TOMBSTONE TUESDA: Pehr A. Swenson

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY (May 27, 2025): Pehr A. Swenson was born on September 10, 1856 in Järnarp parish, district of Kristianstad, Sweden. He married Hanna Kaun in 1881 and was a farmer in his homeland. Pehr heard of the open frontiers and better opportunities available in America and so in 1887, he, Hannah and their two children Ellen (born Feb 1882) and Servin (born Oct 1883) emigrated, arriving in New York around July 4, 1887. They first settled in St. Croix Falls Wisconsin. After a year they moved to Pineville and later to Drummond. Altogether they stayed 6 years in Wisconsin where Pehr worked as a blacksmith – a trade he had learned from his father. They had two more children while in Wisconsin – Goodwin (born July 1888) and Olga (born August 1890). Accompanying this article is a photograph of the young family taken in1891 in Ashland, Wisconsin. Pehr moved his family to Olivia, Texas in 1893, first stopping in Victoria, where he left Hannah with infant Arvin (born Jan 1893) and the four older children for a short time while he traveled to Olivia to purchase a small farm. Olivia, Texas was established in 1892 by a Swedish Lutheran colony led by Reverand Carl J.E. Haterious of Galesburg, Illinois, who bought 13,565 acres from J.D. Mitchell and advertised a new settlement to other Swedish immigrants in the Midwest . Haterious named the settlement after his wife Olivia. Among the first settlers were Pehr Swenson and his family along with the families of A.G. Bergstrom, M.L. Cavallin, John Lind, Nels Larson, Charles Johnson, Gustov Swenson, Olaf Martinson, Eben Williams, Bengt Fyher, and J.F. Skogberg. These settlers brought in a small cotton crop in 1893, but had to travel to Edna to have it ginned. So, in 1894, these local farmers purchased a small plantation gin which they set up on Carancahua Bay, just east of Olivia. By 1896, Olivia had a general store and semi-weekly mail.

Pehr and Hannah added to their family in Olivia – Elvira (Feb 1895), Andy (Dec 1898), Richter (Feb 1901) and Hilding (April 1909). The attached 1903 photo was taken in Olivia and includes the entire family except Hilding who hadn’t been born yet.

By 1918, Pehr owned 300 acres of farmland. He was a representative of the Swedish Lutheran Church, which the family belonged to. Pehr Swenson passed away on September 18, 1936 shortly after his 80th birthday. He is buried next to his wife in the Olivia Cemetery. Hannah had passed away in 1925. At the time of his death, Pehr had 15 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. There are descendants of Pehr A. Swenson still living in Olivia today. More information about the history of Swedes in Olivia can be found at https://fliphtml5.com/wtsyf/fvxm

Tombstone Tuesday is written and compiled each week by Jody Weaver and Sheryl Cuellar of the Calhoun County Historical Commission, sharing the people and stories behind Calhoun County's history.