Crane Hook on the Delaware - NC CHAP

An Early Swedish Lutheran Church 

and Community 

With the Historical Background of the 

Delaware River Valley 

BY JEANNETTE ECKMAN 

Drawings by Walter Stewart 

Publi~hed for the 

DELAWARE SWEDISH COLONIAL SOCIETY 

by the Institute of Delaware History and Culture 

University of Delaware . Newark 

1958

Copyright Renewed O 1986 

Delaware Swedish Colonial Society 

The year 1988 marks the 350th anniversary of the landing of the first 

Swedish and Finnish settlers in what is now Wilmington. The 

reprinting of this book by the Delaware Swedish Colonial Society 

was done in honor of that anniversary. 

Printed in U.S.A. - by Delaware Litho, Inc. 

Wilmington, Delaware

PREFACE 

The purposes of the Delaware Swedish Colonial 

Society are to commemorate each year on March 29 

the landing of the Swedes in 1638 at "The Rocks" 

now in Fort Christina State Park, Wilmington, 

Delaware; and to collect, preserve, and publish rec- 

ords, documents and other material relating to the 

history of this first permanent settlement in the 

Delaware River Valley. 

It is a pleasure to introduce this <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> 

study which is sponsored by the history committee 

of the Society. 

October 7, 1957 

HAROLD L. SPRINGER, M. D. 

Prerident 


History Committee's note: Dr. Springer is a direct descendant of 

Charles Springer, the Reader in the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Church 

1689- 1697.

FOREWORD 

The Swedes who made the first permanent settlement in the 

Delaware River Valley at the site of present Wilmington under 

the government of Sweden, and spread along the west side of 

the river 1638 to 1655, maintained their culture under the suc- 

cessive sovereignties of The Netherlands and England during the 

ensuing one hundred years. The heart of this culture was the 

Swedish Lutheran Church. The earliest of the remaining church 

1)uildings is Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church, standing near 

the site where the first settlers stepped ashore at "The Rocks", now 

in Fort Christina State Park, Wilmington. 

Old Swedes was built by the congregation of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> 

(:hurch. Their church was a log building erected 1667 in the 

tnidst of plantations and woodland south of the Christina River. 

'I'he members of the congregation lived from Naamans Creek to 

the Appoquinimink. 

Within this extensive parish along some twenty miles of the 

west side of the river, the area called <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> occupied about 

n tllousand acres. Including part of south Wilmington east of the 

roi~th Market Street causeway, it extended south toward the Dela- 

ware Memorial Bridge. 

Today, some woodland, cultivated fields, truck patches, marsh, 

n11~l other open spaces remain, but most of the area is industrial, 

husi~less and residence (small homes and federal and other hous- 

In8 developments). Except in land records and among history 

rti~dc~~ts the place-name itself has almost disappeared. A marker 

I~itclidccl to commemorate the church site is hidden away on com- 

111crciirl property where it marks not the church site but an early 

lrrliily I)uryitlg gr-ountl. ;t hiilf-mile distant from the churchyard

of old <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Church. This fact was unknown until revealed 

through research by the author of the chronology incorporated in 

this volume and mentioned in the acknowledgments. 

Though the marks of the earliest cultivation of this soil have 

largely disappeared along with the wild life, the hay marshes and 

the forest, knowing the human history made here by these early 

settlers enriches our thinking of the local past. 

History Committee 


Jeannette Eckman 

H. Clay Reed 

Leon devalinger, Jr., Chairman 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

The foundation of this <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> study is a chronology of 

documented excerpts from sources pertaining to the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> 

region, to land ownership, and to the church and congregation, 

prepared by Jeremiah Sweeney as part of his work for the Delaware 

Federal Writers Project, 1938-1940. Without the use of his 

competent and scholarly work the present expanded study would 

not have been undertaken. 

The contribution of the late Courtland B. Springer and of Mrs. 

Springer to the discovery, use, and accurate translation of original 

Swedish documents, and of printed works in Swedish, employed 

in this study, is their valuable and generous gift toward its preparation. 

I have depended also upon the late Horace Burr's translation 

of the manuscript records - The Church Books - of Holy Trinity 

(Old Swedes) Church, published by the Historical Society of 

Ilelaware in 1890. This work, in spite of some mis-readings of 

tlre old-Swedish script and spelling, continues to be for both general 

reader and student an invaluable source of contemporary 

information. 

The published work of Dr. Amandus Johnson, especially the 

two volumes of his Swedish Settlenzerzts on the Delaware, is the 

i~lclispensable authentic source for Sweden's colccizing efforts on 

the Delaware and the life of its colonists here under Swedish 

i'ontrol. 

To Dr. H. Clay Reed, Professor of History at the University of 

I)elaware, and to Hon. Leon devalinger, Jr., State Archivest, assoi 

lute members of the History Committee of the Delaware Swedish 

(:olonial Society, I am greatly indebted for their constructive 

ctlitorial criticism; and to Mrs. J. Jesse Selinkoff for similar asklxt 

v~~ce. 

Recognition is owed to the staff of the Historical Society of 

I)claware for cheerful and tireless assistance in the checking and 

iollilti~lg of documentary sources. 

Jeannette Eckman

NEW AND OLD CALENDAR DATES AS USED IN THE 

SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES 

The Dutch used the Gregorian or ATew Style calendar (NS), 

which in the seventeenth century was ten days ahead and in the 

eighteenth century eleven days ahead of the Julian or Old Style 

calendar (0s) used by Sweden and England until September, 

1752. Before that time ten or eleven days must be added to 

Swedish and English dates to make them equivalent to those of 

tlle Gregorian calendar used by the Dutch and in general use 

today. This difference was recognized in many documents by 

~iving both dates: May 21/31, 1654; April 3O/May 11, 1728. 

Another difference between the two calendars was that in the 

Old Style the year began on March 25. It was often indicated 

hy giving both years for dates between January 1 and March 24 - 

for example, February 10, 1682/3, and March 24, 17291'30, which 

wws followed by March 25, 1730. 

Where only one year or day of the month is given, it is not 

always clear whether Old Style or New Style is meant. 

llnglish Quakers numbered instead of named the months. 

Murch was "First Month" and so on through to January, Elevrail) 

Month, and February, Twelfth Month.

SIGNERS OF DUTCH LUTHERAN PETITION 

By Per-mi.rsiorr of The New York Stare Library 

Page 

It1:MONSTRANCE OF CRANE HOOK LUTHERANS AGAINST FABRICIUS 

By Permi~rion of The New York Sfare Library 

6 3 

I.IITTER OF CHARLES SPRINGER TO JAMES STEEL 

By Permisriow of The Hisforical Sociefy of Deluuure 

I.INI)I:STROM'S MAP B 

MAPS 

Ily I1rr~ni.c.rion of The Hr.rtoriru1 Sociery of Pennsylr~ania 

5 1 

Frontispiece 

Facing 144 

Facing 144

Contents 

3. NEW SWEDEN COLONISTS UNDER THE DUTCH 

6. SOME CRANE HOOK LAND TRANSFERS 

AND THE CHURCH BURYING GROUND 

Page 

1 

11

The Peopling of New Sweden 

HE fortunes of New Sweden, founded in the Delaware 

T River Valley in 1638, and the opportunity of the Swedes to 

establish here the Lutheran religion, stemmed directly from the 

relations of the Dutch to the Delaware and Hudson rivers. 

Henry Hudson, the discoverer in the service of the Dutch, sailed 

into Delaware Bay in 1609. Having no small boat to sound before 

him among the shoals he sailed out and north where he discovered 

and explored the river later named for him. The cape at the entrance 

of Delaware Bay was named the next year by Captain 

Samuel Argall from Virginia in honor of the governor of that 

colony, Lord De La Warr, and the name Delaware came into use 

by the English for both river and bay.' The Dutch called the 

Delaware their South River and the Hudson, the North River. 

After Hudson's report reached Holland, Dutch adventurers 

and traders were attracted to the Hudson. Wh~le they reaped 

a harvest of furs from the Indians there and set up a trading 

station near the future site of Albany' one of them, Captain 

Cornelis Hendricksen, explored the Delaware in a small yacht, 

the 0121.ust (Restless) that had been built in the Hudson region. 

In 1616 he described to his government at the Hague the natural 

splendor and rich resources of the Delaware River Valley, 

where he traded with the savages for "Sables, Furs, Robes and 

other skins."j Five years later the Dutch West India Company 

1 Jarneson, h1avrzltir.er of hTeu Nethrvla~~d, 37. 38; Purchas, Haklu~tur Po.[rhumur, 

XIII. 357 ff., XIX. 84; Johnson. Su,ed~rh Set11ernen1.r on the Delau~urr, 

1. 167. 

Z O'Callaghan. H~rtory of Neu hTethevla)rd, I, 70-76; Doc14rnent.r Re/dlinR to 

/'he Colo~~ial Ifi~/mr-y ol Neu, Ymih, I, 5-6, 149. 

5 /bid., 12-14; jol~n\o~i. I. 167-169; Hro~ll~ci~~l, Ffirto,, 01 the S/dte 01 h'eu, 

Y,JI/., I, 48; o'(;i~~~,~,~~~:~~~s 

/t~~t~)~y, I, 72-78.

2 THE PEOPLING 01: NI:W SWI:I)I:N 

chartered by the government of the Llnitccl Netl~c.~-l:~r~cls, was given 

a monopclly of trade and settlement ill A111c.l-ic-a. 'I'he interest of 

the company's directors was in cl~lick profits from the Indian 

trade in furs. Establishing colonies of frce citizens formed no 

part of their plans, but in order to save the cost of transporting 

supplies from Holland to their trading posts, they decided to 

farm enough land in New Netherland to provision both posts 

and trading ships.' 

Among the early emigrants for this purpose were thirty 

families of Dutch and Walloons (French-speaking Belgian Protestants) 

who came on an expedition in the late spring of 1624. 

Captain Cornelis Jacobson May, the commander, settled most of 

them on the Hudson. On the Delaware he established four Walloon 

married couples and eight seamen. Whether Fort Nassau 

at the future site of Gloucester, New Jersey, was built at that 

time or somewhat later is not certain.' Both the fort and a trading 

post at the Falls of the river (near Trenton) lost their settlers 

in 1626-27 when these men and women were transferred 

to New Amsterdam (New York) to strengthen that fort community 

as the capital of New Netherland. Trading on the Delaware 

was to be "carried on only in yachts in order to save 

expense."" 

Although Peter Minuit, the new governor of New Netherland 

in 1626, seems to have robbed the Delaware Valley of its 

first settlers, he made it up to this region later, for as will appear 

he was the strong link in the chain of events that led to the 

founding of New Sweden. A native of Wesel on the Rhine, 

born of French Huguenot or Walloon parents, Peter Minuit was 

associated with the leading French and Dutch families of that 

cosmopolitan city. Engaged by the West India Company to go 

to New Netherland as a councilor in 1625, I-le was chosen the 

next year as director of the Dutch domain in America.' 

4 Van Re11 rrelaer. Bouier. Mar/urcript.r, 86- 1 15; Flick, Hi.riory of the Siaie of 

Neuo York, I. 217-258; Wabeke. Dutch E?IZIRI.~I~IOII 10 North Arnericd, 23-14; 

Jameson, 65; Andreurs, Colonial Period of America11 Hi.rtory, 111. 81; Johnson, 

1, 170. 

5 lbid.: 169-170; Jameson, 75-76. 271, 313; O'Callafihan, Hiitor). 99-ff.; 

Andrews. 111. 72. 

6 Ibid., 74-75; Jarnrson. 84. 86. 88; Hazard. A1111olr of Penn.ryloanio, 9; 

Dr~cfrmentr, 1. 24-25. 27. O'Calla,qhan. Docume~~tur:y Hirtnry of the State of Neu' 

York, 111. 50. Capt. May tracled in thc Delaware in 1620 and a voyage to the 

r1vc.r by another tr;iclcr w;tc authorized within a year or tu3o.-Johnson 1. 169. 

7 AnJrcws. Ill, 74 75. IoIin\on. 11. 684.685; Jamcson, R3n. 

THE PEOPLING OF NEW SWEDEN 3 

Wealthy members of that company secured from it in 1629 

a charter of "freedoms and exemption^"^ under which they 

could receive large grants of tax-free land with the same powers 

of government enjoyed by the company, also the title of patroon, 

if they would establish commercial settlements at their own ex- 

pense. The company reserved to itself the highly profitable fur 

trade. 

In 1631 Dutch merchant-patroons Samuel Godyn, Samuel 

Blommaert, and others, settled a whaling colony, Swanendael," 

at the present site of Lewes in southern Delaware. Prepared and 

sent out by the experienced navigator, David Petersen de Vries, 

the colony flourished until the commissary stupidly antagonized 

Indians who then fell upon the settlement destroying men, cattle, 

and buildings before the end of the first year. Again the Dela- 

ware River valley from Fort Nassau to the mouth of the bay 

was left to its teeming wild-life and the few Indians who lived or 

roamed there."' 

For years after this tragedy only sails of the trading ships 

indicated the white man's continued interest in the resources of 

this region. Even Fort Nassau was occasionally deserted.' I Mean- 

while the West India Company directors, failing to appreciate 

their capable and far-sighted governor, recalled Peter Minuit, 

charging him with favoring the trade of patroons on the Hudson 

(who wanted some share in the fur traffic) to the disadvantage 

of the company's profits.'? 'Thus unwittingly they provided the 

instrument for the occupation of their South River by the Swedes. 

Rack in Holland, Minuit hankered for an opportunity to use 

his experience as a colonizer in America where he had in his mind's 

cye the ideal site. Aided by the Dutch merchant, Samuel Rlom- 

tnaert, former patroon of Swanendael who was associated with 

trade in Swedish copper, Minuit's proposal and his services were 

accepted by Sweden. Ry the 1630's Sweden had become a great 

8 VUN Re11 rrelrrer. Bou,~e, M~r~~u.icri/~t.r. 136- 153 (Dutch tcst and English trans- 

Irt~on). 

9 l'hi.; is thc sevcntccnth ccntu1.y spelling, uscJ by Dc Vrics (Kurte Hi.r- 

~uri~rrl). Johan dr Lart. Adrian van cler Donk on his map of Nru, Netherland, 

Kiliacn van Rtnssclaer. and others. 

10 Dvcurne~~tr. 11. Sn; XII. 16; Johnson. I. 170-171. 11. 676; De Vries. 

I'uy,ryrr. 32-35; I3roJhc;iJ. 1. 206: VUN Re~~rrelaer. Bou'ier Ma~rrrrrript.r, 154. 155, 

!)H. 241. 

I I 1)i. Vr~w I'~Y.~RI,I. 35 ff : I3ro~Ihca~l. I. Ihhn.. 20511.; Johnson. 1. 178. 

I HI) 

I.' 1/!1,/, I ) $ , l~ll~~lll~~.l~l, 

I, I(,.? If, 1~011~??1

power in Iluropt througl~ the statesmanship allrl militarry pro\\!ess 

of King Gostaf Adolf When the king died in llis successful 

battle of Liitzen in the Protestant cause the co~~ntry at home was 

poor from the war drain of money and men. Througho~~t his 

reign, ho\vever, the king had promoted manufacturing and sought 

to advance Sweclcn's foreign trade. Especially he had backed the 

promotion of the Swedish South Company, a project of William 

LJsselinx for world-wide trade, including America." After the 

king's death the program of this company proved too costly to 

be laiunched. nut the chancellor of Sweden, Count Axel Oxenstierna, 

supported the smaller New Sweden Company for achieving 

Peter Minuit's project-the foundi~ig of New Sweden in the 

Delaware River Valley." 

To direct the company the chancellor appointed the Finnish 

nobleman, Klas 171eming, who was vice admiral of Sweden's navy. 

Peter Spiring. a wealthy Dutch merchant in Swedish service, became 

counsellor; Samuel Rlommaert, commercial representative 

in Holland. Minuit was appointed commander of the first expedition 

which lie and the otller appointees prepared Lith the 

help of the chancellor." 

This group had to deal with many obstacles and delays before 

two ships, the k'ult)/&r h1yckel and the smaller I/ogrl Grip set sail 

for American on the last day of December 1637. Dutch investors 

including the three in this group supplied half the cost of the 

expedition. Recause Sweden had few trained men to spare and 

none from her navy had ever crossed the Atlantic, the officers 

and most of the sailors were Dutch as were probably the majority 

of the soldiers. This first expedition was intended to establish 

Sweden's claim by purchase of the land from the Indians 

and by building a fort to defend it. No families of settlers were 

brought. The ships arrived at "The Rocks" (site of Fort Christina 

State Park, Wilmington) about tlie middle of March and on the 

twenty-~iintli an Indian deed for the west side of the Delaware 

13 Al~nlun

6 

THE PEOPLING OF NEW SWEDEN 

1640. Torkillus, the first Lutheran pastor to serve in America, 

was a well-qualified man for his mission. He had left his post 

as instructor and chaplain at the Gothenburg High School to come 

to the Delaware. That this pastor's life in his pioneer parish was 

one of physical as well as spiritual labor, of civil as well as religious 

responsibility can be read in the sparse items about him. 

The hard work and prevalent illness of Printz's first year overcame 

Torkillus who died in September 1643 at the age of thirtyfive, 

leaving at Christina a wife and ~hild.~" 

New Sweden, by Ridder's purchase of additional land from 

the Indians, extended from the Falls at Trenton to the sea on 

the west side of the Delaware and from Raccoon Creek south 

to Cape May on the New Jersey side. Governor Printz in 1649 

acquired the land from Raccoon Creek north to Mantas (Mantua) 

Creek on that side, a short distance below the Dutch Fort Nassau. 

In all this territory with its nearly two hundred miles of 

curving west shore the people of New Sweden in Printz's time 

occupied only a few small centers on this shore from the north 

bank of the Christina up to a short distance above the north 

bank of the Schuylkill, a range of about thirty miles. The largest 

tract in a list of cultivated sites made by Printz in 1653 was twenty 

morgen or about forty-two acres. Most of them were eight, ten 

or twelve m~rgen.~' 

Under Printz during the period of ten years and eight months 

from February 1643 to October 1653 the colony developed from 

its small beginnings and after 1650 declined as support from 

Sweden failed. The ships that brought Printz carried colonists 

and supplies. Other ships with supplies and a few colonists arrived 

in 1644, 1646 and 1648. Although no more supplies or 

colonists came after 1648 Printz, by good management, by shrewd 

planning, and by bargaining with Dutch and English merchants 

made the colony self-supporting agri~ulturally.~' He increased the 

cultivated land between the Christina and the Schuylkill, built 

forts and blockhouses, storehouses, dwellings, barns, and a church 

at Tinicum (Essington, Pennsylvania) where he made his capital. 

But the population of New Sweden remained small, perhaps under 

400 men, women, and children at its peak. Many settlers 

20 Ibid., I, 205-06, 315, 371; 11, 697. 

21 Ibid., 1, 200-02, 337; 11. 526-27. The old Dutch morgen was about 2.1 

acres. 

22 Johnson, 1, 200, 245, 256, 258-60, 282-84, 317, 328, 344. 

THE PEOPLING OF NEW SWEDEN 7 

died of illness in 1643, a few returned home on the ships, some 

were killed by Indians and throughout his governorship Printz 

had fewer than 100 men of an age to bear arms. The condition 

of the colony was good, he wrote in 1650, but without more 

colonists and capital it could not grow.23 About this time a major 

setback in New Sweden's prosperity was in preparation at New 

Amsterdam. 

Peter Stuyvesant who had protested the occupation of the 

Ilutch South River by the Swedes since he arrived in 1647 as 

governor of New Netherland, bided his time for action, keeping 

himself well informed concerning the fortunes of the Swedes. 

Then taking advantage of the weakness of Printz in men and 

arms he came to the Delaware with a large force of ships and 

rnen in the summer of 1651. At Santhoeck (Sand Point, site 

of New Castle), six miles down the river from Fort Christina he 

Iwilt and garrisoned a redoubt of logs called Fort Casimir. Near 

it families of Dutch settlers built their houses. Here all ships 

tuning up the river were forced to stop. By this stratagem which 

l'rintz was helpless to prevent the Dutch controlled the trade 

of the river and possessed the shore from the south bank of the 

(:hristina to Bombay <strong>Hook</strong>-purchased from the Indians who 

)lad previously sold it to the Swedes, according to deeds prepared 

I>y the white men. In the Indians' understanding they granted only 

rights to the use of the land.24 

The New Sweden Company policy of reserving the fur trade to 

~lself hampered the settlers, because beaver skins were currency 

with which they could have bought what they wanted from the 

ll~l~lish and Dutch merchants as the company stores ran low. 

Ant? when Printz forbade them to have any trade with the wellrrr~pplied 

Dutch at Fort Casimir they took this very ill. Settlers 

I)c~an to desert to Maryland where trade was free. In 1653 

twenty-two colonists presented Printz with a signed petition which 

n elled revolt against his harsh rule unless grievances were re- 

I f ressed. 

l'nraged, Printz condemned and hanged the leader, Anders 

13 A large expedition sent in the ship Kart in 1648 was wrecked on the way 

III ftlc Caribbean where most of its passengers died after great suffering at the 

l~rticls of thc Spainards.-ibid., 1, 269-75. Printz sent Lieutenant Skute and 

l~t~rlly his own son Gustaf to Sweden to plead in person for the needed support.- 

/Ad., I, 182, 318 ff.. 342 ff. 

14 I)oirrnrl,~r/~, 1, 590 ff.; Johnson, 1, 334-47; Wcslagcr, "The Indians of Delawrtr." 

41-43.

8 THE PEOPLING 01: N1,:W SWli1)IiN 

Jonsson, who had come to the Delaware wit11 him in 1643. More 

settlers deserted." Then in despair Printz sailed for home leaving 

his son-in-law Johan Papegoja in charge until he could raise ade- 

quate reinforcements in Sweden. Twenty colonists left the Dela- 

ware with him and others soon deserted to Maryland and 

Virginia."' 

Printz, broadly educated and traveled in 1':urope and having 

a distinguished service record in the Thirty Years War, was an 

able man, vigorous and po\\rerful enough to have staved off even 

Peter Stuyvesant if he had been given the promised support by 

the New Sureden Company and had practiced a more liberal policy 

toward the settlers.'- 

Religious life on the Delaware \\.as strengthened during the 

hrst five years of Printz's time. He brought wirh him in 1643 the 

Reverend Johan Canlpanii~s Holm, of high rank in his profession. 

He brought also his o\\.n 11ephetv Pastor Israel Holg Fluviander. 

Fluviander servcd hrst at Fort 1':lfsborg while it was being con- 

structed by Printz on the New Jersey shore (to control the tra& 

coming LIP the river), then at Christina. Campanius had been sta- 

tioned on company land at Upland (Chester). From his home 

there he served the Tinicum parish. After several years of duty 

both men wished to return to S\\,eden. Fluviander made his plans 

hrst. Then Campanius in his appeal to his bishop for release 

wrote that he \\,as unable to endure "the hard labor here." which 

obliged him. "\\.ithout any regard to the \\*eather to go from 

one place to tlie other to visit tlie settlers \\,ith the Word and 

the Sacrament." He asked that young men, strong and agile, be 

sent in his place. His recall came by the ship Src'ai~ in January 

1648, and by this ship arrived the young, strong and agile clergy- 

man to replace him, the Reverend Laurentius Carolus Lokenius, 

a Swedish educated native of Finland." His dramatic activities 

\\rill be related in succeeding chapters, for Lokenius \\,as a pro- 

moter of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Church and became its pastor. 

