Elise Waerenskjold's Grave
Photo courtesy Dreanna L. Belden, The Portal to Texas History
The Lady with the Pen
Elise Waerenski was born in Norway in 1815 and moved to Texas in 1847. She wrote numerous letters from the late 1840s through the mid 1890s detailing life in Texas to a Norwegian audience. Her writings, collected as "The Lady with the Pen," inspired many to emigrate to Texas. Her home was always open to the newly arrived.
She died in 1895 and is buried in Howard Cemetery within Hamilton city limits.
Sources:
Belden, Dreanna L. Historic Plaque, Elise Waerenskjold, photograph, March 1, 2006; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth11981/), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .
Hamilton County Historical Commission. A History of Hamilton County Texas. Taylor Publishing Company, 1979.
“TSHA | Waerenskjold, Elise Amalie Tvede.” Texas State Historical Association Handbook of Texas, www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/waerenskjold-elise-amalie-tvede.