Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Bosque County T. Theo. Colwick of Norse has been kind enough to give me the following account about the Norwegian settlement in Bosque Co., the first in the State. (Colwick was actually born on the Atlantic Ocean but since he is about as old as the settlement he writes of and has lived there all his life - for many years as postmaster - we can be certain he knows what he writes about): "Kleng Person*, Ole Canutesen and Canute Canutesen† (Knud Knudsen), all from Stavanger, Carl Questad†, Jens Ringness†, Ole Ween† and Andrew Bretta†, all from Hedemarken as well as Jens Jensen† and Ole Pierson† from Arendal, settled in Bosque Co. in 1854. But there were more than those I have already mentioned that settled in Bosque Co.," writes Colwick, "Johan Bronstad† Henrik O. Dahl†, Paul Paulsen†, Knud Olsen†, Berge A. Rogstad†, Annie Bronstad† and Anders Huse, all from Hedemarken came in the course of the fall. And on Christmas Day came John Hohnson Vatne† and Børre Hus† direct from Arendal, Norway. In 1858, Bersvend E. Svensen†, Omen Omensen†, Nils Knudsen† and Joseph Olsen† came, the first three were from Østerdalen. Ove Colwick (Kjølvig) and Ole A. Canuteson and their families and Miss Bergitte C. Naadland (now Mrs.B. C. Martin) came from the Fox River settlement in Illinois in 1859. All these were originally from the Stavanger region. Ole A. Canutesen who was born in Kendall, N.Y. and whose father emigrated on The Sloop in 1825, still lives at Norse.** Most of the people mentioned were family men who brought their families with them and were the very first settlers. Of those who came a little later, should be mentioned; Canute Canutesen† and a Mr. Lund† who (both) died in the war as well as Canute† and Andrew Skimland, Tønnes Tønnesen† and Odne Halvorsen†, all from the Stavanger area as well as C. O. Strand†, Erik M. Linberg† and Lasson Reierson† from Hedemarken. The first Norwegian persons to be married in this settlement were B. A. Rogstad and Mrs. Annie Bronstad, that was in September 1854. Gunerius Ringness, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Jens O. Ringness was the first child that was born here while Caroline Canutesen, now Mrs. C. Saunders, Paris, Tex. was the settlement's first baby girl. The oldest still living man born in Texas to Norwegian parents is John Rogstad. His fine home can be seen from Norse. The first who died here was Andreas Bretta (in 1854). He was shot in an accident. About Kleng Person, who had his home with Ove Colwick (Kjølvig) in Norse and where he had a quiet death in 1865 when he was over 82, he was a good person with a strong character. And he could see far into the future. He found it easy to tell and recount stories. One never became tired of listening to Kleng. And when he decided to tell of his travels, that lasted almost a lifetime and that stretched from Norway to one of the most westerly States in America, the oldster was in his element. One must also remember that he, who had most often kept himself a good distance from civilisation, had an uncommon store to draw from when he sat in the storyteller's seat. That he was a little peculiar and eccentric at times could be excused especially since he was by nature kind and charitable. Even among the redskins he was liked, they would never wish to do him any harm, quite the contrary, he could come and go when he wished and always could carry out what he undertook. His main task! in life was to be a pathfinder, which as is known, he was well suited for. Many a time he trudged the long way to the Land Office in Austin to put his countrymen's land affairs in order but he never took a cent in compensation. Even the State Legislature became aware of this pioneer and the service to the State he had performed in bringing the Norwegians here. In 1857 the Legislature made the decision to give him 300 acres of land in Neils, Bosque Co. as a gift of appreciation. Neither he nor his friends knew anything about this until the deed came. A large and handsomely decorated marble monument to him was raised by his countrymen in 1876. This monument will remind posterity of "Kleng Persen Hesthammer, the Pioneer of the Norwegian Immigration". Let me tell you of an event that occurred in the spring of 1854 right after the first settlers came. I have spoken to both C. Canutesen and Mrs. Bertha Canutesen and their accounts agree, so there is little doubt it is correct. C. Canutesen went across the Bosque River to get some cows and Ole Ween accompanied him. Mrs. Canutesen and her son Andrew, who was then a child, remained at home. A pair of small boys came to the Canutesons for a visit. While the boys played by Jens O. Ringness' new log cabin they became aware of some wild Indians who gathered near them, and in fear they ran back to Mrs. Canutesen as fast as their little legs could carry them. The first thing Mrs. Canutesen thought of was the $500 that she knew her husband had hidden in an old chest. She got the money and then ran a half mile away between the hills where she hid. After a while she and the children went back a bit to see if the Indians were