While Printz wrestled with the unhappy state of affairs on 

the Dela\vare in 1653, a ne\\. expedition to meet his needs was 

25 Johnson. I. 462-64; L~~cI~II/~~II/~. 1. 590-91. 

26 Johnson. I. 466; 11. 497. 

27 Ihld.. 11. 688. 

??I Ili/J.. 1. 248. 240. 301. 304. 367-74. 11. 678. 681. Finland \\.;IS :I province 

10 THE PEOPI.IN

Governor I

14 NEW SWlil)l:N I IN1 ) I,l( I( IhIN( ; NEW SWEDEN UNDER RISING I5 

suaded most of the colonists III~ILICIIII): 

t 1 \ I~ I I I ~ (;~~lwl~ter to settle 

at New Amsterdam. Hencll-ick VOII I,l\\vlc I\ W;I\ ullable to move 

Stuyvesant to release the ship or (OIII(. 11, \.III\~ ;I( 101.y tcrms about 

the cargo. After long effort 11c ~;IIII~. tlow~~ to Ncw Sweden over- 

land with Lieutenant Sven tliiiik, :I S(*IV;IIII, ;I secretary, and a 

soldier, and began his work for tl~c tolol~y. Allllough Rising wrote 

to Sweden at the time, that the loss 01 IIIC Il'rj was a "special 

injury," "a blow not easily repaired," ;111tl ill Ill:, llcxt report em- 

phasized the "weak condition" of t11c colol~y a11d the need of 

immediate relief, his resources in Inel1 ;IIIO IIIC~IIS ellabled him to 

go ahead with the development of tllc colol~y 111roi1gh the fall and 

inter.^ 

By spring 1655, however, when aid fro111 Ilomc was still lacking, 

supplies were very short. Rising was able to buy at high 

prices from English and Dutch merchants who came to the river, 

butter, meats, bread, wheat, clothing and ;I few other items. On 

June 14, he wrote that the colony was "in fairly good condition," 

but that provisions, cloth and other supplies wcre sorely needed. 

Without assistance from Sweden and new supplies to cheer the 

people, many would desert. Some already had." The Hollanders 

who took the oath, he reported, had gone off to Manhattan two 

or three weeks ago. Although affairs were less serious than in 

Governor Printz's last year, the colonists were now used to 

better conditions. Short rations and worn-out clothing were no 

help to the morale of soldiers and servants, nor to the freemen 

who were better off and some of them prosperous. The amount 

of goods that could be bought from the Dutch and English merchants 

was so far short of the need that in August Elswick wrote 

saying linen was so scarce that some of the soldiers were going 

without shirts.'O 

At the end of that same month, Peter Stuyvesant arrived in 

the Delaware with his large force of ships and men and on 

September 14/24, 1655, New Sweden was in the possession of 

the Dutch. Rising had been forewarned by Indians that Stuyvesant 

was preparing an expedition to the Delaware. It was clear to him 

8 Ibid., 525-26. 

9 Myers, Nurraf~c~es, 163-64; Johnson, 11, 530-31. 

10 Ibid., 533. The company provided maintenance for officers, soldiers. and 

servants in addition to their salaries and wages, which were held back. Against 

this reserve they could buy additional food and supplies. Freemen to give them a 

start--were aided with maintenance, farm equipment and stock on easy terms for 

rcpaymcnt to the company,-ibid., 11, 505-07. 

that the Dutch director would retrieve Fort Casimir if he could, 

so Rising prepared to defend it, had the fort strengthened, and 

sent his best men and soldiers there with a large supply of am- 

munition. That Stuyvesant meant to take the whole river from 

the Swedes, Rising could not believe. Only when the Dutch 

seemed to be winning at Fort Casimir did be sense the full 

danger." 

With thirty-five colonists, mostly officers and soldiers, and 

several of their wives, Rising went aboard the Dutch warship 

De Waegh, October 1/11, on the first lap of his return to Sweden. 

In the party were the two clergymen, Hjort and Nertunius.I2 

Domine Laurentius Carolus Lokenius can be imagined standing 

on the shore before Fort Christina, his hand raised in blessing 

for safe journey, once more the lone Lutheran pastor on the river. 

Fortunately, Governor Rising had spared no effort in report- 

ing to Sweden and recording in his diary and journals, the events, 

affairs and conditions on the Delaware. And supplementing 

Rising's Relution~ and ]ourizul~ is the work of his fortification 

engineer. Peter Lindestrom, who wrote the first geography of the 

Delaware River Valley and illustrated it with maps and charts.I3 

Lindestrom with the help of the Dutch surveyor Andries 

Hudde, and the support of Rising charted the river and shores 

of the Delaware Valley. The result was a "Map of New Sweden 

or the Swede's River" published in his Geogr.uphiu Anzericue as 

Map A, together with his Map R more intimately valuable as 

picturing New Sweden at the end of Swedish control. The latter 

is reproduced as the frontispiece of this <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> study.'" 

On Map B the symbols for dwellings and other buildings, 

evidently include those of families on company land as well as 

freemen on their individual plantations at sites known to have 

been occupied in Printz's time. Added by Lindestriim is the fort 

community Trefaldighet (Casimir), with its houses on the Strand; 

also Rising's new cultivated lands and his placing of colonists, 

June 1654 to September 1655. It will be noticed that the <strong>Crane</strong> 

11 Ibid., 596 ff. 

I.? Ibid., 614.15. 724. 

I3 Ibid., 553-57. 

I4 Antlrit-s Huclclc the .~hlc.st Dutch representative on the Delaware. first 

.II I'ort N.1ss.111 :IS ~l11c.l tivili:rn o6icc.r and then ;I.; secretary and surveyor at Fort 

( I I I -I'(I ~ II1\ur(, IIIIII ;I \.II.IIV Stuyvc\:~nt pve hirn permission to serve as survr,yclr 

fit1 t l ~ r . Sn,t.~l~ \ I),,i JIVI~.~II. X 11. 25 ff . 8); Mycrs. Ndrr~~lir~er, 13Rn.; John- 

\llll, 11, llppl~\lt

I look I(.!:II)II I\ ~.11l1 \ \ . I I ~ I ~ ~ 11111111 I I I 

0119 111.61 IIIIIIII of it on the 

\ O I I I I I Ii;111k 01 1111. ( 111 I,,IIII,I I( 11 I I I I I ~ I ~ ~ I ~ I I I 

111,. 11111 :Ire symbols 

III'I.III('II clear about 

or1 111~. "~1~1o1.111~l." \\ 111 1 1 I ( I ~ ~ I I I ~ 11~111 * , 1 4 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

50 ;I(IC\ ~III,~ ~ O \ V 11 \\ 1111 \\ 11, ,II ,,I\ III,~, t11r.111 1111,. 111ircI of the 

c.~ro~) for. tI1c.11 

I.II)III . \ I I I I ~ ~ I 

1111111 1111 'r111l \\111l 1,111(1 111 (lrane <strong>Hook</strong> 

are Iior~~c.h~c.;~(l\ 

.11 51 1.111~1 \\ 1111 ( '11 1 I 11101 1 IIIO~\) 011 land first 

CIIOSC~ I)y I I 

been the COIIIIS(:II(.II ~ ~ I . I I I I , I11 I Ill*, I 11 \,(.I ,II I 11 freemen, including 

that oi AI(,ia~~~~l~,~ 

,\,I I , \\ I I I ~ \\ 01,. 111 l~ohsc~ssion of 111s 

plantation there IIIIIII(.,~I.II~.~\. 

,111t.1 1111 1 )IIIIII 1001\ control again 

in 1655." 

No name is ~IVCII ,111 1111-. I I I S I I ~ 1111 I I I ~ . \OIII~I lx~rlk of the 

Christina opposite t11(. lor I, l 1111 11 I$, I ,I l lr,tl "'I c.l~lr;~koncks-landet" 

on the Lindestron~ 111a/) 0 1 SI~I~VI~~.~IIII'~~ 

\r

B 

New Sweden Coloni.rts 

Under the Dutch 

Y the terms of surrender, all tlle people u~~tlcr Rising, who 

of their own free will took tlle oat11 of ;~llcgiance to the 

Dutch government, the West Ind~a (;onll3;111y ;111(l to tlle directorgeneral 

and council of New Netherlantl. wcl-c to relnaln as freemen 

on the South River and gain their livcl~llootl as good and 

free inhabitants. Further, they were to have a pastor of their own 

faith and language.' 

Most of the colonists, the two liei~tcna~lts. I'l~as (;yllenpren 

and Sven Skute, remained on the Delaware; also (;regorius Van 

Dyke of long experience here with Printz and Rising. The person 

to teach the Lutheran faith, was, of course, Lokenius. No 

complete list of New Sweden colonists \vho signed allegiance to 

the Dutch is of record, but 230 individuals ancl heads of families 

including several widows are known to have been in New Sweden 

in Rising's time and one hundred more came on the belated 

~Mercurius in 1656. Some who had come on the Ggllrnr Haj and 

were settled at New Amsterdam are believed to have joined their 

countrymen on the Delaware after 1655.2 

All colonists had their houses and plantations confirmed to 

them and grants were made to those who had none. The latter 

were mostly the soldiers and the servants who had worked on 

New Sweden Company land. Each owner was free to buy and 

sell property and the buyers received confirming patents from 

Stuyvesant. He made some verbal grants on the spot in Sep- 

1 Documentr. I, 607-09; XII, 104-06 

2 Johnson. 716-716. 

NEW SWEDEN COLONISTS UNDER THE DUTCH 19 

tember 1655 and confirmed them later by patents from New 

Am~terdam.~ 

Under the Dutch West India Company, Fort Casimir was 

made the capital on the river. A provisional military commander, 

Dirck Smith, was in charge until December 18, 1655, when Stuyvesant's 

appointed vice-director, Jean Paul Ja~quet,~ arrived at 

Fort Casimir. Jacquet governed with a council consisting of a 

commis, Elmerhuysen Cleyn, and the secretary and surveyor, 

Andries Hudde, assisted by two citizens or two sergeants, depending 

upon the nature of the questions or court cases to be determined. 

Minutes of the Council for January 19, 1656 record: 

There appear at the meeting of Council the free Swedes, who live 

upon the second point above Fort Casilnir and request that they may 

remain on the land and that they are not willing to change their place 

of inhabitation nor build in the village which is to be established, 

but they adhere to the promise made to them by the Honorable Peter 

Stuyvesant, that they should resolve what to do after the expiration 

of a period of one year and 6 weeks granted them at the capitulation. 

This the court agreed to but warned that they would have to 

1 remove at the expiration of that time unless they were willing to 

live in the village. The expiration date November 1, 1656, for 

the free Swedes to join in a village or remove, came and went 

without record of any village bekg formed then or later. In 

Tune, 1657 Director General Stuyvesant ordered the former New 

Sweden colonists to form villages in places north of the Christina: 

"Upland, Passayonck, Finland, Kinghsessing or Verdrietige <strong>Hook</strong> 

(Edge Moor)." For any other site than those mentioned they 

must give notice.? Since September 1655, Stuyvesant had giveh 

patents for town lots at Fort Casimir and plantations in that 

neighborhood to. Dutch, Finns, Swedes, English, and settlers of 

other racial origin who took the oath of allegiance to the Dutch. 

So far as recorvds show only the settlers at tvhe Fort Casimir site 

r 

3 Dunlap. "Dutch ancl S\vedish Land Recorcls Rclnting to Dcla\r,are". Deldzr,di.e 

!Z~.~toi), VI, 25-52; Doc/ivie~/tr, XII. 168; 01/~11/'rl Lr///d Tit1e.r ju Del~ru,are, 

15-16 and pd.~~irn: John Scha,cgen was granted title to ldnd on the "first hook" 

above Fort Casimir by Stuyvcsant in person in September. 1655. which land Vice- 

Director Jacquet claimed for himself in 1656. Stuyvesant upheld Schaggen. contirming 

his verbal title by an c)thcial grant. 

4 P~III~I)~~~~I//'I 

air hit^^. 2nd ser. VII. 524; Johnson, 11, 658. Jacquet took 

thr o;~tIi of office Der. 8. 1655. 'tnd atrived on the Dela\r,are Dec. 18 (N.S.). 

I,rrqut~t I\ 50 \pellc~l in 1e;ln P.tul'r sign;~turc and in the early documents. 

5 ~ ~ o ~ ~ ~ I / I L Xll, ~ I / / I 11415, , 139, 190-91

20 NEW SWEDEN ('0I.ONIS'I'S IINI)I.lt '1'111: I)UT~l~c.s 

101. New Sweden, 

having left Sweden on Novcrnl,cr- 15, I,clo~-c. rlcws of the Dutch 

triumph on the Delaware hat1 rcac-l~e~l III;I~ coul~try, tlie Lutheran 

population was increased by ahout IOO ~>c.rnor~> u,ho were settled 

in the Tinicum parish. Nincty-two 01 rll~sc- wcrc Finns, men, 

women and children. (Thirty-two W~I-V twclvc years and 

younger.) In charge of the i\l~i.(.~i.///.~ \Y;I\ Mi~~uit's brother-inlaw, 

Hendrick Huygen, who rc~nai~lccl OII tlw \>claware and served 

the colony under the Dutch.' 

In the first reference to Pastor Lolie~~rus after New Sweden 

came under Dutch rule, lie appears ill tllc ~niliutes of Vice- 

Director Jacquet's court as "Mr. Laers, prcaclier and ecclesiastical 

deputy in matrimonial cases." (In relati011 to Lutherans). The 

court considered information he presented al)o~~t Nils Larsen, who 

was betrothed, but suffered from a clcclaration against him by 

a New Amsterdam woman of ill-repute. The court considered 

her testimony of little account. 

Also in Jacquet's court on August 14, 1656, is tlie first record 

connecting the vice-director with the land on the south bank of 

the Christina making him a close neighbor to the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> site: 

The aforesaid Vite-Director made a contract with pouwell Janscn 

(Paul Johnson) for the land on the S. W. Side of Christina Kil, 

sloping toward the fort, for one-half of the crop according to the contract 

made. And whereas he, Poi~~,ell Jansen, has sowed upon the 

land of his Honor, the affiant, etc.8 

Whether this was land given him by virtue of his office or was 

West India Company land cultivated by the vice-director is not 

clear, but the Amsterdam directors of the City's Colony on April 

22, 1659, approved a grant that had been made to him at the 

same site "in lieu of certain 41 morgens which he s~irrendered 

6 O~i~i,i,il I..I,I~ Tl/le\. 6-16; Doc~in~~~;!l\. XII. 177.183; 134 ff.; Acrclius. 

')0~95. 

7 I),,~/!,,Ic,I/I, Xll. 120 ff.; lol~n%on, 11. 634. 659-662. 

S I)(,. 

,~,I~/IcI,,I. Ill. OB, I)OII,IIIO~I~. I. 04 !, 11, 1 0 ~ I I; lll~ 344; XII. 131-36.

22 NEW SWEDEN C:OLONIS'I'S I INI)I!l< '1'1 lII DUTCH 

to our nation . . . I .~lrc.~dy IJC~III 10 I(..ICII scl1001 and have 25 

children. 

Of the immediate New Alnstcl tow^^ ~ O I I ~ I ~ I ~ I IDirector I I ( ~ , Alricl~s 

had reported on May 25: 

The colonists, free nlctha~~ich, civil ~CIV.III~\, wit11 the freemen who 

were here before our nrriv;~l, ;IIIL~ >OIIIC ICW WIIO have come and 

settled here since, may alnoullt, ;~ltogcrl~~l.. 

10 ahout sixty men capable 

of bearing arms. 

In a letter written about Augirst first, Al~~ic-11s mentioned "five 

and twenty men" sent to garribor) 1:or.t Altc.~);i, the former Fort 

Christina. He was disturbed tl~at tllc food on hand for those 

provided for by the company: solclicrs, Ii~hol-crs, new colonists 

during their first year, had to be distril)~rtecl to "about 160 souls, 

among whom are many women."'.' 111 iidclition would bc the 

traders and planters and the laborcrs clnyloyccl by the colonists. 

These numbers given by Alrichs overliip and arc incomplete, but 

on August 1, 1657, there must have been close to 300 men, women 

and children in the City's colony. Swedish colonists formed an 

important section of this population. They served as soldiers13 

and their cultivated tracts added to the food supply. Some living 

south of New Amstel extended the Lutheran parish of Pastor 

Lokenius, though not the area of Lutheran public worship. 

Above the Christina River in the summer of 1657, population 

can be roughly estimated from the lists previously noted for 

1654-55, minus those who left with Rising but with the addition 

of settlers from New Amsterdam and those on the Mefcrrviu~. 

This gives a possible 270 adult males. Assuming that two-thirds 

of them were married averaging three per family the nurnber of 

people would be 540 and could have been more. 

To the estimated under 300 souls in the City's Colony in early 

August, 1657, a large addition arrived on the twenty-first in the 

ship De Waegh, "about 300 colonists including farmers, free 

tradesmen, many families and women." On this expedition came 

the first Dutch Reformed minister assigned to the Delaware, the 

Reverend Everardus Welius. On September 27, the following 

year, the ship De Ve~gulde Meulerz (Gilded Mill) arrived at 

12 Ibid., 11, 157-58, 17. 16; XII, 188-89. 

13 Pe~~~.r~l~~,i~~ia 

Archirer, 2d set, V. 314-15. Governor Jacob Alrichs in a 

letter to Governor Fendall of Maryland. Tune 25. 1659, mentions among soldiers 

deserted to that colony: "Cornelis Jurri;~ensen of Winserenin S\vedenV and "Hans 

Roloff of Stockholm." 


New Amstel from Amsterdam bringing about 100 people. This 

ship brought no food to tide the new colonists over the winter 

and arrived at a time when excessive rain and flood had ruined 

the crops, some north of the Christina as well as almost total 

ruin below. Illness of a virulent kind was epidemic in the summer 

and fall of 1658 causing many deaths in the New Amstel region: 

the miller, the surgeon, many other useful citizens and many young 

children.14 

In the spring of that year Director General Stuyvesant had 

visited the Delaware to investigate smuggling rumors and the 

reason for requests of some residents of the New Amstel colony 

to move into the West India Company's jurisdiction above the 

Christina. The "arrangements" made by Stuyvesant upon his 

arrival here confirmed the Swedes in their privilege of self-govern- 

men, under regulations made by himself and his council at New 

Amsterdam. The Swedish headquarters was to continue at Tini- 

cum Island, where he confirmed their chosen magistrates and 

granted the request of the people not to be obligated to take sides 

if any trouble should arise between the crown of Sweden and the 

Dutch government. Stuyvesant addressed "the Swedish nation" as: 

our good and faithful subjects, to whom we hereby assure and 

promise our favor and all possible assistance, as if they were our own 

nation, pursuant to the oath, made before or still to be taken by 

those who may not have taken it. 

At Altena, the former Fort Christina, Stuyvesant had streets 

laid out west of the fort, no doubt with appreciation of the value 

previously recognized by Rising and Lindestrijm, of having here 

"a staple town" to strengthen Altena as the capital of the West 

India Company's holdings on the Delaware. Also, he arranged 

for the strengthening of the fort and garrison. At New Amstel he 

found that colonists and tradespeople had been bringing in goods 

in ships of the Amsterdam directors without paying the duty to 

the West India Company that was part of the contract between 

the company and the Amsterdam directors of the City's Colony. 

Stuyvesant braced the morale of the discouraged Director Alrichs 

itnd returned to New Amsterdam. 

A letter from the directors of the West India Company of 

May 20, 1658 had authorized Stuyvesant and his Council to 

i~ppoint a capable person to live on the South River to have

24 NEW SWEDEN COLONISTS UNI)I

26 NEW SWEDEN COLONISTS UNDER THE DUTCH NEW SWEDEN COLONISTS UNDER THE DUTCH 27 

In a census list more than a decade later, the Claessen tract 

is in a community called Mill Drope and the "responsible housekeepers" 

there are Peter, John, and \Villiam Clauson. "John 

Tison" listed after Peter in the printed copy is obviously an error 

for "John his son." Dunlap gives as the origin of Drope, the 

Dutch vrord dorp meaning village, thus completing the evidence 

as to the site of the village of Dutch farmers, settled 1658.") 

Whether the Dutch farmers had individual tracts to cultivate 

or used the land in common is not known. The people of <strong>Crane</strong> 

<strong>Hook</strong> were said to have received their land from the Dutch in 

one tract. Before the building of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Church, however, 

the land had been divided into typical Dutch grants as deeds 

and court records show, eight of them, 18 rods wide facing the 

river with a larger tract at each end (<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Map I), each 

plantation having in front of it a stretch of marsh of the same 

width extending to the water's edge. l'ach of these plots or 

plantations, called "home lots" extended 150 rods west to the 

border of a large tract of forest or woodland, which was held 

in common by the home lot owners. This arrangement repeated ; 

that previously mentioned at "Fyre <strong>Hook</strong>" (Furu Udden), a 

typical land grant method in the Dutch period, reproducing the 

neat patterns of small farm communities in Holland. English confirmations 

of the Fyre <strong>Hook</strong> tracts are identical patents to the 

eight owners by name, followed by a separatae patent naming all 

the owners of the individual plots and granting them an adjoining 

tract of meadow ground "not mentioned in their several patents," 

to be held "in common."'" Similar confirming patents for the 

<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> owners except for Simon Jansen are missing, but the 

information concerning those plots is supplied by other docu- , 

ments to be cited later. 

During 1659, the last year of Director Jacob Alrichs' time, 

deaths from epidemic disease, desertions to Maryland and Vir- 1 

ginia (in panic because of the death-dealing illness, also because 

i 

19 U'itbeke. Dlilch Er/~igr,t/in/~ to No~tl, Ar,~e~.icil, 16; O'Callaghan, Docurnerl- 

/irr.y Hirtor), 111, 33; O~igi~~ol L.III~ Tit1e.r. 143, 158; Docrime,~/s, XII, 529, 648; 

Dunlap. Dlitch 'r~ld Sli,edirh Plirrr-~/~rr~~e.r, 40-41. 

20 Dnr/ime~~t.i, XII, 645; Origi11'11 L,i//d Titler, 136-138. Confirmations of 

Dutch patents by English governors at "<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong>." "Second <strong>Hook</strong>" (Sn.an\\,~ck), 

"Wild <strong>Hook</strong> on Skillpaets Kill." near the former Fort Christina and at <strong>Crane</strong> 

<strong>Hook</strong> are for tracts of 25 rodr, or more, or less, by 600 rods deep. - lbid., 134. 

135, 156, 157, 159. Anions the Dutch grants published in translation by Dunlap, 

is a grant by Dutch Dircctor Alexander D'Hinojossa to Andries Matysen. Sept. 

20, 1664, for a tract at Sccond <strong>Hook</strong> mc;lrurin,c 29 by 600 rods. 

1 

of threatened attack by the English, along with the too strict 

regime of Alrichs), greatly reduced the population south of the 

Christina. In September of that year, Director General Stuyvesant 

reported to the West India Company directors that Director Jacob 

Alrichs had hardly thirty families remaining in the City's Colony 

and only twenty-five of the original fifty soldiers. Cases of the 

epidemic disease at New Amstel-which from the descriptions by 

Alrichs resembled the so-called "flu" that caused many deaths in 

eastern U.S. cities during World War I-were spread throughout 

the Delaware area. Few deaths are mentioned north of the Chris- 

tina. On January 14. 1660, Vice-Director Reeckman could write: 

"All our people are now well," but he reported new cases of ill- 

ness from time to time. In September of that year, Captain Jacob 

Jansen Huys, Dutch skipper of the galiot, Nezt~ Avz.rtel, which 

belonged to the City's Colony and had plied between New Amstel 

and Manhattan since August 1657, wrote concerning that colony: 

"Were there a tolerably healthy population and a reasonable 

harvest, and a parcel of good farmers, it would still prosper, and 

the people who remain would again begin to pluck up courage."21 

As early as March 1660, the erratic and generally untrust- 

worthy Alexander D'Hinojossa, who, by Jacob Alrichs' will, 

became provisional director of the City's Colony following the 

latter's death December 30, 1659," had made his first bid to 

Swedes and Finns up the river to come into the City's Colony. 

