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Swedish Colonial News Volume 2, Number 4 Spring 2001 P Reserving the Legacy of the New Sweden Colony in America

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Swedish Colonial News Volume 2, Number 4 Spring 2001 P Reserving the Legacy of the New Sweden Colony in America Swedish Colonial News Volume 2, Number 4 Spring 2001 P reserving the legacy of the New Sweden Colony in America Chief Justice Rehnquist at Forefathers Luncheon The guest speaker for the Annual Center City Philadelphia beginning with a Meeting and Colonial Forefathers reception at 11:30 a.m. Luncheon on Monday, April 9, Other distinguished guests include His 2001, will be the Honorable Excellency and Mrs. Jan Eliasson, Ambassador William H. Rehnquist, Chief of Sweden and Patron of the Society; The Justice of the United States. Honorable and Mrs. Axel Wennerholm, Lord Chief Justice Rehnquist grew Mayor of Stockholm; The Honorable and Mrs. up in a Swedish household Harris B. McDowell, III, Majority Leader of and was named the 1993 the Delaware State Senate; Janet S. Klein, Swedish American of the Chair, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Year. Commission; Dr. Brent D. Glass, Executive The Banquet will be Director, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum held at The Union League, Commission; Dr. Marc Mappen, Executive 140 South Broad Street in Director, New Jersey Historical Commission; continued on page 3 The Swede on City Hall Just under the monumental statue of William Penn on Philadelphia’s famed City Hall there is a 24 foot, bronze, 25,000 pound statue of a Swedish colonial woman. Facing southeast toward the Swedish precinct of Wicaco, she carries a child and a basket and is accompanied by a sheep. She is dressed in typical Swedish peasant manner and represents a sort of maternal image, a Mater Suecia, or Mor Sverige. The famed sculptor Alexander Milne Calder (1846-1923) honored the predecessors of William Penn on the four corners of the tower. The figures on the north side are both Native Americans, and the figure on the southwest is usually referred to as a “Pilgrim” and could represent either the earliest English or Dutch set- tlers, since both had the same sort of clothing. In this Issue... NEW DISCOVERIES UNIVERSITY MUSEUM in genealogy seeks Swedish FOREFATHERS CELEBRATES endowment Olof Thorsson and 6 75 years in 8 2 the Tussey Family 7 Philadelphia Lo c k ’ s church at Crane Hook. FOREFATHERS Dr. Peter S. Craig Again, in 1675, there was a family split when the Among the men sentenced for some minor crime New Castle Court orde r ed every able-bodied man in and orde r ed to go to New Sweden in 1641 was one the county to build a dike for Justice Hans Block’s Olof Thorsson. As yet, his place of origin in Sweden convenience. Rev. Fabritius was one of the leaders and the nature of his crime is unknown. But it is opposing this, and Olle Thorsson’s two sons drew known that when he boarded the ship Kalmar Nyckel fines for refusing to work on the dike. This incident in Göteborg he was accompanied by his wife and chil- also led Olle Thorsson to withdraw his support for dre n . Fabritius and to ret u r n to Lars Lock’s Crane Hook Ol o f After three years of servitude at the Christina ch u r ch. Fabritius had to look elsewhere and in 1677 plantation, Olof Thorsson won his freedom and chose became pastor of the new Swedish church at Wic a c o . Thorsson of to remain in New Sweden. He was hired as an agri- Olof Thorsson died at Swanwick between May cultural worker at a wage of ten guilders per year, the and November 1678. His widow Elisa (apparen t l y Sw a n w i c k same wage as a common soldier. As the years wore on, sh o r t for Elisabeth) died after 22 December 1679, ho w e v e r , he found working for Governor Printz when she joined her eldest son Olle in agreeing to sell and his in c r easingly intolerable. one of Olle Thorsson’s prop e r ties at Swanwick to her Co-founder of Swanwick granddaughter Barbara Block’s husband, Peter A new opportunity arose for Olle Thorsson and Ma e s l a n d e r . Tus s e y other disgruntled settlers in 1651 when the Dutch Fr om Thorsson to Tus s e y built Fort Casimir at present New Castle, Delaware. The name Thorsson was not a surname, but De s c e n d a n t s This led Olle Thorsson and a number of other New rather Olof’s patronymic, meaning that he was Olof, Sweden settlers to move across the Christina River son of Thor. However, in succeeding generations it and live