Gustav August Forsgard
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Gustav (Gustaf, Gustave) August Samuelson (1832-1919) was one of 13 children born to Johannes Samuelson and Anna Petersdotter of Forserum, Sweden. At the age of 16, he emigrated from Sweden, arriving in Houston with a group of other Scandinavians on November 22, 1848. Two prominent Swedish Texans, Swante Mangus Swenson and Sir Swante Palm, met the group, which wintered at the Swenson farm in Fort Bend County. There, the men in the group worked the fields tending cotton and corn. Samuelson changed his last name to Forsgard for his native Forserum and the Swedish word Gard, meaning "home." Four of his brothers, Samuel Johan, Carl Oscar, Johannes Wilhelm and Claes Henning, followed Forsgard to the U.S. and adopted the same new name; all but Claes settled in Texas. After a year of farm work, Forsgard returned to Houston and worked as a mercantile clerk for Shepherd and Burke. He also became part of Swenson's and Palm's informal Swedish immigration agency. Forsgard acted as a liaison between new immigrants and Swedes already living in Texas. During the next several years, Forsgard attended school and pursued various business interests. During the Civil War, Forsgard served with Texas forces. His responsibilities included building fortifications near Galveston to defend against a possible Federal invasion. Forsgard wed Jennie Mary Lusk in 1866, and the couple had two children who survived to adulthood. Over the years, Forsgard was civically active and was a trustee of First Presbyterian Church, director of First National Bank and Master of Holland Masonic Lodge No. 1 of Houston. (2005)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
At sixteen, Gustav August Samuelson left Forserum, Sweden, and arrived in Houston in November 1848 with a party of Scandinavian immigrants met by the pioneering Swedish Texans S.M. Swenson and Swante Palm. Renaming himself Forsgard for his home village, he clerked, farmed, and helped run an informal agency guiding new Swedish arrivals into Texas life. During the Civil War he served with Texas forces building fortifications to defend Galveston, and later became a civic leader in banking, church, and Masonic circles.
Why it matters
Forsgard's life traces the Swedish migration to Texas and the way immigrant newcomers became settlers, soldiers, and community builders in a growing state.
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Related people
- · Gustav August Forsgard
- · S.M. Swenson
- · Swante Palm
Related events
- · Civil War
Themes & tags
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