Elise Wærenskjold

Elise Wærenskjold (February 19, 1815 – January 22, 1895) was a Norwegian-American writer, temperance leader and early pioneer in Texas.

She was the daughter of Lutheran parish priest Nicolai Sejersløv Tvede (1779–1832) and Johanne Elisabeth Meldahl (1773–1839), both of whose families were Danish-born patriots of the newly formed independent country of Norway.

The couple took an active part in the life of the Norwegian immigrant community, in the affairs of the local Lutheran church, and in the temperance movement.

Her numerous writings including letters from the late 1840s through the mid-1890s remain an invaluable source of information on Norwegian immigrant life in Texas.

In 1961, her writings were translated into the English language and published under the title Lady With the Pen: Elise Wærenskjold in Texas.