under the Dutch. They were not permitted to became the family surname (spelled Toarson, or vari- live within the Dutch fort but were allowed to build a ants thereof), later evolving into Tossa, Tossava and community of log cabins north of the fort at Swan finally Tus s e y . Cove (Swanwick). This was to be Olle Thorsson’s Five children of Olof Thorsson and his wife home for the rest of his life. Elisabeth have been identified: In May 1654 the Swedes, under Governor Johan 1. Olle Ollesson Toa r s o n , bo r n in Sweden c. Rising, captured Fort Casimir from the Dutch, so 1633, married Anna Hendricksdotter, of Finnish Olle Thorsson and his Swedish neighbors once again descent, c. 1658 and lived at Bochten (also known as we r e under the Swedish flag. But Governor Stuyves- Ver drietige Hook, now Edgemoor, DE) in Brandy- ant retaliated in 1655, conquering all of New Sweden wine Hundred. He was fined for his involvement in and with it the young settlement of Swanwick. both the Long Finn Rebellion and the dike reb e l l i o n Olof Thorsson would see four more changes in and died in 1687, survived by six children : go v e r nment before his death in 1678. In 1657, > Hendrick Tus s e y , born c. 1659, became one of ‘Bomårke’ of Olof Thorsson, Stuyvesant surren d e r ed jurisdiction over Swanwick to the first settlers at the Maurice River in New Jersey the legal signature for another Dutch colony, called New Amstel. In 1664 ar ound 1700, but ret u r ned to St. Georges in New an illiterate person. the English captured all of the Delaware from the Castle County, where he died after 1720. He marri e d Dutch, only to surrender it back to the Dutch in and had at least one child (Marga re t ) . 1673. Finally, in 1674, the area was ret u r ned to > John Tus s e y , born c. 1661, married Anna, English rul e . daughter of Måns Pålsson, and had six sons and two A Family Divided daughters before his death in Bochten in 1722: These changes brought an international flavor to Annika, Maria, Olof, John, Peter, Måns, Elias and Olle Thorsson’s family. Under Dutch rule, his daugh- He n d r i c k . ter Maria married a Dutch gunner Hans Block. Under > Marga r et Tus s e y , born c. 1664, married Be- English rule, his daughter Petronella married Captain nedictus Stidham and had five surviving children : John Carr. Tim o t h y , Sarah, Anna, Benjamin and Marga re t . Rifts, however, occurred in the family over the > Matthias Tus s e y , born c. 1673, married Sarah, political issues of the time. During the Long Finn daughter of Lucas Stidham, and had five children Rebellion of 1669, when Pastor Lars Lock sided with be f o r e his death in Bochten in late 1712: Ingeborg, those prep a r ed to take up arms against the English if, Olle, Annika, Sarah and Maria. as was expected, Sweden attempted to retake its lost > Olle Tus s e y , born c. 1678, married Gertru d e co l o n y , Olle Thorsson’s two sons sided with the Pe t e r s d o t t e r , widow of Johan Månsson, c. 1701 and rebels, while their father stood fast with the English died in Bochten in 1713, survived by at least four chil- go v e r nment and his son-in-law Captain John Carr. dr en: Annika, Christina, Stephen and Catharine. The incident also led to Olle Thorsson inviting a > Stephen Tus s e y , born c. 1680, married Cathar- Lutheran minister in New York, Jacob Fabritius, to establish a church at Swanwick to compete with continued on page 3 2 Swedish Colonial News REHNQUIST from cover and Ulf E. and Mette Barshund Martensson, Rev. David B. Joslin and the Lutheran Bishop of Editor and publisher of N o rd s t j e rnan a n d the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, The Rt. Sweden & America. Rev. Roy G. Almquist. In recognition of the beginning of a new Business attire or Swedish national folk cos- relationship of full communion between the tume is encouraged. A mixed double octet from Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the the Eastern Division of the American Union of Episcopal Church that began in January, we will Swedish Singers will present a few musical rendi- be honored with the presence of the Episcopal tions. Reservations are due by April 2. Bishop of the Diocese of New Jersey, The Rt. FOREFATHERS from page 2 ina, daughter of Anders Stalcop, and died in Bochten in and died in Lower Penns Neck c. 1699. Fe b ru a r y 1715, survived by at least three children : > Jacob Larsson Tus s e y , born c. 1674, whose wife Thomas, Anders and Catharine.
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