Elise Wærenskjold
Encyclopedia
Elise Wærenskjold was an Norwegian-American writer, temperance leader and early pioneer in Texas
.
in the county of Vest-Agder
, Norway
. She was the daughter of Lutheran minister Nicolai Seiersløv and Johanne Elisabeth Tvede, both of whose families were Danish-born patriots of the newly formed independent country of Norway. Educated by private tutors, she became a teacher and later opening a handicraft school for girls. She became involved in the national temperance movement and became editor of a Norwegian temperance magazine.
In 1839, she married and later divorced a young sea captain, Svend Foyn
. The marriage, which began without the customary reading of banns, ended in an amicable separation in 1842. Svend Foyn would later become the founder of Norway's modern whaling industry and became a powerful and wealthy figure in modern Norwegian history.
immigrated to Texas, she assumed the editorship of their popular magazine Norge og Amerika, a position which she held from 1846 until she herself immigrated to Texas in 1847. In October 1847, she first joined a Norwegian immigrant colony in Brownsboro, Texas
. On September 10, 1848, she married the leader of the immigrating party, Danish-Norwegian Wilhelm Wærenskjold. The Waerenskjold family relocated to Four Mile Prairie in Kaufman County and began raising cattle. The couple took an active part in the life of the Norwegian immigrant community, in the affairs of the local Lutheran church
, and in the temperance movement
. In 1866 both her husband Wilhelm and her youngest son Thorwald died.
life in Texas. In 1961, her writings were translated into the English language
and published under the title Lady With the Pen: Elise Wærenskjold in Texas.
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Background
Elise Amalie Tvede Wærenskjold was born in Dypvåg parish, in KristiansandKristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
in the county of Vest-Agder
Vest-Agder
In the 16th century, Dutch merchant vessels began to visit ports in southern Norway to purchase salmon and other goods. Soon thereafter the export of timber began, as oak from southern Norway was exceptionally well suited for shipbuilding...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. She was the daughter of Lutheran minister Nicolai Seiersløv and Johanne Elisabeth Tvede, both of whose families were Danish-born patriots of the newly formed independent country of Norway. Educated by private tutors, she became a teacher and later opening a handicraft school for girls. She became involved in the national temperance movement and became editor of a Norwegian temperance magazine.
In 1839, she married and later divorced a young sea captain, Svend Foyn
Svend Foyn
Svend Foyn was a Norwegian whaling and shipping magnate who pioneered revolutionary methods for hunting and processing whales. Svend Foyn introduced the modern harpoon gun and brought whaling into a modern age....
. The marriage, which began without the customary reading of banns, ended in an amicable separation in 1842. Svend Foyn would later become the founder of Norway's modern whaling industry and became a powerful and wealthy figure in modern Norwegian history.
Immigrant Pioneer
When Christian and Johan Reinert ReiersenJohan Reinert Reiersen
Johan Reinert Reierson was Norwegian-American writer, author and publisher as well as an early Texas pioneer and emigration activist.-Immigrantion:...
immigrated to Texas, she assumed the editorship of their popular magazine Norge og Amerika, a position which she held from 1846 until she herself immigrated to Texas in 1847. In October 1847, she first joined a Norwegian immigrant colony in Brownsboro, Texas
Brownsboro, Texas
Brownsboro is a city in Henderson County, Texas, United States. The population was 796 at the 2000 census. The community is on Texas State Highway 31.-History:...
. On September 10, 1848, she married the leader of the immigrating party, Danish-Norwegian Wilhelm Wærenskjold. The Waerenskjold family relocated to Four Mile Prairie in Kaufman County and began raising cattle. The couple took an active part in the life of the Norwegian immigrant community, in the affairs of the local Lutheran church
The Norwegian Lutheran Church in the United States
The Norwegian Lutheran Church in the United States is a general term to describe the Lutheran church tradition developed within the United States by immigrants from Norway.-Background:...
, and in the temperance movement
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
. In 1866 both her husband Wilhelm and her youngest son Thorwald died.
Writings
Elise Wærenskjold persevered through the hard years of drought, plagues of insects, and poverty on her farm. She taught school and she wrote for various Norwegian publications. She held to her belief in equal rights for women and her opposition to slavery and steadfastly maintained her stand on temperance. Her numerous writings including letters from the late 1840s through the mid-1890s remain an invaluable source of information on Norwegian immigrantNorwegian American
Norwegian Americans are Americans of Norwegian descent. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the later half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 million Norwegian Americans according to the most recent U.S. census, and...
life in Texas. In 1961, her writings were translated into the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and published under the title Lady With the Pen: Elise Wærenskjold in Texas.
Additional Sources
- Qualey, Carlton C. Norwegian Settlement in the United States (Norwegian-American Historical Association. Northfield, Minnesota. 1938)
- Nelson, Estelle G. A First Lady of Texas (Our Lutheran Heritage. Minneapolis, Minnesota: 1943)
- Blegen, Theodore C.Theodore C. BlegenTheodore Christian Blegen was an American historian and author. Theodore Blegen was the author of numerous historic reference books, papers and articles written over a five decade period...
Land of Their Choice: The Immigrants Write Home (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1955) - Crawford, Ann Fears and Crystal Sasse Ragsdale Texas Women: From Frontier to Future (State House Press. 1998)
- Lovoll, Odd SverreOdd S. Lovoll-Background:Odd Sverre Lovoll was born in Sande, in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. He immigrated to the United States in 1946 and is a naturalized United States citizen. Lovoll received his education both in Norway and in the United States, passing university exams at the University of Bergen in 1961 and...
The Promise of America (University of Minnesota Press; Revised edition. 1999)
Additional reading
- Clausen C. A., ed., The Lady with the Pen: Elise Waerenskjold in Texas (Norwegian-American Historical Association, Northfield, Minnesota. 1961)
- Charles H. Russell Undaunted: A Norwegian Woman in Frontier Texas (Texas A&M University Press. 2005)