many Swedish families, which had belonged to the congregation in Kimbro, moved

to Type in the years 1901-1904. A few years later. Pastor H. E. Sundberg began

holding meetings among them. As more and more people moved here, it became

necessary to organize a congregation. This was done by Pastor Sundberg on May 20,

1908, with fourteen charter members. Their names were: Peter Nygaard, Victor

Carlson, Mrs. Carlson, Alfred Jacobson, Mrs. Jacobson, Louis Nelson, Mrs. Nelson,

John Sunvison, Mrs. Sunvison, Oscar Jacobson, Mrs. Jacobson, Aug. Nyman and

Mrs. Nyman. The organizational work was completed on

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May 22. A constitution was accepted and the congregation’s first board was elected. It consisted of: Victor Carlson, chairman, John Sunvison, secretary, Peter Nygaard, elder and Sunday school superintendent, Oscar Jacobson and Victor Carlson, deacons, Alfred Jacobson, Aug. Nyman and John Sunvison, trustees, and Louis Nelson, treasurer. One and a quarter acre was donated to the congregation by Peter Nygaard, and on this lot, they soon erected a church.

Swedish Free Church, Type, Texas

In the beginning, this congregation was served by Pastor Sundberg, along with his pastorate in Kimbro. In Jan. 1909, Pastor C. 0. Anderson took charge of the congregation, and continued for almost two and a half years. Thereafter it has been served together with other congregations, by Pastor H. E. Sundberg and others, or been vacant. Because of people moving away, the congregation has not grown and developed the way it should have. It continues to be active, however. A Sunday school is regularly held. Pastor Udd from Kimbro serves the congregation with a service every Sunday afternoon, and he holds a meeting during the week.

THE SWEDISH EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH IN ELROY

Among the first families from the Free Church to move to Elroy was that of Aug. Anderson from Decker. Mr. Anderson started a Sunday school for the children of the Swedish families in the area. In 1897, these families moved here: D. J. Malmstrom, Blomquist, Per Nelson, Chas. Smith and C. E. Johnson moved to Creedmoore. Meetings were held among these families by Pastor John Herner and C. G. Nelson.

Some time later (1901) this group was visited by Pastor A. Davis, and at this time they

made the preparations for the founding of a Free Church,

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even though it was not completed then. Mr. Chas. Smith gave an acre of land as a building lot on which a church was erected.

Under the leadership of the pastors, A. Klint and J. Hemer, the Swedish Evangelical Free Church in Elroy was founded on April 2, 1904, with sixteen charter members. Their names are: C. J. Danielson.Mrs. Danielson, Frank Blomquist, Mrs. Blomquist, John Olson, Mrs. Olson, Axel Blomquist, Mrs Blomquist, Sigfrid Gustafson, Mrs. Gustafson, D. J. Malmstrom, Mrs. Malmstrom, Chas. Smith, Mrs. Smith, Chas. E.

Johnson and Mrs. Johnson. A constitution was accepted and by-laws were written. The first board members were: C. E. Johnson, chairman, C. J. Danielson, secretary, Chas. Smith and D. J. Malmstrom, deacons, John Olson, S. Gustafson and C. J. Danielson, trustees, John Olson, treasurer and S. Gustafson, the Sunday school superintendent.

Swedish Free Church, Elroy, Texas

After this good beginning, the congregation worked with success for several years. A successful Sunday school was carried on, and a vital Womens’ Society was very active and assisted the congregation very strongly.

The pastors have been Alfred Johnson, Albert Bostrom, Alf. Stone, John G. Carlson, and A. L. Stone. After this, the congregation was visited at different times by the pastors, H. E. Sundberg and P. Lindstrom.

Later the congregation suffered the misfortune of losing some of its strongest and most active members who moved from there to other areas. The work in general did not suffer since the people are now members of other Free Churches, but for the congregation in Elroy, the burden became too heavy for those who were left behind, and the organization was suspended for a time. Several families remain, and they are loyal to the congregation and they are waiting for better times when the organization can blossom once again.

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THE SWEDISH EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH IN MELVIN

The congregation in Melvin is mainly made up by families who have moved there

from other Free Churches in Texas. Some of its members, however, have come from

other areas. Among the first who settled

Swedish Free Church, Melvin, Texas

in this community, we can mention these families: D. J. Malmstrom, Sam Mollberg, Axel Youngquist, C. A. Nelson and others. During this time meetings were held in the homes by the pastors, A. Bostrom, Alf. Lundgren and Ernest Johnson. The last two were active in the Texas Free Missionary Society as travelling preachers. A Sunday school was started in the spring of 1907 in the home ofD. J. Malmstrom

Swedish Free Church Parsonage, Melvin, Texas.

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with twelve children. Mrs. Malmstrom was in charge of this until the congregation was formed and a leader was appointed.

The Swedish Evangelical Free Church was organized in 1910 by the pastors, C. J. E. Nelson and 0. Zahr with 15 charter members. D. J. Malmstrom donated three city lots on the highest and most beautiful knoll in the town to the congregation. On these, the congregation’s roomy and attractive church was built in February, 1912. In 1916, the modem and sturdy parsonage was built, next to the church. During the first years, the work was carried out by talented ones within the congregation. They were also visited now and then by travelling preachers and missionaries.

The first pastor was A. L. Stone. Since then, he has left and Pastor C. Madsen arrived, and he took up the work in July, 1915. With great zeal and faith, he served this congregation until December, 1917.

Presently, the preacher is Carl E. Pearson who arrived in February, 1918, from Loomis, Nebraska.

During the years, some of the members have been taken by death. Others have moved from the area. Many families have also moved to the area. The congregation is not large yet, but it is very active and progressive in the true meaning of the word. A lively Sunday school is carried on. Two sewing circles, one among the older, and one among the younger women, are working with great success. The congregation owns property at a value of at least $5,000.

THE SWEDISH EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH IN KENEDY

This is the youngest of the Free Churches in Texas. John Anderson and family from Elroy moved to this hopeful and progressive settlement West of Kenedy, Texas in 1910. The next year, the Gust Swenson family arrived from Kimbro to make their future home there. Among them were several Munson families from California. In the homes of these newly arrived families, the pastors, H. E. Sundberg, C. Martenson, H. A. Gusten and others, preached. They also held Sunday school in the homes whenever it was possible.

Preparation for the founding of a church were started in 1914, but the actual organization of a Free Church in Kenedy was done by Pastor E. H. Lindquist on November 29,1915. The first members were only seven. They were: Mr. and Mrs. Gust. Swenson, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Munson, Mr. and Mrs. John Anderson and Christoffer Peterson. The number was increased soon thereafter to twelve. The board consisted of the following: Gust. Swenson, chairman, Christ. Peterson, secretary, Carl Munson, John Anderson, and Christ. Peterson, trustees, and John Anderson, treasurer. Since many who were interested in the organization had already purchased land and homes in the area, they were looking forward to great success within the church.