On January 15, Deeckman wrote Stuyvesant: "I learned lately, 

that about 20 families of Fins and Swedes intend to go and live 

in the Colony this spring, which the Sheriff (Gregorius Van 

Dyck) and Commissary (Henrick Huygen) have requested me to 

prevent." The willingness of the up-river "Swedes and Finns" to 

move into that desperately unfortunate colony suggests that very 

attractive terms were being offered by the provisional director. 

On April 28, 1660, Deeckman wrote: "That they {the families 

of Swedish and Finnish farmers) want to move into the Colony 

is because they cannot get land enough near the others {up the 

river) and that the small parcels of land, which they have now 

licre and there, are too troublesome to fence in." This came about 

_'I /)o~r~r/rr~~ctr. 11. 69; XII, 2-79, 236. 249. 250. 253-4. 139. 271; 11. 124. 

1 A feu \\ctkr hcftrrc tlic clv:ltli of Alrichs nt tlic cncl Drcernbcr. 1659, 

~)'I~III~I~U\\;I, li(.i1t(11~1n( und~r t l ~lir(ctor. ~ 

11.1~1 \r.r;ttcn xctctly to thc Uurgomasters 

+11 AIII\~I.~~~~II~I. 

pr,li8ir~,c (;IIcI'\ l)l~\\~rix OII IIIIII~. clccl,~rin,q dcvott(~n to their 

IIII~.:.(.\I\ ;11rc1 

1 1 1 0 I 

~)I(.\(IIIII~!: 111111\(.1f .I\ .tl>l


because under rumored threats of an English attempt to take the 

Delaware settlements, and fear that the Indians would join the 

English, the leaders among the up-river colonists at last realized 

that for safety the outlying farmers should move closer together 

about one of the small settlements on or near the Schuylkill that 

could be defended: Kingsessing, Aronameck, or Passyunk. But 

the question of who was to move where raised such a controversy 

that Vice-Director Beeckman spent several days among them, try- 

ing to have the place and time of moving settled. None of the 

farmers wanted to be the ones to move and those who had large 

tracts at a suitable place for developing a community were un- 

willing to make room for others. In the end they all remained 

where they were. Some of them said if they had- to move at all it 

would be to Maryland. Meanwhile the Swedish officers with 

Beeckman's help prevented any acceptances of D'Hinojossa's offer 

that year.23 If the site of his offer was <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong>, that land still 

had a short time to wait for settlers. The same year Beeckman 

reported that the "Swedes and Finns count about 130 men able to 

bear arms." This would indicate as probable, a population of 400 

above the Christina, in that fortunate district, while the colony 

to the south had dwindled from a high of 600, given by Director 

Alrichs in August 1658, before there were any deaths in the epi- 

demic, to a possible low of 200 or less.2" 

In the spring of 1662, Director Alexander D'Hinojossa, now 

formally commissioned to his office, tried again to persuade the 

farmers up the river to come into the City's Colony. On June 21, 

Vice-Director Beeckman wrote: 

Sixteen or eighteen families, mostly Finns, residing in our jurisdic- 

tion, to whom great offers have been made by Mr. d'Hinojossa, in- 

tend to move into the Colony; they are to have 18 years freedom of 

all taxes with their own judges and decisions up to 100 guilders, also 

free exercise of their 

Except for taxes these were the conditions under which they had 

been living in the West India Company territory since October, 

1655 under Peter Stuyvesant's grant of privileges. 

When it came to the actual moving some of these families may 

have changed their minds, but that some of them did move to 

23 Ibid., XII, 299, 306, 300, 310, 301. 

24 Ibid:, 11, 51, 54. 

25 Ibid., XII, 384. 

<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong>, then or later, is determined by comparing the names 

of up-river Swedes or Finns with the same names that appear in 

<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> tax lists, court records, and deeds within the next 

few years and in confirmations later. Acrelius, who gives a bio- 

graphical paragraph on Pastor Lokenius, writes: 

In a deed of division, which he drew up between Paul Jon's widow 

and her children, dated at Tranhook on the 14th of April, 1664, he 

calls himself Pastor Loci, although the church was not erected for 

three years after that time.26 

That Lokenius called himself pastor of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> in a public 

record implies at least, that Director D'Hinojossa kept his promise 

concerning freedom of religion. As for Paul Jon,27 the only man 

of that name known to have been on the river at the time was 

"Paul Johns{s)on, freeman", who came with Rising in 1654 and 

lived first at the S~huylkill.~~ Under Vice-Director Jacquet, in 

1656, he appears in the Dutch records as Sergeant Paulus Jansen, 

who farmed "his Honor's land" on the half shares opposite 

Fort Altena. He probably lived near the fort; for in the early 

summer of 1657, he was one of two sergeants there under the 

i 

I direction of Andries Hudde. In September 1660 he had a "square" 

i plot of land in the neighborhood and in addition was given a 

1 patent dated April 7, 1661, for "a lot for a house and garden near 

Fort Altena."29 He may have been one of the first to accept 

D'Hinojossa's offer of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> land in 1662. 

Further proof that other up-river Lutherans were permanent 

settlers at <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> in the early 1660s is to be found in the 

"Census of the responsible housekeepers" at <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> about 

1675-78.30 Thirteen taxables are named or partly named in a 

defective manuscript: 

26 Acrelius, 177. "Tranhook" from l'rane. Swedish for <strong>Crane</strong> and Hoeck, 

Dutch for point, neck, or cape of land. See Dunlnp, Dlrtrh arzd Suedi~h Plare- 

Nrrmer ir~ Delnufare, 56. 

27 Many Swedes and Finns at this prriod did not have permanent surnames. 

1;cch son or daughter might take the given name of the father with son or dotter 

.~(lclcd. P.iul Jan's son u~ould have the surname Paulsson. 

28 Johnson, 11, 719. 

29 Dorutrzentr, XII, 151. 170, 183; Pe~/~/r)lr,r~~~ia Arrhiz,e.r, 2nd set. V, 6. 

31) Dor~~me~~tr, XII, 648. Thc "census" xvhich lists inhabitants from Wicaco 

(I'l~il.iclclphi;i) south to Cedar creek in Kent County is undated. The transcript 

In llrir ~cf(,ren~c is placed bet\rfecn documents of April 21 and May 1, 1680. But 

\(.v~.I.II of tllr prrsons n.lmccl h.~d clled in 1676 and 1677 as proved by probate. 

8I1.c.11. :~n,l co~l~t rccor(I\. 11.1115 Ijlo(k h(.fore M.iy 11, 1676.- (Dorurne~ts, XII, 

5.15; 0c.I~. 'I'o(.r\r11, 1. h(~forr Nov. 5. 1678. -- (hletll Crrtle Reroidr, 1, 247-258); 

.IIILI ~ ~ I I I ~ I \

30 NEW SWEDEN COLONISTS UhDER THE DUTCH 

Mons Poulsen 

Hendricks .................... 

Bartl the ................ 

Polla Park ................ 

Ericke Mat ................ 

Askel ff in 

Las Eskellson 

Samuel Peterson 

John Skrick 

Olla Toersin 

Simon ye ffinn 

Mathias ye ffinn 

Euert ye ffinn 

By comparing these names and parts of names with the list of 

colonists in New Sweden, 1654-58, previously described, and with 

New Ca.ctle County Court Rec.01.d~. 01.i~i1~~il L'incl Titles! and the 

list of settlers fined in the "Long Finn" insurrection, 1669, their 

identity may be determined. Also by New Castle County deeds 

of confirmation of separate plots after 1680, especially as the 

"census" taker or constable has listed his "responsible housekeepers" 

in the order from north to south in which deeds place 

their plantations. The first plot, Mons Paulson's was not within 

<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> proper as later defined, but an island of fast land 

in the marsh bordering the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> line, leaving twelve 

owners within <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> (See Map I). 

Paulson, Mons, often recorded 2s Moens Poulsen by Dutch-educated 

Clerk and Surveyor Ephraim Herman, his last will is dated December 

3, 1680, may be the man of that name who arrived on the Delaware 

in 1654 with Rising (Johnson, 11, 721). It is likely also that he is 

the son of Paul Jonsson whose property was divided by the abovementioned 

document, dated as of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> in 1664. 

The twelve plot owners south of Poulson are identified as 

follows: 

1. Andriesson, 'rlins Andries, Hendrik. A freeman so named arrived 

on the Delaware in 1654 (Johnson, 11, 717). He appears later 

putting up a paling fence around <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Churchyard (NCC 

Court Records, 11, 68-9). 

2. Hendrickson, Bertil, a Finn. A Bartholimeus Hendrickson removed 

to Maryland in the Dutch period (Johnson, 11, 668n), but as a 

number of the deserters came back he may have been one of 

them.3l 

31 Docrrrnr,~#.r, XI[. 297, 336. Hy proclamation, March 1. 1660, the directorgeneral 

and council dt New Amsterdam or~lcrcd that the deseriers to Virginia ancl 

M;~rylan


they were dependent for the offices of their church upon the only 

Lutheran pastor, Reverend Laurentius Carolus Lokenius, and their 

only church was at Tinicum Island. Glimpses of the religious life 

of the Lutherans are few throughout the period of Dutch control. 

Lokenius preached at least once in the then forbidden territory 

south of the Christina. This service, held at the end of 1658, or 

early in 1659, brought upon the unhappy Director Alrichs the 

following reproof from the commissioners of the City's Colony in 

Holland : 

The bold undertaking of the Swedish Parson to preach in the Colony 

there without permission, does not greatly please us. And as we will 

assuredly, that, as yet, no other religion but the Reformed can nor 

will be tolerated there, so you must, by proper means, put an end 

to and prevent such presumption on the part of other sectaries.32 

The preaching could hardly have been in the town of New 

Amstel where the Reverend Everardus Welius held services in 

the Dutch Reformed church on the Strand, but near enough for 

the Dutch, Swedish, and Finnish Lutherans there, to attend. Perhaps 

never in their lives had these Lutherans needed the solace of 

public worship as they did during the terrible winter of 1658-59, 

when neighbors, friends, and members of their families were dying 

of virulent disease and many who remained alive were weak from 

illness and from scanty rations. Lokenius must have been going 

about among the suffering families giving such comfort as he 

could while trying to keep them in the Lutheran fold. For in their 

distress, the Lutherans in the New Amstel area, who were able 

to attend church3) would be drawn to the Dutch services upon the 

ringing of the bell on Sundays and weekdays. The Dutch reformed 

pastor who had arrived on the ship De Waegh in August 

1657 and was the friend-in-need to Director Alrichs, suffered with 

Alrichs the same illness in the fall of 1659 and died December 9, 

that year, followed in death by Alrichs on December 30.~~ From 

that month for many years the Dutch Reformed had no minister 

of their faith. Regular services of prayer, sermon-reading, and 

psalm-singing by lay-readers and comforters-of-the-sick continued 

32 Ibld.. 11. 61. 

33 Ihld. XII. 374; Del~u.~rte HIIUI-J, V. 283-84, the little Dutch church on 

the Strand >vni Andries Hudde's house sold by hiru to Director Alrichs in 1657 and 

remodeled. 

34 Doc~~ttieurr, 11, (14. 116 (also 77, 106, 180-81); XII, 786-87, 306, 287 

(.11\o 212. 228. 237-40). 

until in 1679 the Reverend Peter Teschenmaker became the Re- 

formed pastor at New Ca~tle.~' 

Near the time of Pastor Welius' arrival at New Amstel two 

notably high-ranking Dutch Reformed clergymen at New Amster- 

dam, Rev. Johannes Megapolenesis and Samuel Drissius, in a 

letter to the Classis of Amsterdam, August 5, 1657, describing the 

state of education and religion in New Netherland give an inci- 

dental paragraph to the drinking habits of Domine Lokenius on 

the Delaware: 

This Lutheran preacher (Lokenius) is a man of impious and scan- 

dalous habits, a wild, drunken, un~nannerly clown, more inclined to 

look into the wine can than into the Bible. He would prefer drink- 

ing brandy two hours to preaching one; and when the sap is in the 

wood his hands itch and he wants to fight wholnsoever he meets. 

The Commandant at Fort Casimir, Jean Paulus Jacquet, brother-in- 

law of Domine Casparus Carpentier, told us, that during last spring 

this preacher was tip ling with a smith, and while yet over their 

brandy they came to i! sticuffs, and beat each others heads black and 

blue; yea, that the smith tore all the clothing from the preacher's 

body, so that this godly minister escaped in primitive nakedness, and 

although so poorly clothed, yet sought quarrels with others. Sed Hoi 

Prlrergicos (but this incidentally) .3" 

The two right-living and able Dutch Reformed clergymen can 

be excused for telling the incident described by Jacquet, but their 

statement about the inclinations and preferences of Lokenius could 

be slander, for the whole of contemporary evidence, except theirs, 

indicates the Lutheran pastor's seal for preaching, and faithful 

performance of the offices of the church. 

Alcoholic beverages were a part of the reg~11ar daily fare in 

the period among clergymen as well as lay people and social drinking 

in homes and taverns on the Delaware was an accepted custom. 

Mild intoxication among soldiers and laborers and even officers 

while frowned upon was doubtless tolerated under the successive 

governmental regimes, but i~ntler each drunkenness in public was 

regarded as a reproach to [he good name of the colony and might 

be punished by fines and restricted privileges." 

35 [bid.. 310. 404. 410; .Er~~l~~~~.r~~ir.~l 

RCCIIIJ~. I. 450, On Au,cust 3. 1662 

Ilccckman requcsteil Stu)vcs.~nt to zcn~l clo>in .I clcr,cyn~:ln. ',.IS there .Ire sevel-ill 

cl~ildrcn to h.lptirc I I ~ I C .it A1tcn.1; nor Ii.~r the Lorcl'.; runper hccn ;~~lm~n~stere~l 

I1c1.c for ?I/, yc.>ri." 

36 [/>IJ , I. 393-99: I),,~.I/~IIL,II/ 

t. 111. 09-72. 

37 Fcrr~\, Or1.ql11.11 ~ < / / / < J I I L ~ I I / 011 \ //I

34 NEW SWEDEN COLONISTS UNDER THE DUTCH 

What became of the log building used as a church at Fort 

Christina before the Dutch conquest is not known. The fort and 

its buildings seem not to have been strongly garrisoned by the 

Dutch at first. A year and a half later sixteen Dutch soldiers were 

stationed there and soon afterward the buildings were being 

strengthened by supplies from the Hudson sent by Stuyve~ant.~~ 

As Fort Altena was the capital of the Dutch West India Com- 

pany's territory on the river after April 1657, public Lutheran 

worship would not have been permitted there. Lokenius in that 

year or earlier probably took possession of the Lutheran manse 

and glebe at Upland where Campanius and then Nertunis had 

lived. The privilege of public Lutheran worship as granted by 

the Dutch included retaining use of the church and church prop- 

erty at Tinicum Island3%nd the concession must have included 

also the glebe at U~land.~" For the Upland glebe continued in the 

possession of the whole Lutheran congregation on the river until 

1694, when wardens of the "congregation" of Wicaco and <strong>Crane</strong> 

<strong>Hook</strong> sold the seven-acre property to David Lloyd. The church 

land is mentioned in deeds for adjoining property and in court 

records of the 1670's;' but it has not been possible to trace in consecutive 

documents the confirmations from 1655 to 1694. The 

deed of sale mentions only the two under the Penn government, 

1684 and 1690, all that were necessary to give legal title in 1694. 

Lokenius early acquired a tract of land adjoining the glebe, 

confirmed to him by Governor Lovelace September 15, 1669, and 

later an extension of it, the plantation formerly of Olle Stille 

granted Lokenius in the summer of 1676. The certificate of survey, 

dated July 17, is for 350 acres including what had been granted by 

a former patent.42 'Meanwhile Lokenius had his troubles as well 

as the pastoral duties of his far-reaching congregation along the 

Delaware. On April 28, 1660, Vice-Director Beeckman wrote in 

38 Docunren~r, XII, 107-10, 119, 175-76, 188, 193, 198, 202-03. 

39 The church at Tinicum was on land belonging by royal grant to Printz, 

Hazard, ANNuI.~, 77. His daughter Armegot was permitted by the Dutch and later 

by the English to retain possession, - ibrd., 219-20, 403-04; Johnson, 11, 690. She 

finally sold the property but the use of the church was not interrupted, Acrelius, 

204. 

40 Campanius was s,tttled at Upland on company land in 1643 and Nertunius 

assigned there by Rising in 1654. -Johnson, 1. 372; but how much land they 

had use of is not found in available records. Perhaps both had only the seven 

acres which in later years \\(as thc r'stent of the Lutcran glcbe. See folowing note. 

4 I Up1'11rd Cr~ur~ Recordr, 200.201. 12 1-22. 

42 II~cl,nrr~l/t, XII, 49 I, 550-5 1; O~igi~la/ L'III~ 'rr//c.r, 109.10. 


his report to Director General Stuyvesant: "Oele Stille made 

strong opposition to me on the last Court day because I suspected 

him, that without authority he had allowed the priest (Lokenius) 

to marry a couple of young people in his presence, without procla- 

mation in church and against the will of the parents. I con- 

demned therefore the priest to a fine of fifty guilders. . ." Also 

under this date Beeckman reports the end of a case involving 

Lokenius and Peter Meyer. The minister had complained to Mr. 

Beeckman the previous November of assault and battery upon 

him by Meyer: "He had been fearfully beaten and marked in his 

face, as I never saw it, whereupon both were summoned, but be- 

fore the meeting took place, the affair was settled out of court, 

thus asserting that the judge (Beeckman) had nothing to say 

about it."43 

During the night of September 19-20, 1661, the wife of 

Lokenius eloped with Jacob Y~ung,~" trader and Indian inter- 

) preter, who then had a room at Upland, and within four weeks 

the pastor requested civil permission to marry "a girl of 17 or 18 

years." In November he asked again as "the situation of his family 

imperiously requires it," for he had several young children. He 

obtained from the court at Altena a decree of divorce dated De- 

cember 15, 1661, subject to the approval of Stuyvesant and the 

New Netherland Council. Without requesting or obtaining the 

final decree, he married the girl in January, 1662, through a ceremony 

~erfor~ned by himself. On April 14, 1662, Vice-Director 

Beeckman, as head of the Altena court, informed Domine 

Lokenius "that his marriage was declared illegal, because he had 

43 Dorunzell~r, X11, 307-308. Petcr Meyer came to New Swcc1c.n about 1643, 

;IS a soldier, and left to live in M;~ryland in 1661. Johnson. 11, 667 with notc, 

668, 703, 713. Because the cluties of Grc~orius Van Dyck. shel-iff of the Swedes 

;tncl Finns in the West Incli;~ Con~pany's jurisdiction were "very lieqhtn (a tribute 

to the goocl behavior of the up-river people) the clutics were tr.~nsferred to Ueeckman, 

Mar. 21, 1661. The sheriff was also prosecutor and judge. 

44 Jacob Junge (YNNII~ in English records) camc to Fort Christina \\'it11 

Governor Rising in 1654 as clerk of the .~tc~rehousc. Johnson. 11. 716; and in 

Dec. 1654 and Fcb. I655 made inventories of the goods at Tiniculn and Christina. 

- Ib~d., 503-04. After Rising's cleparture Youn~ W;IS in the servicc of the Dutch 

;it Ncu, Amstel and Altcnn, as intcrprctet. an11 trader. l'hc runaway couplc went to 

M;irylancl, \\'here Jac-ob \\.:is soon cmployc~l hy the government. Information con- 

(crnin.~ him and his many services in Maryl.tncl runs throu,gh seven or more volumes 

of M;IIJ~,III~ Archi1,e.r. About 1675. lie \Y;IS In possession of 1280 acres in New 

(;;~\tlc County. most of it on the north sicle of the mouth of St. Gcol-,qes Creek. - 

I)~~.~lll~l//l, XII, 543; Ol.i~lllil/ /.illld Tll/L'l, 102-3, 162. 165. At the COUrt Of NCW 

I N o 3. 16x0. J ;I~II~ Younn's \\rife (thc folmcr wife of Lokenius?) clefends 

I~iln ;~,g:iin\t tlcf:~~il;~tio~l by )oIin ,I-iiylor. Sl~c win.; tIic, suit. Most of Young's story 

tolcl hy I(.II~I.IL.I S


married himself, which is contrary to the order in matters of 

matrimony; that pursuant to the laws of the Fatherland he ought 

to have first asked and obtained a [final) decree of divorce from 

the superior authority and that in case of delay he would be 

obliged to proceed against him." On the same day Lokenius was 

heavily fined for having broken into the room of the fugitive 

Jacob Young, in the house of "Andries Andriesen, the Finn," and 

"for usurpation of the authority of the Court."" 

Lokenius states his case to Director General Stuyvesant as 

follows: 

Noble, Honorable General, 

Sir: 

My humble services and what further lies in 1ny power are always 

at your disposal. It will not be unknown to your Honor, how, since 

the elopement of my wife, I have fallen from one misfortune into 

another, because all my steps taken on that account have been given 

the worst ex~lanation and I have been condemned to heavv fines. 

I 

which considering my poverty, I an1 not able to get together, for 

besides about 200 guilders paid already, I have now again been 

sentenced to a fine of 280 guilders, which has happened, because I 

was looking for my wife, and thought she was in the room, which 

I opened by force. I found there nothing but some pairs of socks, 

which the vagabond robber of my wife had left behind him. I 

inventoried these and whereas it has been so interpreted as if I had 

abused the Court by this act of mine, threrefore I have been fined 280 

guilders, as it is pretended, that the runaway was so much in debt and 

whereas I have been condemned to this fine in my innocence, having 

no other intention than to look for niy wife, therefore it is my humble 

petition, that your Honor as Chief Magistrate may please to be favorable 

and merciful to me and to forgive me, what in my ignorance has 

happened here and to remit my punishment considering my poverty. 

As to having married myself, I have proceeded lawfully therein and 

consent was given. I have followed the same custom, which others 

have followed here, who have not been called upon that account. I 

declare on my conscience, that it was not done with any bad intention; 

had I known that this self-marriage would be thus interpreted, I 

would have willingly sub~nitted to the usages of the Reformed Church, 

which were not known to me. 

"Therefore I pray once more the Honorable General may please to 

assist me with favor and mercy to attend to my poor vocation and 

means, so that I may enjoy my bread and livehood without being a 

burden to anybody. The Lord Almighty, to whose protection I faith- 


fully commend your Honor, may move your Honor's heart and mind 

to such mercy. 

Uplandt, 30th April, 1662. 

Your Honor's humble subject 

Laurentius Carolus 

L. Minister. 

To the Noble, Honorable, Distinguished 

General Petrus Stuyvesant, Director 

of New Netherland.46 

Whether Stuyvesant considered this appeal and sent Beeck- 

man instructions for dealing with Lokenius is not of record. But 

the marriage stood. His children (by both wives) who used the 

surname Lock, grew up to be estimable citizens. 

By 1662, Dutch and Swedish Lutherans in the New Amstel 

colony were permitted by Director D'Hinojossa to call a young 

Lutheran minister from Amsterdam as school master for their 

children. Domine Abelius Zetskoorn arrived in the City's Colony 

the following spring and taught in the Colony for more than a 

year. In June Beeckman wrote to Stuyvesant: "Abelius Zetscoren 

received an invitation and call from the Swedish congregation, 

subject to your Honor's approval, but Domine Laers objects to 

it with all his influence, so that the Commissaries were compelled 

to threaten him with a protest before he could be persuaded to 

permit Domine Zetscoren to preach on the second day of Pene- 

cost." Further information is provided in Beeckman's letter of 

November 15 : 

Abelius Zetskoorn has been called by those of the Augsburg Con- 

fession, who belong to the colony of New Amstel, as I informed your 

Honble Worships before this, with the consent of Director and 

Council there, subject to the approval of their very Honorable Wor- 

ships, the Lords-Burgomasters. Since his staying there, he has been 

here in the district of the Honble Company only once (it was last 

Whitmonday) and then he preached at Tinnakunck [Tinicum) at the 

request of the Swedish Commissaries. Afterward he was offered as 

high a salary, as Domine Laers receives; they wanted him especially as 

schoolmaster, but they of New Amstel would not let him go. In re- 

gard to the information, received by your Honble Worships, that he 

also administers the rite of baptism, this is not true: I shall expect 

your Honble Worship' further order in this matter.47 

46 lhid.. 367. The signature is the only original found in this scnrch. In 

11 orJ\ of the Duke of York period, he is frequently called "Lnurentius Cnrolus" 

\\,~tl~oi~t either "Lock" or "L". 

