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EARLY SWEDISH SETTLEMENTS IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA

IVAR F, PEARSON

Swedish immigration to the Middle West had been in full swing for a quarter of a century before it found its way to Florida. "New Sweden" in Jefferson County, Iowa, dates back to 1845, and a chronicler of early Swedish immigration to Illinois declares that in the fifteen years, 1846 to 1860, the prairies of said state literally became studded with Swedish farms and villages (Johnson-Peterson). And these prairie towns retained much of their Swedish character for several generations. Prior to 1870, however, there were no Swedish settlements in the Sunshine State, and of those that did spring up, all but one, lost their distinctiveness by the end of the second generation.

NEW UPSALA

New Upsala, first and largest of the early Swedish settlements in Florida, dates its beginnings to the arrival of Dr. William Henschen and a party of fellow immigrants. Mr. Henschen who had a Ph.D. degree from Uppsala University, was an instructor at the Collegiate School in Helsingborg. Finding it hard to adjust to the social and political climate of the Sweden of that period, and having heard of the free and independent life in America, he decided to emigrate. In 1870, he and his brother Esaias and a group of like-minded people landed on these shores and proceeded to Florida, where they planned to establish an agricultural colony. They located in an area just west of Sanford, secured homesteads, cleared the land and planted orange trees. They named the place New Upsala in honor of their native city. Shortly thereafter, the Henschen brothers and a few of their party moved to the Lake Jessup area and established homes and orange groves there. However, the hardships of pioneer life proved too difficult for Mrs. Henschen to endure, and in 1873 the family moved to New York where Dr. Henschen found a position in the Passenger Department of the Anchor Trans-Atlantic Line, and as editor of Nordstjernan a Swedish language newspaper. His fame, however, rests on none of the above connections, but on his life-long and brilliant service to the Methodist Church, as editor, professor, preacher and author. (Dr . Henschen died in Evanston, 111., Aug. 31, 1925. His obituary appeared in Svensk a Amerikanaren , Sept. 10, 1925.)

The year 1869 marked the first visit to Florida of General Henry Shelton Sanford, a man of wealth, a world traveler and at one time U . S. Minister to Belgium. What he saw of Central Florida he liked so well that on his return one year later, he purchased 12,000 acres of land for immediate and future development. In 1871, on the shores of Lake Monroe, he founded the city that bears his name. At a point west of the city he laid out a mammoth orange grove known as "The Belair Grove and Experimental Gardens." At first General Sanford hired sixty Negroes to clear the land, plant and care for the trees. The white people of the neighborhood strongly objected, and one night, armed with shotguns, they attacked the labor camp and drove the Negroes away. When General Sanford experienced difficulty in hiring a new crew, Dr. Henschen advised him that there were thousands of people in Sweden who would gladly come to America if they had but the means to pay the cost of passage. The General then entered into a contract to pay for the transportation of a given number, one year's maintenance for themselves and families plus schooling for their children in return for a like period of labor in his citrus groves. In Sweden, Josef Henschen, a brother of Dr. Henschen agreed to recruit the needed number of laborers, and in due time he arrived at New Upsala with a group of one-hundred. They were lodged in housing prepared for them near the Swedish colony. There were local grumblings against "foreign slave labor," but the Swedes were left undisturbed to fulfill their contract. However, when the year was over, a number of them left the employ of General Sanford to strike out for themselves. They aspired to have an orange grove of their own. Land was plentiful and cheap, and could be bought on easy terms. No large acreage was needed; then, as now, trees were planted sixty-nine to the acre. New trees needed eight years to mature, and during that period one would find what work he could to earn a living. Once the trees began to produce they would give a good living. A case in point is that of one H. L. Hart who in 1879 was able to market 442,000 oranges for $7,500 from 300 trees (Herrick).

