Volume 5, Number 2 • Winter 2013-14 PRESERVING THE LEGACY OF THE NEW SWEDEN COLONY IN AMERICA Swedish Colonial news IN THIS ISSUE: PAGE 2: Upcoming Events Please Join Us! PAGE 3: Peter Ridder, The Forgotten Governor of New Sweden PAGE 10: Marcel Alphonse Viti, First President of the Society Life in New Sweden Colony in 1640: Rediscovered Letters of PAGE 14: Pehr Kalm and the Commandant Peter Ridder, Mountain Laurel the “Forgotten” Governor BACK COVER: 300th Anniversary The above letter was written by Peter H. Ridder to Lord High Celebration for Chancellor of Sweden Axel Oxenstierna in 1644 after Ridder's return from New Sweden. (Courtesy of Tytti Halonen) St. George’s Episcopal Church GOVERNOR’S MESSAGE upcoming events Swedish Col onial Society Saturday, March 29 916 South Swanson Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19147 St. George’s Church Tercentenary To Friends of New Sweden, See back cover The 375 th Anniversary Jubilee year of 2013 came Saturday, April 5 to an end all too quickly. What a very exciting time 10:00 am to 4:00 pm that was! The last newsletter described His Colonists’ Day Majesty Carl XVI Gustaf’s visit to the Delaware Valley and the superb Jubilee dinner that was held Opening ceremony Fort Christina at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware. Park (10 am, 7th St. at Swedes Landing Rd., Wilmington, DE) Another 375 th Anniversary event was held at followed by a procession to Holy The Barnes Foundation, “One of the world’s Trinity Church and Highway Word of leading collections of French Impressionist Faith Hall for exhibits, food, programs and Post-Impressionist Paintings,” in and entertainment by Delaware Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, featuring “Swedish Valley historical organizations. John and Finnish Music and Spirits Since 1638,” Tepe, SCS Deputy Governor, will be on November 1, 2013. available to introduce guests to SCS's digital genealogical records. Visit Every year the New Sweden History Conference, co-sponsored by The Swedish colonialnewsweden.org for more Colonial Society, dedicates a conference on the legacy of the New Sweden Colony. information and a video of the 2012 The “New Sweden 375 th Anniversary Conference, Council for Northeast celebration. Historical Archaeology” was held in Clayton Hall at the University of Delaware, Newark, DE on November 8 to 10, 2013. The title of the conference was Sunday, May 18 “Encountering ‘Others’ in the Atlantic World: Perspectives from the Material Rededication of the World.” As usual, this international conference was indeed a success. Governor Johan Printz Monument by The The Swedish Colonial News historic journal has a new editor, Dr. Edward Root, and a new designer, Gene Gilroy. Both have accomplished such a well-informed Swedish Colonial Society historic journal in a short period of time. The Society is very fortunate to have The Swedish Colonial Society will obtained both of these talented persons. hold a rededication ceremony for the Governor Johan Printz New Sweden The Society is planning to have the Forefathers’ Day Luncheon and annual monument that was erected by the meeting on Sunday, May 18, 2014, at the Corinthian Yacht Club in Essington, Society in 1923 at the Corinthian Pennsylvania. This will enable the guests to enjoy the completed new landscaping Yacht Club, Essington PA. The located at the entrance of the Club and to attend the rededication of the Governor monolith commemorates the settling Printz monolith presented by Michael R. D’Andrea, Chairman of the Historic of the area in 1643 by New Sweden, Preservation Committee. The monolith was erected by The Swedish Colonial the first in what would become the Society at this location through the efforts of Colonel Henry D. Paxson and was dedicated on June 14, 1923 to the memory of Governor Printz of New Sweden Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. and the first settlers of Pennsylvania. The rededication ceremony will be the highlight of the annual In closing, I extend my blessings to all. Forefathers’ Day Luncheon, sponsored jointly by The Delaware Swedish Colonial Society and The Swedish Colonial Society and held this year at Margaret Sooy Bridwell the Corinthian Yacht Club. Governor, The Swedish Colonial Society 2 SWEDISH COLONIAL NEWS Kim-Eric Williams HISTORIC DOCUMENTS The Forgotten Governor Until now the only other language they had been translated into was Finnish. The difficult Recently discovered and translated letters of New Sweden job of deciphering and transcribing Ridder’s Old German script was accomplished by Dr. Tette Colony’s Governor Peter Hollender Ridder (born about 1608, Hofstra, a native Dutch speaker and professor died 1692) are presented here for the first time in English. emeritus of Old German at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. ommander Peter Hollender Ridder The Halonens