Elise A. Wærenskjold
Elise Wærenskjold (nee Tvede) was born on February 19, 1815, in Dypvåg parsonage to Nicolai Tvede (1779-1832) and Johanne Elisabeth Meldahl Tvede (1773-1839). Her father was related to the influential Aall family, which included two "Eidsvoldsmenn" who helped construct the Norwegian constitution in 1814. Her father was a pastor and was sympathetic to Norwegian causes despite having Danish heritage. Wærenskjold received a good education, and went on to found two schools: one in Tønsberg and one in Lillesand. These schools were so successful that they stayed open even after she left Norway. She was also involved in the temperance movement, being the first woman to join the temperance society of Lillesand.
Elise married Svend Foyn (1809-1894) in 1839 -- a marriage that would not last. In a move highly unusual for her time, Wærenskjold opted to separate and later divorce her husband in 1842 due to incompatibility. During this time after Reiersen left for America, she edited Reiersen's publication Norge og Amerika. When the magazine ceased publication in 1847, Wærenskjold left Norway for Texas. First stopping in Nacogdoches and Brownsboro before finally settling at Four Mile Prairie. She quickly met and married Wilhelm Wærenskjold (1823-1866) in this new country.
"In 1845 Reiersen founded a Norwegian settlement near Brownsboro in northeastern Texas, and soon afterward a second one on Four Mile Prairie in Van Zandt and Kaufman counties. There, in 1847, he was joined by Wilhelm Wærenskjold and Elise Tvede, who were married soon after their arrival. Wærenskjold wrote convincing America letters, or rather Texas letters, and was something of a poet; but it was Mrs. Wærenskjold who was destined to become the real spokesman for and the chronicler of the Norwegian pioneers in the Lone Star State. She was the daughter of a pastor in southern Norway and had received a good education, including a fair knowledge of English, French, and German."
"In Norway she is still remembered as a foregangskvinne (a woman leader) because she was not content to limit her activities within the narrow bounds then fixed for European women. She founded two private schools, took a prominent part in the emerging temperance movement, and, for a year, edited Reiersen's magazine, Norge og Amerika, which ruffled official feelings by championing emigration to the United States. The toil and the hardships of pioneer life could not crush Elise Wæerenskjold's initiative. She discovered that temperance work was as much called for in the Texas settlement as in her old homeland, and she took a very active part in organizing a Lutheran church and a school in her community. She also continued to champion the cause of emigration, and despite the fact that life in Texas did not treat her gently, she was always ready to speak up in defense of her state 'with or without provocation.'" (Clausen, pg. 33-34)
Wærenskjold's Letter
Elise Wærenskjold is most famous for her public reply to Captain Tolmer who provided the most famous criticism of Texas. These critical letters caught the attention of a postmaster and friend named T.A. Gjestvang. Wærenskjold wrote a swift reply, accompanied by written support form Peerson and Nordboe, debunking many of Tolmer's claims about Texas. She wrote many other letters that were published in Norwegian newspapers discussing what pioneer life was like in Texas, something she would defend until her death. Many of her writings speak for themselves in terms of what she thought about Texas and why she continued to write in its support."Among the Norwegian signatories are the two well-known figures in immigrant history, John (Johannes) Nordboe and Cleng Peerson. Nordboe was probably the first Norwegian settler in Texas, having arrived there in 1841. At the time of writing he was about eighty years old. In misspelled and poorly composed Norwegian he declared vehemently that Mrs. Wærenskjold's letter was correct in every detail, while the accounts which the 'arch-liar Tolmer has strewn broadcast' were 'unadulterated lies.'" (Clausen, pg. 34)
In an appendix to Wærenskjold's famous letter, Cleng Peerson added: "I have read your copy of Tolmer's letters and assure you that the description he gives of the people's character, etc., is utterly false. Both in Texas and in the older states I have come to know the inhabitants as very accommodating and helpful people. I have also read Mrs. Wærenskjold's answer to your letter and find her description of conditions here correct in all details. I likewise, and without any reservations, prefer Texas to the northern states, both with regard to its wholesome climate and because of the advantages and pleasures it offers." (Peerson, pg. 353)
Later Life
Elise Wærenskjold's husband Wilhelm was murdered by a Methodist preacher named N.T. Dickerson in 1866. The reasons for this crime remain unclear. The same year, their youngest child died. Regardless of these tragedies, Wærenskjold continued to live at Four Mile Prairie without a husband and with two other children while continuing to have her writings published in Norwegian newspapers. Her children included Otto Wærenskjold (1851-1921), Niels Wærenskjold (1853-1902), and Thorvald Wærenskjold (1858-1866). Wærenskjold died January 22, 1895 at the home of her son Otto in Hamilton, Texas. She lived at Four Mile Prairie for 46 years. Her descendants continued to live in Texas despite the decline in population at Four Mile Prairie.Larger Impact
"It is written about her that she is the reason that so many Norwegians emigrated to Texas. Indirectly, maybe– but directly, no. Her contributions in Morgenbladet were scarcely read by particularly many working-class people in Hedmark. In the Wærenkjold’s home at Four-Mile Prairie, many emigrants were taken in and helped, but this was in the first phase of Texas-emigration. After Bosque county– from 1853– at consistently faster rates, it was becoming a place that attracted Norwegians, the role that Elise Wærenskjold played in Texas-emigration was becoming consistently less relevant. Most Norwegians moved from East-Texas to Bosque, while the Wærenskjold family and a few others decided to stay where they were." (Syverson and Johnson, pg. 58)
Wærenskjold is remembered as a strong woman who stood up for her beliefs in a way unconventional for women of her time. She was a leader in the movement of Norwegians to Texas. Many of her writings survive today, and scholars have learned a great deal about what Norwegian settlements in Texas were like based on her correspondence. She is remembered in America for advocating for temperance, women's rights, and for her opposition to slavery prior to the Civil War. In Norway, she is considered a "foregangskvinne" -- a woman leader who fought for women's rights in Norway. Her legacy has lived on as an activist, a settler, and a voice for her generation.
Sources to explore:
A Texas Manifesto: A Letter From Mrs. Elise Wærenskjold by Clarence A. Clausen
Land of their Choice: The Immigrants Write Home by Theodore C. Blegen
Norge i Texas by Odd Magnar Syverson and Derwood Johnson