To bring his labor force back to full strength General Sanford again sought the advice of Dr. Henschen. He suggested that an interested person be engaged to enlist the required number of people and accompany them to their destination. (One report is that this person was Esaias Henschen.) In 1873 he arrived at New Upsala with seventy-five immigrants. They had agreed to serve on the same terms as those of the first group. The booklet, Belair Groves , Sanford, Florida (1889), states that "Seventy-five more Swedes were brought from Stockholm in 1881 for the Florida Land and Colonization Company which General Sanford had organized in 1880." The author seems to be unaware of the 1873 contingent, and may possibly refer to the same. And now to encourage his laborers to remain with him indefinitely, General Sanford presented each of them with a deed to five acres of land. There were other expressions of his good will and the high regard in which he held the Swedes. After witnessing the arrival of the 1873 group he made this entry in his Journal:

“It was a noble sight to see these sun-browned, white-headed, red-cheeked Scandinavians, the jore-runners of that valuable immigration which peopled the State with so many good citizens” (Sanford).

And the Swedes, recognizing his concern for their welfare, did not lack in appreciation. On one occasion, when an address by the General called for a response, Mr. J. B. Lindberg, Steward of the Messhouse, spoke for the group as follows:

“We were poor and friendless when we came here. You were like one kind father to us: you gave us work and homes, and now , look around you . All are prosperous; the land you gave us is one large orange grove . Not a Swede has requested or receive d public assistance. I have read in you r books that he is a great man who has made two blades of grass grow where only one grew before; but I tell you , General, that you are a bigger man, for you have made the orange tree grow where flourished only the Sa w Palmetto.”

Nevertheless, to these pioneer Swedes, life in the land of flowers was not always a bed of roses. There were disappointments and hardships. As for climate, they could hardly have chosen a spot more foreign to that of their native land. Fevers and tropical ailments were not unknown to them. Their homesteads had to be carved out of the primeval forest with large trees to be felled and heavy underbrush to be cleared. The various obstacles were surmounted, however, and in due time they came upon better days. A staff writer for the Sanford Daily Journal, issue of May 31, 1891, said that

The Swede is the pioneer par excellence by reason of his love of freedom , his love for adventure, and his love for religion, and so here these people have prospered as the less adventurous would not. Little by little, from nothing evolved much, and today New Upsala is unique among Florida's settlements. A tiny Old-world village in the midst of free America, with all its citizens Americans, save for the accident of birth.

The population of the New Upsala settlement is somewhat uncertain. In 1891, the annual report of the Reverend P. A. Cederstam, Florida Field Missionary of the Swedish Augustana Synod, gives 117 as the total population of the colony. However, a biographer of General Sanford states that at a Christmas party in 1890, in honor of the General

“145 Swedes were present, sixty rosy-cheeked children, many of them born on the Grant, bearing striking evidence of its healthfulness” (Molloy, Sanford).

This number represented only the workers at Belair and their families. To it should be added such of Dr. Henschen's original group who had remained in the settlement, and a number of others who later had arrived from Sweden on their own. Members of the colony answered to such typically Swedish names as Anderson, Barthelson, Bourell, Enroth, Erickson, Lind, Lindberg, Lundquist, Magnuson, Munson, Nelson, Nylund, Stedt, Stenstrom, Swanson, Vihlen, and others. Leadership was given by Dr. Henschen, founder of the colony, and his brothers Esaias and Josef. These three were instrumental in bringing hundreds of their countrymen into Central Florida. Josef alone remained in Florida permanently, and has been referred to as "a large landowner and advisor of all the pioneers." J. B. Lindberg was the steward of the colony mess house. After some twenty-five years in New Upsala, he sold his orange grove for $5,000 and moved to a coastal town where he ran a grocery store and served as postmaster. Solomon Anderson earned the gratitude of his fellow settlers by his devotion to and tireless efforts in behalf of all. Today one finds some third-generation descendants who are active in various areas of endeavor. A grandson of the Stenstroms, the Honorable Douglas Stenstrom, is a distinguished Judge of the County Court. His brother, Julian is a Baptist clergyman; another brother is a realtor in Sanford. Sidney and William Vihlen are the proprietors of an electric appliance store. Of the Pioneers whose lives span most of the history of New Upsala only three now remain: Mrs. Christine Tegner, nee Bengtson, 95 years of age; her sister, Mrs. Neese, also in her 90's; and Mrs. Emma Vihlen, 93 years.

