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In 1638, the Kingdom of Sweden founded a colony in America. The colony was named New Sweden. In 1655, Holland conquered the area.
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New Sweden 1638 - 1655
New Sweden was a Swedish colony along the lower reaches of the Delaware River in America from 1638 to 1655, established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a great military power. New Sweden was part of Swedish colonization efforts in the Americas. Settlements were established on both sides of the Delaware Valley in the region of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, often in places where Swedish traders had been visiting since about 1610 Fort Christina in Wilmington, Delaware was the first settlement, named after the reigning Swedish monarch. The settlers were Swedes, Finns, and a number of Dutch. New Sweden was conquered by the Dutch Republic in 1655 during the Second Northern War and incorporated into the Dutch colony of New Netherland.
Map of New Sweden ca. 1650 by Amandus Johnson By the middle of the 17th century, the Realm of Sweden had reached its greatest territorial extent and was one of the great powers of Europe. Sweden then included Finland and Estonia, along with parts of modern Russia, Poland, Germany, and Latvia under King Gustavus Adolphus and later Christina, Queen of Sweden. The Swedes sought to expand their influence by creating an agricultural (tobacco) and fur-trading colony to circumvent French and English merchants.
The first Swedish expedition to America sailed from the port of Gothenburg in late 1637, organized and overseen by Clas Fleming, a Swedish admiral from Finland. Flemish Dutch Samuel Blommaert assisted the fitting-out and appointed Peter Minuit (the former Governor of New Amsterdam) to lead the expedition. The expedition sailed into Delaware Bay aboard the Fogel Grip and Kalmar Nyckel, which lay within the territory claimed by the Dutch. They passed Cape May and Cape Henlopen in late March 1638 and anchored on March 29 at a rocky point on the Minquas Kill that is known today as Swedes' Landing. They built a fort in Wilmington which they named Fort Christina after Queen Christina
Kalmar Nyckel (Key of Kalmar) was a Swedish ship built by the Dutch famed for carrying Swedish settlers to North America in 1638, to establish the colony of New Sweden. The name Kalmar Nyckel comes from the Swedish city of Kalmar and nyckel meaning key in Swedish. The name was also a tribute to Kalmar Castle which was a symbol of power during the time of the Swedish Empire when Sweden was a military great power. A replica of the ship was launched at Wilmington, Delaware, in 1997.
In Chesapeake Bay, 2008, flying from foretop to stern the Finnish, Swedish naval, Dutch and American flags. In 1986, a group of citizens of Wilmington, Delaware, established the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, whose primary source of funding is from the taxpayers of the State of Delaware, plus donations from corporations and individuals.
In the following years, the area was settled by 600 Swedes and Finns, a number of Dutchmen, a few Germans, a Dane, and at least one Estonian, and Minuit became the first governor of the colony of New Sweden. He had been the third Director of New Amsterdam, and he knew that the Dutch claimed the area south to the Delaware River and its bay. The Dutch, however, had pulled back their settlers from the area after several years in order to concentrate on the settlement on Manhattan Island Governor Minuit landed on the west bank of the river and gathered the sachems of the Delawares and Susquehannocks. They held a conclave in Minuit's cabin on the Kalmar Nyckel, and he persuaded them to sign deeds which he had prepared to solve any issue with the Dutch.
The relative locations of New Netherland (magenta) and New Sweden (blue) in America; state boundaries and postal abbreviations are shown https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Sweden#/medi a/File:Nieuw_Nederland_and_Nya_Sverige.svg
Sweden opened the Second Northern War in the Baltic by attacking the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Dutch sent an armed squadron of ships under Director-General Peter Stuyvesant to seize New Sweden. In the summer of 1655, the Dutch marched an army to the Delaware River, easily capturing Fort Trinity and Fort Christina. The Swedish settlement was formally incorporated into Dutch New Netherland on September 15, 1655, although the Swedish and Finnish settlers were allowed local autonomy. They retained their own militia, religion, court, and lands. This lasted until the English conquest of New Netherland, launched on June 24, 1664.
