Institute of Texan Cultures' Texans Series
Most immigrants coming from Sweden to Texas arrived in a 60-year period, from 1848 to about 1910. The first group of Swedes was recruited by Swen Magnus Swenson, who had come to Texas in 1838 and profited from a plantation in Ft. Bend County. Friend to Sam Houston, Swenson was convinced to help bring Swedish families to Texas.
An initial group of 25 came in 1848. Soon, Swenson's uncle, Swante Palm, had arrived, and the two became successful business partners. They operated an informal immigration company which paid travel expenses on credit or in return for indentured labor.
Other individuals and families from Sweden and the north-central United States heard about Texas possibilities and came. By the turn of the century, more than 4,000 Swedes were in the state.
Handbook of Texas
- SwedesThis article explores Swedish immigration to Texas since the first Swedes arrived in 1848.
Selected Books
- Stockholm on the Rio Grande: A Swedish Farming Colony on the Mesquite Frontier of Southernmost Texas byCall Number: F394 .S884 V37 2003 (Special Collections)
- Swedes in Texas in Words and Pictures, 1838–1918Call Number: F395 .S23 S45 1994 (ITC Library)
- The Swedes of Texas byCall Number: F395 .S23 R673 1939 (ITC Library)
Organizations
- Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce Texas (Founded in Houston in 1983, the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce Texas (SACC-Texas) is a state-wide business network with local chapters in Austin, Dallas and Houston. SACC-Texas’ local chapters work both individually and jointly to promote trade and investment between Sweden and Texas.
- Consulate General of Sweden in HoustonThe Consulate General of Sweden in Houston provides assistance to Swedes, as well as to foreign nationals pursuing interests in Sweden. The Consulate also conducts cultural and business activities to promote Sweden in South Central US.
- The Swedish Club of HoustonThe Swedish Club of Houston is to locate and join together people interested in Swedish heritage (Swedes, Swedish descendants, and others) in the Houston area, primarily through informal events and get-togethers, social as well as cultural.
Festivals
- Swedish Christmas at Williamson Museum on the Chisholm TrailThe Chisolm Trail Museum in Round Rock on Saturdays during the entire month of December has pioneer and Swedish crafts.