On February 19, 1916, the congregation purchased five acres of land, located twelve miles southwest of Kenedy on the boundary line between Karnes and Bee counties.

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On March 20,1917, they started to build a church. In a short time it was finished, practical and attractive, with seating for 150 people. The property should be worth $2,000.

On Sunday May 6, the same year, the Sunday school was organized with thirtythree children and a class for adults.

Long before the organization of the congregation, in February 1914, the women organized in a missionary society. This organization has worked faithfully and with great success ever since. Meetings are held once a month. Money is collected which is used for the work of the congregation. Through its meetings and the money collected, the society has been a great factor in the preparation for the founding of the congregation.

The Swedish Free Church, Kenedy, Texas.

It must be mentioned, that this organization paid for five acres of land, which is the property of the congregation. It paid for the pews in the church, and is now busy collecting for other needs.

The congregation has not been strong enough to support a pastor, but it carries out its Sunday school regularly and receives preaching visits one Sunday every month by the pastors who serve the Texas district. The congregation is hoping to expand its work and soon be able to get its own pastor.

TEXAS SCANDINAVIAN FREE MISSION SOCIETY

The Texas Scandinavian Free Mission Society is the Swedish Evangelical Free Church district organization in Texas. It consists of members from all parts of the state where Scandinavians live who are interested in its work. Its purpose is to unite the different groups and individuals in the work, to help weak groups and congregations with the upkeep of a pastor, the building of a meeting place, etc., and to support a travelling preacher or state missionary who visits and works in new fields.

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It also assists preachers in the district with travelling expenses, when they travel around in the interest of the Mission, and it also owns property when the need arises.

The society was organized in July, 1905. Its first board consisted of: John Herner,

chairman, Aug. Anderson, vice-chairman, C. G. Nelson, secretary, Oscar Zahr, vicesecretary,

and J.J. Lawson, treasurer. During the years that the society has been in

existence, it has made important contributions to the spreading of the work. Several

of the newer congregations have been founded through the work of the society, and

they have received help from the treasury from time to time. During certain times it

has also

The Free Mission Society’s Board, 1918

been successful in the state missionary work.

Another way in which the society has been working is by holding a series of meetings during the summer in the different congregations. Usually, an evangelist is called for these meetings and they are held in a large missionary tent which can hold the large number of people that gather and which is moved from place to place. The society holds yearly and semi-annual meetings in one of the congregations. Here, as many of the members as possible meet. In these conferences, the congregations within the state are represented by delegates, selected according to the size of the membership in the respective congregations.

The funds that are needed for the work of the society is collected partly by yearly

dues, partly by collections in the places where the meetings

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are held, by subscriptions which are taken up at the larger meetings, and according to the need.

The present board is: E. H. Linquist, chairman, J. Udd, vice-chairman, S. E. Green, secretary, C. G. Nelson, vice secretary, C. 0. Youngblom, H. Youngquist, Aug. Lind, trustees, and C. 0. Youngblom, treasurer.

SWEDISH MISSION CONGREGATION IN LYFORD TEXAS

In January, 1912, a group of people, consisting of Mr. V. J. Wallin, Mr. Aaron Carlson, and Pastor J. E. Bjorklund, were on a visit in Lyford and its environs. Their purpose was to purchase the so-called “Turner’s Tract,” and to establish a Swedish colony there, and to interest friends within the Mission organizations to buy land and settle there. At this time. Pastor Bjorklund questioned Mr. W. S. Ayre, one of the owners of this land-area, whether he was The Swedish Mission Church, Lyford, Texas.

willing to donate some land for a Mission church. Mr. Ayre promised to donate 80 acres to the project, if this tract was purchased by the Swedes. The deal was made and according to the promise, the said land was donated.

As the Swedes soon started to move in, a Sunday school was started in July 1913, and soon thereafter, regular religious meetings began. Forty acres of the land that was donated to the church was sold and the proceeds were used to build a church for the congregation. The remaining forty acres and the church are valued at $3,600.

The Swedish Mission Society in Lyford, was organized on December 11, 1913,

with twenty-three members. Its first board consisted of: John Hedberg, chairman,

Andrew J. Luttring, secretary, Albin Anderson, J. P. Johnson, deacons, Erik Anderson,

Ole Bronander, A. J. Luttring, trustees, and Carl G. Gustafson, Sunday school

superintendent

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The organization has continued since then with a regularly held Sunday school and services. A Ladies’ Mission Society has been active with great success. As the organization has not yet been strong enough to support its own pastor, it has mainly been served by Mr. John Hedberg who has done faithful work. Pastor A. Wickstrom has also taken part in the preaching of the Word. The congregation also receives visits from the pastors of the Swedish Free Church in Texas. There has been much interest in the church during the few years which it has existed which bodes well for the future.

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THE SWEDISH BAPTIST CHURCH IN TEXAS

SWEDISH BAPTIST CONGREGATION IN AUSTIN, TEXAS

The congregation was organized on December 20, 1891 with 6 members. Pastor Knute Ostlundh was the one who founded the congregation, and he became its first minister. A lot with a home on it was purchased. The house was soon sold, and they started to collect funds to build a church. The church has been served by the following eight ministers: Knute Ostlundh, 0. Arnkvist, E. Tornkvist, J. A. Bengtson, 0. F. Carlson, A. Rose, 0. S. Lindberg, and Enoch A. Carlson, who is the present minister, and shares his time between Austin and Elroy. They have all served with zeal and faithfulness, all according to the ability God has given them. The success has not always been great, but many have still been converted and joined the congregation. Time after time particularly during the first 15-20 years many people have moved away, because of unemployment among the men which meant that they had to relocate to other areas. But these members have been a blessing in the areas they moved to, so the congregation in Austin has not been without blessing and importance for God’s kingdom. Since they thought that another location would benefit the congregation, they sold the church and purchased two other lots, one after the other, to build a church. But after a period of time and further consideration, the lots were sold, and the old church building on the comer of 18th and San Jacinto was purchased again. The church has now been enlarged and remodeled, and is now, when it is finished, both large and beautiful. We are hoping that the work will proceed better from now on than it has before. During the tenure of Pastor 0. F. Carlson, several missions were established, Elroy being one of them, and there he built a church and collected the funds for it. He also organized a Sunday school and later the Baptist congregation there.