The Duke of York sold New Jersey to John Berkeley and George Carteret to become a proprietary colony, separate from the projected colony of New York. The invasion began on August 29, 1664 with the capture of New Amsterdam and ended with the capture of Fort Casimir (New Castle, Delaware) in October. This took place at the beginning of the Second Anglo- Dutch War. New Sweden continued to exist unofficially, and some immigration and expansion continued. The first settlement at Wicaco began with a Swedish log blockhouse located on Society Hill in Philadelphia in 1669. It was later used as a church until about 1700, when Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church of Philadelphia was built on the site.[14] New Sweden finally came to an end when its land was included in William Penn's charter for Pennsylvania on August 24, 1682
The C. A. Nothnagle Log House in Gibbstown, New Jersey built in 1638, the oldest house in New Jersey
Fort Christina (also called Fort Altena) was the first Swedish settlement in North America and the principal settlement of the New Sweden colony. Built in 1638 and named after Queen Christina of Sweden, it was located approximately 1 mi (1.6 km) east of the present downtown Wilmington, Delaware, at the confluence of the Brandywine River and the Christina River, approximately 2 mi (3 km) upstream from the mouth of the Christina on the Delaware River. First Gov: Peter Minuit
Model of Fort Cristina, American Swedish Historical Museum, Philadelphia
1638 - After a 4-month voyage from Gothenburg, Kalmar Nyckel arrives in the Delaware in March. Captain Peter Minuit purchases land on west bank from the Schuylkill River to Bombay Hook, builds Fort Christina at present Wilmington and leaves 24 men, under the command of Lt. Måns Kling, to man the fort and trade with Indians. Kalmar Nyckel returns safely to Sweden, but Minuit dies on return trip in a hurricane in the Caribbean. 1639 - Fogel Grip, which accompanied Kalmal Nyckel, brings a 25th man from St. Kitts, a slave from Angola known as Anthony Swartz. 1640 - Kalmar Nyckel, on its second voyage, brings the first families to New Sweden, including those of Sven Gunnarsson and Lars Svensson. Other new settlers include Peter Rambo, Anders Bonde, Måns Andersson, Johan Schaggen, Anders Dalbo and Dr. Timen Stiddem. Lt. Peter Hollander Ridder, who succeeds Kling as new commanding officer, purchases more land from Indians between Schuylkill and the Falls of the Delaware.
Map of Lenape languages and tribes. Map terms translated from German original into English. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenape #/media/File:Lenape_Languages.png
https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/New_Sweden_Genealogy#/media/File:MuskegonStateParkBlockhouse.JPGhttps://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/New_Sweden_Genealogy#/media/File:MuskegonStateParkBlockhouse.JPG Blockhouse probably like those used in New Sweden.
1641 - Kalmar Nyckel, joined by the Charitas, brings 64 men to New Sweden, including the families of Måns Lom, Olof Stille, Christopher Rettel, Hans Månsson, Olof Thorsson and Eskil Larsson. Also such single men as Peter Cock, Matts Hansson and his brother Anders Hansson, Ivert Hendricksson, Johan Ericksson, Matts Hansson from Borgå, Johan Stålkofta, Lucas Petersson, Knut Mårtensson, Lars Bjur, and four orphans, including Israel Helm. Ridder purchases land on east side of Delaware from Raccoon Creek to Cape May, and on west side from Bombay Hook to Cape Henlopen.
1642 - Probable year of first settlement in present Pennsylvania, at Techoherassi, Upland and Finland. 1643 - The Fama and Swan arrive from Sweden, bringing Johan Printz, first royal governor of New Sweden, six feet tall and weighing 400 pounds, with 50 new settlers, including Captain Sven Skute, soldiers Jonas Nilsson, Jürgen Keen, Johan Gustafsson, Anders And-ersson Homman, Peter Jochimsson and the family of Anders Andersson the Finn. Printz builds Fort Elfsborg on east side of Delaware and Fort New Gothenburg on Tinicum Island, where he also builds his own manor house, called Printzhof.
