Gustav August Forsgard

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)

Gustav August Forsgard is a historical marker in Houston, Harris County, dedicated in 2005. It is one of 422 historical markers documented in Harris County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 849 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.7648, -95.3874 near Houston. The nearest cataloged historic site is Edwin Fairfax Gray (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Archibald Wynns, Lord, Irvin Capers, and Washington Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507013710. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.