47 ll>id.. 111. 40; 437. 433. 446; E~rlc~~.l~tir.rl Rerordr, I, 550; Dorumentr, 

XII. 446.


Domine Zetskoorn must have had a good command of the 

Swedish language, as well as his native Dutch, to have been 

wanted by the Swedes in Beeckman's jurisdiction to teach their 

children. He performed no religious offices in the New Amstel 

territory, but probably taught the children of Dutch, Swedish and 

Finnish Lutherans their catechisms according to Augsburg Cen- 

fession. 

Except for the deed drawn by Lokenius at <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> early in 

1664, which as previously related he signed as pastor of the place, 

there is no further record concerning Lutheran religion or educa- 

tion on the Delaware until October of that year when the English 

Duke of York's commander, Sir Robert Carr, forced the surrender 

of the Dutch on the Delaware to his English Majesty, King 

Charles of Great Britain. 

Before this happened Director Alexander D'Hinojossa, who 

governed badly from the day be came into office following Direc- 

tor Alrichs' death, but took much care to strengthen his standing 

with the Amsterdam directors of the City's Colony by sending 

them adroit reports of his administration, had disrupted life 

among the people in his jurisdiction and become a threat to the 

peace and prosperity of the whole river. Below the Christina 

Dutch, Swedes, Finns and others suffered from his tyranny and 

his persecution of individuals, especially those who failed to pay 

him the homage he de~nanded.~' 

A man who offended the director might be severely sentenced 

on a false or triflng charge, while serious offenses against the 

public safety might be ignored as was the open selling of liquor 

to the Indians. On one occasion when two farm servants on a 

plantation close to New Amstel, "one a Hollander, the other a 

Swede or Fin" killed three Indians, a man, woman, and boy while 

robbing them of their wampum, D'Hinojossa arrested the mur- 

derers, heard their confessions and the convincing evidence 

against them and then discharged them. Terrified Dutch and 

Swedes on the surrounding farms fearing Indian violence in re- 

venge sought safety among the closely settled town people. For- 

tunately the news reached Stuyvesant at New Amsterdam in time 

to prevent this tragedy. He forced D'Hinojossa to prosecute the 

murderers and the Indians were pacified.49 

1 NEW SWEDEN COLONISTS UNDER THE DUTCH 39 

1 i 

Early in 1663 D'Hinojossa was selling property of the City's 

Colony, "everything for which he can find a purchaser, even the 

powder and musket balls from the magazine," wrote Beeckman, 

for means to provide supplies in expectation of ships bringing 

many colonists. This maneuver did not support the claims of 

competent management he had made to the Burgomasters. Although 

his sales of ammunition to Maryland merchants weakened 

the defenses of the Delaware D'Hinojossa depended upon the 

English not to attack. He was planning a great trade with them 

for which he would move the capital of the colony from New 

Amstel to the App~quinimink.'~ 

As a boast and threat, especially to the up-river inhabitants, he 

declared publicly that the West India Company would soon sell 

the company's holdings on the Delaware to the City of Amsterdam, 

implying that he would then control the whole river. Late 

in the spring he took ship for Amsterdam, returning December 3 

with 150 colonists, thirty-two of whom were Finns. The sale had 

been made by the West India Company (still greatly in debt) and 

Alexander D'Hinojossa was now the City of Amsterdam's director 

of the "Colony of the South River from the sea upwards as 

far as the river reaches."" 

1 ! True to his character, D'Hinojossa immediately displayed his 

power by announcing that Beeckman was dismissed from the 

Delaware; he published a date after which all trade by the inhabitants 

would be forbidden. Trade was to be carried on only by 

his appointees. He issued orders that no colonist should brew or 

distill beer or liquor either for sale or for home use, in order, he 

explained, to gain surplus wheat and barley for export. He hired 

out the new farm laborers including those from Sweden to plantcrs 

for a term of years, "almost the same method," in Beeckman's 

words, "as the English trade in servants." 

Beeckman refused to transmit the order against brewing and 

rlistilling to the Swedish population above the Christina, since 

they engaged in it only for home consumption, and no more grain 

was ~roduced than was needed by the people and for seed." 

Early in January, Reeckman had called together at Altena, the 

Swedish commissaries and all the Swedisll colonists in his former


jurisdiction, announced his resignation, and released them from 

their oath to the West India Company. The next day a delegation 

of them appeared before D'Hinojossa and his Council at New 

Amstel. There they showed plenty of spirit. "Now we are sold, 

hand us over," said the leaders. But when the new oath was read 

all present refused to take it. They demanded a written guaran- 

tee of the same privileges in trading and other things that they 

had enjoyed under the West India Company. D'Hinojossa and 

Council gave them eight days for consultation among themselves 

and with those of their population who were not present, after 

which they would be required to take the oath or leave the 

river.'3 Most of them were trapped unless they could bring them- 

selves to leave their hard-won possessions in cultivated land, in 

buildings, equipment and livestock - for confiscation of every- 

thing any departing colonists owned was to be expected from 

D'Hinojossa. There is no record that they took the oath at the 

end of the eight days nor that any of them left the river. The 

signing probably dragged along, a few at a time, and may not 

have been complete when the ships of the Duke of York appeared 

on the river in October. 

Having heard from Stuyvesant and also from the Amsterdam 

directors of the City's Colony who recognized the importance of 

keeping a man of Beeckman's experience and wisdom on the Dela- 

ware in the interest of an orderly change of government, D'Hino- 

jossa invited him to stay offering him his present property as a 

gift if he would continue to live at Altena. Mr. Beeckman did not 

accept; but he remained with his family at his Altena home until 

Stuyvesant was able to provide a place for him as chief officer at 

Esopus (Kingston) on the Hudson. The moving with his wife 

and eight children, his possessions and those of the West India 

Company could not be managed until July 4, 1664.'" 

So for an additional six months of D'Hinojossa's rule the 

Swedes had an unofficial advocate and protector. The majority of 

New Sweden settlers were of peasant stock, but the peasants of 

Sweden, unlike those of other European countries, had never been 

serfs. As a class they were freehold farmers, one of the four 


"Estates" of Sweden: Clergy, Nobility, Burgers, Peasants, en- 

titled to speak for themselves and their interests before the king 

and his councillors. And as a class they were honest, religious, 

and hardworking, hospitable and generous, but tenacious of age- 

long ways, fond of sports and out-door life. These were their 

I normal traits, however much individuals might diverge from these 

qualities.>'

The Building of 

<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Church 

HE west side of the Delaware was not included in the grant 

T of American territory to James, Duke of York, by his 

brother, Charles I1 of Great Britain, March 12, 1664. But James 

in his determination to reduce the naval and commercial superiority 

of the Dutch, used his position, High Admiral of the British 

Navy, and the favor of his brother, to take the whole of New 

Netherland in his majesty's name. For tl-lis adventure he sent 

across the Atlantic a commission headed by Colonel Richard 

Nicolls in command of a fleet of armed ships carrying soldiers. 

By threat of this overwhelming force compared with the weak 

defenses of the Dutch, the duke's commissioners secured the surrender 

of New Amsterdam without the firing of a gun, August 

27/September 7, 1664.' 

Sir Robert Carr, one of the commissioners, was then dispatched 

with two frigates and a company of soldiers to take the Dutch 

South River. The ships arrived in the Delaware September 30/ 

October 10, sailed unchallenged past New Amstel without a salute 

and negotiated with the Swedes and Finns above the Christina, 

who accepted the liberal English terms. Later, after three days 

parley with the Dutch officers, magistrates, and people at New 

Amstel, Commander Carr persuaded magistrates and people to 

take the oath of allegiance. Hut not the Dutch director, D'Hinojossa. 

He rushed his chief officers into the fort which he had 

largely denuded of fire-power, alerted the soldiers, and attempted 

a semblance of bristling defense. The British ships were not in 

range, but the next morning Sir Robert Carr dropped them down 

1 Andrrws. CO/NNI.~/ Period, 111. 53-63; Ori~r!/t~/ Lrud 7.iflcr. 17-23. -1 !I( 

Duke's grant estenJtd only to ''the. ta.;t .;~clc. of Dcl.l\\;~re I3ay." 

r New 

h 

THE BUILDING OF CRANE HOOK CHURCH 43 

before the Dutch fort where each fired two broadsides into that 

redoubt killing three soldiers and wounding ten. Carr's soldiers 

rushed upon the fort for plunder and Carr followed, securing 

booty for himself. He then took "for the use of the King from 

Amstel and inhabitants thereabout" everything of value 

including the stores and equipment in the fort, the livestock, crops 

and farming implements from some of the plantations. To pay 

for supplies he gave the Dutch soldiers in trade to an English 

merchant to be sold into indentured service. The Negro servants 

belonging to D'Hinojossa he traded to Maryland for beef, pork, 

. corn and salt. D'Hinojossa and the sheriff, Gerrit van Sweeringen, 

all their property confiscated, departed for Maryland, but the able 

and versatile Peter Alrichs swore allegiance to the English and 

prospered.' 

The plundering bout by Carr was in violation of his instructions. 

He was recalled October 23/November 2 and his booty 

taken from him. Colonel Richard Nicolls, governor for the Duke 

of York, came to the Delaware immediately following the recall, 

established orderly government, and did what he could to meliorate 

the effects of Carr's brutal conduct. Whether any Swedes 

1 and Finns living among the Dutch in the New Amstel district 

suffered in the raid by Carr is not known. New Amstel was 

renamed New Castle and Captain John Carr, a son or brother' of 

Sir Robert Carr, was made commandant on the Delaware. 

Under the English terms for allegiance, colonists who took the 

oath, whatever their nationality, were protected in their real and 

personal estates; became free citizens and could enjoy the privileges 

of trading into his majesty's dominions as freely as any Englishman 

and would be given a certificate for the purpose; present 

magistrates and other officers under the Dutch were confirmed 

in their authority and jurisdictions for six months; all people were 

I 

to enjoy liberty of conscience in their church discipline." 

t 

[ 

The freedom of worship thus granted in October, 1664, was 

within two years reinforced by the Duke of York. A letter from 

(;overnor Nicolls to "Ge~r~le~l/e~/," not named in the published 

2 ~),,CI:TIIVII~, XII. 457 ff., 111. 68-73. 345-346; PCIIIIC~/I,III;~I At.~/,;~,er, XI 

t \II . V. 752; Hnz;lrcl, A~r,ra/r. 368. 

\ I)O'.I,TII~.II~~. XII. 457-459; H:~zar'l. 367; Perr~ir~lr.r~rr~ Archirer, 2d scr.. 

1 V 5.IIrl?: ,liihir.>t rl A~.I~~/,III~. 

I., 416 ~ o c I I I I I ~ ~ XI / ~ / (index) ~ , Iirts l(1l1n Cirr 

.I, "\III~" of Sir Kohrrt. citin,~ 111. 109. hut John C;~rr is not mentioned thtre. 

hly< I,. A'./~r.///r c,. i Ion.. \.I).\ 111l1n \\.I( R~~hcrt'\ "bl-orl>c.r. not his cousin." 

,t / ) ~ ~ ~ l ~ T l l 111, ~ l l / 71; ! , /'~'I/I/~)/I'./I/I.I Ari./,/~47,

44 THE BUILDING OF CRANE HOOK CHURCH 

transcript, but its contents necessarily applying to all districts 

alike reads: 

Gentlemen. 

I have lately received Lrc~ from ye Duke Wherein it is perticulerly 

signifyed unto me that his Royal Highness doth approve of ye Tollertion 

given to ye Lutheran Church in theise partes I doe therefore 

expect that you live friendly & peaceable wtl) those of that profession 

giving them no disturbance in ye Exercise of their Religion, as they 

shall receive noe Countenance in but on yc Contrary strictly Answer 

any disturbance they shall presume to give unto any of you in yor 

divine worship. So I bid you farewell being 

Yor very loving friend. 

Fort James in New Yorke this 13th day of October, 1666.5 

Fortunately by this firm policy, any obstructive tactics that may 

have been used by the Dutch Reformed magistrates still in office 

at New Castle against the building of a Lutheran church would 

be overcome. The congregation would still have to secure from 

the court at New Castle permission to build and approval of the 

site.6 The general history from the contemporary sources of the 

Swedish Lutherans on the Delaware as given in the preceding 

chapter shows that no <strong>Crane</strong> H ~ok church could have been built 

before the change to English sovereignty in October 1664. Plans 

for the church may have been in the mind of Pastor Lokenius as 

early as 1662, when Governor D'Hinojossa promised Swedish 

and Finnish farmers in the West India Company's territory "free 

exercise of their religion" if they would move into Dutch territory 

south of the Christina. Conditions under D'Hinojossa were 

hardly propitious for the building of a new Lutheran Church, 

even if the congregation who would attend could have been persuaded 

to build the church at <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> rather than at Christina 

where the first Swedish Church had stood. 

Considering from the foregoing that the opportunity to build 

<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> church arrived about 1667, weight is given to the 

comment written by the Reverend Erik Bjork7 who became the 

pastor of the church thirty years later, that so far as he could 

5 Dorrrment.r, XIV, 626. 

6 Neut Cirrtle Courr Record.r, 1, 45-47; Docrrnze~rrr. X11. 526. ?'hat the court 

at New Castle determined the places of worship, both C;ilvinist and Lutheran, I\ 

confirmed hy orclcrc of the court, quoted hereafter. 

7 Erik Hitirk's n;1111e is co spelled by moclel-n Sueclih \\.ritcrs in stliol.irly 

~>~~l,l~c.~t~on\. 'l'lic \urn.llnc come\ from the S\x~ccl;sh \vortl for hirch trce. 

discover, services had been held there since the year 1667.' Thus 

expressed, his statement represents an effort to learn the date of 

building <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Church, for which he had good opportunity 

among the oldest members of the congregation at the time he 

arrived in 1697. No <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Church records have survived. 

Some must have been kept for there was a parish clerk in the 

1670's who may have been appointed when the church was built. 

He was Oele (Olof) Poulson of Bread and Cheese Island. The 

only records by Lokenius that could be found by the Reverend 

Andreas Rudman, 1697-1702, were in a small book of jumbled 

items? 

The time of building the church having been established, the 

location is to be determined by deeds and surveys of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> 

land, by deeds and surveys to individual owners, by deed of sale 

of John Matson's property; also by a court case involving church 

land. Reference to <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Map I will show the relation of 

Hendrick Lemmens', the plaintiff's property in the following 

I court case to the site of the church as later determined. Hendrick 

I 

Andriessen, the defendant, who had enlarged the church yard will 

be remembered as one of the "responsible housekeepers" on <strong>Crane</strong> 

<strong>Hook</strong> land in the census of 1676-78. 

On October 17/27, 1683, in the Court of New Castle, Hendrick 

Lemmens accused Hendrick Andriessen of "Haueing taken 

in this plts. Land at Craen hook Church:" 

1, 

I The afternamed two0 wittnesses were Sworne for ye pit Hans 

Peterson & Charles Petersen Sworne in Cart. that they haue ben 

prsent and Seen that the deft hath taken in fence att Craenhooke 

Church yard about ye breath of three paces more then were [where) 

ye old pales Stood - 

The deft alleidging that hee could proove that ye former owners 

of ye Land had Given Sufficient power for inlargeing ye sd Churchyard, 

and desireing that ye case might bee Suspended ti1 next Colt 

for him to Proove ye abovesd-The Cort therefore Suspended ye 

1 same and ordered that the deft bring in ye writing wch hee Sayer 

there is, to proove that by ye former owners of ye Land there was 

Sufficient power Given for the Enlargeing of ye Church yard to ye 

Church att Craenhooke aforesd'o 

8 MS. Records of Holy Trinity Church, 1, 12. 

9 OeIe (Ola, Olof) Poulson is called "clockcr" and "klocker" (klockare) 

in scveral records. See Docume,zt, XII. 648; New Castle County Book of War- 

riints (Confirmations and Grants). 1667-1679, folroc 56-57; Rudman Manuscripts. 

10 Nru, C'rctle Recordr, 11. 68-69.

46 

THE BUILDING OF CRANE HOOK CHURCH 

On December 4/14, 1683, the case was again taken up: 

The defft saith ye Land in controversy belongest to ye Church 

being given by the first owner. 

Laurence Cock being appointed Interpretor was accordingly 

attested 

Samll Peters being attested saith he gave thirty foot of land to 

ye Church 

Epherim Harman being attested saith, yt Richard Noble he Sur- 

vayd ye Land in Controversy & the inhabitants made no objection 

Wrion Wruonsen being attested said the first donor allowed the 

Church so much land as it should need 

The Jury upon ye matter going out bring in their verdict for ye 

Defft with cost of sute 

The Court give Judgment according ye Verdict of ye Jury." 

Unfortunately the "wryting" to be brought in by Hendrick 

Andriessen is not described by the clerk in recording the disposi- 

tion of the case. Andriessen's handling of the court case and his 

enlarging the burial ground indicates a position of responsibility, 

probably that of warden. He is presumably, the "Hindrick An- 

dersson, freeman," who came with Governor Rising in 1654, and 

who in later records is a blacksmith." 

Hendrick Lemmens' nationality and time of arrival on the 

Delaware are not known. He appears first as the author of a 

protest by <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Lutherans in 1675 (cited later). On April 

4, 1677, he has a suit against "Peter Hendricx" for a debt of 34 

gilders, in the court of New Castle.I3 On October 3, the same year, 

he and Symon Jansen, "Inhabitants att the <strong>Crane</strong>hock," petition 

the court to grant each of them 50 acres of marsh lying between 

Captain Evert Hendricksson's Island and the Batstow Creek,I4 

which was granted. He was among those at New Castle who did 

"Solemnly promise to yield to him [William Penn) all Just obedi- 

ence," on the old calendar date October 28, 1682, and was 

naturalized by Penn at New Castle on old calendar February 21, 

1 I Ib~d.. 77. The witness \vhoe name is spelled Wrion U'ruonsen in thc 

printed Recordi ant1 Urrion Ulriionson in the manustrlpt was Juriaen Juriaensen, 

son of Juriaen "Bosrnan" or "Bootsrnan" (Bosjeman?) who was the owner of Long 

<strong>Hook</strong>. See <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Map I. Land at Long <strong>Hook</strong> in the possession of Juriaen 

Juriaensen urns confirmed to him in 1669, OrIgfn~tl Land T;fle.r, 143-144. 

12 Johnson. 5u.edIrh Serrlenienrr, 11. 717; Logan Papers. Quit-rents. Thrcr 

Lolver Counties. 1701-1713. 

13 Neu Cn.rrle Recnrd.r, I, 75. 

14 <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Map I. A resurvey of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> land in 1703 shows in 

its a(-companying drawing the location of the Batstow Creek a short distance soutl~ 

of thc Cr;lnc. <strong>Hook</strong> line, in Pacrd <strong>Hook</strong>. - Book of Surveys (Penn), 297. 


1683. From January 20/30, 1685 to 1687, the year of his death, 

Henry or Hendrick Lemmens was a justice of the court of New 

Castle." 

The <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> properties bought by Hendrick Lemmens 

T between 1675 and the court case of 1683, that proved the church 

, 

i 

yard to adjoin his land, can be known by comparing rhe owners 

of plots in their order from north to south in the 1676-1678 

census of "responsible housekeepers," with the owners of the 

same plots, 1680-85, as shown on <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Map I. This map 

is based on the official survey of October 20/30, 1680, by Ephraim 

Herman, New Castle County surveyor, of the 784 acres of <strong>Crane</strong> 

<strong>Hook</strong> proper,16 and deeds and surveys for adjoining land in effect 

1680-1685. 

In the first list there are eight owners between Hendrick 

Andriessen at the north and Simon Jansen at the south end of the 

<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> properties. Between Andriessen and Jansen the responsible 

housekeeper owners were Bertil Hindricksen, Pella 

Parker, Erick Matson, Eskell Andries, Lars Eskellson, Samuel 

Peterson, John Matson, and Olla Toersen. The 1680 survey confirms 

that Andriessen and Simon Jansen had large plantations and 

that in between them were originally eight single home lots, 18 

perches ("rods") and 2 feet wide at each end and 150 perches 

in depth plus marshes in front and woodland behind. At the time 

of the survey, Hendrick Andriessen is still in possession of his 

large plantation; the two single "home lotts" next south of him, 

formerly of Bertil Hendrickson and Pella Parker have been acquired 

by William Johnson (alias Scott); the third single home 

lot, formerly of Erick Matson has been acquired by Hendrick 

Lemmens; the fourth single lot is still owned by Eskell Andries, 

the fifth single lot, formerly of Lars Eskellson, has been acquired 

by Hendrick Lemmens; the sixth single lot, formerly of Samuel 

15 New Castle County Deeds, G-1, 410; Nerrf Cntrle Record.r, 11, 37, 94-151. 

16 lhrd., I, 503-505.

4 8 THE BUILDING OF CRANE HOOK CHURCH 

Peterson," has been acquired by John Matson, who still owns his 

original single lot adjoining; the eighth single lot, originally of 

Olla Toersen, has been acquired by Simon Jansen (Symon John- 

son), increasing the size of his large plantation.ls 

Hendrick Lemmens in 1680 owned the original lot of Lars 

Eskellson which adjoined the original lot of Samuel Peterson now 

owned by John Matson. These are the "home lotts" that deter- 

mine the position of the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> church property. Samuel 

Peterson gave 30 feet to the church, so Lars Eskellson if he owned 

the land in 1667 was the man who gave the church "so much land 

as it should need." That Lars Eskellson owned this same lot the 

second year after the church was built has confirmation in the list 

of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> participants fined in the "Long Finn" conspiracy 

of 1669, where Lars Eskellson, Samuel Peterson and John Matson 

appear conse~utively.'~ 

Thus the court case and the official survey show that the plot 

of ground belonging to <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> church in 1667 was partly 

on both sides of the line of division between Samuel Peterson's 

home lot and that of Lars Eskellson. But there is no indication 

of its site along the 150 perches of that boundary. John Matson 

who acquired the Peterson lot next north of his own sold his 

double lot, February 11/21, 1687, by the following deed: 

John Matson alias Screeck of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> sold to Hendrick 

Vandenbugh, merchant of New Castle County (and town) for a 

17 At this time Samuel Petcrsc~n o\vned a tract of land on the north side of 

the Christina (part of \vhich was later \X~illin~to\vn, now part of Wilmington), 

his half of 400 acres convcvetl to him ancl Lars Cornelison on the 10th day of 8th 

month, 1674, hv John Anderson Staltop (Ne\v Castle Deeds, K-1, 364). He had 

been in possession of a piece of Holland Creek Marsh on the south bank of the 

Christina since 1654-1655 ;IS Samuel Pcrs(s)on i Bogen and Samuel Peterson, 

freeman (Johnson, Sufedi.rll Settlemeutr, 11, 721). "i Bogen" describing the location 

of his marsh, at or in the shoulder (of lat~tl) or bend (of a stream), which later 

deeds, survcvs, ancl a court taw sliow as on both sides of the South Market Street 

causcwav (<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Map I) adici~ning John Paul Iacquet's tract. racquet sued 

Peterson and Jacob Classon (Clawson) in 1674 (New Casrle Records, I, 122) for 

mowing hay over on his tract. A survey for Jacquet (Book of Surveys (Penn) 

326) sho\\rs Peterson's tract adjoining Iacquct's in the bencl of the creek. A recital 

in Deed Book E-2, 341-344 (1783), trnccs Samucl's tract back to his son Peter who 

inherited under his \vill, clated 20 Sept. 1699, cited in Deed Book K-1, 364, 

mentioned above. 