The following ministers have served within the state: C. Silene, Paul Johnson, 0. F. Carlson, S. Hammerstrom, and G. T. Vickman. Brother Silene served a lot in Genoa and collected most of the money for a church there. 0. F. Carlson also collected money for the church in Genoa while he was a missionary. Pastor Silene also collected for the church in Elroy. Pastor 0. Shugren, who has been a missionary in India for seven years, is our present missionary, and works zealously for our organization. May God richly bless the work.

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SWEDISH CHURCHES IN TEXAS

FIRST SWEDISH BAPTIST CONGREGATION

IN ELROY, TEXAS

This congregation was organized on May 18,1903 by seven people. These seven had earlier belonged to the Austin congregation. At the founding meeting. Pastor 0. F. Carlson and Christopher Silene presided. 0. F. Carlson was then the minister in Austin, but he served in Elroy as a mission of the Austin church. C. Silene was then serving as a missionary in Texas.

The Swedish Baptist Church , Elroy

The Swedish Baptist Parsonage, Elroy, Texas

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The congregation in Elroy has been served by the following pastors: 0. F. Carlson who served from May 18,1903, to April, 1905. Albert Rose served from Oct., 1905 to Sept., 1908. Both these ministers had Austin and Elroy as their field of work. E. A. Carlson served the congregation during the Summer of 1909, C. F. Lindberg from Feb., 1910, to Aug., 1912. Lindberg worked exclusively in Elroy. 0. F. Carlson served the congregation from Sept., 1912 to Dec., 1916. The first part of this period, he devoted exclusively to Elroy, but towards the end he worked there only occasionally. E. A. Carlson has served the congregation from Dec., 1916, to the present. The work is now being carried on jointly with the Austin congregation. Within the congregation there is a Sunday school, a Ladies’ Society and a young people’s group. These organizations have been quite a success and a great blessing. The congregation has also been represented at our seminary in Morgan Park, HI., now located in St. Paul, Minn., in that Pastor G. S. Fryklind left this congregation to study there and prepare himself for the ministry. Fryklind has completed his course and is at present out in the field preaching God’s word.

It is proven that the congregation has grown in both a spiritual and material way by

the work it carries out and the property that it owns.

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SWEDISH COLLEGES

TEXAS WESLEYAN COLLEGE

By T. J. Westerberg

This school of higher learning, founded by Swedish Methodists in Texas and located in Austin, just completed its sixth year and is yet young and in its beginning stages. The need for such a school, founded on Christian principles and under the protection of the church, was soon evident to the leading men within the church. It is of great importance to both the Swedish-American youth and to the future and influence of the church. During its short existence, it has shown the importance and blessing of a Christian education.

The first time the question of a school was discussed publicly and measures were taken for its founding was at a ministers’ district meeting in Waco, Texas, on June 15, 1907, when a committee consisting of 0. F. Linstrum, O.E. Olander, and T. J. Westerberg was appointed with the request to call the ministers and leading men of the church together to discuss the matter further. On Aug. 8, 1907, they met in the Swedish Methodist Church in Austin, and at this meeting the question was thoroughly discussed. After careful consideration it was decided to found an academy, and to locate it in Austin, the capital of the state and the center of the Swedish communities in Texas. A governing board was selected, and Dr. Olander was elected as financial agent with the task of putting the matter to the Swedes in Texas particularly within the Methodist church. The undertaking soon received encouragement from both the fellow countrymen and the businessmen of the city. Dr. Olander, who was the leading force in the undertaking, managed to purchase before he had begun any fund-raising 21 acres of land situated between 24th and 26th Street only two city blocks from the State University for the low price of $6,300. He also managed to interest the businessmen in this venture with the result that he could collect this sum from the city’s merchants’ union.

Since this suitable and valuable property had been paid for, a collection was started among the different congregations for the building, and it was successful through the energetic work of Dr. Olander. They broke ground for the school building in the summer of 1911; and on Aug. 27, the same year, the cornerstone was laid with great ceremony. On January 7,1912, the building was ready for dedication and Dr. C. G. Wallenius, principal at the Swedish Theological Seminary in Evanston, 111., made the dedication speech in front of a large audience. The building which is made of brick and is three stories high is furnished in a comfortable and suitable “Mission style”.

The first floor has school rooms, a chapel, dining room, kitchen, library and an office

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for the president of the school. The other two floors serve as living quarters. An electrical system was installed which cost around $20,000. A small laboratory was built later. The school began its first semester on Jan. 9,1912. It offers a thorough curriculum in academics, music, commerce and industrial studies. The location is very desirable. Built on one of the wooded hills in the city, close to the large University of Texas, and surrounded by trees, it has a healthy environment and offers the best opportunities for those who wish to pursue a higher education at the university. Many students have taken that opportunity over the years. Located so near the city center, and in a beautiful residential district, this property is valued at $75,000.

Texas Wesleyan College, Austin, Texas.

Dr. O. E. Olander has been president of the school from its beginning. His many years of experience as a minister and district leader within the Swedish Methodist Church in Texas as well as the rest of the country and his good business sense and leadership have resulted in this being a successful venture. The demands of the schoolwork and financial needs connected with the founding and the maintenance of the school, have been capably met. He has had great help in his work and responsibilities from Mrs. Olander, who has served unselfishly and without financial reward as the school’s matron and she has looked after the welfare of the young students.

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DR. O. E. OLANDER

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TRINITY COLLEGE

By J. A. Stamline

When the Kansas Conference held its annual meeting in Salemsburg, Kansas, in 1904, the Austin district made a request to be allowed to establish a college somewhere in Texas for our Swedish Lutheran youth and showed the necessity for such a venture. The question was seriously considered. The conference did not object to the establishment of such a school, but it did not want to bind itself to the school financially. A promise was given, however, that the fees which our congregations had previously given

Trinity College, Round Rock, Texas

yearly to Bethany College would now be given for the support of this school, which was to be built in Texas. This fee which now comes annually from our Lutheran congregations here in Texas was worth much more for the school than if we had received the $1,000 we asked for in the petition.

The conference encouraged the Austin district’s pastors to start preparing for a college in Texas. On August 29, 1904, the Austin district pastors, C. G. Widen,

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Dr. J. A. Stamline, O.H. Sylvan, R. P. Acsell and Dr. A. L. Scott, met in the Lutheran

parsonage in Hutto, Texas, to discuss the establishment of a college for our Swedish

Lutheran youth. The meeting was to decide whether a school should be built or not,

and if not then avoid the trials and tribulations which a school would bring. God

opened our eyes so we could see what should be done. Therefore, it was decided in

God’s name to found a school. But how and in what way, with as little financial risk

as possible, were

PASTOR THEODORE SEASHORE

President, Trinity College, Texas

the first things which concerned the pastors who were present. They discussed an itinerant school, but this was not considered to be desirable. They considered a school in a rented building, but that too, did not meet the demands. Then nothing remained but to collect money for a suitable building, and to find a suitable place for the school to be built. The pastors in the Austin district who were present formed an interim committee. Dr. J. A. Stamline was elected chairman. Dr. A. L. Scott, secretary, and Dr. R. P Acsell, treasurer. Dr. Stamline was called to raise funds among our people.