1644 - Kalmar Nyckel and Fama arrive from Sweden with 14 more men, including Lt. Johan Papegoja. Printz establishes tobacco plantations at Christina, Upland and on west side of Schuylkill (Province Island), but the experiment is a disaster. Revert to corn the next year, buying tobacco from Virginia. 1645 - Settlement is made at Kingsessing and the first grist mill is built on Mill (now Cobbs) Creek. 1646 - First log church built on Tinicum Island. 1647 - Fort Korsholm is completed on Province Island. 1648 - Swan arrives from Sweden, bringing 12 or more men, including Rev. Lars Carlsson Lock, Nils Larsson Frände, Johan Fisk and Hendrick Johansson. Aronameck, on west side of Schuylkill, settled. Dutch build Fort Beversreede on east side of Schuylkill, but Swedes thwart Dutch attempts to build dwellings in area.
1649 - Kattan runs aground near Puerto Rico. None of its 69 passengers reach New Sweden. Most of them die in the Caribbean. A few find their way back to Sweden, including Dr. Timen Stiddem. 1651 - Dutch build Fort Casimir at Sand Hook (New Castle) and abandon Fort Bevers-reede in Schuylkill. Governor Printz, his forces depleted by deaths and desertions to Maryland, abandons Fort Elfsborg and Fort Korsholm, concentrating his forces at Fort Christina and Fort New Gothenburg. The Christina River becomes the de facto boundary between New Sweden and the Dutch. 1652 - Printz seizes plantation of Lars Svensson (Lasse the Finn) on west side of Up-land (Chester) Creek, claiming that Lasse and his wife were guilty of witchcraft and owed him money. Renames plantation Printztorp. Lasse and his wife die, and other freemen become more hostile to Printz's rule. Several freemen move to Fort Casimir area to live under Dutch rule.
1653 - Twenty-two freemen file petition with Governor Printz, complaining of his auto-cratic rule. Printz brands the petition a "mutiny", accuses Pastor Lars Lock, Olof Stille and one of his own soldiers of instigating the crime. After having the soldier killed by a firing squad, Printz packs his bags and returns to Sweden, leaving the colony under the command of his son-in-law Johan Papegoja. Fifteen more freemen flee the colony to seek refuge at Fort Casimir or Kent Island, Maryland. Papegoja hires Indians to bring them back, dead or alive. Indians return with heads of two former freemen.
1654 - Population of New Sweden is now reduced to 70 men, women and children. Survivors debate uniting with the Dutch at Fort Casimir, but the issue becomes moot when the Eagle arrives in May with about 250 passengers, including some old-timers such as Dr. Timen Stiddem. Johan Rising, the new Governor, captures Fort Casimir from the Dutch, restoring the entire Delaware River to Swedish control. Including the Dutch at Fort Casimir (which he renamed Fort Trinity), Rising counts 368 persons in the colony. But disease and famine soon take their toll, and most of the Dutch move to New Amsterdam (New York). Governor Rising introduces reforms to insure that freemen's rights to property are protected and adds freemen Peter Rambo and Matts Hansson from Borgå to his Council. Olof Stille and Peter Cock also sit as justices at Tinicum Island. New settlements are established at Ammansland (Ridley Township) and Swanwick.
1655 - Food shortages plague the colony. Some colonists move to the Sassafras River in Maryland. In September, Dutch Governor Stuyvesant, with seven armed ships and 317 soldiers, invades New Sweden. Badly outnum-bered, the Swedes surrender the colony without a fight. Governor Rising and 36 others return to Sweden. Most of the Swedes and Finns decide to stay in America, pledging allegiance to the Dutch.
1656 - Mercurius arrives from Sweden in March, carrying 14 Swedes and 92 Finns. After Dutch refuse to allow ship to pass Fort Casimir, the Indians climb aboard and usher the ship to Tinicum Island, where the passengers land. The ship, including its commander (Johan Papegoja), safely returns to Sweden. The Dutch are persuaded to grant the Swedes and Finns self- government in the area north of Christina River. In August, the first court is ap-proved, consisting of Olof Stille, Mats Hansson from Borgå, Peter Cock and Peter Rambo. First militia headed by Captain Sven Skute, Lt. Anders Dalbo and Ensign Jacob Svensson. Newly-arrived Finns settle at Marcus Hook and Bochten (Verdrietige Hook).
Gustavus Adolphus II Christina
