Millennium of Leif Ericson's Voyage to North America Swedish Organizations in America — Are Each Year on October 9Th the Leif for Activities Elsewhere
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Swedish Colonial News Volume 1, Number 18 Winter 1998 GOVERNOR’S MESSAGE The “lazy, hazy days of summer” have come to an end and your Council has begun planning the 1998-99 year. T h e important project of translating Gloria Dei Church records has continued to move for- ward. The Julmiddag and Forefather’s Day Luncheon events have been arranged. Our concern over the conditions of the “Old Swedish Burial Ground” in Chester per- sists. Now that the Council has approved loaning the painting of Johan Printz to the American Swedish Historical Museum, it is investigating what repairs should be made. Amandus Johnson’s handwritten minutes of our Society for the first ten The Norseman crew manning the oars in the approaches to Stockholm harbor. Among the ten-member crew there were three years of its existence — one of our contri- SCS members:Dennis Johnson,Ulf Hammarskjöld and Gene Martenson. PHOTO: DAVE SEGERMARK butions to the American Swedish Historical Museum’s exhibition on Millennium of Leif Ericson's Voyage to North America Swedish organizations in America — are Each year on October 9th the Leif for activities elsewhere. being appropriately rebound. Planning the Ericson Society International sponsors a The Millennium Committee has estab- next issue of the Swedish Colonial News is ceremony on the east bank of the lished a website (www. L e i f 2 0 0 0 . o rg ) an on-going project and I am happy to Schuylkill River at the site of the Thorfinn which is receiving thousands of hits every report that the Thanksgiving Service at Karlsefni statue dedicated to the early week from the U.S., Canada, Nordic coun- Gloria Dei “Old Swedes” Church was well Viking settlers in the New World. It is the tries and around the world. The LEMC attended. (See Service on page 8) custom for a different Scandinavian coun- updates their news regularly and registra- In every organization, membership try to host the event each year. Next year tion on-line is also possible for individuals growth and retention are perennial chal- will be different. All of the Nordic coun- and organizations. lenges. I could list many methods used to tries will be represented to mark the kick- The Leif Ericson Viking Ship promote growth but none is more valuable off of the Year of the Viking: an historic Norseman, a separate local org a n i z a- than personal contact. The best and easiest year-long period, October 9, 1999 to t i o n with its own web site (www.liber- solution depends upon you, the members. October 9, 2000, dedicated to the Viking t y n e t . o rg/viking), has recently arrived If every member enlisted one new mem- voyage to North America 1,000 years ago. home with their own ship Norseman from ber, our Society would have a phenomenal The Leif Ericson Society has estab- a "Viking Invasion" in Stockholm, Sweden 100 percent increase in membership. In lished a Millennium Committee (LEMC) during their Kultur98 festival. Several SCS this organization there is not the handicap to coordinate festivities in the Philadelphia members were on board. What an experi- Continued on page 8 area as well as serving as a clearing house ence! 2 Swedish Colonial News FOREFATHERS without shelter in the woods. Both per- was a justice on the Upland Court, 1681- ished, leaving several impoverished chil- 1682 and served in the Pennsylvania dren. Assembly in 1683. He died at Wicaco in Sven Gunnarsson and his It was not surprising, therefore, that 1696. His widow, born near Stockholm in Swanson Family Sven Gunnarsson was one of the 22 1638, was buried at Gloria Dei on 19 freemen signing a petition of grievances August 1720. Their known children: In August 1639, the Swedish govern- which they submitted to Governor Printz > Lasse Swanson, born about 1660, ment, needing settlers for its New Sweden in the summer of 1653. Printz called it a died unmarried between 1687 and 1692. colony, sent word to the governors of “mutiny” and returned to Sweden. > Brigitta Swanson, born c. 1669, died at Elfsborg, Dalsland and Värmland to cap- Sven the Miller fared better under Boon’s Island, Kingsessing, after 1753. ture deserted soldiers and others who had Governor Rising, 1654-1655. He even vol- Married Swan Boon c. 1688; 4 children. committed some slight misdemeanor and unteered to help defend Fort Christina > Margaret Swanson, born c. 1671, died to send them to America. against the Dutch invasion. A pitched bat- 1699 at Passyunk. Married John Larsson Among the “convicts” rounded up in tle was averted when Rising decided to Cock in 1694; 2 children. this effort was Sven Gunnarsson. When the surrender the colony. > Barbara Swanson, born 1674, died at Kalmar Nyckel left Göteborg in September Conditions proved to be even better Calcon Hook, Lower Darby, after 1743. 