It was decide to collect $25,000, but with the provision

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that the committee could proceed with the construction when it could do so without getting into debt. On December 7, the same year, Dr. J. A. Stamline reported that he had been raising funds for the school for 22 days, and during this time he had received donations of $3,700. The pastors in their respective congregations helped with the work, and our people showed themselves to be in favor of the project. On February 1,1905, the school board met in the Swedish Lutheran Church in Austin. This day is a memorable day in the history of the school, because the board decided that the school was to be built and where. The number of committee members had increased with the election of L. J. Sundquist, Mr. Carl A. Bjorkman from Austin, Mr. John A.Nelson from Round Rock, Mr. A. K. Anderson from Manor, Mr. John Ljunggren from Hutto, and Mr.John H. Carlson .

The President’s Residence, Trinity College, Round Rock, Texas

from Lund, as members of the committee. The city of Round Rock made the offer that if the school was located there, the city would give the committee $7,000 in cash, four city blocks as a building lot and let a well be drilled by the school. They also got the written promise from the I. & G. N. Railroad that they would refund to the committee, half of the regular fee for the transportation of the building material. This generous offer was gratefully accepted. A building committee was elected, consisting of J. A. Nelson, J. E. Gustafson, J. G. Carlson and the pastors, R. P. Acsell and Dr. A. L. Scott. On March 14, the same year, a plan was drawn up for the school, by the architect, C. H. Page, from Austin. According to this drawing, the building is built of white limestone in a southern style. It is two stories high with a basement under the south wing.

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Its length is 147 feet, the midsection’s width and length is 60 feet and the width and length of the wings, 40 feet. The rest of the building is as it stands and needs no description.

At the committee meeting in Round Rock, April 28, 1905, the lowest of eight bids for the building of the school was partially accepted. According to this proposal, the building would cost $ 18,860. This seemed to be a larger sum than they dared commit to. Therefore they decided to build the school, but to exclude the finishing of the second floor. The cost would then be $15,190. The work on the building was to be finished on October 1, but because of a lack of building material it was delayed, and it was far into 1906 before that part of the building was completed. On July 13,1905, the cornerstone was laid with great ceremony and with plentiful attendance from all our congregations and the city of Round Rock. On January 17,1906, the committee decided to finish the second floor as well. The total cost was therefore, as mentioned before, $ 18,860. On May 16, the building was inspected, and the work was accepted. The contractors were the Brydson Brothers from Fort Worth, Texas. It should be mentioned that the cost for the exterior stone stairs was not included, nor the gas line, the sewer line inside or out, or various other things which were not specified in the original contract. The cost for the water system was not included either. The school cost $20,890, such as it stood at the dedication, on Oct. 2, 1906, with the existing outhouse and the cost of the water system included. The furniture alone had cost $4,500. The whole property, the land included,was then valued at $30,000. During the building phase which lasted two years, the fund raising continued with force, so at the end of the third year, there was only an $800 debt on the property. Under the name. The Evangelical Lutheran Trinity College, Round Rock, Texas, the school received a charter from the State of Texas on March 22,1906. According to this, the college is owned and operated by the Austin and El Campo districts of the Kansas Conference. Dr. J. A. Stamline was elected as the first president, and he assumed the position on July 1, 1906. As previously mentioned, the school opened on October 2, 1906. On the first day around forty students enrolled. The Swedish youth in our communities were eagerly anticipating the opening of the school. Many thought that school work was child’s play, but they found out otherwise, and many did not stay very long at the school. During the first year the faculty consisted of Dr. J. A. Stamline, teaching Religion and Swedish language. Arthur Wald, A. B., was the teacher of Latin and Mathematics, and Joseph L. Larson, A. B., teacher of English language. History and Natural Science. Anna L. Palm was the teacher of Music and Voice Training, and Miss Amanda Olson was in charge of the cafeteria.

The school board now consisted of Pastor C. G. Widen, chairman. Dr. A. L. Scott,

secretary, Mr. John A. Nelson, treasurer, the pastors L. J. Sundquist, O. H. Sylvan and

O. M. Bloom, and Mr A. K. Anderson,

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John Nelson, (New Sweden), August Ekstrom, and August Swenson, and the school’s president. Dr. J. A.Stamline, ex officio. These members were elected at the Austin and El Campo district yearly meeting in Round Rock, August 12,1906. The interim board which had served the school during its past two years of schoolwork, had now reached the end of its time of service with the initiation of the new board in Round Rock, on August 23,1906, at a meeting in J. A. Stamline’s home, at 8 o’clock p.m.

During the twelve years since the school was started, the following pastors have served as chairmen of the board: Dr. J. A. Stamline for two years on the interim board, Pastor C. G. Widen, from August 23,1906, to his death on May, 13,1907. Dr. A. L. Scott was elected chairman of the board at the board meeting on July 12,1907, and has served in that capacity since then. Pastor 0. M. Bloom has served as vice chairman all this time and continues to do so. Dr. A. L. Scott had served as secretary on the interim board and also on the regular board until July 12, 1907. Mr. A. K. Anderson was elected secretary and served until October 12,1913. Dr. J. A. Stamline was elected secretary at the same meeting and is still serving in this capacity. Mr. John A. Nelson has served as treasurer for the school all this time and is still serving the school for which he has worked so hard and faithfully. The executive committee is merely a branch of the board, whose work it is to handle incomplete issues on the request of the board and report regarding these at the following meeting. The school president is, ex officio, the chairman of this committee.

New Buildings. At the school conference in Round Rock, June 18, 1909, it was decided and authorized by the directors to build a so-called Professor’s House for the president, at a cost not to exceed $3,000. A lot was donated by Dr. J. A. Stamline and one by J. A. Nelson so they would not have to be built on the school’s property. A building committee was elected, consisting of John A. Nelson and Emil Gustafson. These were given the commission to get a plan and a bid, and they personally made the lowest bid to build the house with indoor plumbing and gas lines for lights for $3,150. The house has cost $4,000 with a cement sidewalk, fence, outhouse and lights. The lots are not included in this amount. At this school conference. Dr. J. A. Stamline was given the task of raising funds among our people for the building of this house, and this amounted to $2,324. Pastor 0. M. Bloom was also helpful in collecting funds in Austin, Elroy and Round Rock.