In 1875, General Sanford donated a tract of one and one-half acres of land for a Swedish church and cemetery. Materials were secured, and the men of the colony gave freely of their time and skills to the erection of the sanctuary. It was to be a community church without denominational ties. Visiting clergymen were welcome to fill the pulpit. It did not prove to be a constructive arrangement. For six years, 1884-1890, a Swedish Baptist minister who had moved to Florida from the State of Maine, conducted the Sunday worship services. In the last named year, a local Presbyterian minister stepped in and organized a congregation of some twenty members and a Sunday School for the children. Mr. Sundell was retained to do the Swedish preaching on Sunday forenoons; in the afternoons the Presbyterian service and the Sunday School were conducted in the English language. In 1892 the Presbyterian group gave way to a Lutheran set-up, and some thirty people affiliated with the same. The other group transferred to a local Presbyterian congregation. The Lutheran Church gained title to the property and affiliated with the Swedish Augustana Lutheran Synod. The membership of this congregation was never large; at no time did it exceed the number of charter members. It functioned more or less effectively until 1946 when it disbanded. Eventually, the sanctuary was torn down, but not without the vigorous objection of some of the old timers who wanted it to stand as a monument to the pioneers. Petitions for its preservation went even to the governor of Florida, but to no avail. Today, a bronze tablet, mounted on a block of granite, marks the site of the old meetinghouse. The tablet reads:

UPSALA CHURCH

AUGUSTAN A LUTHERA N SYNOD

1892-1946

The Stone was raised in 1951 by sister Lutheran congregations in Florida.

On the church and cemetery grounds stood also a clubhouse owned and used by the Scandinavian Society. Known as The Scandinavian Hall it served the Society as the place for its stated meetings and social functions. It also provided class rooms for children of the lower grades. Once each year, on or about May 20, the Society sponsored a community picnic in which the New Upsala people were joined by Swedes from nearby settlements. After some forty years of existence the Society folded up. The social get-togethers which it had sponsored now took another form. Once a month, on a Sunday afternoon, a community social was held at one of the homes. Families of the settlement would take turns to host the large gathering, and neighbors would assist by bringing cakes for the coffee table. Today, descendants of the pioneers hold in fond remembrance the delightfulness of these old-fashioned Sunday afternoon socials.

A few yards from where the church once stood is the cemetery. There, in marked and unmarked graves, rest the pioneers from their labors. On the headstones are Swedish names with dates of birth and death. Giant live oaks, draped with Spanish moss, stand silent guard. Their dense foliage filter the sun's rays, and the subdued light seems to emphasize, as it were, the sacredness of the place. It is a lovely God's Acre. And an historic one as well. With the church and the clubhouse both gone, it is the one and only real memorial to the gallant pioneers. To be sure, there are in Sanford two memorials of secondary importance. One is a street named "Upsala Avenue," which runs through the section where the pioneers had their homes and orange groves. The other is a bronze plaque at the entrance of the General Sanford Memorial Library and Museum. Under the caption, Belair Grove s and Experimental Gardens, it speaks of the "large citrus grove and nursery established in this vicinity in 1871 by Henry Shelton Sanford, pioneer citrus grower." The inscription concludes by stating that "much of the labor in the groves was performed by Swedish immigrants who settled in nearby New Upsala." However, the chief memorial to the Swedish pioneers is the old cemetery. Moreover, it is the only Swedish cemetery in the Southland. It deserves to be kept in a condition that will do honor to the pioneers who sleep there, to their descendants, and to the entire community.

LAKE JESSUP

The majority of Dr. Henschen's fellow immigrants joined in the establishment of the New Upsala colony. For some reason, however, Dr. Henschen and a number of his party pushed on to the Lake Jessup region, some ten miles to the southeast of New Upsala, where they obtained homesteads and formed a settlement. It was located near the present town of Oviedo. There in the midst of the primeval forest they built their primitive dwellings, cleared land and planted orange trees. The most extensive of the groves was the one set out by Josef Henschen who joined the settlement in late 1871. As late as in the 1930s, people in the neghborhood still referred to the tract as "the Henschen grove." As for the location of the colony, a visitor described it as "beautiful for scenery, but isolated from the world at large."

