Johan Reinert Reiersen
Encyclopedia
Johan Reinert Reierson was Norwegian-American writer, author and publisher as well as an early Texas
pioneer and emigration activist.
and report settlement possibilities. He made his way to the Republic of Texas
. Reierson traveled to Austin
, where President Sam Houston
encouraged him to bring Norwegian settlers to the republic and promised aid in the establishment of a colony.
In 1844, Reierson wrote and published a comprehensive book about America titled Pathfinder for Norwegian Emigrants to the United North American States and Texas (Norwegian: Veiviser for norske emigranter til De forenede nordamerikanske stater og Texas) a comprehensive book about America published in Norway. Reierson particularly advocated Texas as the most promising regions for settlement.
Reierson decided to immigrate to Texas and establish a Norwegian colony in the republic. With a small group of Norwegians, including his own family, he returned in the spring of 1845. Before departing for America, he established a monthly magazine, Norway and America (Norwegian: Norge og Amerika) to report on the progress of the Norwegians in America to the people of Norway. When Reierson immigrated to Texas, Elise Wærenskjold
assumed the editorship of the popular magazine until she herself immigrated to Texas during in 1847.
After the annexation of Texas in 1845, Reierson led his group of settlers into the state and established the first real Norwegian immigrant colony in Texas in Henderson County
. The colony, originally named Normandy, merged with nearby Brownsboro
. In 1850, Reierson established a second colony. Families from Brownsboro moved to these communities, which they named Four Mile Prairie in Van Zandt County and Prairieville in Kaufman County. In 1848 the Texas legislature had formed Van Zandt and Kaufman counties out of Henderson County. His pro-American letters to Norwegian newspapers continued to mark him as a controversial figure in his homeland.
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...
pioneer and emigration activist.
Immigrantion
Reierson had been sponsored in 1843 by a group of prospective emigrants and financiers to tour the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and report settlement possibilities. He made his way to the Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
. Reierson traveled to Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
, where President Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
encouraged him to bring Norwegian settlers to the republic and promised aid in the establishment of a colony.
In 1844, Reierson wrote and published a comprehensive book about America titled Pathfinder for Norwegian Emigrants to the United North American States and Texas (Norwegian: Veiviser for norske emigranter til De forenede nordamerikanske stater og Texas) a comprehensive book about America published in Norway. Reierson particularly advocated Texas as the most promising regions for settlement.
Reierson decided to immigrate to Texas and establish a Norwegian colony in the republic. With a small group of Norwegians, including his own family, he returned in the spring of 1845. Before departing for America, he established a monthly magazine, Norway and America (Norwegian: Norge og Amerika) to report on the progress of the Norwegians in America to the people of Norway. When Reierson immigrated to Texas, Elise Wærenskjold
Elise Wærenskjold
Elise Wærenskjold was an Norwegian-American writer, temperance leader and early pioneer in Texas.-Background:Elise Amalie Tvede Wærenskjold was born in Dypvåg parish, in Kristiansand in the county of Vest-Agder, Norway...
assumed the editorship of the popular magazine until she herself immigrated to Texas during in 1847.
After the annexation of Texas in 1845, Reierson led his group of settlers into the state and established the first real Norwegian immigrant colony in Texas in Henderson County
Henderson County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 73,277 people, 28,804 households, and 20,969 families residing in the county. The population density was 84 people per square mile . There were 35,935 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile...
. The colony, originally named Normandy, merged with nearby Brownsboro
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:...
. In 1850, Reierson established a second colony. Families from Brownsboro moved to these communities, which they named Four Mile Prairie in Van Zandt County and Prairieville in Kaufman County. In 1848 the Texas legislature had formed Van Zandt and Kaufman counties out of Henderson County. His pro-American letters to Norwegian newspapers continued to mark him as a controversial figure in his homeland.
Personal life
Reierson married Henrietta Christine Waldt (1818–1851) on August 5, 1836 in Prairieville, Texas. The couple had six sons and two daughters. He spent the remainder of his life as a farmer and member of the Prairieville community. When he died in Prairieville, he was still writing about Texas in publications in Norway. He was buried at Four Mile Prairie Norwegian Cemetery.Other sources
- 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...
Norwegian Migration to America, 1825-1860 (2 vols., 1931; 1940., New York: Haskell House, 1969) - Unstad, Lyder L. The First Norwegian Migration into Texas (Southwestern Historical Quarterly 43. October 1939)
- Clausen, C. A., ed., The Lady with the Pen: Elise Waerenskjold in Texas (Norwegian-American Historical Association, Northfield, Minnesota. 1961)
- Russell, Charles H. Undaunted: A Norwegian Woman in Frontier Texas (Texas A&M University Press. 2005)
- Payne, Darwin Early Norwegians in Northeast Texas (Southwestern Historical Quarterly 45. October 1961)
- Van Zandt County History Book Committee, History of Van Zandt County (Dallas: National ShareGraphics; 1st edition 1984)
- Hall, Margaret Elizabeth A History of Van Zandt County (Austin: Jenkins Publishing Company. 1976)