Jennie Marie Bickler transforms into Mrs. John Robert Swenson

Jennie Marie Bickler and John Robert Swenson, circa 1908. Unmasked.

This appears to be another wedding picture, an “unmasked version.” Our photographer would have masked or cropped the picture to get rid of the less picturesque surrounding and the edges of the backdrop. Like last week’s photo, it may have been taken in Austin, Texas about the time of the wedding (December 31, 1907) or perhaps, the following summer in Davenport.

Like many other women of her generation, Jennie Marie Bickler married late. She was 32 when she wed John Robert Swenson. Her early life appears to have been rich in experience and education. She was raised in Galveston and Austin, Texas. Her mother, Martha Lungkwitz Bickler, (prior to her marriage) was a clerk at the General Land Office, the very first female employee of the Texas government. Jacob Bickler, Jennie’s father, was a noted educationalist – founder of the Texas German and English Academy in Austin.

We can find glimpses of the young Jennie in early photos and records:  pictured with her parents, in the entry “Political Pioneers, Martha Lungwitz Bickler”;  pictured with her family visiting the home of artist Elisabet Ney about 1895 (Bickler family visits Formosa  : note - Formosa was the name of Ney's home near Austin Texas.); and mentioned in an 1889 Galveston newspaper “reciting the thrilling account of the old liberty bell”.

By 1895, at the age of 20, she is listed as teacher in Jacob Bickler’s academy in the Austin Texas,  City Directory and is also so listed in the both the 1900 census and the academy records.  We find her mentioned in her brother’s history as the head of a preparatory program for entrants into Jacob Bickler’s Academy; and as principal of the Bickler Primary School in the Austin City Directories of 1903 through 1906.  She is a student in the University of Texas’ summer program in for teachers in 1906.

Then, at the end of 1907, she marries. In the 1910 and 1930 censuses her occupation is “none”; in 1920, “housekeeping”; in 1940, the occupation space is blank.  I’ve found no trace of her having an active public or professional role. She is not mentioned in the acknowledgements of her husband’s book, or in his eager discussion of his life recorded in the family history (which granted focuses on his early life and his career.) As a public person, she has become Mrs. John Robert Swenson. And Mrs. John Robert Swenson does not appear to have a public life.

It reminds me of an old tale about a chance-met snake. If you meet this snake, he might give to you a golden ring.  And this ring grants the “gift” of invisibility. The first time I read that story, I thought  “OH, a Wedding Ring!”

Now, the truth is: I know nothing about Jennie’s feelings about this transformation; or the feelings of any of those other women. Was this a marriage “finally obtained”? Was this simply an accepted pattern in the expected life course of these women? Was it a welcome relief from the burden of supporting her family and carrying on in the aftermath of her father’s 1902 death?  Surely there is much to be said for men who chose to marry these strong, adult, smart women. One expects that many of these marriages were enriched by the pairing of fine minds and shared interests. And truly, while Mrs. John Robert Swenson is invisible to others, she is not invisible to us. We will find her in future pictures. And there will be a bit more to say about Professor and Mrs. John Robert Swenson and their important role in supporting the family.

Identifiers:

Negative: Paulson514 (1200 bpi tiff downsized to 400 bpi jpeg for this post. Original negative was 5 x 7”)

Related posts: 
I've written about the "New Women" of the early 1900s in a couple of other blog posts:

  Women and girls, Olivia Texas, circa 1910

  Bachelor Girls Club, Davenport, Iowa 1903

People:

Jennie Marie Bickler Swenson (born 8 Jan 1875 in Austin, Texas; died 18 Sep 1949 in Denton Texas.  Married John Robert Swenson 31 Dec 1907)

John Robert Swenson (born 7 Sep 1870 in Riseberga Skåne, Sweden, immigrated 1882; died 26 Dec 1950)

Martha Lungkwitz (born 22 Feb 1855 in Fredericksburg, Texas; died 18 Nov 1937 in Austin Texas.

Jacob Bickler (born 20 Nov 1849 Sobernheim, Germany; died 30 Apr 1902 Austin, Texas.

Sources:

Austin Public Library "Political Pioneers: Martha Lungkwitz Bickler"  Accessed on the Internet October 1, 2014 .

“Ball High School. Last Library Entertainment of the Year. Galveston Daily News 13 April 1889 Page 16.  Accessed on the Internet October 1, 2014 .

“Texas German and English Academy” (pg 5-) and “Dedication Ralph A. Bickler” (pg 3.) Austin Genealogical Society  AGS Quarterly, volXVI, no 1.   Accessed on the Internet October 1, 2014. 

“The Jacob Bickler Window”  Congregational Church of Austin. Accessed on the Internet October 1, 2014 .

Austin Texas City Directories 1895, 1903-1906.  (Accessed though Ancestry.com)

Federal U.S. Census 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940  (Accessed through Ancestry.com)

Swenson Family History [Annette Swenson] n.d. (personal collection)