The lavatory buildings, the sewer line, the lighting and necessary repairs to the school building were carried out during Pastor John Alfred Anderson’s presidency, at a cost of $3,844.37.

Library. The school had a collection of a thousand volumes, partly donated by

friends of the school organization. These are John Palm, Austin, The Augustana

Book Concern, Rock Island, 111., Emil Johnson, Pflugerville,

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Texas, Thorn Nelson, Round Rock, and John A. Lundin, Smithville, Texas.

Capital Fund. Early in the history of the school, the school board decided that a capital fund of $25,000 should be collected for Trinity College. This collection has gone slowly, and the goal has not yet been reached, but the president currently in office has done much work not without success. The first donations to the fund were made by two Norwegians, the late Bengt Halverson, Round Rock, $ 1,800, and H. H. Hauff, $200. This fund has now reached $5,000, and this money is securely invested. A fairly large subscription is taken up for this fund and one-fifth of that comes in annually.

Inventory. At the close of 1917, the school’s assets reached $45,994.19 The debts were $5,803,60. The assets after the deduction of the debts are $40,190.59. The running expenses for the school itself for twelve years is a grand total of $88,369.28.

Celebrations in the Interest of the School.

To create interest in the school, the board decided that the best way was to organize celebrations when the general public could get together. An unforgettable event of thatkind was the laying of the cornerstone, July 13,1905. Great speeches were made, and beautiful singing was presented by choirs from our congregations. The laying of the cornerstone was done by the chairman of the interim board. Dr. J. A. Stamline, assisted by the area pastors. The attendance was large that day, and all present seemed to have gained interest in the work of the school.

During the construction of the school, they decided to have a celebration in Nelson Park, where people could get together and view the nearby, almost completed building. This celebration was held in Nelson Park next to the school on July 13, 1906. The chairman of the Kansas Conference, Dr. G. A. Brandelle was present, and made a speech. Other speakers also participated. There was beautiful singing. A lot of people had gathered, and the celebration was a success. A dedication ceremony for the school was held during the Kansas Conference meeting in Palm Valley on May 17,1909. The chairman of the Kansas Conference, Dr. G. A. Brandelle, made the dedication speech, and he was assisted in the school’s consecration by the pastors who were present. It was quite a celebration. A lot of people had gathered from near and far. The dedication collection reached $ 150. The School Sunday and the school’s “commencement” after the close of the school year are also celebrations of one kind or another with a particular purpose, and they are held every year. This is also the case with the choir and music concerts.

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The Schoolwork

To make Trinity College a complete “college” was neither considered or possible in the beginning because it would have been too costly, but it has been and is, a future goal. So they planned for a first class preparatory school or academy of four or five years, and a business and music school. Until now, nothing further has been needed. In this as well as other matters regarding the work of the school, both the committee and the schoolboard have acted wisely and conservatively during the past years. Therefore we can thank God and all those who have worked and contributed with their talents for the success of the school, look back and give praise for the way He has strangely helped us. We were just fourteen hundred members in the Austin and El Campo districts when the decision was made to found a college for our youth here in Texas, and now the districts have around two thousand members who support this school. The equals to the members of our congregations here in Texas are hard to find in the Augustana Synod. Someone could complain with Judas Iscariot, “Why this waste?” I respond: has the youth in our congregations who have attended the school not received something of value in return, which makes the work and expenditure worthwhile? We cannot answer this in numbers but life’s struggle can, and it proves that knowledge is power in all areas, where it is used correctly. None of us who are conscientious wants to see our good Swedish youth end up last in the large number of youngsters here in America to whom the future belongs, only able to be woodcutters or water haulers for others, but to be equal in knowledge with anyone. This question has been and will ever be outstanding. The past work of the school has accomplished this satisfactorily for our Swedish American young people, and will do so from now on. The schoolwork has had a normal development since its beginning, but it has had its ups and downs. It has gone through two difficult financial crisis in the years 1907,1914and 1915, a near total crop failure in 1917-1918,as well as World War I, which is now four years old which we are involved in and which is also noticeable in the running of the school. Through the years, we have been lucky in getting a skilled and competent faculty in the three departments of the school which has worked faithfully for the good of the students and the school. Income and expenditures for the school have not evened out during all school years, but we are not complaining. Many years we have had a surplus, and those can be counted as the fat years. Then there have been lean years, and they have eaten up the fat ones and more which has created a debt.

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School Presidents

During the past years. Dr. J. A. Stamline, Pastor J. A. Anderson and Pastor Theodore Seashore have served as presidents and teachers of Religion, Swedish Language and Literature, etc. They have also taken care of the school’s business, such as income and expenditures, bookkeeping, correspondence, discipline and whatever the daily life of a school demands.

Dr. J. A. Stamline has served from July 1,1906, to the new yearof 1910, and during the years 1914 and 1915, for four and a half years. Pastor John Alfred Anderson served from the new year, 1910, to Sept. 1, 1914, for four and a half years. Pastor Theodore Seashore became president on September 15,1915, and is still serving as president of the school.

During the twelve years, 1906-1918, that Trinity College has existed, 96 students have graduated from the school, 43 of those from the Academic department, 49 from the Business department, and 4 from the Music department. So far, they have given honor to their Alma Mater. Many of them now hold responsible and profitable positions in the business community; many are now in the U.S. Army, and because of their education they have advanced to officers, some have been and are now teachers in the public schools, and some have continued their studies in institutes of higher learning. Some are organists and church school teachers in our congregations, some are taking an active role in youth organizations, Sunday schools and in the congregational work. Many are making strides as farmers because knowledge is power even in this area.

The Lord has helped us in our schoolwork, and we are glad and grateful for that, both to Him and mankind, and if we stay true to our faith. He will continue to help us. Praise the Lord for all we have received.

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SOCIETIES

THE FOUNDING OF PIONEERS DAY, CELEBRATION

AND PRESERVATION

August Anderson

As early as 1896, a Swedish “reunion” was celebrated in “Abrams Park” near Manor. Dr. Stamline, Culbertson, and Jim Hogg held speeches to the honor of the day and the Swedes, and the first mentioned made his speech in Swedish. Why such a shining beginning could not have given the idea for a yearly Swedish gathering, is a question mark for many Swedes who are interested in Swedish national togetherness. For many years after that, there was a Midsummer celebration in Austin, but the thought did not meet with the approval and sympathy from the older people as Pioneers Day has since then. Mr. Ojerholm, publisher of Texas Posten, was for many years the tireless leader and arranger of these Midsummer celebrations with some assistance from others. He has received little thanks for this and other things he has done, and sometimes received criticism.