18 Confirmecl to Simon Jansen and Mattys Berckelsen (Eskelson?) July 1, 

1669. land on <strong>Crane</strong> Hnok in their possrssion, 60 rods wide next to Laats Toorsen 

and runnin,~ 600 rnds into the \voocls. - 0r1~11ral Title.r, 159. In the survey of 

<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Land. 1680. Johnson's tract is 86 perches (or rods) wide and Berckelsen 

ancl Toorsen have nnne. 

19 List of 1669 ;IS "tr:~nscribed and examined at New Castle, May 11, 1675" 

Ill /)Oi lir~I~~?ltl, 

x11, 470.47 I 


Vallowable sum of money . . . a certain pantacon scituat Lying and 

being in <strong>Crane</strong> hooke afored bounded to ye North west with ye 

Church to ye South east with ye River Delaware to the South west 

with the Land of John Crompton containing two Lotts being now 

in the tenure and occupacon of ye sd John Mattson alias Screeck 

with all ye housing outhousing . . . to haue and to hold &c. 

Acknowledged in the Court of New Castle on Fabruary 15/25, 

1687.20 

"Northwest with the Church" coincides with the information 

of the court case and survey, for the northwest line of Matson's 

"two lotts" would include the northwest line of the lot formerly 

of Peterson. Peterson's lot was 18 perches and 2 feet wide along 

this back line dividing his cultivated land from his share of the 

woodland, and as Peterson, according to the court minutes, gave 

only 30 feet to the church, the church land began very near the 

edge of Peterson's land or woodland and extended north into that 

of Lars Eskellson, later of Lemmens. Of this extent there is no 

record. Bounded to the northwest by the church suggests that the 

church was outside the line of Matson's cultivated land and there- 

fore in the woodland area belonging to this north lot. In a pre- 

liminary recorded agreement for the sale to Vandenburg, Febru- 

ary 26/March 8, 1685, "both home lotts & Woodland and all 

the Marshes or Marsh Ground thereunto belonging," etc., are to 

be conveyed. In the deed of sale and in subsequent indentures, 

the suggestion is strengthened that the church land was in the 

woodland.21 The Matson deed establishes the distance oi the 

church from the Delaware River. The fast land of "home lotts" 

faces the "great Marsh" along the river a fourth to a third of 

a mile wide,22 which added to the 150 perches back to the woods 

puts the church at least three-fourths of a mile from the water 

and about a half mile back from the "wagon way leading to 

Christina ferry."23 

<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> maps I and I1 were made by plotting <strong>Crane</strong> 

<strong>Hook</strong> properties from contemporary deeds and surveys upon a 

modern map of south Wilmington, with the aid of an air map24 

20 New Castle County Deeds, B-1. 5-7, and see 134-135, sale of former 

Simon Iohnson tract to John Grantham. 

21 Ibid., 1-2, 5-7 134-135, 84. 

22 New Castle County Book of Surveys (Penn). 297. A drawn plot is 

recorded with the certificate of rcsurvey of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> land, Jan. 28/Feb. 8, 1703. 

23 New C,r~tlc, Rc-cnrdr, 11, 50-53. 

24 Tl~i\ c~xa~.l1


and by field expeditions. The location of the church thus ar- 

rived at is probably close enough to the original site for archaeolo- 

gists to find the exact location of the burying ground. 

As to the architecture of the church and character of the build- 

ing published English translations of contemporary records have 

stated merely that it was of Evidence that <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> 

Church as well as the church at Wicaco was of the block-house 

type is provided in the words of the Reverend Erik Bjork, pastor 

of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> during its last years and familiar with the Wicaco 

church in use when he arrived on the Delaware in 1697. His 

description is included in the Latin thesis of his son, Tobias Ericus 

Biork, submitted at Upsala University, Stockholm, and printed in 

1731, Dissertatus Gradualis de Plantatione Ecclesiae Svecanae in 

America. Referring to Wicaco and especially to <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong>, the 

son quotes his father as writing: 

These (churches) were so built that above an elevation suitable for 

another house there was erected an overhang, several courses higher, 

from which they could shoot downward; so that if the heathen who 

could shoot no one unless they were to come close to the building, 

attacked them, the Swedes could shoot them all down quickly, while 

the pagan, who used only bow and arrow, could hurt them little if 

at all. 

For this quotation Tobias Biork used the original Swedish 

text of his That both churches were built of wood 

(de ligno) means to the student of Swedish architecture on the 

Delaware: built of logs, round or squared, expertly notched to- 

gether at the ends to form the walls, with planks for flooring, 

clapboards or planks for the gabled roof, a door usually in the 

gable end, sliding boards to close the window openings when 

glass was not available, the whole built upon a stone foundation 

or on the gr;~nd.~' 

25 Acrelius, 176. 

26 Translated by Mrs. Courtland B. Springer from the Swedish text in Biork. 

Di.r.rertatio Graduali.r, 11-12, which reads: "Hwilcka (Kyrkior) u80ro si bygde/ 

at efter en lagom hogd som ett annat hus/ giordes en utbygning nigra hwarf hogre/ 

ther the kunde skiuta utfore; si at om Hedningarne anfollo them/ som intet kunde 

skie/ uthan the icke skulle komma in pa huset/ ti kunde the Swenske skiuta neder 

them alt fort/ och Hedningen/ so~n brukacle allenast boga och pihl/ kunde litet 

eller intet skacla them." (The diagonal lines have the function of commas.) 

Acrelius, (Be.rkrif~~ing, 198.199). uses the same text but says it is quoted 

from Andreas Rudman's MS. history, which he had used at Gloria Dei Church, 

Phil;~ilelphia, clurinn his stay in America, 1749-1756. 

27 Johnson. Stredilh Settle~r/e~~t~, I, 345 A,; Wcsla~er, "Log Structr~res in Ne\v 

S\\,eJcn," 86. 


- Drawing by IValrer S/eu,arl 

from derrri/~rion of Rerjerend Erik Bjork 

A logical reason for choosing <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> as the site for 

building the church in 1667 has been hard to find in the site 

itself and the preceding history. Acrelius assumed that easier 

distance for the Lutherans of New Castle was the reason.28 No 

members of the congregation then lived on the east side of the 

Dela~are,~9 but the greater part of what became the congregation 


29 As early as 1666-1669 a few Dutch and French families belonging to the 

Dutch Reformed Church at New Castle acquired tracts of land on the east side of 

the Delaware: Foppe Jansen Outhout, Isaac Tayne, Peter Alrichs and others. 

Swecles. [:inns. and Dutch Lutherans helonging to the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Church began 

;~cquiring IanJ in the Penns Neck-Salcm Creek area ;thc)ut 1671 and later. Their 

numher in


of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> lived at Christina and above. Here again Tobias 

Biork provides the answer (in Latin), telling that those living "in 

tractu Christinae" sought to build themselves a church: 

But because there did not seem to them there much provision 

[protection) against an invasion of Indians, the greater part of them 

erected for themselves at a place across the river Christina, <strong>Crane</strong> 

<strong>Hook</strong>, a church called by the same name, and also built of wood. 

The original text reads: 

Sed quoniam nec ibi ab invasione Indianorum, satis sibi prospectum 

videretur, major eorundem pars, amne Christina trajecto in loco 

Tranhuken templum sibi, eodem nornine insignitum, etjam ligneum 

exstr~xere.3~ 

Indians used the Christina River as a thoroughfare and also 

the trail near the Delaware between New Castle and the Christina. 

So the church was hidden away on the edge of what was actually 

hardwood forest, behind a series of plantations with their build- 

ings, orchards, and judging from the marked trees that formed 

the plantation boundaries, forest trees still standing. That the 

Indian menace was real is made clear by contemporary references, 

especially the report of Sir Robert Carr after he had taken the 

Delaware. The Indians at that time were not friendly and because 

there was a war on by parties from the tribes of Senecas and Tus- 

cororas, Christians as well as the River Indians might be attacked 

in their forays.31 

Lutheran services on the Delaware were conducted in the form 

used in Sweden in the time of Printz and Rising. Lokenius, dur- 

ing the twelve years since New Sweden came under the Dutch, 

must have kept as closely as he could to the established order in 

the church Psalmbook or handbook to which he was accustomed. 

It can be conjectured that the dedication ceremonies and services 

at <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Church followed an order prescribed for one of 

the important special Sundays of the year. This would mean a 

long service or it might be two services and two sermons on the 

same day. 

According to the Swedish custom all services opened with the 

singing of a Psalm by the congregation. The order of the day 

included responsive readings or singing, prayer, the Epistle for 

30 Di.r.rei/~r/io Gradualir, I I- 12. 

31 Ducnnre~~/t, 111, 73; Wcslnger. "Minquas," 18; nncl see Docu~ze~~/r, XII, 

493. 

THE BUILDING OF CRANE HOOK CHURCH 5 3 

the day, the sermon, one of the several creeds read or sung, singing 

of a Psalm often special for the special day, prayers, admonitions 

and announcements by the pastor and final blessing. 

The church celebrations of Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, 

each lasted four days with appropriate daily ceremonies; other 

special days had only a morning service on the day.32 As in most 

religions, the church bell was important to pastor and people, but 

whether those of the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> congregation within hearing 

were summoned by the sweet tones of a good bell made in Sweden, 

or the clangor of a poor bell, or by any bell at all, is unknown.33 

Effort would be made to decorate the interior of the church amro- I1 

priately. Materials for altar cloth and vestments could be procured 

from English merchants and women members of the 

congregation skilled with the needle could supply the decorative 

handwork. A painting such as Rising desired for the Christina 

Church of his day, would be harder to procure.'" 

Records are silent about both ~oke&us and the church for two 

years. In 1669 came a testing-time for Swedes and Finns of the 

congregation. An impostor came among them, calling himself the 

son of the Swedish General Conigsmark. With persuasive talk 

he played upon the strong loyalty to the Swedish crown that many 

of them had. Called alternately the "Long Finn" and the "Long 

Swede" by the English, this man, Marcus Jacobson, convinced 

some of the worthy Swedish colonists that under his leadership 

Finns and Swedes could overthrow the Duke's officers by force 

and take control in the name of young Prince Carl of kveden. 

Henry Coleman (Kolehmainen) ,3' a Finn who knew the Indian 

language, joined the newcomer,.the two of them hiding out among 

the Indians between their recruiting sorties among the people. 

'They were caught, the leader imprisoned, tried and found guilty 

32 Johnson, Su,edi.rh Serrleme~r/.r, I, 366, A. 

33 The only bell known to havc cnllecl Lut1icr;lns tc~ cl1urc.11 up to the end of 

~ I I C <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> period was the hell at 1-inicum. made in Sweden, engraved with 

IIIC year 1643 ancl sent to Governor Printz on the "Fnma" in 1644. It went to the 

Witaco congregation in 1699 for their new church. Gloria Dei. and was in use 

tl~crc until the Revolution. - Johnson, Colli~l, 69; Johnson, Stc*ed;.rh Se//letnenr.r, 

I, 306. 

'l'here is nc~ mention of a rliurcl~ bell at F~)rt Christina. Governor Rising. in n 

1~11c.r home of July. 1654, sug~rsted that two or tl~ree hells would be "very 

cc,~vi(e:ihlc hcrc." (Myers, Nar.a/~r,e.r, 150) but it is unlikely that any were received. 

34 Rrv. Erick Hjiirk writes that for the dedication of the new church on 

'I'r~r~ity Sul~cl;ly. 1(1OC). IIC cli


of conspiring to invade the government by force of arms, and of 

maliciously and traitorously soliciting, enticing or threatening 

others to join a revolt and betray their allegiance to His Majesty, 

the King of England. The false Conigsmark was whipped, 

branded and sent to Barbadoes to be sold as a servant. His chief 

confederates suffered a fine of the value of half their goods and 

chattles and the rest who were drawn in and followed him, 

lighter fines. And who were his confederates? - Many of those 

living at <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> along with other Swedes and Finns from 

New Castle to Verdrietige <strong>Hook</strong> (Edge Moor). Among the con- 

federates was Pastor Lokenius, about whom the English governor, 

Francis Lovelace, wrote from New York, September 15, 1669, to 

Commander Carr and the commissioners at New Castle: "I per- 

ceive the Little Domine hath played the trumpeter to this disorder, 

I refer the quality of his punishment to your discretion." He was 

sentenced with those required pay the higher fines: "Laurance 

Carolus minister 600 guilders." Among the richest, judging from 

the value of half their possessions, were Olle Fransen, 2000 

guilders; Henry Coleman, 950, and John Stalcop, 1500. Before 

the trial the governor had ordered Stalcop imprisoned as a chief 

fomenter and actor in the intended insurrecti~n.~" 

If the upstart Long Finn or Long Swede had come recently 

from Sweden in 1669, he may have known that Sweden was still 

making efforts to regain New Sweden. The effort began in 1656 

by presentation of demands and "memorials" to the Dutch gov- 

ernment at the Hague. That government in fair-sounding resolu- 

tions appointed commissioners to adjust any objections, but finally 

referred the Swedish claims to the Dutch West India Company 

which had no intention of returning territory or paying indemnity, 

but stalled along until the English conquest of 1664. Sweden then 

tried to secure reparations from the English, of course to no 

Within the next few years the geographical extent of Cranc 

<strong>Hook</strong> congregation reached down to the Appoquinimink, follow 

ing permission of the English governor, Francis Lovelace, to 

"Finns or others" to take up land and receive their patents as so011 

36 Dorume~~tr, XII, 463-472; Acrelius, 116; Hazard, AIIII~~I, 375-379. T l ~ r 

names of those dra\\'ing lesser hnes include all the "responsible I~ousekeepcl-\" 

listed later (1676-1678) :ct <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> crccpt one, Ollc l'ocrsen. 

37 Johnson, Su,edirh Srltlerne~l~r, 11, 648-656; DO~N~IP~II,, XII, 445, 45s. II 

232-236, 240. 


as the land had been sur~eyed.'~ The Dutch Governor D'Hinojossa's 

intention to make his capital there had called attention to 

the value of the location for trade with Mar~land.'~ 

It was in 1669, also, that Lokenius obtained a confirmatory 

title to some new land at Upland.40 That same year on the old 

calendar date, March 1, there arrived at New York an ordained 

German Lutheran clergyman, Magister Jacobus Fabricius, who was 

to become a rival of Lokenius for the pastorate of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong>. 

I 

He was sent by the Lutheran consistory at Amsterdam in answer 

to requests of New York Lutherans for a well-qualified pastor. 

Fabricius was born in Poland of German parents and had been an 

ordained pastor at Groslogan (Gross Glogau) in Silesia. At the 

time he applied to the Amsterdam clergy for an allowance (viaticum), 

he was a refugee from Poggans in Upper Hungary during 

an invasion of the Turks. Nothing further has been learned of 

his background in the present search, but the fact that his "old 

age" tempered penalties against him in a New York court in 

1674 indicates that he was of mature years before his mission to 

New York. He impressed the Amsterdam consistory by his credentials 

for pious conduct and learning and by his preaching at 

Amsterdam, as having "such gifts and learning as are needed to 

build up" the New York Ch~rch.~' 

~abiicius chose Albany for his first pastorate in this country, 

where he immediately interfered with the authority of the magistrates, 

and his license to preach was revoked for a year by Governor 

Lovelace. When the year was up, he was still forbidden to 

preach at Albany but was given freedom to serve the congregation 

38 Ibid., XII, 464. 

39 In 1663 D'Hinojossa had persuaded his superiors at Amsterdam that 

"a stone house in the form of a redoubt" ought to be built at Appoquinimink 

(site of Odessa) for a convenient trade with Maryland by way of Appoquinimink 

Creek and Great Bohemia Creek. - Docwmewrr, 11, 211. There is no evidence that 

the stone house was built, but Gerrit Otto, later one of the magistrates at New 

Castle, acquired land there in 1667. -Deed Book A-1 ,24-25. Other grants followed 

(luring the next decade, and bv 1677 there was a settlement with a mill and a log 

fort. Part of the fort was rented for dwelling quarters, and Magistrate Otto was 

nuthorized to collect the rents and use them for the upkeep of the fort.-New 

Ca.rtle Records, 1, 57. 

40 Documentr, XII, 491. 

41 Van Laer, Lutherun Church, 63-69; Jacobs, Lutheran Church, 3; Eccleriastird 

Recordr, 1, 602; Documentr, 11, 693. "Fabricius" is the early Latin form of this 

n;tnle rctaincd in Germany where from the 16th to the 18th century ten or more 

pcrsons of that name were of sufficient importance to be included in the Dictionary 

,I/ I111ir~er1'tl Aiogrilphy (I.ondon, 1916). In The Netherlands, where the name was 

rill-r, tlrc Dutcli .\pcllc


of the City of New Y ~rk.~~ By that time, April 1670, he had married 

Annetje Cornelis, Dutch widow of Lucas Dirks van Berg of 

New York, and on April 13 received a pass from the governor 

for himself and his wife to go to New Castle, to collect a debt of 

900 guilders owed to her from the estate of her late husband, 

which Governor Lovelace urged be paid without further delay.42 

The following letter from the Lutheran elders at New York to 

the Consistory of: Amsterdam, June 30: 1670, describes their difficulties 

with their eccentric pastor: 

Reverelzd Ge?ztle??ze?z of the Colzsistory, our beloved alzd very great . - 

Benefactors: 

We hope that your Reverences duly received our last of the 27th 

of October from New York to your Reverences at Amsterdam, from 

which you will have learned our situation here and how our pastor, 

Magister Jacobus Fabritius, conducts himself here. We can, therefore, 

now that the opportunity offers itself, not refrain from informing you 

once more that he does not behave himself or live as a pastor should. 

He is very fond of wine and brandy, and knows how to curse and 

swear, too. In his apparel he is like a soldier, red from head to foot. 

He married a woman here with five children and has dressed them all 

in red. For himself he has had coats and a hat made like the pastors 

at Hamburg wear. He pays little attention to people, so that our 

opponents or neighbors have nothing else to talk about but thc 

Lutheran pastor. This has lasted as long as he has been in this country. 

He traveled to the South River without notifying any one of us and 

remained there for seven weeks. When he came back and preached 

again, he announced from the pulpit to the entire congregation that 

we must write for another pastor. It seems that he likes it better 

among the Swedes at the South River. There he can follow his own 

will aid live in the woods, away from the people. Our governor herc 

in this place wishes that he were gone, for he has much trouble on 

his account. The man has caused us much expense, both at Fort 

Orange [Albany} and here. He has been once at Fort Orange and got 

into such trouble with the magistrates there that he is not allowed to 

come back. We here and at Fort Orange have agreed with him about 

his salary and allowed him eighty beavers for one year. On that hc 

could live decently here in this country if he were a capable man. . . 4' 

In August, 1671, at his petition, Fabricius was permitted to 

preach the valedictory sermon and install his successor at New 

York. Early the next year, January 16/26, 1672 Governor Lovc 

lace issued a passport and arranged transportation for Martill 

42 H.lz.~rd. A,III/~~~, 373, 380-381; Dmrun~e,~/~o) H/.r/rir)., 111. 142; Dor~,n~e~l/\, 

XII. 473. 

43 Quoted in V.ln L.lc.r, I.u/het.r~~ CIJNIC~, 76-77. 

THE BUILDING OF CRANE HOOK CHURCH 5 7 

Hofman of the New York Lutheran congregation to go to the 

Delaware to seek contributions toward the church that congrega- 

tion hoped to Just when Fabricius came is not of record, 

but collections by Hofman seem not to have interfered with his 

Delaware prospects, judging by a deed of gift, dated October 23, 

1672, by which Olle Toersen of "Swanwick," "out of love and 

favour," conveyed to "Magister Jacobus Fabricius" two pieces of 

"Swanwick" land. These pieces began 31 feet "from the church" 

on the southwest side and 20 feet from the church on the north- 

west side.4> 

Olle Toersen, who gave him the land for himself in fee, was 

a Swede or Finn, one of the "responsible housekeepers" at <strong>Crane</strong> 

<strong>Hook</strong>, it will be remembered; and three years later as a deacon of 

<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> church, he was to sign a protest against permitting 

Fabricius to serve as pastor there. For some time Fabricius must 

have avoided clashes with the civil authorities on the Delaware 

(only scattered records of the court of New Castle survive for 

this period) but his time of trouble was coming. 

There is no record of the attitude or activities of Lokenius 

during the time Fabricius was at Swanwyck. Attendance at <strong>Crane</strong> 

<strong>Hook</strong> church would have declined with the loss of most of the 

Dutch members and Fabricius by December 10/20, 1672 had made 

plans to take the whole congregation. On that day a proposal was 

drawn up in Council at New Castle for the approval of the gov- 

ernor, dividing the river into two parishes: "all below Verdrietige 

Hoek [Edge Moor, north of Wilmington) to be under the pastor- 

ate of Magr Jakobus Fabricius" and "all above Verdrietige Hoek" 

under the pastorate of Lokeni~s."~ 

That the governor did not approve this proposal will appear 

later, and meanwhile there was a change of sovereignty on the 

river. During the war between England and the Netherlands each 

country tried to take the other's colonies. The Dutch took New 

York on the old calendar July 30, 1673, the city became New 

Orange and all of the Duke of York's province was again New 

44 I>uo~drrre!~/,~r) H~~/or.y. 111. 242; Dorur?zer~!r, XII. 494. In the summer of 

1071 I:.lhr~ 01 111~ \tructurc of this Dut~li 1.~1tlitran cliurcli biulding. 

40 1~,,~1I111c11/~, XII, 729.


Netherland and the Delaware, the South Ri~er.~' Conditions 

granted to Swedes, Finns, English and all others who took the oath 

of allegiance included freedom of conscience and the same privileges 

as all other subjects of the Dutch government. 

The privileges granted were stated in nine articles to "deputies" 

from the Delaware, who on September 12, 1673, at New 

Orange (New York) declared their submission to the Dutch. The 

Articles were signed by the Dutch "Council of War," which body 

established Anthony Colve as governor. Governor Colve appointed 

Peter Alrichs commander and sheriff on the Dela~are.~~ This was 

the same Peter Alrichs, nephew of a former Dutch director at New 

Amstel, who had been on th river under the Dutch and then the 

English since April, 1657. 

Alrich's duties according to his instructions began with the 

following article: 

To see that sincere true Christian religion in conformity with the 

Synod of Dortrecht be taught and to maintain' it by all proper means, 

without tolerating that people holding another belief may make the 

least attempt against 

Considering the formal pledge of freedom of conscience given 

the deputies from the Delaware of whom Fabricius may have 

been one (representing the Dutch Lutherans on the Delaware, or 

assuming to represent all Lutherans if no Swedish deputy were 

present) this instruction could have applied only to the Dutch 

Reformed church at New Castle. No Dutch Reformed pastor had 

been available to those of that faith on the river since the death 

of Domine Welius at the end of 1657. Only services conducted 

by lay readers were held at the little Dutch church on the Strand. 

With the increasing population of English settlers in the neighbor- 

hood of that church and the strength of the Lutherans with their 

two pastors, an instruction to preserve teaching there according 

to the Reformed faith must have been sought by Peter Alrichs 

himself. 

Fabricius was in New York before January 17, 1674, the rea- 

sons for his leaving the Delaware not now of record. Rut thc 

pastor's presumption in civil affairs and his disorderly conduct 

could have landed him in trouble with Peter Alrichs without 

47 Ibid.. 11, 569 ff.. 111, 199 ff.. 216-19; E~-clei/,crf;c'rl Rc,c/,rdl. I, 628 ff 

48 Ibid., 615; Docume,rtr. XII. 507-509. 11, 618. 

49 Ibjd., XI], 510; 11, 604-605. 


reference to religious faith. On that day he was the defendant 

in the Municipal Court of New Orange (New York) to answewr 

demand of his wife that he be ordered to give up the room he 

was occupying in her house. On February 24, a second petition 

to the court telling at length the sufferings she had endured from 

the ill-treatment of her drunken husband, a "constant prophaner 

of God's name," added to the fact that he, "contrary to the pre- 

ivous order and prohibition given him, hath behaved very un- 

civilly and badly, he is ordered to give up the key to the house 

and not presume to molest his wife in any way."'" 