The isolation of the colony created a number of problems. Postal service was slow. A letter from points in the Midwest took twelve days to Mellonville on St. John's River, the narest post office. The settlers were skilled at various trades but there were no jobs nearby and no chance to earn a living while the orange trees grew to maturity. Nourishing food was at a premium. Dr. A. R. Cervin, a friend of both Henschen and Lindstrom (see below), wrote as follows: "Their food consisted mainly of pork and milk brought from New York, sometimes some game from the woods, or fish and turtles from the lake." Hardships notwithstanding, the pioneers managed to hang on until their groves began to yield their golden wealth. From then on the colony prospered. Swedish immigrants were coming to Central Florida in large numbers, and some of them located at Lake Jessup. Nevertheless, the history of the colony was quite brief. By 1891, no more than six or seven Swedish families remained, and these had become thoroughly integrated with the community at large.

The passing of an eminent guest at Dr. Henschen's home, early in 1872, cast a gloom over the young colony and caused sorrow and loss in far-away places. Anders Jonasson Lindstrom," a student whose exceptional talents and nobility of life had attracted the attention of Swedish Lutheran leaders, was sent over to Sweden for studies at Uppsala University. After earning his Doctorate of Philosophy, he returned to America and was appointed a professor at Augustana College and Seminary, then located at Paxton, Illinois. Disease dogged his steps, however, and it was hoped that a change of climate might speed his recovery. Lindstrom was a friend of the Henschens from his Uppsala days, and after some correspondence he was invited to stay at their home in Lake Jessup, Florida. But the malady was too far advanced for a cure, and the end came January 24, 1872. His grave was dug near the Henschen cottage, "at the foot of a pine tree." A search for it proved fruitless—even as our search for additional data concerning the Lake Jessup colony has proved fruitless.

FOREST CITY

In the years following the establishment of the New Upsala colony a growing number of Swedes, attracted by glowing reports of the citrus industry, found their way to Central Florida. The Official Minutes of the 1885 session of the Swedish Augustana Lutheran Synod refer to its Florida mission as follows:

“The State is now an open and important field and is worthy of special attention. There is a growing immigration from Swede n and from northern, states. New settlements arise, one after the other. Especially in Orange and Volusia counties a considerable number of our countrymen are to be found” (Minutes of the Swedish Augustana Lutheran Synod).

Among the new settlements that sprang up was Forest City, founded in 1880 by Josef Henschen. It was located between Altamount Springs and Apopka, approximately fourteen miles from New Upsala. It has been described as a sizeable settlement scattered over a large area. It met with immediate success. The city of Orlando, then rising from the wilderness, offered steady employment to all who wanted to work and this helped the Forest City Swedes to tide over the unproductive years of their orange groves.

One of the first Swedes to settle in Forest City was Peter Hoequist, who with his wife and mother-in-law came from Titus Hill, Pennsylvania. The Hoequist name is widely and favorably known to this day. One descendant served as a member of the Florida Legislature. Others have gained a good report as educators and in other professions. Charles Erickson who had a college education from Sweden held a place of prominence in the colony. He later moved to Hallandale where he engaged in truck-farming and served as postmaster. "Carpenter Anderson," is a name remembered to this day, as are also those of Gustafson, Peterson and Sjobloom. The last named was reported as well-to-do.

“Lutheran missionary pastors visited Forest City at stated times and gathered the pioneers together for worship in their mother tongue. Efforts to organize a Swedish congregation failed, however, and lacking the cementing influence of such an organization the colony became shortlived. By 1910 Forest City had lost the characteristics of a Swedish colony” (Molin).

PIEDMONT

Piedmont was the name of a thinly populated area some two miles south of the city of Apopka. There, on Christmas Eve, 1877, arrived Olof Larson, his wife Johanna and their two sons, Jonas and Lars. They came from the coal regions of Pennsylvania seeking a more rewarding life than that of a coal miner. Larson purchased the homestead rights of a Swede named Skog, and proceeded to plant an orange grove which in time developed into one of the finest groves in Orange County. Other Swedes moved into Piedmont, and a sizeable settlement came into being. Among the pioneers were Peter A . Killberg, who served as the first postmaster of the community, and John Tholander, a university graduate from Sweden, who succeeded Killberg at the post office. Also John Jackson, who came to Florida from gold and coal mines in Colorado; and Gust Jackson, who had spent some years mining gold in California. John served as a Trustee on the School Board. John J. Anderson was also an early arrival. He held the office of County Supervisor of Registration. Others of the pioneers were John Johnson, O. F. Johnson, Peter Olson, Engstrand and Jaeger, and people whose names have been forgotten.