Therefore, national gatherings did not exist for many years. In the meantime however, the Swedes united and prospered economically. Automobiles became more common, reducing distances to a great extent. The fire insurance meetings with their file reports, open discussions and dinners, were the only evidence for many years that the Swedes had a common heritage to rally around inter-denominationally. The old settlers could not get around and visit each other easily since they were spread out and divided by religious fences. At big religious meetings, some met, others did not, and some had gone “the way we all must go”. It was painful for old comrades and friends that they would not be able to meet once more while they were still alive. “The Old Settlers” in Williamson County gathered yearly for a several days long reunion. Why not our old pioneers? The present vice-president of Pioneers Day, Johannes Swenson, was particularly bothered by this. At a fire insurance meeting he presented his idea that such a meeting should be arranged, with a quaking voice and shivering knees,”! was no speaker”, he said. He met with little encouragement. “I had a great desire”, he said, “to get such a meeting organized, and I gave my brother-in-law, Dr. Stamline, no peace until he promised to help me organize a meeting of the old pioneers.” Anders Palm supported him. “If there are no more than you and I”, he said, “we shall go down to Nelson Park and celebrate a reunion.” So I sent a message to my old friend and travel companion, S. A. Lundell, to come and help us with a speech.

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A Group of Texas Pioneeers

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He came and made a good speech; people came from far and near, and we had a pleasant, inspiring day. This happened in 1912. The responsibility for the next meeting was mainly put in the hands of the pastors with the result that they were neglectful, and the time for the next meeting came and nothing had been done. The same fate threatened the meeting of 1914, but because of the intervention of two old, white-haired patriarchs, the day and the meeting were saved. The pastors in the different churches willingly made speeches, and do so to this day, and the day was quite a success. Everyone wished that celebrating this day would be a permanent institution and that the location be Nelson Park, which they had been able to use without cost. Three Midsummer meetings have been held in a row, and in 1916, it was suggested that the 1917 meeting be made a fiftieth anniversary counted from 1867, and this met with great approval. A men’s choir was formed during the year for the celebration. Singers from the different Swedish communities had met several times in Austin for practice, and they met weekly in their home areas. This had meant a lot of work and some sacrifice. The choir master was J. M. Ojerholm. People gathered from far and near for the jubilee. It was probably the largest group of Swedes ever gathered in Texas. The jubilee choir consisting of 90 voices, sang the old Swedish songs with feeling. Speeches were made. Photographs were taken of the large crowd. The star-spangled banner waved from a tall flagpole. “A Fifty Year Jubilee” pamphlet had been printed to honor the day, and everything was pleasant, dignified and uplifting to the participants.

THE FIRE INSURANCE SOCIETY “SVEA”

E. L.Sandahl

The fire insurance society, Svea, was founded in New Sweden, Travis County, Texas, on December 14,1889. At that time, none of our now wealthy farmers, had any insurance on their property. Large homes and barns were built here and there, when finally the question was raised if they could create an organization among our countrymen with the purpose of helping each other when accidents happened, through fire or lightning. This is how Svea was founded, and it has continued its work all these years.

At the first meeting. Pastor J. A. Stamline was elected to lead the discussions, and Mr. A. F. Anderson, to serve as secretary.

The first regular chairman was John E. Rolf; secretary. Pastor J. A. Stamline; and treasurer, A. F. Anderson.

At the yearly meeting in 1892, A. J. Anderson was elected chairman for the society, and he has held this post until the yearly meeting in 1915 when they celebrated its twenty fifth anniversary.

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John Nelson was elected chairman at this meeting and still holds this post.

A. F. Anderson has continued to serve as treasurer.

After Pastor Stamline’s two year tenure as secretary, Oscar Westling was elected, and he served for five years. Ernst Samuelson was elected secretary at the meeting in 1897, and he served until the meeting in 1906 when E. L. Sandahl was elected, and he still holds this post.

Around 1200 people of Scandinavian origin have been members through the years, and there are now 700 members. The property insured by Svea amounts to $2,250.000.

The society has helped its members at 130 fires and the loss has amounted to around $30,000.00.

Svea has expanded in later years, and now it has members all the way down on the southern Texas coast.

THE FIRE INSURANCE SOCIETY “GOTA” (GOETHA)

J. C. JACKSON

To give the farmers who live in the city the benefit of inexpensive fire insurance, the society, Gota, was founded in Round Rock, Texas, Novenber 2, 1911, by representatives from the cities and the countryside in Williamson and Travis counties.

The society’s main office is in Round Rock where all yearly meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of July.

The board which was first elected, has been re-elected and is still serving, consists ofJ. E. Gustafson, chairman, John Busch, vice-chairman, J. C. Jackson, secretary and J. A. Nelson, treasurer.

The organization now has around 750 members, with 16 divisions in Williamson and Travis counties, 4 in the Stamford district, 3 in Brady, 2 in Kenedy and 1 in Lyfprd. The insured property amounts to between 2 and 3 million dollars.

THE SCANDINAVIAN CLUB AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

MRS. A. O. SANDBO

America is, as we have often heard, the land of opportunities, and that is true in more than one way. No class of people realize this more than the young, who wish to get a good upbringing and education. No other place offers as rich opportunities, and nowhere, it seems, are they as abundant. And no group of people in this land has taken advantage of these opportunities as eagerly and as seriously as those of Scandinavian origin.

In some of the northern states, it has been shown that the students of Scandinavian

descent at the State Universities make up a larger percentage compared to the

population than other groups. This is in spite of the fact that in these states,

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there are also many universities founded by Scandinavians and almost exclusively attended by Scandinavians.

In Texas, the same favorable conditions do not exist, for reasons which we do not need to discuss here. It is a fact, that even though Texas has the best school in the South, The University of Texas, and in a good location for the Scandinavians living here, the Scandinavian youth has not taken advantage of the opportunities that have been offered the way one would expect. During the last ten to fifteen years however, some Swedish, Norwegian and Danish names have appeared on the university’s rolls. At the universities in the northern states, they have organized clubs to further ideas, common interests, and their Scandinavian heritage. At some of these schools, much good has been done to make the American people better acquainted with the best and most outstanding literature in the Scandinavian countries as well as Scandinavian ideas and ideals.