On March 1, Fabricius was deprived of his license to preach 

within the province of New Netherland for a year, because he 

had married a couple without authority to do so or any previous 

publication of their intention to marry. He escaped the full 

penalty of the law because the governor and council were "un- 

willing to proceed rigorously against him . . . out of respect for 

his old age and the office he last filled." He was found guilty 

at the same session of court of striking a woman in her own house 

for which he was fined two beavers with costs. In April he peti- 

tioned the governor and council to relax their prohibition against 

his exercising the ministerial office to the extent of permitting him 

to baptise. This was refused." 

Finally on June 17th he was brought into the court at New 

Orange by the sheriff on charges that- contrary to the orders of 

the court he had forced his way into the house of his wife, brought 

a chest into it against her will, created a disturbance, and resisted 

arrest. The sheriff as plaintiff demanded that the offender be 

banished forever out of the city's jurisdiction as a person unworthy 

to live in a well-regulated city. The court having heard all the 

charges and given Fabricius opportunity to answer, fined him 100 

florins and costs; repeated the order that he should not go to his 

wife's house without her consent nor give her any trouble, and 

required him to ask the court's pardon "for insults and injuries 

committed against it at divers times although he deserved to be 

more severely punished ."5? 

50 Ec-(-lr.ri.rrfic./l Recordi. 1. 640; DOCU~NPIII.I~) Hiifory, 111. 242. There is no 

c,v~tlcncc thi~t thc wife of Fabriciut cver lived on the Dela\vare except Jurinfi the 

I?II,,I I / I I I ~ , I / ~ ~ / II~~foq, 

I . , ~ 111. 243.


By the Treaty of Westminster, February 9/19, 1674, Dutch 

possessions in America were to be returned to England. The news 

probably reached New Orange before the English governor gen- 

eral, Edmund Andros, arrived in the city that autumn to receive 

from Anthony Colve the formal transfer on October 31/November 

10, 1674. Among the official instructions brought by Governor 

Andros was: 

11. You shall permitt all persons of what Religion soever, quietly to 

inhabitt within ye precints of your jurisdiction, wthout giveing ym any 

disturbance or disquiet whatsoever, for or by reason of their differr~ng 

opinions in matters of Religion; Provided they give noe disturbance 

to ye publique peace, nor doe molest or disquiet others in ye free 

exercise of their religion.53 

Either before or soon after the return of the Duke of York's 

rule, Magister Jacobus Fabricius returned to the Delaware, resum- 

ing his service as pastor of the Swanwyck church. By June the 

next year the document drawn up December 10, 1672, proposing 

the union of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> and Swanwyck congregations under 

Fabricius was again included in a petition to the governor for its 

confirmation : 

To the Noble, Right Honorable, Major Edmond Andros, Governor- 

General of all his Royal Highness, James, Duke of York and Albany 

etc. -~. Territories - in America. 

Show with all reverence the subscribed petitioners, the coln~nunity of 

the unchangeable Augsburg Confession, called the Lutheran, which 

has its residence on the Southriver, that after the petitioners had 

addressed an humble petition to the Right Honorable Governor on 

the 13th of May Anno 1675, together with a document drawn up in 

Council at New Castle on the 10'11 December 1672, and presented by 

petitioners' ~ninister, whereby they divided the river into two parishes, 

so that all above Verdritige Hock is and shall remain under the 

pastorate of Mr. Laers and all below Verdritige Hoek under the 

pastorate of Magr JaKobus Fabricius, and requested and asked with 

due hu~nility, that your Noble Honor would please to confirm the 

action and the division for the sake of God's glory and good order, 

the petitioners expected hereupon a favorable answer and decision and 

had hoped to receive thc same through Capt. Ed. Kantwell, but as the 

specdy journey and many troubles haw prevented your Noble Honor, 

the petitioners do not know, how to act and they come therefore agai~~ 

to your Noble Right Honorable Worship with the humble request, to 

confirm the act and the division, also their minister Magr Jakobus Fabri- 


cius and to grant a favorable reply to the petitioners, doing which 

they remain your Noble Right Honorable Worships subjects and 

mediators with God. 

Actum New Castle 

the first of June 

Anno 1675 

The Community of the Unchange- 

able Confession of Augsburg on the 

Southriver belonging to the Churches of 

Swaenewyck and Kraenhoek. 

Henrich Jannsen 

- 4'- 

Hendrich Janse van Bremes thh.p E ig ,I 

Harrnan Janss 

Pieter Velcker 

Peter Classen 

Peter Witten (De Witt) 

Corn (Coinelis) Jansson 

Pieter Masslandt 

Jan Barends 

Sibrand Jansen 

Hinrich Fransen 

Willem Jansen 

Jan Jansen 

John Nohmers 

Clas Andressen 

and all the others54 

53 I>O[~I(?JI~I,~!, 11, 560 ff.; 111, I99 ff.; I?c/e!~drtic~~/ Recf,rdr, I, 628 fl, 5.1 I)II~NIJICIIII. XII. 5.10. N.IIIIC.\ from pli~rtost:~t of the original Dutch copy in 

I~O~IIIII


Late in the summer the members of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Church made 

their protest: 

REMONSTRANCE OF THE SWEDES AND FINS OF CRANE- 

HOOK CHURCH, AGAINST DOMINE FABRICIUS BEING 

THEIR MINISTER. 

Laus Deo Semper 

the 14th of August 1675. 

We Swedes and Fins, 

Belonging to the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> church understand that the Dutch 

priest Fabritius has represented to the honorable general [Governor 

Edmund Andros) in a very sinister manner without our knowledge 

that our church and congregation are his, which was never granted to 

him by Governor Lovelace [in Office 1667-1673) unless the congrega- 

tion was in the end contented. And what reasons thereto could we have 

for neither we nor our wives and children can understand him. On 

this account we request that the honorable [Edmund) Cantwell 

should humbly beseech the honorable general [Governor Edmund 

Andros) that our church may be allowed to continue with our priest 

to our edification as we have done up to now. If the Dutch priest 

desires to teach let him remain in his living at Swanwyck and preach 

for the Dutch. 

Hendericus Lemmens55 

As deacons of the church 

Olle (mark) Torsse 

Jan (mark) Matson 

Samuel (mark) Petersen 

Mons (mark) Pauwelson 

[and) the entire congregation 

Nothing further is heard about the petitions, but one of New 

Castle County's earliest road-building projects resulted in the 

removal of Fabricius from his pastorate at Swanwyck and the 

closing of the Swanwyck Lutheran Church. Early in November, 

1674, Governor Edmund Andros restored the government at New 

Castle to its status before the Dutch interlude. Capt. Edmund 

Cantwell became sheriff and chief officer and the following were 

named justices of the court :'"Hans Block, John Moll, Foppe (Jan- 

sen) Outhout, Dirck Alberts, and Joseph Chew - four Dutchmen 

and one Englishman. For the court at Upland, Peter Cock, Peter 

55 Ibid., XX, 75. This translation into easily read;lblc English, with a gap ill 

Dutch original supplied, is based upon a literal translation from that original I,y 

Dr. A. R. Dunlap, Enfilish Department, Irniversity of Delawarc. The signatu~i 

Hendericu.t Lemmens, instead of the usual Herrdr-icb, may indicate that hc hacl .III 

academic education entitling him to use thc latin form of his namc. 

56 Documenl.r, XII. 513, 515. 

I 

THE BUILDING OF CRANE HOOK CHURCH 63


Rambo, Israel Helm, Lars Andriessen and Wolle Swain (Swen- 

(sson) ?) The importance of these appoinments in relation to the 

Lutheran churches will be recognized in a court order cited ahead. 

During a session of the court at New Castle, May 13-14, 1675, 

the governor being present, it was ordered 

That some Convenient way bee made passable between Towne 8: 

Towne in this River, The manner of do~ng itt to be ordered by the 

Respective Cor'~ and Lykewise the charge . . . That the orders about 

High Wayes Bridges etc. bee put into Execution by the Magestraets 

. . . in the Tyme of three months after the date hereof, or the Sherriffe 

Shall have Power to gett it done. . .57 

The magistrates decided that Hans Block's dyke near the river 

should be strengthened and that an inner dyke with floodgates 

must be constructed before the cartway could be built through the 

marsh and bridged over the creek. Hans Block's dyke "being the 

common and nearest footway from this Town to Swanewick, <strong>Crane</strong> 

<strong>Hook</strong> and parts adjacent": 

In case of war with the Sa\rages or other enemies, especially during 

the winter, when the river is closed, it would be very dangerous for 

us and our nearest neighbors to go 5 or 6 miles through the woods 

in order to assist each other; we need each other besides in diverse 

emergencies every day.38 ' 

The men of New Castle, Swanwyck, and <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> were 

summoned to meet at the Dutch church on the Strand at New 

Castle where an order of the magistrates of June 4/14, 1675 was 

read to them. They were divided into three companies and or- 

dered to report on a set day for work on Hans Block's dyke, and 

continue until that and the inner dyke were completed.'" 

After the meeting some inhabitants of the town of New Castle 

and others from outside protested in "a mutinous and tun~ultuous 

manner being led by ffabricius the priester and Jacob van der 

Veere, John Ogle. Evert Hendricksen and several others . . . The 

priest was very angry . . . snrore and scolded . . . used foul 

language." 

57 h'rzr. (I':,r$tle Record!. 1. 45-47; DOLIIIII~II~ 

r. XII. 516. 

5s Ib~d.. 535-536, 533. In May. 1675, for protection against thc Indians. .I 

form of commission was Jraxvn up by the court at Ncu. Castle for captains of 

"s foot company of militi.~" In each of the following places: "Ne\\. Castle. <strong>Crane</strong> 

<strong>Hook</strong>c. Ver~lrietige <strong>Hook</strong>c. [Iplnnd. P;ushayunck. Apoquemini. and Horekill." I'hc 

names of several taptainr ;Ippc;ir in I;~ter records: Ci~pt. Evert Hendrickson 01 

Cr.~nc <strong>Hook</strong>. Capt. Jatoh Ven

66 THE BUILDING OF CRANE HOOK CHURCH THE BUILDING OF CRANE HOOK CHURCH 67 

ernor Andros to await the formal protest he could expect from 

the congregation at <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> if he had his ear to the ground 

while at New Castle. And then came the characteristic behavior 

of Fabricius in the meeting about building the dykes. 

No information is available concerning the relations between 

the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> and Swanwyck congregations after Fabricius left 

for his court trial at New York in September 1675 until November 

5, 1678 when the New Castle Court minutes on that day shed 

important light: 

Elice the wyfe of oele Toersen deceased shewing by Peticon that 

Jacobus fabritius heretofore did borrow of hur sd husband the sume 

of seventy and seven gilders of the Monny then belonging to ye 

Church att Swanwyke, as alsoe that there was yett a small parcell of 

wampum in hur hands of ye sd Church, desiring (sence those of ye 

Church of Crainhoek doe demant itt) that this Court would order hur 

to whome she shall deliver the sd wampum as alsoe who shall Re- 

receive ye monny bake of sd fabritius: Ordered that the wampum as 

alsoe the debt of fabritius bee Received by this Church of New Castle 

as the nearest to itt, Those of ye Crainhoek haueing alreaddy Re- 

ceived a good part thereof.63 

There is no record of protest at this casual transference to the 

benefit of the Dutch Reformed church of money contributed by 

Lutherans. Fabricius was in debt to individual members of the 

congregation and to others at Swanwyck and New Castle. Rut 

he had back salary coming to him from several pledges that had 

not been paid. All of the claims were heard in sessions of the 

court between January 2 and November S, 1677. 011 his protest 

after his property at Swanwyck was attached for debt he was 

given time to raise the money and through the court recovered 

599 guilders, chiefly salary due him. He seems to have come out 

solvent and in possession of his Swanwyck property which he later 

sold.64 

The tide of life for Fabricius had now turned. In the spring 

of that same year the congregation on the upper part of the river 

having converted the Wicaco blockhoiise to serve as the church 

ordered by Governor Andros, had secured the governor's permis- 

sion to call Magister Fabricius as their minister. He preached h ~s 

first sermon at Wicaco on Trinity Sunday, June 9/19, 1677. What- 

63 Neu* Ca.r/le Records, I, 247-248. 

64 Ibid., 42, 50-54, 85, 149-156. On the reverse side of the original patent ill 

Dutch from Olle Toersen to Magister Jacobus Fabricius is a conveyance in Engli\I~ 

from Fabritius to Peter Maeslan~lcr. Old New C'IIIIC, 20. 

ever his experience in New York between September 1675 and 

June 1677, he now lived on the Delaware the "exemplary life" 

to which his congregation later testified, and gave faithful service 

as an "admirable preacher," of whom Charles Springer wrote to 

Sweden in 1693.~' 

After the distribution of the assets of the Swanwyck Church 

was determined by the court the church at <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> drops 

from the extant records of the Duke of York period. Lokenius 

would continue to preach on alternate Sundays at Tinicum and 

<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> and to answer calls for the offices of the church in 

his large parish. While Fabricius was settling his financial affairs 

in the Court of New Castle in 1677, Lokenius was there, too, at 

several sessions. In June he brought suit against Hans Peterson 

for possession of a mare which both men claimed and which had 

been awarded to Peterson by judgment of the Upland Court. 

Lokenius asked also damages for Peterson's slander in that court 

against his credit and reputation and payment of the costs in 

both courts. All of this Lokenius won in the New Castle Court. 

But Peterson then appealed to the governor against the proceed- 

ings of both courts. Even Governor Andros, who had the pro- 

ceedings of the courts sent to him and had the case tried over 

again, was unable to find out whether the preacher or the parish- 

ioner was the owner of the mare. Finally Peterson and Lokenius 

came to an agreement privately and so declared in the Upland 

Court, each to pay half the costs.66 

On November 12, 1678, the clerk of the Court of Upland 

recorded a certificate of survey to Anthony Nielson, alias Long, 

for 100 acres of land on Stille's Creek partly bounded by land 

of "Dom Laurencies Carolus." On the same day the minutes of 

the court read: 

Complaint being made by the Church wardens that Neeles Laersen 

has taken in (wt'l the Lotts of Land by him bought of dom: Lasse 

Carolus here in Upland Towne) some of the Church or glebb Land; 

ordered that Neeles Laersen shall have his due of the 2 Lotts by him 

bought of sd dom: Carolus Equal1 wtll the other Lotts in uppland, but 

for what shall be found that sd Neeles Laersen has taken in more, 

hee to Leaue the same out againe annexed to ye other Church Lotts.67 

65 Atrclius. 179-181 (appeal of the Wicaco congregation, 1690-1691. to the 

I.utl~cran Consistory ;it Amsterdam for a pastor to relieve the aged and blind 

I:.~hr~cius). 186- 190. 

66 Neu* C'rrtle Reror-dl, 1, 73. 88. 114. 143. 324, 332; Uplg~d Record. 74; 

/)ol'ldnlCn~(, XI[, 622. 

67 Il/11'11td Record, 12 1 - 122.

68 


As previously told the Church Glebe was owned by the whole 

Lutheran congregation on the Delaware and was under separate 

patent from the land of Lokenius. About 1676 Lokenius had 350 

acres of land some of it granted or confimed by a patent of 1669. 

The pastor last appears in the records of the court of New Castle 

on May 3/13, 1681, when an action against him by "Thomas 

Wollaston Late undersherrife att New Castle for undersherrifs 

and marshalls fees amounting to 55 guilders" (begun in the Upland 

Court March 12/22, 1679), was settled by agreement of the 

plaintiff and defendant.68 

During the last years of his life when Domine Lokenius was 

too crippled to get about, there would have been a reader to hold 

the customary prayer and psalm services in the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> 

church. No name has survived, but as many of the congregation 

could read there is a wide choice. It was not until after Lokenius 

died that Charles Springer became the reader at <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> (see 

Springer's letter to his mother. Chapter VII). 

Acrelius wrote. that in his last years Lokenius served chiefly 

<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> church. Fabricius then had charge of both Wicaco 

and Tinicum. ~crelius tells of Lokenius that: 

His old age was burdened with many troubles. Finally he became too 

lame to help himself and still less the churches, and therefore did no 

service for some years, until his death ended all his troubles in 1688.~9 

Fabricius, who had been blind since 1683, was now the only 

pastor on the river. With the aid of Anders Bengtson (his name 

became Andrew Bankson in English) as lay reader for the upper 

congregation of Wicaco and Tinicum and Charles Springer for 

<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong>, Fabricius served his large pastorate in the offices of 

the church as long as his strength permitted. In 1691 he told 

his congregation at Wicaco that he could no longer perform his 

duties. Then the wardens of the church wrote a strong appeal 

(in Dutch) to the Lutheran consistory at Amsterdam, praising 

the "highly learned" Fabricius and requesting the honored clergy- 

men of the consistory to send to the Delaware a qualified Swedisll 

minister from among those who were students of theology at 

Amsterdam and might be waiting appointment; or to correspontl 

68 Documemls, XII, 491; Origi,/al Lu~rd Tjtler, 109-1 10; Uplutrd Reco~rl. 

131-132; New Caslle Record.(, I , 479. 



with Sweden to procure a minister for them there.70 The letter 

was given to Dutch merchant traders on ships out of Amsterdam, 

but no answer came. 

The Dutch Reformed church at New Castle had secured the 

services of the highly learend clergyman Peter Tesschenmaker in 

1679. English as well as Dutch and probably Swedes and Finns 

in the community attended the services at which Domine Tesschen- 

maker at first preached alternately in Dutch and English. Later 

the Dutch quarreled with the English members who withdrew 

from the church. The Dutch failed to make better terms with 

Pastor Tesschenmaker when he was not satisfied with the support 

given him for his living. This was little and always so late that 

he suffered the humiliation of having to collect it himself. He 

accepted a call to Staten Island and then to Schenectady.:' 

Left without an ordained minister in the summer of 1682, 

the elders and deacons wrote to the Dutch Reformed classis of 

Amsterdam on Sptember 25, an earnest appeal for a pastor of 

their faith, giving a description of their unhappy situation: 

We live here among many Lutherans, whose teachers [Lokenius and 

Fabricius) preach in a very unedifying manner; and among a still 

greater number of Quakers who are given to errors. Apparently they 

will not cease their efforts to draw into their fold the fickle ones. 

Therefore preaching and catechizing in the clean, upright, true Re- 

formed religion is very necessary here, especially as a great many 

unreliable, dissolute people move in here among us.72 

Among the signers who thus disparaged the Lutheran preachers, 

was the leading elder of the Dutch Church, former Vice-Director 

lea11 Paul Jacquet, who, it will be remembered was living a close 

neighbor to <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong>, the plantations of Swedes and Finns 

extending south, west and north of his land on the Christina. 

The Dutch Reformed congregation was not successful in ob- 

tuining a pastor and not until 1690 did a clergyman of that 

faith visit the Delaware. In that year the Reverend Rudolphus 

70 Ibrd., 177 ff. Anders Bengtson, born in S\\rcdcn, tame to the Delaurare in 

III(. Su,e~lish ship "Mercurius" in 1656. See ibid., and Kalrn, 11, 728. 

71 He was a graduate of the LJniversity of Utrecht with a license to preach. 

1 1 II;ILI ~ served the Enfilish Reformed Church at the Hague, and that city's Dutcb 

111111 linfilish consistoriec sent excellent testimonials to Nek, York concerning his 

~l~rr.~ctcr and prc:~thin~ ability. Corwin, Mar~rral, 728 ff.; Eccle.riu.r~ica1 Records, 

11, H32-836.

7 0 


Varick of Long Island, who spent several weeks on the river, 

left an account of his experiences: 

I found in the whole of Pennsylvania only one Protestant Lutheran 

pastor, an old blind man. In passing I came to a Swede, called Capt. 

lsrael [Helm]. He received me kindly. Upon hearing that I was a 

minister, he said they would make an agreement with me to be their 

pastor, as their own minister had died the year before [Lokenius who 

died in September, 16881. I ceplied You are Luthecans. He replied, 

There is, indeed, a little difference about the communion, but we shall 

not trouble ourselves about that. Then I told him that I had not come 

with any such design. 

Coming at last to New Castle I preached there on three Sundays, and 

administered communion. I had there a little church full of people, 

Dutchmen, Swedes and Finns.73 

The visit of the distinguished Dutch Reformed pastor must 

have stirred the hearts and hopes of the people of that faith, and 

the Lutheran Swedes and Finns in the surrounding community, 

could, like "Capt. Israelf17-l overlook differences ot doctrine for 

the satisfactions of attending regular church services by an or- 

dained minister. 

73 Ibid., 1052-1053. Domine Varick, graduate of Utrecht a highly regardccl 

Dutch Reformed pastor on Long Isldnd, came to the Delaware to escape prosecu 

tion by Jacob Leisler, who brooked no clerical criticism of his civil administratio11 

on the Hudson, 1689-1691. - Corwin, Manual, 63. 871-872, 1046. 

74 Israel Helm, born in Sweden, was still there in 1655 (Kalm, 11, 719), \I) 

he must have come to the Delaware on the "Mercurius" in 1656. He gained 1111. 

immediate trust of the English after 1664, was made councilor in the special cou~l 

for Indian affairs. 1668; served as Indian interpreter, iustice of the Upland COIIII 

and the High Court at New Castle. He acquired valuable tracts of land on hotll 

sides of the Delaware, and was a strong supporter of the Lutheran churchrh. 

Hazard, Annals, 371, 431, 437; Neu, Carfle Recod, 1. 99; 11, 121, 170; U~~JII~I 

Rt.rorzl. 35.189. Information about his children is ~iven 

in Werner, Eric Mull11.1 

r 

From <strong>Hook</strong> 

w ITHIN a year or two the Lutherans also had a visitor from 

whose stay among them came events of great moment for 

the whole body of Lutherans on the Delaware. Andrew Printz, 

nephew of former Governor Johan Printz, arrived on an English 

merchant ship presumably at Philadelphia in 1691 or early in 

1692.' Visiting the Swedes and Finns along the river to learn 

how his uncle's former colony fared, this young man would be 

welcomed with a gladness of heart that must have moved him 

deeply, for as is to be told he decided to come back to live among 

them. The first result of his report in Sweden came from the 

postmaster of Gothenburg, John Thelin, in a letter dated November 

16/26, 1692, and received on the Delaware May 23/June 2, 

1693. What Postmaster Thelin wrote is here given in main part: 

Highly-esteemed friends and countrymen : The occasion which gives 

lne the honor of writing to you is, that during the past year I was in 

Stockholm, where I fell into the company of one Andrew Pritz, who 

told me, and others also in the city, that he had been in an English 

ship to the West Indies, which I knew to be the fact. I was very glad 

of his arrival, and inquired if he had a prosperous voyage. Where- 

upon he answered, thanking God, that he had there found not only a 

fine country, but also the old Swedes in good condition; and further, 

that they were heartily rejoiced to see him, as he was a Swede; that 

they had taken the occasion to inquire what was now the state of 

affairs in Sweden, their own foster-land, and who was now the reign- 

ing king in Sweden? Also that you, my good friends, had that con- 

fidence in His Majesty as to believe that if some one would lay before 

His Majesty your want of ministers and books, you had no doubt that 

His Majesty, out of his feeling and Christian heart, for the sake of 

your salvation, and for the upholding of the Evangelical religion 

amoung both Swedes and Finns, would send you assistance. It has

7 2 FROM CRANE HOOK TO CHRISTINA 

been told us that both nations have lost their ministers: that the 

Finnish congregation lost their minister some years since, and that 

their church is now deserted; but that Divine service is still held in 

the Swedish church, though chiefly by the son of the deceased minister, 

in such a way that hymns are sung, and the Gospels for the day are 

read, but without the hearing of any sermon, and without the recep- 

tion of the Lord's supper. Also, that you are in great need of Bibles, 

hymnbooks, and other books of devotion; and that you would will- 

ingly pay for them if they were sent to you upon the first opportunity. 

