80R17389 MMS-D
 
  By: Brown of Kaufman H.R. No. 1931
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, Elise Amalie Tvede Waerenskjold, an early Texas
  pioneer, is today remembered on both sides of the Atlantic for her
  role in fostering Norwegian emigration to the United States; and
         WHEREAS, Born in 1815 to Niels Seierslov Tvede, a Lutheran
  minister, and his wife, Johanne, Elise Tvede was educated at home by
  private tutors; at the age of 19 she embarked on a teaching career,
  although female schoolteachers were then rare in Norway; and
         WHEREAS, A strong-willed and independent thinker throughout
  her life, Ms. Tvede promoted the causes of temperance, women's
  rights, and the abolition of slavery; her articles brought her to
  the attention of Johan Reinert Reiersen, who in 1846 appointed her
  as editor of Norway and America, a magazine promoting emigration to
  America; and
         WHEREAS, Ms. Tvede emigrated to America herself the following
  year and joined a colony of Norwegians established by Mr. Reiersen
  in Henderson County; in 1848 she married Wilhelm Waerenskjold, a
  member of the party with which she had traveled to Texas; the couple
  settled on a square mile of land in Van Zandt County, at Four Mile
  Prairie, in a second colony established by Mr. Reiersen; and
         WHEREAS, Elise Waerenskjold and her husband took an active
  part in the life of the Norwegian community and in the affairs of
  Four Mile Prairie Lutheran Church, which still serves the
  surrounding area; and
         WHEREAS, This indomitable woman lived at Four Mile Prairie
  for 46 years, during which time she farmed, sold garden seeds,
  books, and magazine subscriptions, and taught school; despite the
  hardships of frontier life, she also continued to write articles
  encouraging emigration to America, especially to Texas; many of her
  articles described the daily life of immigrant Norwegian families
  and constitute an invaluable source of information about this
  notable group of Texans; and
         WHEREAS, Elise Waerenskjold's native land is erecting a
  monument in her honor at the Western Norway Emigration Center at
  Sletta, Norway, on July 7, 2007; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas
  Legislature hereby join in commemorating the life of Elise Amalie
  Tvede Waerenskjold and the contributions that she and her fellow
  Norwegians made to the development of the Lone Star State; and, be
  it further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
  prepared for presentation to the Western Norway Emigration Center
  on the occasion of the ceremony honoring Elise Waerenskjold.