The Piedmont colony appears to have been characterized by a solidarity, a togetherness, which had the effect of adding years to its history. As late as 1930, a chronicler of Swedish settlements in Florida writes:

“The Swedes may not now be so numerous in this place, but it is ye t undoubtedly the only section that may be called a Swedish colony, and each year , on the Fourth of July , the Swede s from the surrounding territory gather for a reunion” (Molin).

The reunion was held at nearby Clay Springs, a place now called Wakiwa Springs. The Piedmont Swedes had no church organization of their own, but services in their native tongue were held once each month in the schoolhouse by a minister of the Lutheran faith. The little schoolhouse also served as a meeting place for the Sunday school and for various community gatherings.

Descendants of the pioneers, residing on the old homesteads, are Elin I. Larson, granddaughter of Olof Larson. Now retired, she served for many years as a teacher in the public schools. Fluent in the Swedish language, she maintains a lively interest in the homeland of her ancestors. Also Carl Jackson, the son of John Jackson, and he, too, treasures his Swedish heritage. He is the proprietor of a Realty Agency in Apopka; he served as a County Commissioner for eight years, and as Tax Collector for five years. And there were some second and third generation descendants, now deceased, who distinguished themselves in various fields and, "departing left behind them footprints in the sands of time." Olga Larson, M.S., was for thirty-five years a professor of higher mathematics at Florida State University. After her passing in 1964, "The Olga Larson Memorial Scholarship," was established in her honor by gifts that poured in from grateful former students. She was listed in Who is Who of America n Women . The life and work of Lars M. Larson, father of Olga and Elin, are memorialized in an article in the Encyclopedia of American Biography.

“Today, the Piedmont community is an integral part of the city of Apopka. Like New Upsala, Lake Jessup and Forest City, the old colony with its pioneers is but a memory—a memory cherished by an ever dwindling number” (Molin).

PIERSON

The Pierson settlement, located on Highway 17 in the northwest part of Volusia County, dates back to 1876 when the brothers Peter and Nels Pierson arrived from Connecticut and located in this beautiful lake-dotted territory. They were born in Sweden and came to the United States with their parents. After completing their education they were associated with their brother, A . N. Pierson, who conducted a large florist business in Cromwell, Connecticut. Specializing in roses, this brother came to be known as "The Rose King of America." Coming to Florida, Peter and Nels homesteaded 160 acres, later increased it to 400 acres, and became citrus growers on a large scale. Three other Pierson brothers, cousins of the above named, were also among the early settlers. They were Nels L . Pierson, Per Ekman and Tue Pierson. There was a good stand of timber in that section of the county, and Nels L. Pierson built and operated a busy sawmill. Gradually more Swedes arrived, some from the northern states, others directly from the old country. In the mid-1880s, on the initiative of the Rev. Anders Kinnell, a Swedish Lutheran clergyman, the Pierson Colonization Society was organized. Its purpose was to induce Swedish people to locate in Pierson. New settlers came from New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois and elsewhere, and the colony experienced a good growth. Like the earlier comers the new settlers planted orange groves. When "The Big Freeze" struck in December 1894, killing the young trees, many became discouraged and moved away.

The early settlers had to cope with the usual difficulties of pioneer life. Arriving by boat or train at the landing or station nearest their home site, they had to proceed by foot through miles of virgin forest, carrying their trunks and other belongings between them. There were discomforts caused by the climate. The nearest food store was at Volusia on St. John's River, a town now known as Astor. However, the forest provided them with plenty of good lumber for the construction of their homes.

For many years citrus cultivation remained the chief industry of the settlement and it gave the people a good living. Peter Pierson had 45 acres planted to oranges and grapefruit; his was the largest of the groves. Of late years another industry vies with orange growing as the means of a large income. It is the growing of ferns for which there is lively demand by florists. The florist brother in Connecticut sent Peter Pierson young plants of "Asparagus Phimosis" for trial in the soil and sun of Florida. They did exceedingly well, and in a few years the town of Pierson became one of the largest fern-growing centers in the country. More recently, a new variety, the "Leather Leaf Fern," is being cultivated with great success. Enormous quantities of both varieties are daily being shipped out in refrigerated trucks, adding strength to the economy of the community.