In truth, this goes to my heart, and to that of many others; and as I 

had some good friends in the Royal court, I related this before a 

distinguished lord, and he, again, presented it to His Majesty. Our 

most gracious king thereupon gave it his especial attention. I was 

immediately commanded to present in a written communication every- 

thing that I had learned concerning you. In consequence of which 

His Majesty did most graciously resolve not only to send you ministers, 

but also all sorts of religious books in both langauages. . . . 

On this account I take the liberty of inquiring your names, which 

are all unknown to us. An elderly woman, who lives here in the city, 

relates that she has a brother there by the name of Peter Gunnarsson 

Rambo, and desires me now to write a letter to him, wherever he may 

be found, if he be still in this life, as well as to some other good, 

honest men and old countrymen, and thus to let us know whether you 

will still be called honest, upright, and true Swedes, so that we may 

become acquainted with you. Also, if it is truly so, as the man relates, 

and if you do really wish such favor from His Majesty, and how you 

would arrange that these ministers may be sent and conveyed to you. . . 

In reference to which it is my earnest desire that you would, by the 

first and speediest opportunity, inform me circumstanciallp, promptly, 

with truth and certainty, how you, His Majesty's old, faithful, and 

honest subjects, are employed and situated. . . 

For the rest, as regards your life and conduct, what means of sup- 

port you have, whether agriculture or commerce, His Majesty will be 

greatly pleased to understand, as also that you are all prospering. Only 

inform us of every particular of your condition, in the least as well as 

in the greatest. The person above named also told me that you live 

well and in love to one another; that you, in all things, follow Swedish 

customs in eating, drinking, and farming, as well as in other forms of 

labor . . . But, above all things, let us know how many ministers and 

books you desire; also, how large yoi~r congregations are, and how 

many churches you have. . .* 

The people could not doubt that William Penn's government 

would approve acceptance of the offer of King Carl XI of Sweden 

to send ministers and books, for Penn himself after his return to 

? Rudman Manuscripts (research by Courtland B. and Ruth L. Springer) 

Thclln s letter, quotcd in part above, says: "Eight or ten years since, Goveri~t~l 

W'~lli:iin Pcnn (ommunic;ited to the S\vedish Envoy Extraordinary in London," ctc 

I FROM CRANE HOOK TO CHRISTINA 7.) 

England in 1684 had communicated their need of ministers and 

books to the Swedish Legation at London and as his own gift 

had sent them "a little chest with catechisms and books together 

with a Bible in folio for their ~hurch."~ These were in English. 

Charles Springer and other representatives of the congregations 

joyfully took Thelin's letter and a translation of it into English 

by Springer to Deputy-Governor Markham at Philadelphia. Markham 

not only gave approval, but promised to write to William 

Penn and to the Swedish minister at London." 

The answer in Swedish, written by Springer on behalf of all 

the Lutherans, was also submitted to Governor Markham, along 

with an English translation of it by the author for the English 

governor's benefit. The Swedish version was to be dispatched to 

Thelin in duplicate, each copy on a different ship. Springer's 

English translation has not been found, but a later copy of it, 

made by the Reverend Andreas Rudman, who as a result of this 

fruitful correspondence became pastor of the Wicaco congregation 

in 1697, is preserved in the archives of Gloria Dei Church. 

Although we have Springer's Swedish letter (as printed in 

Acrelius' Beskrifning, which in turn has been translated into 

English), it is interesting to see what Charles Springer could do 

with English on his own account. The Rudman transcription is 

reproduced here in full.4 

Honoured, Lowing5 & much respected Friend John Thelijz, 

His Maj:ts Loyal1 Subject and Postmaster in Gottenborg. 

Our kind love remembered unto you, wishing you all Prosperity. 

Your unexpected& and welcome letter dated Gottenborg d. 16 

Nov. 1692, came to our hand the 23 Maji 1693; which was [to) 

us exceedingly welcome & made us heartily rejoyce at the receiving 

of it, and understanding, how it hath pleased Almighty God 

to raise up a jong7 Man Alldrew Prilz~z by name, who hath formerly 

been here with us in the West Indien, & did see how we doe live 

3 Acrelius. 183. 

4 By permission of Dr. John Craig Ronk, vicar of Gloria Dei Church; copied 

.~ntl collated by Courtland B. and Ruth L. Springer. 

5 Loving. The English sound "v" was commonly denoted by the letter w in 

Su,c~lish at this time. 

6 l'he Sweclish letter, ac givc.n in Atrclius, reads "mycket vnl nch karkomne." 

wl~i~li coultl hc translated "wry uzelcomr and appreciated" or "cherished" or 

''o~l>orttinc.." hut not "l~ncxpccted." 

7 Y01111~

7.1 FROM CRANE HOOK TO CHRISTINA 

here in one thing as well as another. Partly he hath related true 

& partly not. But the certainty of our Condition and the reality 

thereof we will by this letter let you in verity &- truth know. 

We doe further understand how that his Majesty of Sweed- 

land throws this jong Mans Relation doth yet bear unto us a 

tender & a Christian heart and care, as His former old and True 

Subjects, for our Souls good & happiness, and a Lower of the 

Lutheran faith. And also we hear how great care his Maj. takets" 

for us to get Ministers to be send over to us, with godly books; 

For which His Maj;.r great care & favour, We every one of us"' 

heartely and with all our heart do give his Majtie many tanks 

wishing his Majtie prosperity, all heavenly and earthly blessing 

and an everlasting happiness. 

Therefore doe we now kindly and with all our herths" desire, 

that since it hath pleased his Majtie graciously to grant that wee 

should with all expedition become1' Ministers and Books, when 

that wee an answer send again upon your Letter, so kindly desir- 

ing that there may be sent unto us Two Sweeds Ministers, that 

are well Learned in ye holy Scriptures, and that may be able To 

defend them and us against all false opposers who can or may 

oppose any of us, and also one that may defend ye True Lutheran 

faith wh:[ich) wee do confess, that if Tribulation should come 

amongst us, and wee should suffer for our faith, that wee are 

ready to seale it with our blood; and wee also desiring that These 

Ministers may bee such sober, discreet, and wise men, that by their 

good exampell given to us our children may also take a good 

exampell thereby in every thing. 

Further it is our humble desire that you would be pleased to 

send to us Tree Sermon Books 12 Bibles, 42 Psalmbooks, 100 of 

the Lesser, with 200 Catechesis 200 ABC Books, and as wee These 

books should be come to our hand then wee do engage that wee 

will make honest pay for the same and also deliver ye payment 

to such place as you shall tink fitt to ord:r 

And as for these Ministers Maintainance so de wee engagc 

and promise to maintain them honestly and truly, and when this 

our Letter is sent away, then wee shall Buy a peace of land that 

8 Through. 

9 Takes. 

10 The hrst page ends here. The next is in a different hand. 

1 I Hearts. 

12 A later hancl has crossed out this word and written "obtain." 

I 

FROM CRANE HOOK TO CHRISTINA 75 

shall belong to the Church, whereupon ye Ministers may Live. 

Now what concerns our Living in this contry, and our Lives 

and conversations so are wee for the most part husbandmen, and 

plow and sowe and Till y[e} ground, and wee use yet ye good 

ould fashions in meate and drink; this Land is a mighty fruitful 

good and plentiful1 Contry and here doth growe all sorts of grains 

in greate plenty; and all what wee sowe and plant doth Thrive 

mightly; and this River, out of it is sent and shipt avay all sorts 

of grains every yeare to our Neighbouringh islands in West indien, 

and 13heare is also great plenty of all sorts, beasts, fowls & fishes; 

& our wifes & daughters follow spinning of flax & wool, some 

with weawing," so that we have great occasion to thanck the 

Almighty God for his manyfold mercies & benefits, which we at 

his hand receive, God give that we may also get good shepheards 

to feed us with Gods holy woord & sacraments. We live also in 

peace, friendship & amity with one an other, and theIndians have 

not molested us [for) many yeares. 

Further your letter doth specifye, that it is related also that 

the Sweeds Ministers sons perform the service of God, as Ministers 

in the Sweeds Church, but it is not so: In one of the Churches" 

we had a Sweeds Minister Laurentius Caroli Lokenius, who came 

hither in the Countrey with Govr. John Printz in his time, but he is 

dead five years ago Sept. next, he did preach for us the word of 

God many yeares: As for the other Sweeds congregaon,'%e have 

a Dutch Minister by name Magister Jacobus Fabritius, which doth 

preach in the Dutch tonge & hath preached for us these 16 yeares, 

He is a good Preacher, but old & for severall yeares blind, but 

nevertheless [has) done his office in all possible parts mighty 

well. In the other congregaon" they make use of a Reader, a 

born Sweed in Stockholm, who with reading Sermons & singing 

of Psalmes, doth perform the divine service. But for a Finsk 

minister we have had none, neither doe want, all of us both 

Sweeds & Finns understanding the Swedish tongue. 

Further you desire to know how we are used here in the 

(:ountrey; We do all in general1 confess and protest & in truth 

say, that we have been exceedingly & mighty well used, both in 

the Dutch Gouvernement, as well as in his majis of England, Our 

13 New pagc, again in Ruclman's hand 

I4 Weaving. 

I 5 (-r,~r~(, 1 look 

I(, Wl,

76 FROM CRANE HOOK TO CHRISTINA 

Gracious Kings time, for we have been allwayes well dealt with, 

seated in the Court with his Maj's Justices & also in Councils, & 

yet doe to this day; and we have allwayes had good & gracious 

Gouvt And we live with one an other in peace & quietness. So 

that every one of us desireth that we may upon this our letter so 

soon as it comes to your hand, gett a joyful1 return with the speed- 

iest & soonest & with all Expedition. And we in our behalf 

"shall allwayes pray for its save'B Retorn for we hope that God 

hath certainly his hand in this Christian work, and hoping that 

he farther more will have, hoping that God will not forsake us 

allthough we are here in an heathen Countrey. 

We have allready written twice to our Native Countrey for 

Minister & books, but having got non answer, we suspect the 

letters to have miscarried. Therfore we desire you Mr. John 

Thelin, that you will be pleased to doe your best in our behalf to 

promote our desire, and let it be done with all Expedition. 

So we doe commend you unto the Almighty Gods protection 

in body & soul. 

Your most obliged friends 

& Lowing Countreymen 

Dated in Pennsylvania 

in Delaware River 

the 31 Maj. 1693. 

P. S. This letter we do let go 

dubble, in case if one should 

miscarry, the other may come 

to your hands 

The names of thirty members of the two congregations, be- 

sides "Carl Christopherson Springer," were signed to the Swedish 

letter, and ~t was accompanied, at Thelin's request, by a list of his 

countrymen on the Delaware. There were I83 males listed, some 

alone but most of them with families ranging up to nine, ten, or 

eleven persons each. There were five wido\\is who had families of 

five to eight, in all, a total of 942 persons. Of this number 39 

are named as having been born in Sweden. The Swedish letter 

with signatures and thc lists are printed in Arcelius, who points 

out that among these members of the congregations in 1693 werc 

many "Hollanders" and that later, when the churches were better 

17 Nvw pagc, Ruclrnan'5 hand 

IH S.~fc 

I 

FROM CRANE HOOK TO CHRISTINA 7 7 

organized under the ministers sent from Sweden, more Dutch and 

also English, Irish, Germans and Scots came into the churches, 

while during the years that followed "many Swedish families also 

came in."19 

The letters reached Postmaster Thelin in November, 1693 

; and were given to the king in December. Unfortunately the king 

: 

: 

was now in a period of great distress, as were his people. Queen 

Ulrica Eleanora had died that year, of whom he said that half his 

life died with her. Many of the people were suffering from 

poverty and famine because of repeated annual crop failures 

caused by storms and freezing weather in late spring and early 

Now on the Delaware came the long wait, mitigated we hope 

by communications from John Thelin and from Charles Springer's 

mother (to whom he wrote the day after completing the letter to 

Thelin)?' with assurance that the king \vould carry out his intention 

to send ministers and books when his burdens were lightened. 

His burdens were not lightened, but at the beginning of 1696 he 

took effective action. Having conferred with Dr. Jesper Svedberg, 

Provost of the cathedral at Upsala, King Carl wrote on February 

18/28 to Archbishop Olaus Swebillius, enclosing the letter from 

the Swedish colony on the Delaware to Postmaster Thelin and 

expressing his will that "such learned and godly men as they 

desire" be chosen and prepared. He would provide the money 

for their journey and would provide as a gift from himself the 

books requested in the letter." 

The king's instructions were zealously and responsibly carried 

out by the two distinguished men. Dr. Svedberg suggested Andreas 

Rudman, candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 

at Upsala. Rudman accepted Dr. Svedberg's suggestion of Erik 

Hjork as his companion in the mission. A third minister, Jonas 

AurPn, was then added by order of the king. AurCn was the 

personal representative of King Carl, hose assignment was to 

observe country and people on the Dela\vare and how the ministers 

were received there. He \\,as tl~en to return to Sweden and 

report in person to his majesty. The ministers were called in con- 

19 Arrtlius. 186-193. 

20 Ibid., 194; Norbcrq. S~r//~k.i brb./~~ ~~ji~jou.~, 45; Grirnber~, H~.rtutj oJ 

sl(,ede>l. 2 10-2 11. 

2 1 See Chapter VII. 

?.? A, r


ference by the King and told to ask him and no one else for 

what they needed and to let him know if any difficulties were 

put in their way. Again he conferred with them at the leave- 

taking and among other evidences of his great interest told them 

that if they found opposition or suffered injury they were to come 

home and he would provide for them." 

Soon after they received the books, which had been prepared 

under the King's direction by an officer of the Royal Library 

at Stockholm in the summer,'-' they took ship August 4, on their 

way to England, arriving in London, October 10, 1696. Through 

the Swedish Minister at the English Court and the support of 

William Penn who was living in London, England's consent to 

forwarding the Swedish mission was obtained. King William in 

friendly spirit signed the passport himself on November 22. As 

these proceedings took more time than had been foreseen, the 

ship on which passage had been engaged had sailed and there 

was a long wait for the next suitable ship.?' 

In the party with the three ministers was Andrew Printz, whom 

King Carl had appointed as their guide and who had decided 

to settle among his fellow countrymen on the Delaware. But 

before their ship sailed, February 4, 1697, Andrew Printz dis- 

appeared without trace. The supposition was that he had been 

seized and impressed on a ship of the English navy in the war 

William I11 was then leading against France. Another Swede 

who had been to America, Jones Ajurstrom, was appointed in 

his place as guide for the voyage. For years to come, no doubt. 

English ships arriving in the Delaware would be scanned with 

the hope that Andrew Printz, unharmed and free, would be com- 

ing back to settle among his overwhelmingly grateful friends. 

On the Delaware, Magister Jacobus Fabricius had died about 

the time Rudman, Bjork and Aurb were ready to set out from 

Sweden." He was buried in the choir of the blockhouse church 

building at Wicaco, where his grave was left in front of the 

south door of the present Gloria Dei Church when the old log 

23 Ibid., 198. 

24 In the Rudman Manuscripts is a list of the books by title and number of 

copies together with a copy of the document of transfer by the king and of thc 

receipt by the three ministers given the king's representative ( research by Court 

land B. and Ruth L. Springer). 

26 Acrelius, 201; Hol) Triaity Record(. 12. 

27 Norberg, 14, n. 1. 

1 


building was removed.2R The place of burial of Lokenius is un- 

; known. It might have been on the glebe property at Upland 

(Chester) where he lived or more suitably in the churchyard of 

<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Church. 

The ship carrying the Swedish mission arrived at Annapolis, 

Maryland, June 19/29, 1697, where Governor Francis Nicholson 

entertained the three ministers. In a long letter written by Erik 

Bjork to Bishop Israel Colmodin, dated October 29, 1697,'9 he 

describes their stay with the governor, their arrival at Elk River 

and first greeting by Delaware River Lutherans: 

I might, but should not and could not pass over what happened 

with the above-mentioned governor, just briefly mentioning: We 

went on shore the day afterward [June 20/30,] with the intention of 

soon returning on board, but we were invited, honored, and feasted, 

by him, and he remembered our gracioi~s King and his House in such 

respectful way that if we had been especially sent from Sweden to this 

man, he could not have done more. As long as we remained there, 

that is to say, four days, we stayed in his house, and he always took 

us with him during his walks, showing us various things. As we 

noticed that the ship would remain there for some time, and we 

longed for our destination', for which purpose we chartered a boat, he 

relieved us of all worries, and wished to make himself assured about 

the man who was going to guide us and how we were going to reach 

our Swedes. It was not sufficient that he had entertained us for so 

many days at his table, but when we took leave he folowed us through 

a pretty part of the country where his stables stood, and where he 

! among other toasts first drank the health of our King under a flag 

hoisted on the top of the roof, which flag was taken down as soon as 

i 

the toasts were ended. He also gave 11s a sum of money and made two 

men carry down into the boat as many bottles as possible filled with 

all kinds of liquors. He is a bachelor, but appears like a brave 

i soldier who tries to do the best for his King, which he has clearly 

demonstrated during the time of only a year and a half that he has 

been at Annapolis. 

We left the ship with all our belongings on the evening of June 

23. I cannot, however, forget the captain's kindness in letting us have 

everything free on such a long voyage, without the slightest charge for 

freight. We then traveled with a favorable wind about 70 English 

miles to a placed called Trantown, at the end of Elk River, until the 

second day at 10 o'clock, and from there one English mile to where 

28 Kalm, 11, 733. 

29 In the Royal Archives, Stockholm, translated by Anton Olsson, archival 

expert of Stockholm, for Courtland B. and Ruth L. Springer. 

Bjork's letter was printed in Thomas Campanius Holm's Korr berkrifning 

(1702) and translated by Du Punreau, but with many errors, in 1834.


some of the Swedes lived and where we were delighted to land, taking 

out and looking over all our belongings. We found everything, thank 

God, in a good state after such a long voyage. 

Before we had been there a day and a night, not only had the 

renown of our arrival spread most incredibly, but people from a 

distance of 10, 12, to 16 miles came with horses to bring us more 

easily to the congregations. We were pleased to see that many cried 

with joy, and some would not believe anything before they saw us. . . 

Bjork tells that the country is as fertile as it has been described: 

with a richness of prosperity by which the people live extremely 

well without any forced or difficult labor, and with few and just taxes, 

calling themselves peasants, as they do the same work as in Sweden, 

but their standard of clothing, food, and other things is that of honest 

burghers. They get everything fresh fro111 the streams and forests, and 

do not lack anything as do neighboring districts, who often require 

grain from here for food and drink. May God let them live in the 

future as they do now, so that they may enjoy the same beneficence 

and lack nothing. In one place about 14 English miles from here the 

inhabitants had to eat horse-flesh and other strange things, owing to 

famine and bad harvest, and have in these days appealed by letter to 

our Vice Governor for help and assistance. Poor people and beggars 

are unknown in this country, where all people support themselves, 

as the country is entirely open to anyone who is capable of cultivating 

it and profiting from it. 

The aborigines and our people are as one nation. They have much 

more confidence in us than in the and they also in their 

own language call these Swedes their own people. They have also 

shown themselves very glad at our arrival, as they now sce that Sweden 

exists, which they were sc-arcely \villing to believe, before, as they had 

seen nobody arrive from there. 

On June 27/July 7, the ministers had a meeting of prayer 

and thanksgiving at <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong>. Two days later they presented 

their credentials to Lieutenant Governor William Markham at 

Philadelphia, who received them well, and on the next day ad- 

dressed the Wicaco congregation with an account of the prepara- 

tion of their mission in Sweden and their journey, reading to them 

letters of the King, the Archbishop and the Swedish Minister at 

London. The three ministers made the same presentation at Cranc 

<strong>Hook</strong> July 2/12, emphasizing that King Carl had sent them ;I 

great many more books than they had petitioned for.?' 

30 Du Ponceau ch.~ngcs the mc.lnin~ of thic p.l\snpe c.ntircly by translatin,< 11 

"We live In much ,qrcatrr friendship \\-it11 them (the lnclians) th.~n \\it11 t l ~ 

I~:II~:I~>II" ( !) ~ S/,OI/ IIcr, fipfio,~, I()(], 

{I lloly '/'r~~l/f, IZ~~iOl,/,, I I I?. 

FROM CRANE HOOK TO CHRISTINA 

It had been left to the ministers, Rudman and Bjork, to 

decide which congregation each should serve. As Rudman was 

first appointed Bjork proposed that he make his choice, which was 

Wicaco, so Bjork remained with <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong>. There, in the 103 

church, the Reverend Erik Bjork held his first Divine Service, on 

the sixth Sunday after Trinity, July 11/21, 1697, explainillg from 

the pulpit at the beginning of it the order of Sunday services he 

proposed to follow, circumstances permitting; and also the special 

order for communion Sundays when the Lord's Supper was cele- 

brated (called High Mass by the Swedes). Every Sunday after 

the opening psalm he would read a chapter of the Old Testament 

and one from the New Te~tament.~' 

In further comment by Bjork in his letter to Bishop Colmodin 

the picture of the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> congregation unrolls: 

If you compare their divine service, regulations, the knowledge 

among young people in the catechism, and other similar things with 

any parish in Sweden, these matters are not conducted regularly, but 

irregularly, which threatens us with much worry and labor as well in 

fulfilling our oath as in our own ambition to make them the same as 

any in Sweden, and, if possible, to do this soon, for the clergymen 

they have had, especially the last one, were worn out with age and 

illness and never worried about how these matters should be properly 

conducted, or how the education of the young should be arranged. 

We hope, however, that God will grant us a long life, and then, with 

God's help, there will be an improvement in churches, parsonages, 

regulations, lessons in catechism, and other kinds of education, so that 

young people will not visit their pastar with a pipe in the mouth 

and a hat on the head, and so that he who eventually succeeds us will 

find that path clearcd which was now accepted uncleared. What they 

do is not done out of ill will, but out of lack of knowledge, which 

makes all the greater difficulty for us, as we are alone here, and the 

young are many. . . 

I cannot without astonishment relate, to the merit of these people, 

that when there hardly existed three Swedish books here, they took 

such care of their children that although they lent from one to an- 

other, yet they all can read a book rather well, so that none of the 

books which His Majesty has given them are unused. They are so 

divided as the houses are populated with elder and younger people, 

so that he who could make the best use of this or that book, he was 

allowed to retain it, somebody else, another one, so that everyone has 

32 Ibid., 13. Ten years later, Sunday, August 31, 1707. Bjork finished the 

reading of the whole Bible and told his hearers that those who had been faithful 

in attmdanc-e might confidently say that they had heard the Bible read through 

from beginninK 11, cncl once in their lives. Ibid., 126. 

H 1


been able to lnakc use of the King's gift, which they also with pleasure 

and gratitude remember. . . 

To speak, now, in greater detail about the state of the congrega- 

tion, they have come no closer to accomplishing what stands in their 

letter [of May 31, 1693). The reason for this is that they dwell in a 

very unhandy [i.e., scattered) fashion, and have not been able to agree 

upon a more convenient place for the church than this [present) one, 

which all have to go across water to [reach).,' Partly, they wished to 

leave it until they should be able to see if they could ever get pastors, 

and then submit the matter to them. By God's grace I have reached an 

agreement with them on a more convenient place for building a 

church, of stone, at Christina, right across from <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong>, the 

present location. It seems likely that this will be called Christina's 

Church, or whatever may in the course of time seem good. One hopes 

that in not more than a year from now this church will be erected and 

built, for the congregation is well-to-do and they respond very well 

[literally, "they allow themselves to be persuaded very well") to that 

which I set before them with reason and justice. . . 