It was with this in view that in 1913, several students at the University of Texas, after they had found the names of fifteen obviously Scandinavian students on the attendance roll, started to think about organizing some kind of club or society where these students could meet for pleasure as well as for the common good. In the evening of Nov. 11,1913, a meeting was held in the home of Mr. and Mrs. A. 0. Sandbo to discuss the possibility of such a club. Every Scandinavian student at the university, some who had previously studied there, as well as members of the faculty, were present, and it was unanimously decided to organize a club. Anna I. Sandbo (Mrs. A. 0. Sandbo) was elected president, an honorable post, which she held until the fall of 1917, when DrJ. L. Boysen, professor of Germanic languages, was elected and he still holds this post. A constitution and by-laws were accepted, and according to these the club was organized with the purpose of encouraging friendship among Scandinavian students presently at the university or graduates; awakening an interest at the university for the culture of the Scandinavian peoples and creating an interest among the Scandinavian youth for the university.

It is difficult to say to what extent the club has been successful in this. Time will tell. Knowledge grows slowly and the one who sows the seed is seldom there to see it grow. And no one knows if it will ever bear fruit. But a beginning has been made. We have had our small gatherings and lectures, and the best talents that were available participated. The club has been in contact with every Scandinavian student at the university, and interest for the club’s work and purpose has been raised and kept alive both inside and outside the club. One goal which it has been working for, has been the establishment of a professorship in Scandinavian languages at this university.

This plan had a good chance of being realized, but then came

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the unfortunate World War I, which has cancelled many peaceful plans; otherwise we would probably have had such a professorship at the University of Texas by now. The members of the club have not given up the thought of attaining this goal. During its existence, the club has carried out its work in a modest way, yet it has operated in a serious and effective way. It proceeds year after year, is full of life, and has warmly embraced its plans and tasks. Students of Scandinavian birth and heritage at the university come and go with the years. We hope that these students, through the unpretencious but important work of the club, will get new inspiration and new impulses and always keep alive the memory of the traditions and culture of the land where their forefathers lived, a land which they call their own, only second to this one. We also hope that in the future, they will contribute to the goals which the Scandinavian Club at the University of Texas are trying to achieve.

SOUTHERN SWEDISH CHOIR SOCIETY

J. M. Öjerholm

The Southern Swedish Choir Society is a federation of the Swedish men’s choirs, which exist in Texas with the purpose of “creating unity and cooperation among all these men’s choirs and quartets in the South” as it states in the society’s constitution. Similar societies existed before in the eastern, northern and western parts of the United States.

At the yearly meeting of the Old Pioneers in Round Rock in 1916, they were thinking about trying to create a large men’s choir for the Old Pioneers 50th Anniversary Jubilee the next year. A committee was appointed to try to accomplish this, and through their work, small choirs were organized in several communities, which could be united into one large choir at the celebration in 1917. In Austin, Texas, the Austin Swedish Men’s Choir was established on Aug. 15, 1916, with Carl T. Widen as chairman, Emil Lundstedt as secretary, Walter Peterson as treasurer, and “ J. M. Ojerholm as choir leader. A number of singers from the community of Decker belonged to this choir for a time, but they later withdrew. The “Williamson County Men’s Choir” was organized in the New Year, 1917, and consists of singers from Round Rock, Hutto, and Jonah. The following were elected to the board: Arthur Hyltin, Hutto, chairman; Anton Berkman, Round Rock, secretary; LeRoy Nelson, Round Rock, treasurer; and Mrs. 0. M. Bloom (wife of the pastor), Round Rock, choir leader.

The choir, “The Vikings” was organized in the beginning of Dec., 1916, and is made up of singers from the Swedish communities in New Sweden, Lund, Kimbro, Manda and Elgin. To the board, the following were elected: E. L Sandahl, New Sweden, chairman; Nels Smith, Elgin, secretary; and Dr Alt’. Scott, New Sweden, choir leader.

As early as at the first general rehearsal, they discussed the possibility of organizing

the different choirs into a choir society like those that existed in other places in the

United States, and at

MEMBERS OF THE SOUTHERN SWEDISH CHOIR, SOCIETY, MIDSUMMER, 1917

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a general meeting in Austin on March 27,1917, the Southern Swedish Choir Society was founded with Pastor G. C. Olson, chairman, Emil Lundstedt, secretary, Carl T. Widen, treasurer, and J. M. Ojerholm, conductor. The present (1918) chairman is Carl T. Widen, secretary, Oscar Sandstrom, treasurer, E. L. Sandahl, and conductor, J. M. Ojerholm.

The first official preformance of the choir took place at the Old Pioneers 50th Anniversary Jubilee on Midsummer, 1917, and it was a great success, even if singing out in the open did not give them full justice. At the choir’s first concerts and music celebrations, which were held in Elgin, Hutto and Austin, at the end of April and beginning ofMay,1918, they performed in front ofasold-outhouse and were a great success. Swedish singing has won well deserved recognition even in the South, and if it continues as it has begun, the Southern Swedish Choir Society, will win great success in the future.

Many singers have been called to military duty, so the numbers have decreased, and the work of the choir has been set back considerably. But the singing has not died, and even if the singing is weaker, we are hopefully looking forward to the day when our victorious brothers return from the front to take up their places in the choir. Then the wonderful Swedish singing will ring out louder, happier and more joyful than ever before, and greater crowds will gather around the banner of music.

THE WACO HUNDRED MAN SOCIETY

F. L. HAGBERG

On the intiative of the minister of the Scandinavian Methodist Congregation, Pastor 0. E. Linstrum, several good men got together on March 6,1913, and decided to form a society to support the religious work among the Scandinavians in the city. At this meeting the following were elected: Rev. 0. E. Linstrum, chairman, Mr. Sam Sorley, secretary, and Mr. Carl Peterson, treasurer. A committee of three persons was appointed to set up by-laws for the society. Members of this committee were: Rev. 0. E. Linstrum, Mr. L. M. Stevenson, and Mr. Sam Sorley. At the following meeting, on April 3, the by-laws were presented by this committee and were accepted. The following officers were elected: Pastor 0. E. Linstrum, chairman, Mr. C. W. Carlson, vice-chairman, and Mr. Sam Sorley, secretary. At the suggestion of Mr. K. W. Norm, the society got the name “The Waco Hundred Man Society”, and a comittee was selected to visit the sick. It was also decided that a fee of 50 cents was to be collected as an entrance fee, and a monthly fee of 25 cents was to be paid in advance. At every meeting there was to be a program, and to decide who would be in charge of this for the following meeting, names were drawn. Both religious, literary, social and political questions could be brought up for discussion at the meetings.