Today none of the early settlers remain. But their descendants to the third and fourth generation reside in the town, some of them on the original homesteads. Among these are Peter R. Pierson, present owner and manager of the business established by his grandfather. Also A. C. M. Anderson, the son of Peter Anderson who came to Pierson in 1885 from Brooklyn, New York. Mr. Anderson and sons operate the large and busy "Banner Store." Also Rudolph Peterson, fern and citrus grower, and for many years the secretary of the Ebenezer Lutheran Church, and his brother Arvid, the mail carrier of the community. These are but a few of the many who are proud to be counted among the descendants of the courageous pioneers. Through all the years, they and their forefathers have taken a lively interest in school and county affairs and served in positions of trust and responsibility. At one time, we were told, every member of the Town Council was a Swede and an Ebenezer parishioner.

Said parish, now known as the Ebenezer Lutheran Church, was organized in 1884 as "The Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Ebenezer Association of Pierson." At present its membership consists of 111 communicants, plus a number of baptized constituents. There is a Sunday School of some sixty pupils, a Woman's Society, and a Brotherhood organization. The congregation worships in a lovely Sanctuary erected in 1894; enlarged and beautified in 1897. A Sunday school assembly room, several class rooms, a pastor's study, and a kitchen, are housed under the same roof as the sanctuary. The altar and pulpit were built and beautifully carved by one of the pioneers. Next door is the new and commodious parsonage. There is a third structure, an annex used for various purposes. The excellent shape in which all the properties are being maintained moves one with admiration.

“The Pierson settlement, now in its tenth decade, is the only one of the early Swedish colonies to remain and withal to retain a measure of its cultural heritage. At the center of its life has stood the Church, guarding and fostering the faith and the traditions of the founders. Without its influence the colony would long since have lost its appreciation of the past. Today the total population of the town of Pierson is nudging the 700 mark. About one-third of it is of Swedish ancestry. “Four churches, in addition to the Ebenezer Lutheran, serve the community, and there is a sprinkling of Swedish names on the roster of each one” (Gold).


Sources

Johnson-Peterson, Svenskarn e i Illinoi s (Chicago, 1880), pp. vii-ix.

Roland H . Herrick: Memoirs of Florida. (1902) P. 344.

Microfilmed papers of General Sanford. (In the vaults of Florida State Bank.)

"Florida"—in the American Guide Series (1939).

Karl P. Molin, "Swedish Settlements in Florida"—a chapter in The Swedish Element in America , Vol. I (1931).

Minutes of the Swedish Augustana Lutheran Synod, 1885, 1891.

Eric Norelius, De Svenska lutherska församlingarnas och svenskarnas historia i Amerika. Vol. II (Rock Island, 1916), pp. 122 ff.

Personal interviews with Harold Henschen, son of Josef Henschen; Mrs. C. E . Hunter, Elmer Lundquist, W. R. Vincent, Jr., and Sidney Vihlen. Correspondence with Mrs. H . P. Bevis, Arcadia, Fla., daughter of Josef Henschen.

Molin, op . cit. ; Correspondence with Mrs. H . P. Bevis, Arcadia, Fla. Daughter of Josef Henschen.

Oscar N . Olson, Anders Jonasso n Lindström, Augustana Historical Society, 1957.

Molin , op , ext. and Norelius, op. cit . Personal interviews and correspondence with Harold Henschen, Oakland, Florida, Carl J . Jackson, Apopka, Florida, and Mrs. Milton E . Bray, Orlando, Florida.

Molin , op . cit , p. 362.

Molin , op. tit. Personal Interviews and correspondence with Miss Elin I. Larson and Carl Jackson, Apopka, Fla., and Harold Henschen, Oakland, Fla.

Daniel Gold— History of Volusia County , Florida (1927) and Biographies of Prominent People in Volusia County (1927).

Eric Norelius—op. cit . Minutes of the Swedish Augustana Lutheran Synod, 1885, 1891.

Anniversary Program of Ebenezer Lutheran Church, Pierson, 1959.

Personal interviews with Rudolph Peterson who also checked the manuscript for accuracy; and with other descendants.