1639, he was aboard with his pregnant under Dutch rule. Stuyvesant allowed the Married Hans Boon 1699; 5 children. wife and two small children. Swedes living north of the Christina River > Catharina Swanson, born 1682, died at Initially, in New Sweden, Sven was to organize their own government. That Wicaco 1711. Married P e t e r B a n k s o n stationed at the Fort Christina plantation, government, known as the Upland Court, 1698; 2 children. where he was found in 1644 working on treated Sven Gunnarsson well. 2 . G e rtrude Svensdotter, born c. the New Sweden tobacco farm. In October In 1664, Sven Gunnarsson moved 1638 in Sweden, married the New Sweden 1645 he was finally granted freedom from with his family across the Schuylkill to soldier Jonas Nilsson in 1654 and died in his servitude and joined other freemen Wicaco, a former Indian settlement, where Kingsessing c. 1695, survived by eleven residing at Kingsessing (now We s t S v e n ’s 1125-acre plantation embraced children: Philadelphia). Here he was known as Sven what would become the future City of >Nils Jonasson, born in 1655, died at the Miller, as he operated the first gristmill Philadelphia. Here, on his land, the first Aronameck in 1735. Married Christina built in New Sweden on present Cobbs log church at Wicaco (now Gloria Dei Gästenberg c. 1683; 8 children. Creek. Church) was built by 1677. Sven > Judith Jonasdotter, born c. 1658, died Being a freeman in New Sweden was Gunnarsson died about 1678 and probably at Manatawny, Berks County in 1727. like being a peasant under the tyrannical was one of the first to be buried at the Married Peter Petersson Yocum by 1676; rule of Governor Johan Printz. Like other Wicaco church. 10 children. freemen, Sven was required to work with- In the spring of 1683, Sven’s three > Gunilla Jonasdotter, born c. 1661, died out pay at Printz’s Printzhof plantation sons agreed to provide the northern part of in Gloucester County NJ. Married Måns whenever the Governor demanded, was Wicaco for William Penn’s planned new Petersson Cock in 1680; 7 children. prohibited from trading with the Indians city, to be called Philadelphia. They were > Måns Jonasson, born 1663, died at and forced to buy all necessities at the left with 230 acres apiece. Records prove Manatawny 1727. Married I n g e b o r g company store. Like other freemen, he fell that Sven also had two daughters. His fam- Lycon c. 1690; 6 children. heavily into debt. Another such freeman, ily, in the order of their birth, included: > Anders Jonasson, born c. 1666, died at Lasse Svensson the Finn and his wife 1. Sven Svensson (Swan Swanson), Aronameck 1728. Married C a t h a r i n a Carin had their plantation seized by Printz born in Sweden by 1636, married about Boon by 1691; 9 children. (who renamed it Printztorp). Both Lasse 1658 Catharina (Carin) Larsdotter, the > Christina Jonasdotter, born c. 1668, the Finn and his wife were forced to live daughter of Lasse Svensson the Finn. Sven married (1) Frederick King 1686; (2) Swanson Family Myths: embraced lands west of the Schuylkill lished in Landelius’Swedish Place-Names Myth 1: Sven Skute was the father of which had long been settled by others. in North America (1985), page 228. the three Swanson brothers of Wicaco. Sven Skute had one son, Johan Skute, who Fa c t s : Claude Swanson’s earliest Relying on the self-styled historian, lived on the west side of the Schuylkill. identified Swanson ancestor was William Betty Cosans-Zebooker, the recent book Patents for Wicaco, issued by the Dutch Swanson who was living in Virginia in The Buried Past; An A rch a e o l ogi c a l and English, confirm that Sven 1750. Although Sven Gunnarsson had History of Philadelphia (1992), pages 33 Gunnarsson was the father of the Swanson many descendants, the surname of and 222, states that the three Swanson brothers. Peter Kalm confirmed the same Swanson was continued by only one of his brothers were sons of Sven Skute, whose in his 1748-1750 journal. great-grandchildren, Gunnar Swanson, 1653 patent from Queen Christina Myth 2: Claude A. Swanson of son of Andrew Swanson, Jr. Gunnar’s son embraced their land at Wicaco. Virginia, (1862-1939), Secretary of the William Swanson was living in Facts: Sven Skute’s 1653 patent did Navy under FDR, was a descendant of Southwark, Philadelphia County, at the not include Wicaco; it was also nullified the Swansons of Wicaco. time of the 1790 census. by Governor Rising in 1654 because it This claim was most recently pub- Swedish Colonial News 3 Nicklas Lindemeyer 1700; 7 children.