contacted our council member Cled New Sweden from Ft. Christina Earl Seppälä through the Finnish-American (Wilmington) from 1640 to 1643 and is often Society of the Delaware Valley. He immediately forgotten among the colorful stories about the recognized their historical value. Dr. Alfred amazing Governor Johan Printz, the tragedy of Wedel, professor emeritus of Foreign Languages Peter Minuit, and the disaster with Governor at the University of Delaware and a neighbor of Johan Risingh. Yet we do know quite a bit Earl and Sylvia Seppälä, agreed to translate the about him: a series of his letters has recently letters into English. They are now ready for been discovered and translated which sheds new publication after some corrections by the author. Ridder was technically not a Governor but ABOUT THE AUTHOR light on his abilities. Five of these letters were written from Ft. Christina back to his superiors a Commandant (letter 1). We note the tensions Kim-Eric Williams is the in Sweden, one of whom was none other than between the Dutch crew and the Swedes Historian and Honorary Lord High Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna who and their first pastor, Torkil Reorus, who Governor of The Swedish acted as head of state during Queen Christina’s accompanied Ridder on this 1639-1640 Colonial Society. He minority from 1632 to 1644. 1 Also overseeing seven-month voyage, the second of the Kalmar teaches Swedish at the Ridder’s activities in New Sweden was Nyckel to New Sweden. 3 These conflicts University of Pennsylvania Admiral Claes Fleming who gave Ridder his continued between the Dutch and Swedish and is the Archivist at the Commandant Instructions in 1639 (letter 1). officers at Ft. Christina (letter 2). In part the Lutheran Archives Center Fleming was killed in a naval battle on July 27, conflicts were religious, Torkil being Swedish in Philadelphia. He is a 1644 shortly after Ridder’s return from America Lutheran and the Dutch favoring the Dutch Forefather member (letter 7) . Ridder also sent these letters to the Reformed faith. 3 descending from Olof Stille Queen who was 14 to 17 years old when Ridder Ridder massively expanded the area of the and Carl Springer and lives was Commandant in New Sweden. 2 colony on the western side of the Delaware River in West Chester, PA. The rediscovery of these letters is due to the from Sankikans (The Falls of Trenton) to Cape genealogical and historical researches of Tytti Henlopen (Lewes DE) and on the eastern (New and Matti Halonen in Finland, including travels Jersey) side from Narraticon (Raccoon) Creek to to Russia, Sweden, and U.S.A. Matti is himself Cape May. Also, it was he and not Governor an 11th generation descendant of Hans Printz who suggested a new center for the Hollender, Peter’s father. All the letters were colony on Tinicum Island so as to be right on written in High German with some Low the Delaware River. He recommended a fort be German forms. Only the wrapped and sealed built “below the narrowest point of the river on “envelopes” were written in Swedish by Ridder which will stand Sweden’s crown which is the and addressed to whomever they were going. key to New Sweden. continued on next page Vyborg/Viipuri, Finland, where Ridder ended his government career. (Taken from a new book by Tytti Halonen which is the first-ever biography of Peter Hollender Ridder.) SWEDISH COLONIAL NEWS 3 HISTORIC DOCUMENTS Where we are now located [Ft. Christina], we Ridder’s last years were spent in cannot subdue anyone.” (letter 6) Stockholm where he was in litigation As a result of these letters, many of his concerning rent and upkeep for a house his requests were fulfilled because on November 7 wife had inherited on Gråmunkegränd, the following year Kalmar Nyckel and Gamla Stan (The Old City). That house Charitas arrived with more settlers, especially remains today. He died in Stockholm about Forest Finns, who were adept at felling trees age 84 in 1691 or 1692. Although initially to clear land and build log houses. 4 buried at St. Mary Magdalen Church in There is indirect evidence that Peter was Stockholm, in 1697 his remains were born (about 1608) in the Dutch Province of returned by his son Konstantin to Holland, 5, 6 as suggested by Dr. Hofstra from Viborg/Viipuri. Six children using the dialectic words used by Peter in his letters. 7 Viborg Castle with its tower which can Ridder surname have been identified: His family name in Holland was Ridder. 8 He also be seen in the old engraving of Brita, Susanna Kristina, Petter Petterson, Viborg on p. 3. On the lower right is the was the younger son of Hans Hollender, born Konstantin, Katarina, and Elisabet. white Commandant Building, where, on 8 about 1580, and Susanna Kruse, who moved the upper floor, Bookkeeper Hans H. Tytti Halonen has authored the first their family when Peter was about 15 years Ridder had his offices 1641 - 1656.