The society’s foremost goal is to create a more intimate friendship between the

Scandinavians in Waco, to support the work within the Scandinavian

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Methodist church or other Christian work in the city. Men of Scandinavian descent, who have reached the age of seventeen and do not have an occupation which is in conflict with the work of the organization can enter the society. Meetings are held on the first Friday each month, and as often as the chairman sees a need to meet. The meetings are held in the homes, and at least five members have to be present for a meeting to be held. The officers are: chairman, secretary, and treasurer. They are elected by closed ballot, and their term is six months. No one has the right to leave the society until his term is up. It is the responsibility of the treasurer to collect the fees each month and to deposit the funds in one of the city’s banks. Each year the books will be examined by an auditing committee selected for this purpose. During the five years that the society has existed, the interests has grown more and more, and the thirty three members which it has now, have shown in both word and deed that it is dear to their hearts to encourage and support Christian work among us. The society has time after time donated substantial sums to the Scandinavian Methodist church, and to individuals, who do not belong to any church. The society has also been helpful in the work among the soldiers at Camp McArthur, and among the sick it has carried out a noble deed which will long be remembered with gratitude.

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SWEDISH IMMIGRATION AND EARLY CONDITIONS

E. Severin

The history of the Swedes in Texas could be divided into three periods; the time between 1838-67, 1867-1900, and 1900 to the present time. The story of the first Swedes and their arrival here is treated in more detail under the heading, “The First Swedes in Texas.” This is just a summary introduction. The Swedish immigration began with S. M. Swenson who stepped ashore in Galvestonin 1838. Six years later, in 1844, an uncle of his. Consul Swante Palm, and another Swede by the name of Guldbrandson, arrived; three years later in 1847, Swenson’s sister. Miss Anna, came here, and in 1848, a larger group of 25 people came under the leadership of Anders and Gustaf Palm, brothers of Swante Palm and uncles of Swenson. The following year, in 1849, another Swede, Nels Jacobson, came here. Other Swedes probably came to Texas during this period. According to the United States Census of 1850,48 people had arrived. But who they were and what they accomplished, we do not know, because they left no traces behind. The first Swedes settled on the coast in Fort Bend County, but they were soon forced to leave this area because of the unfavorable climate. Between 1850-53, they came to Williamson and Travis counties, where they settled in Austin, Govalle and B rushy. We will mention, in more detail elsewhere, the Swedes who arrived in the fifties. In the years between 1850-1867, only around fifty Swedes arrived. Consul Swante Palm writes in 1868: “We are now 16 families in Austin and around 50 unmarried servants.” Some families lived in Brushy, so there were around 160 Swedes in Texas atthistime. The U. S. Census in 1860 lists 150 people. We can deduce from this that the Swedish immigration to Texas was fairly slow in the first 30 years. The large group of immigrants who arrived in 1867 made a great contribution, and a new era began in the history of the Swedes in Texas. Through S. M. Swenson’s work with August Palm as representative in America, and Johan in Langasa, in Sweden, an immigrant bureau was established. This made it possible for hundreds of young men and women, and even families, to come to Texas. The first group consisted of 100 people. Some of them stayed in Houston and got jobs there with the help of Mr. August Forsgard. The rest continued their journey to Williamson and Travis counties, where the first immigrants had settled.

With what speed the immigration increased during the year, 1867-1900,

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we can best understand with a comparison of the U. S. Census of 1860, with 150 to that of 1900 with 9,297. Immigration has decreased in later years. The number of Swedes in Texas according to the U. S. Census of 1910 is as follows;

Born in Sweden ........................................................................4,703

Born in America with parents born in Sweden........................ 4,724

Born in America with one parent born in Sweden ...................2,171

Born in America and Sweden................................................. 11,598

Of these, 3,500 live in Travis County and 2,500 in Williamson County; the rest are spread out in different parts of Texas.

ONE OF THE WHITE PEOPLE’S FIRST NEIGHBORS

According to our estimates, there are in 1918, there are 9,660 Swedes or at the most, 10,000 in Texas. But we must admit that Uncle Sam knows more than we do in this case, because we are only able to mention those who in some way or at some time have shown an interest in their heritage. The others are either trying to hide their nationality, or have been so assimilated in the American culture that you do not realize they are of Swedish birth, except every ten years when Uncle Sam comes around and does his census, and they have to answer the question of where they come from.

Immigration to Texas was filled with hardships, particularly during the first 30

years, which present immigrants know nothing about. If the journey across the

Atlantic which took at least three months in the 40’s and 50’s was long and

troublesome, the journey from New York to Galveston and Central Texas, was not

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much better. Basically, the only way to find your way to the inner parts of Texas was through Galveston and the Buffalo Bayou to Houston. The wilderness and the Indians were almost like an unsurmountable wall to cross between Texas and the northern states. There were no railroads, or telegraph or communications consisting of a rider carrying a message, no stagecoaches, or the so-called prairie-schooners. The small immigrant ship, which the giant waves of the ocean played with like a ball, totally lacking in sanitary comforts, made the trip almost unendurable. An old settler, Mrs. Langford of Georgetown, Texas, tells about such a trip in the 50’s and gives us an idea what those immigrants had to endure during such a journey. “We left Goteborg”, she says, “with 300 immigrants onboard, and we arrived in New York after a three month journey. Twenty people died during the trip and had been buried in the ocean, and nineteen were taken unconscious to a hospital”. Of these all died except her. According to G. A. Forsgard in one of the groups which left Sweden in 1848, they embarked early in July and arrived in Houston, Texas, on November 22, after a four month long journey. But conditions got better and the large group, which arrived in 1867, describe their experiences in a better light. The narrator does not speak about the difficulties which met the immigrants on the ocean, but those that he met within the inner parts of Texas, which was still a wilderness in many ways. The story about an immigrant of 1867 is interesting and is told here as it was written down by one of that year’s immigrants, Johannes Swenson of Georgetown, Texas.

A Trip to America, 50 Years Ago

“On a beautiful summer day, early in the morning of June 12, 1867, a large group of people were gathered on the platform at the station in Forserum. If you wonder why, it was because Mr. Daniel Hörd and family were leaving for America for the second time. With him were a hundred young men and women, with few exceptions, all between fifteen and thirty years old. A lot of people had gathered to say a last goodbye to their relatives, and many a father and mother said in tearful voices: “God be with you, my son, my daughter.”

But we cannot stay here long, because the locomotive is standing there blowing steam, and the conductor is calling,”All men aboard!” When we had all boarded the engine made a heave and our trip to America had begun. We soon came to Jonkoping where more passengers came onboard. Many of our friends had gathered to say a last farewell. The next stop was Falkoping. I should mention that the train we travelled on was a special train from Forserum to Goteborg. In Falkoping, there was again a group of people who joined us from several places in the Skaraborg region. The next time the train stopped, we were in Goteborg, where we arrived in the evening of the same day we had left Forserum, June 12.

The next day we were all out looking around in the city. In the afternoon

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we went to Mr. Lyon’s office because he was the agent of the Inman Line which we travelled by. We received our tickets and got our Swedish currency exchanged for American dollars, but we d