at the house and when she saw them, she naturally did not ! dare go home and so went to Ole Pierson's family who lived 3 miles from there and stayed overnight. But think of Mr. Canutesen's fright when he came home and - instead of wife and son - he saw redskins occupying his house! He also took flight to the neighbours as fast as he could. The next day when the family gathered at the home they found it was plundered of everything. What the Indians did not take away, beds, tables, kitchen equipment etc, they had completely destroyed. A mill that the first settlers had built at Neil's Creek in 1854, where they ground their grain, was plundered by the Indians the same year. As soon as the settlers heard that the savages were down at the mill they armed themselves with axes and anything else they could quickly get hold of and went down to put them to flight, but they had already done their vandalism and gone their way. The old mill pond is still there. In the first times oxen were the only draught animals they had and they did not use them just to plough and cultivate the soil, they were also used to bring the harvest to market, to visit neighbours, to go to the school house for devotions and other meetings. And when they wished to attend national holidays (The 4th of July for example) they would hitch up 'Dick and Riley' or 'Buck and Ball' to the wagon and head off with the whole family. The draught animals were clearly not stately and it could be that there were not as many springs in the work wagons of that time as there are in the buggies nowadays (!) and that they jolted rather much (!) - at least they were in a party mood. It was worse, perhaps when the boys wished to take their girls to one or another festive event and there were naturally no buggies or anything else like that to speak of. But the young people were not without a solution. When the boy came he likely brought a pony, on which he placed the girl whi! le he himself walked alongside. Yes, it probably happened at times that they would both ride the pony - when they had gotten out of sight! Things went exactly as Henrik Dahl prophesied during the Civil War (about 1865, my father told me that). that he predicted that within 20 years that the place of oxen would be taken over by horses. People only laughed at such a prophesy. However, it is now a fact that the oxen have had their day - in front of the wagon as well as the plough. Horses are used for everything. We owe a great debt of gratitude to the first settlers who broke trail for us - yes, we are in debt not only to our fathers but also to our mothers who did their part. Let us, for example, cast an eye back on those times. The men were at war. Then the women had to keep watch against the Indians, look to the farm work, take care of the livestock and go to market with what they had to sell and purchase what was needed for life. Besides that they had to do all the ordinary house work - cook, wash, spin, weave etc; this involved food and clothing both for herself and the children - and often there was someone who was sick and needed care, but they kept up the struggle for themselves and the coming generations." Factory owner Ole Canuteson, mentioned above as one of the pioneers, writes, "We emigrated from Stavanger on the brig 'Favoritten' in 1850. Pastor A. C. Preus and wife were aboard the same ship. From New York to Chicago we made use of partly canal boats and partly steamships. While we were on the Great Lakes cholera broke out among us, many died on the way and others died after we arrived. My mother was among those who died and was buried on arrival at the Fox River settlement in Illinois. Bosque Lutheran congregation, that was established at Norse in 1867 by Pastor S. S. Reque, belonging to The Norwegian Synod, is the oldest Norwegian congregation in the county. Its first permanent priest was O Estrem of the same synod. Its church was built in 1876. Now there are 6 congregations and 2 churches, 3 belong to The Norwegian Synod and 3 to The United Church. Ole Skjulestad† was the first Norwegian to hold public office in Bosque County - yes, the first in the State of Texas. He was elected County Commissioner in 1876. For information about the Norwegian college at Clifton see the section, 'Norwegian-American Teaching Institutions' Norwegian place names in Bosque County; Norse, Norway Mill, Norway Hill and Norman Hill. *In 1850, Kleng Person travelled from the Fox River settlement, together with some of his countrymen, to Texas. The journey went south on the Mississippi River to New Orleans, Louisiana and then west on the Red River to Shreveport and then by ox wagon to Dallas Co., Tex. where they stayed until 1854 when they moved to Bosque County. As mentioned elsewhere in the book, Kleng had visited Texas once before so he was not totally unfamiliar when he now came and settled there in the State. **As said before, it was to Fox River that the greater part of the Sloopers ended up after they left Kendall, N.Y. And it was to there that their imediate followers came from Norway. And those who moved from Fox River to Texas were the descendants of those people.