Coming To America

When my uncle passed away, his daughter, my first cousin, was looking for photos and other documents to help her write his obituary and make a presentation for his memorial service. She knew I had some papers that belonged to our grandmother (my uncle's mother) and I offered to look through them to see if there was anything she might want.

I didn't find what she was looking for - it's okay, we found it somewhere else - but I did find something I had overlooked for many years: my great-great-grandfather Ole Olson's 'declaration of intention' to become a U. S. citizen. It was dated July 25, 1887, sworn before the district court clerk in Smith Co., Texas (Tyler area). Here's a transcript of the letter in case you can't read the image:

---

The State of Texas

County of Smith

Be it remembered that on this the 25th day of July A. D. 1887, before me Clerk of the District Court in and for said State and County, personally appeared O. I. Olsen, Who being duly sworn according to law, did declare and say his is a native of Norway in the Kingdom of Norway and Sweeden. and as a subject of the King of Sweeden & Norway that he is now residing in the County of Smith aforesaid. That he is Fifty Five years of age or thereabouts and that it is bona fide his intention to become a citizen of the United States and to renounce forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince potentate state or sovereignty whatever and particularly to the King of Norway & Sweeden of whom he is now a subject.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said county this 26th day of July A. D. 1887.

E. S. Cook

Clerk District Court

Smith Co. Tex.

---

Fascinating stuff! Several nuggets of family tree gold here.

-This document more or less confirms his approximate age, which corresponds with census and headstone info.
-It serves as a reminder that Norway and Sweden were united from 1814-1905. My Norwegian ancestors came to Texas in the 1850s.
-I didn't realize he ever owned property in Smith County. The first Norwegian community in Texas was in Smith County. Originally christened Normandy, the name was later changed to Brownsboro. Normandy turned out to be an unpopular location due to poor soil and water conditions. Many Norse relocated slightly southwest to the Four Mile/Prairieville area straddling the Kaufman and Van Zandt county lines. A final westward migration when Bosque County was created in 1854 proved most successful for the Norwegians, who settled in the Clifton area. But my Olson ancestors and a few others, such as the Waerenskjolds and the Wattners, didn't make that third move. They stayed in Prairieville.

It's usually at about this point that someone says they must have misheard me. Did I say there were Norwegians who immigrated to Texas? Why, yes, indeed. More on that in another blog post here.

Back to the naturalization process:

Further checking turned up a very handy document from the Minnesota Historical Society. It's brief and worth a read if you're a genealogist. The gist of it is that the process of becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States was quite simple in the 19th century. You visited a court of record and declared your intention to become a citizen, then returned in five years with a couple of witness who would confirm that you were a great guy (sorry, ladies - since you couldn't vote until 1920 and rarely owned your own land, citizenship wasn't something to worry your pretty head about) and swore the oath of allegiance and cemented the deal. The document I found confirms Grandpa Olson completed the first step. I don't have any further documentation so far to see if he followed through. He died in 1913, so he more than fulfilled the five year waiting period from 1887-1892. If he did follow through, his new citizenship status extended to his wife and any minor children that may have been born elsewhere.

Today the process of becoming a citizen is more complicated, and in light of current world affairs and security concerns, I suppose this is as it should be. Naturalization has come under the purview of the federal government rather than local. There are ten steps now, rather than two. There are forms and fees and tests. It still could take years. You still could get turned down.

I'm glad I found this document, but I'm sad about how I came to be looking through those papers. Turns out my uncle who passed away was also named Ole (Ole Bob, to be specific - after all, we're talking about Texas here). More than 100 years separates me from my Norwegian ancestors who immigrated to Texas. But reminders still manage to pop up in the most unexpected ways.

Now that you know about my Norwegian heritage, maybe that explains why my latest book features a main character who was born in Texas and is a daughter of Norwegian immigrants. Check out my book, The Dala Horse, now available on Amazon.