SWEDISH COMMUNITIES IN TEXAS

New Sweden

(Severin)

Biographies Alf. L. Scott and T. J. Westerberg

New Sweden, one of the best known Swedish communities in Texas, is situated about six miles north of Manor on a fertile, slightly rolling flat area which was first called “Knight’s Ranch”. It was named New Sweden in 1877 when the Swedish Lutheran Church was organized.

This area now has more than a hundred attractive Swedish farms, but in the 70’s it was uninhabited, one single flat prairie with only cactus and mesquite growing there. The first pioneers of this settlement came from Småland in the group of immigrants of 1867 with the exception of the John Axell family which moved here from the Northern States.

The first pioneer-home in the area was built around Christmas-time 1873 by Sven Johan Lyckman, and at the same time or at New Years of 1874, his brother, Carl Lyckman built a home there. In 1873, the brothers, A. F. and A. J. Anderson, also moved to the colony. For the first year they lived in the Knight’s Ranch house, but the next Fall, they built their own home. In the following year, 1875, the Johan Axell family, his brother, Claus, and his parents arrived, and with their settlement, the fourth pioneer home was built. After a couple of years with no new settlement, C. M. Nygren, C. P. Peterson, Carl Monson, Otto Danielson, Sven Monson and Nels Olson arrived in the 70’s.

It was a progressive community, and as early as 1879, the Swedish Lutheran Church was built. It was built in the center of the community, but the community then grew to the north and east, and the church is now located on the western edge of the community. A chapel has therefore been built in the east part where New Sweden borders on Manda and Kimbro. In 1882, a Swedish company built the first cotton-gin, which was called Anderson’s Gin, a name it has kept since then. In 1886, New Sweden got a post-office, and mail was delivered once a week. Axel Sjöholm was the first post-master, and his brother, Julius Seaholm was the letter-carrier. In the following year Will Erikson became post-master, and in 1888 Oscar Nelson was appointed. A Swedish store was opened the same year near the parsonage by Oscar Nelson. A new mail-system with daily deliveries has been instituted during the last several years. Among Swedish businesses in the community, we can mention the “New Sweden Telephone Co.” and the mutual fire insurance company, “Svea”.

Like other communities. New Sweden has its pioneer history with hard work and many sacrifices, but in many respects different from the life of the settlers in Austin and Palm Valley. This is because New Sweden had relatively good means of communications and was only six miles from the railroad.

Of the old settlers, these are still living: the brothers A. F. and A. J. Anderson, both living in Austin, the Mrs. Stenholm and Mrs. Sven Monson families, the first settler, Carl Lyckman and his wife, now living in Manor, and Mrs. Nygren with her home in Austin.

Extracted from: Swedes In Texas In Words and Pictures,

English Translation, 1838 - 1918