Resources for Swedish Cultural History in Austin

Back row, from left: Joseph Bernhard Nelson and Victor Nelson; middle row: Ernst Nelson and Albin Nelson; front, from left: Lawrence Nelson, mother Hilma (Olson) Nelson, baby Philip Nelson, father John Nelson and Reuben Nelson, courtesy the Nelson family via Findagrave. The family business was a wholesale meat company, Nelson Provisions, wholesale at 201 S. 1 Street.

In 1918, a group of Swedish Texans published a history of their family's stories of immigration, in Swedish. Translated in English to Swedes in Texas in Words and Pictures, 1835-1918, it includes photographs, stories and biographies. In two volumes, it is reproduced in full on the Portal to Texas History:

In 1994, the New Sweden 88 Austin Area Committee translated it into English and republished it. It is available at private booksellers and in person at the  Austin History Center.  

Then the entire book, plus many other Swedish Texan resources, were published online by David Borg at  SwedesInTexas.com  where all the biographies and photos can be found.

On the link below, select the "Austin Colony" to learn more about the history of Swedes coming to Austin, and see photos and read biographies of families.

Publisher David Borg created a YouTube video about the SweAme website project:

Much of Austin's history can be traced to the dedication of Swedish descendants to document their heritage. Additionally, here are a few other sources of research:

August Anderson, Hyphenated, or The Life Story of S. M. Swenson (Austin: Steck, 1916)

Gail Swenson, S. M. Swenson and the Development of the SMS Ranches (M.A. thesis, University of Texas, 1960).

Gage, Larry Jay. "The City of Austin on the Eve of the Civil War." The Southwestern Historical Quarterly 63, no. 3 (1960): 428-38.  http://www.jstor.org/stable/3024088 

Handbook of Texas Online , s.v." Swenson, Swante Magnus, " http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/SS/fsw14.html  (accessed July 29, 2010).

Carl Widen contributed to many Swedish heritage preservation projects, both through financial resources and research. He wrote for the Swedish-American Historical Quarterly, which brought national attention to the history of Swedes in Texas.  His papers are part of the Briscoe Center for American History at The University of Texas at Austin. 

The University of Texas at Austin has a Swedish Excellence Endowment funded by the Osher Foundation to support study abroad in Sweden and scholarships for Swedish students and individuals of Swedish heritage to study at the University of Texas at Austin.

Many people helped this project come into existence, and deserve a hearty tack, meaning "thank you" in Swedish.

Kay Boyd has been fascinated by her family’s history since she was a teenager. Her special interest is her mother’s Swedish heritage since all of her grandparents immigrated from Sweden around 1870. She spent many years tracing the lines back in Sweden. Another interest is preserving Travis County history. As a long time member of Save Austin’s Cemeteries, she works to preserve local cemeteries and their history.

Jim Christianson is a retired  attorney and CPA. He teaches Accounting and Business Law for Austin Community College and Southwestern University. Jim served for 22 years as a member of the City of Austin Historic Landmark Commission with the last six as Chairman of the commission. For the 150th anniversary of the first Swedes in Texas, Jim served as co-chair for the Austin Committee of the Sweden 88 Celebration (in 1988). In this role, Jim helped secure over 20 State of Texas historical markers for sites connected to Texas Swedish history. Jim served as coordinating editor of the English translation of the two-volume Swedes in Texas in Word and Pictures in 1918. The English translation was published in 1992.  For his work in preserving Texas Swedish history he was awarded the Order of the Polar Star medal by the King of Sweden in September 1993. Led by the efforts of the late Caren Patman, Jim served as Treasurer of the of the Swedish Studies endowment committee that raised over 1 million dollars to establish a Swedish Studies endowment in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin.

Brothers Craig and Dick Peterson help maintain the cultural heritage of Swedish Texans by sharing their knowledge, continuing the craft of flat plane wood carving, baking breads to be eaten with butter, and enjoying the real Swedish meatballs served at local festivals. Their encouragement on this project was much appreicated, and their crafts and baked goods were enjoyed during their Fika gathering May 7th at the Oakwood Chapel.