By Pastor Bjork's third Sunday of regular service, the <strong>Crane</strong> 

<strong>Hook</strong> congregation was ready to select a site for building a new 

church under his direction. On Friday of that week they met and 

appointed a committee with this duty: Charles Springer, John 

Nummerson, Hank Pietersson, Hendrick Juarsson (Ivarsson) , and 

Brewer Sinnike from the west side of the river; Olle Stoby (Wil- 

liam Sluby), Staffan Juransson (Stephen Juriansson) and Olle 

Fransson (William Fransson) and Jacob Van de Ver from the 

east side. The discussions which followed among members of the 

committee and many others present after considering the three 

sites favored by different groups: Gcrlle <strong>Hook</strong>. Third <strong>Hook</strong> 

(Verdrietige <strong>Hook</strong>, now Edge Moor, north of Wilmington), and 

Christina (the neighborhood near the site of the old fort on 

the north side of that stream), finally ended with an agreement 

on Christina. The agreement was reached after objections from 

those on the east side of the river had been heard and met. They 

were concerned about contributing money that they might need 

later for a church on their side. Pledge was given that they \vould 

be helped in turn. 

Pastor Bjiirk who was ill and unable to attend the meeting. 

heard afterward that some on the east side were still not satis- 

33 The <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> marshes were crossed by a causeway, in flood-time awasli 

with water. Those living above the Christina crossed the stream by canoe; those on 

the New Jersey side crossed the Delaware by shallop or skiff to New Castle ancl 

came overland to the church. 


fied. He reports in his diary that he immediately "drew up a 

writing," that those on the west side are: 

bound for the Glory of God to help them again on the other side if 

they now help us, and I further wrote by way of encouragement and 

exhortation - and Charles Springer ever unwearied in the pro~llotion 

of God's Glory, in order to bring about a good understanding of the 

matter, when around with this my writing and read it to them and 

so won them all to unity.34 

To meet the second objection of those on the east side-that 

after they crossed the Delaware to New Castle and came up the 

river overland, it would be a burden to pay ferriage across the 

Christina-those on the west side promised to provide a canoe 

for their sole use to ferry themselves over. 

That the church should be built of brick or stone had been 

decided at the main meeting and plans moved so quickly that on 

October 6/16, 1697, the first contract for building the church 

was signed with a mason for constructing its walls of tone.^' 

On a slope above the Christina River, looking down upon the 

site of old Fort Christina was the early burying ground of New 

Sweden. In all the years since the first settlement it seems to have 

been reserved out of surrounding farm lands as belonging to mem- 

I 

bers of the Lutheran c~ngregation.~~ Here in 1697-98, graves so 

I nearly filled the plot that there was not room to set the whole of 

the new church foundations without building partly over graves. 

/ To avoid this, John Stalcop owner of the adjoining farm (which 

had belonged to his father, John Anderson Stalcop) gave sufficient 

land to accommodate part of the church bullding and provide 

open space to the south and west of it." 

, The mason, Joseph Richardson of Upland had broken his 

contract of October 6, 1697, but Joseph Yard, master mason of 

? 

I 

34 Ibrd., 15-17. Bjiirk's diary forms thc early Records of Holy Trinity. 

35 Ibid., 15-18. 

36 During the Dutch period, 1655-1664. S\vedrs and Finns had tracts of land 

confirmed to them in the neighborhood of Fort Altena (the former Fort Christina), 

;IS has been told in Chapter 11, and as the only other burying ground was at 

l'inicum until the blockhouse was established at Wicaco, 1676-1677, it is likely 

that there was no break in the use of this graveyard of the first Lutherans (even 

after <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> churchyard was laid out) by families whose kin were buried 

there. 

37 Ibid., 18. John Anderson, alias Stalkofta, who signed his name John 

Andrison, (Wills, Book A-1, folio 79), but whose family adotped his nickname 

from rhr Swedish stalkofta meaning steel-jacket, was a gunner and constable at 

Fort Christina in Governor Rising's time. Johnson, 11, 503, 517. For Stalcop's land 

5c.c note at cncl of this cl~aptcr.


Philadelphia applied May 18, 1698, and a contract was signed 

with him the next day. Measurements of the building urged by 

Bjork to allow for increasing membership were finally accepted, 

sixty by thirty feet within the walls, the latter to be three feet 

thick at the base. Sawyers, carpenters, a plasterer and other paid 

craftsmen were engaged as the work went along. Mr. Bjork 

superintended the work daily.l8 

From the beginning of plans for the stone church, members 

of the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> congregation contributed money, labor and 

materials as their free-will share in its building. Stone, lumber, 

and sand came free from nearby property. For these only the 

stonecutter and the sawyers had to be paid. Other materials pre- 

pared, contributed and delivered free included such essentials as 

180 ceiling joists, 1200 plastering lath, 700 shingling lath, all 

the walnut boards and stock for interior finishing and furnishing. 

The mason and his three sons as helpers, the carpenters, plas- 

terer and outside laborers had to be boarded as part of the con- 

tracts, but little of the board had to be paid by the church; for 

most of them were boarded free by well-to-do farm owners close 

by. For example, Lucas Stidham who had "two day laborers for 

13 weeks and then two carpenters for 9 weeks and also other 

laborers at other times as much as four weeks for which he should 

have had in all 7&, 6 shillings and 8 d, which of his good heart 

he gave freely for the glory of God."3" 

For the year during which the church was built, Pastor Bjork 

lists by name about 125 men who gave 1,083 days of free work 

including the necessary amount of hauling with pairs of horses 

and oxen. The corner stone was set "on the north corner of the 

east gable," May 28, 1698, a Saturday, when Mr. Rudman and 

Mr. Aurin were visiting Christina. Apparently, as Bjork does not 

mention any gathering it was done without announced ceremony. 

The roof-raising began on November 2, and continued for several 

days, enough members of the congregation joining in the work 

to make it go well and without accident. The festive side of that 

occasion was provided for in good food and drink as a treat for 

visitors who joined the celebrating and perhaps the work. Bjork 

writes that Charles Springer "gave freely almost a whole barrel 

of good beer and seven quarts of rum for the strangers. Staffill 

38 Holy T~i~zi~y Recordr, 19, 26-27. 

39 Ibid., 44-52. 


Juranson gave a sheep worth twlve shillings and the widow on 

Pumpkinhook (across the Delaware) gave five pounds of butter 

at six-pence."40 

Toward the end of May, 1699, the church stood complete in 

structure except for permanently fixing the iron letters of inscrip- 

tions which had been placed upon the gables and sides. Pastor 

Bjork had chosen the name: Helgo Trefaldighetz Kyrckia, The 

Holy Trinity's Church, intending this name "to be perpetual 

humble offering to the Great Triune God." The day of the dedi- 

cation was set for Trinity Sunday, June 4/14 and on the preceding 

Wednesday the last service was held at the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> log 

church : 

The Fourth Day of Pentecost divine service was held for the last 

time at <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong>, where, so nearly as I have been able to discover, 

it has been held ever since the year 1667. This called for a little talk, 

afterwards, appropriate to such an occasion, with exhortation to renew 

their hearts before God, since God has graciously blessed us with a 

new building and church etc. 

I had promised earlier that today I would let one and all know 

their definite pew-room, after I had taken that upon myself with little 

or no thought as to the labor and difficulty involved, which I found 

i out. And so I offered my excuses, and showed them tolerably well, 

nevertheless, which quarter to occupy, and that they ought not to run 

from one to another, in an all too unseemly manner, as has happened 

in <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Church. However, especially on the consecration day, 

I room should be left for the visitors. Then I promised that before 

I long I would let them know their places more exactly. . . 

The three days following after this, there were always many of 

of the congregation present to help put everything in order, to make 

all clean and fair.4' 

I On the morning of Trinity Sunday, June 4, it can be believed 

' that the sound of the church bell4' ringing out before the service 

lifted the hearts and spirits of all who had hoped and labored for 

this day. Thus the Reverend Erik Bjijrk records: 

1 God shed the light of his grace upon me and the congregation, as a 

reward for our labor and expense, on this day when we were privileged 

to enter for the first time our church at Christina.*' 

do ]bid., 29, 33, 51. 

1 1 Scc /hid., 38-39. The passage as given here is tr;lnsl:ltrd by Mrs. Courtland 

1). Springer from MS. Rccords of Holy Trinity, I, 12. 

12 lIolr T>j>o!y Re'-uvdr. 24. 40. 

13 MS Ruc~rtl\ Iloly 'l'rinity. 1. 13. tr:lnsl.~tion by Dr. Nils G. Sahlin 

of ~IIC AIIIVII~~I~I Su~c~11\11 Foundation. 

~IIIIIICI JIIVCIO~


7 

,. 

i FROM CRANE HOOK TO CHRISTINA 87 

5 

The consecration service was conducted by the three ministers, 

Rudman, Bjork, and Auren according to the order for such cere- 

monies in Sweden. At its close children were baptised and the 

Lord's Supper celebrated. Finally the regular Sunday service was 

held. "The consecration took place," writes Bjork, "in the pres- 

ence of many hundred persons of various religions besides our 

own." Specially invited by the congregation had been Lieutenant 

Governor Markham and his family. Charles Springer, delegated 

to deliver the invitation in person found Markham not recovered 

from an illness but he wrote a letter for Springer to bring back 

with him. After the services, Bjork's records tells: 

Afterwards, all the most distinguished of the visitors, so far as wc 

could assemble them, were entertained at Christina at the home of 

Church Warden John Stalcop, with meat, ale, and wine, as were the 

others, later on. The cost of this was taken care of by the congrega- 

tion, as the record shows. 

The food given "for the entertainment of visitors" by twenty 

members of the congregation included mutton, veal, venison, tur- 

key; eggs, butter, sugar, salt, rasins; bread already baked and 

wheat meal (for bread and pastry), malt for making ale, red 

wine, rum, coffee. Some of the quantities prove that the large 

gathering was expected: more than 40 pounds of wheat meal 

(stone-ground whole wheat flour), 5% sheep, half a calf, and 

a quarter of venison.14 

On that great day for the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> congregation their 

achievement had won recognition and tribute from the inhabitants 

of the entire Delaware River Valley. Nothing like this new 

church had been built in this region by men of any faith. The 

Swedes' gratitude to the learned minister sent them through the 

enlightened and generous interest of King Carl XI of Sweden 

must have been unbounded. Yet even they could not have rea- 

lized fully the abilities the Reverend Erik Rjork exercised in their 

behalf. Learniqg and devotion to duty alone could not have 

welded the thousand and one elements, material and human, 

into a working unity toward the two-fold goal: a church structure 

of seemliness and taste and the uplifting of his congregation 

through the exercise of the fine qualities he found in them. 

To them Rjork gives full credit recording for posterity in 

his journal their names and the contributions and services of each


in a context of understanding for individual circumstances and 

inclinations. Of the man who was his chief support, Bjork writes: 

Charles Springer is not recorded for any particular day's work in this 

account, though in addition to some day's work in assisting the 

carpenters he has from the first beginning to the end been engaged 

in various journeys and errands connected with the business, as also 

to gather together what was necessary such as brick, lime, nails, boards 

and various other things, going now one place and then another, as 

to Philadelphia or Upland, Sandhook, or Maryland, devoting hereto 

many days and weeks, being absent from his home; and this all at 

his own expense, with his own horse, and entirely without the least 

expense to the congregation.45 

Not until Midsummer's Day (June 24th) did Pastor Bjijrk 

make assignment of pews, as he had promised during that last 

service at the old church. His care to do justice to every member 

and also to reward those urho had shown special devotion or great 

generosity and helpfulness-by giving them "forward" pews 

without regard to their standing otherwise, had required much 

study and thought. He had not expected to please everybody 

but so far as he could find out few were dissatisfied. The pews 

had to be purchased, so only those agreeing to pay (terms were 

undoubtedly made very easy) were assigned. In all 87 pews were 

assigned on the men's side, 77 on the women's side; two free 

pews were reserved for visitors, one for the parish clerk and two 

left vacant.46 

Statements attributed to Bjork in the faulty translation of his 

letter written November 19, 1700 to his friend in Sweden, the 

Honorable Carl Wijstrom (Wistrom) have disturbed students 

familiar with available contemporary information. Among other 

subjects, Bjork's description of the interior of the new-built Holy 

Trinity Church is so translated as to impute to Bjork these errors 

of fact: that a door on the north side of the church "led into a 

vestry," that the chancel railing (enclosing the choir and altar) 

was "circular," that there was "a small belfry at the east end."'" 

That Bjork said none of these things is clear from the original 

Swedish in Holm, here translated by Mrs. Courtland B. Springer: 

There are four doors, a large one on the west end and onc 

of silimar size on the south side, but two smaller ones on thc 

45 Ibjd., 44-50. 

46 Ibjd.. 62-65. 

47 By Du Ponc.eau, in Holm. Short De.~rrjp/iou, from Holm's Knrl Berkrilr~ 

JII,I!. 103-04. 


north side, of which one is left for a sacristy door. There are 

two windows on the north and two on the south, alike in size, 

but a larger one in the east end, and a small one (a transom) 

over the west door which corresponds to the arch of that in 

the east end. These are of wood, constructed by the carpenters 

according to the fashion of church windows. . . 

All the pews of the church are of pinewood, built in the 

town manner, with the doors before (them), but the choir 

railing, all around, that nearest the altar as well as the outer 

(railing), is of turned walnut wood: 

Dorar aro der pH fyra en stor pH wastra andan/ och en af 

lika storlek pi sodra sidan: men 2. smarre pH norre sidan/ 

ther af then ena ar lemnat ti1 Sacerstugu doc: Fonster aro 2. 

pH norre och 2. pH sodre sidan af lika storlek/ men ett storre 

pi ostre andan/ och ett litet ofwer wastra doren som swarer 

emot rundeln pH det i ostra andan; hwilka alle aro i tra af 

~immermanneine efter Kyrkio-Fijnsters maner utarbetade. . . . 

Alle bankarna i Kyrkian iiro af Furutra pH Stadz maner 

bygde med dorer fore/ Men Choret rundt i kring/ sb wal det 

narmsta ti1 Altaret som det yttra skranket/ ar swarfwat af 

Wallnotetra/ sasom ock hela Pradikstolen af samma slags tra. 

In a letter of the same date to Postmaster John Thelin,4s 

Bjork mentioned "two smaller doors on the north side, of which 

the one near the pulpit steps is intended [to lead) to a sacristy, 

when God is pleased to make this possible." 

In neither of these letters is there any suggestion of a belfry. 

Acrelius stated that "the bell was hung upon a walnut-tree in the 

church-yard." It was not until Midsummer's Day, 1707, that 

Bjork recorded in the Church Book: "We raised the belfry (klock- 

stapel) on the north side down by the east corner of the church, 

right opposite a walnut tree the whole labor of which cost one 

pound and thirteen shillings." This type of belfry or church 

steeple built of well-braced timbers a few feet from the side of 

the church or chapel was common in Sweden at the time.49 

48 There is a copy in Swedish of the letter to Johan Thelin at Gothenburg, 

tl;~ted Nov. 19. 1700 in a box of Swedish manuscripts in the Hostorical Society 

of Pennsylvania, with a note attached that the original is in the Royal Archives. 

Stockholm. 

49 Atrclil~s. 267; fi/~l~ Triuit) Reroidr, 124; Johnson. Settlernent.r, I, 366 

(wit11 illustrat~rln)

90 


In the late autumn of this year of the dedication Willian~ 

Penn returned to his province and territories. Firing of guns on 

his ship Ca11ter.bu1.y announced his arrival at New Castle November 

291'December 9, after an absence in England of fifteen years. 

With this ship in the care of Penn came many books that the ministers 

and people on the Delaware had wanted-sent as a gift 

by King Carl XII. Also there were many letters from Sweden 

including one from Archbishop Swebilliils at Upsala. Half the 

books were for the Wicaco congregation where the members under 

the leadership of Pastor Andreas Rudman were building their 

new church, Gloria Dei, close by the old blockhouse church. On 

the first Sunday after Trinity in the next year, 1700, Gloria Dei 

was dedicated. The Christina pastor, Erik Rjork, conducted tlie 

ceremony.?O 

Meanwhile, on October 22, 1699, tlie congregation had engaged 

Swen Colsberg as parish clerk (klockare) and schoolmaster. 

From early times in Sweden the duties of the parish clerk were 

many. He kept the record of marriages, births, baptisms, ancl 

burials from day to day for transfer later into a permanent book. 

On Sundays he helped the minister on with his robes, saw to it 

that the necessary books, marriages banns and announcements 

were on the pulpit. His special part in the service was to lead 

the singing. Keeping school for parish children and other civic 

duties were usually required of him. There was a saying in 

Sweden that "the parish clerk must liave a finger in every pie."" 

In his letter to Thelin, November 19, 1700, Rjork described 

Colsberg as a young person of tlioroughly tested worth, a sober, 

devout, and capable servant of the church; so lie must liave kept 

the Christina parish register along with his other duties from 

his appointment until his death in January, 1710. That it wah 

the pastor's duty to see that marriages, births, baptisms ant1 

burials were recorded by the clerk gives further assurance that 

there was a Christina parish register in Rjiirk's time, though all 

trace of it has since been lost. 

At Christina Swen Colsberg also rang the bell for services 

After his death Pastor Bjork rang the bell until a new parish clerk 

50 Holy Trinity Reror.d.r, 70-75, 79; Acrelius. 206-208. 

51 MS. Records of Holy Trinity, I, 53; Burr translation, 78-79, 135-1 30 

Klockare is the word used throughout the Swedish text. Klorkringare (bell ringcr) 

does not occur. Information concerning the duties of the parish clerk was supplic.


master Thelin, that they would provide places for the expected 

ministers to live. The <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> congregation at some time 

before the arrival of Bjork contracted for 100 acres of land under 

cultivation at Verdrietige <strong>Hook</strong> (Edge Moor), the property of 

Hans (Hance) Peterson. Payment for it had been deferred, prob- 

ably upon agreement that the seller use its profits until it was 

needed. The choice of Christina for the site of the church re- 

quired a more convenient location for glebe land and parsonage. 

So the wardens, now of Christina congregation made good the 

unrecorded contract or understanding of the former <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> 

wardens by payment of f35 in silver money to Hans Peterson and 

received from him a deed of sale acknowledged in the Court of 

New Castle, August 15/25, 1699 and recorded the same day." 

The Christina wardens had a buyer for the land in Peter 

"Mounson" (Mlnsson) whose farm at Verdrietige <strong>Hook</strong> was 

next to that bought of Hans Peterson'Qnd on November 1/11, 

that year, Charles Springer as warden, in the presence of Erik 

Bjork and Lucas Stidham, signed and agreement of conveyance to 

Miinsson for f35 in silver money, to be paid in part that month 

and the balance in 1700. Doubtless the arrangement is again the 

reason for not oficially recording an indenture. Copied into thc 

Church Book its text makes clear that: 

Charles Springer and the rest of the Church Wardens, which then 

at that time were church wardens, did buy this aforesaid tract of land 

for a minister to live upon which they did in behalf of ye congrega- 

tion, then ye <strong>Crane</strong>hook's congregation called. But when it pleased 

God of his mercy, that when our Reverend minister arrived, and thc 

congregation did conclude to build ye Church upon Christeen, so was 

this land found altogether not convenient for a minister to live upon, 

and so with common consent for to be sold.57 

It has been told that in the discussions about a site for thc 

new church after Rjork's arrival, some of the committee and thc 

congregations favored Verdietige <strong>Hook</strong>. So it may be that at the. 

time the glebe was arranged for this was recognized to be a gootl 

choice for the location of a new church. The large tract grantetl 

there in the Dutch period had been divided into small farms arltl 

55 Neu, Caslle Reror.d.r, 11, 226; Deeds B-I, 128-30 

56 Book of Surveys (Penn). 533. 

77 lloly Tritl~t~ Rerorrl~, 69-70, 


reconfirmed to the owners by Governor Lovelace, May 16, 1670.'' 

More small farms had been granted in the neighborhood and a 

large tract adjoining to the north along the river had also been 

divided into small farms, so the population had become greater 

than that of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> or Christina and was growing. There 

were two mills in the neighborhood and the "King's Road" from 

New Castle to Tinicum ran along the high ground through the 

farms, including that of Hans Peter~on.'~ 

As soon as the contract for putting up the stone walls of the 

new church had been signed with Joseph Yard, the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> 

congregation set about making good its promise to prov~de a convenient 

place to live for their minister. Church Warden John 

Stalcop who had given the small tract adjoining the old graveyard 

to accommodate the church building owned all the suitable land 

in the neighborhood. Asked on May 21/31, 1698, if he would 

I consider selling a plot convenient to the church, he let them 

know in November that he was willing to sell the Picketing tractb0 

of 500 acres for f 160 in silver money at some time in the future, 

but was unwilling to release even part of it by deed of sale at that 

time. In December he agreed to let the congregation have half 

of it rent-free but without a deed untll a later time. In the spring 

of 1699 he w~thdrew this concession and on Midsummer's Day, 

I June 24, offered as his only terms for a deed, that the church 

I would buy the whole 500 acres (of Pickering land) with condi- 

I tion attached that they would keep the whole of it for the par- 

I sonage forever. 

58 Ov~g~aol L'III~ 7itlrl. 24-5. 123.14. Ver~lricti,ge <strong>Hook</strong> (l~roublesome Corner) 

\\,as the Dutch name for the tract of fast I.rn~l (no\\. E

94 FROM CRANE HOOK TO CHRISTINA FROM CRANE HOOK TO CHRISTINA 9 5 

From this stand John Stalcop would not budge. Bjork then 

released the congregation from any further thought of dealing 

with John Stalcop. He thanked them for their efforts and good 

will, putting the whole blame on John Stalcop that he, Bjork, still 

had no near path to the church for his "weary feet." He had 

walked back and forth to the church daily during its building from 

his boarding place at the dwelling house of Lucas Stidham6' 

One of the older sons of Dr. Timen Stidham, Lucas lived 

on his 200 acre farm extending southwest of present Wil- 

mington from Deer Creek (near Lancaster Avenue) to Clapboard 

Creek, a branch of Mill Creek. Depending upon where his dwell- 

ing was, the distance to the church would have been from two 

to three miles." In August that summer, John Stalcop took the 

initiative and without conditions except for the terms of payment 

acceptable to the congregation, offered to prove a deed in court. 

An agreement in the form of a deed of sale was drawn up Sep- 

tember 29th, 1699 and signed. John Stalcop died before the deed 

was rcorded, but his widow, Annicka Erickson Stalcop, when the 

land after several attempts was finally correctly surveyed, proved a 

deed in court, May 18, 1703. Meanwhile the land could be used 

for cultivation and building.63 

Soon after the final agreement with John Stalcop the wardens 

secured pledges for work and materials from the members on both 

sides of the river, but it was not until October 1701 that work 

on the building started. The volunteers, Charles Springer, Luloff 

Stidham and others worked well and finished the log walls two 

stories high in about five weeks." Then the promised timbers and 

shingles for the roof were not delivered and many pledges of 

money were not paid. A year later Bjork writes of the "lingering 

parsonage house," while he, having married, lived still farther 

61 Holy Trinity Records, 20, 21, 22, 57-58, 91. 

62 In 1655, Timen Stiddem, so spelled his name in a firm clear hand. New 

York Colonial Manuscripts, V, 18, p. 20. By 1679, a copy of his signature is 

"Tymen Stidham." Deed-Book A-1, 42. The deed to Lucas Stidham for this property 

is not now of record as such. It appears in recitals of later deeds, Book H-1, 173, 

191; Book of Surveys (Penn) 475-76; Original Land Titles, 142; minutes of the 

Commissioners of Property, 3 Sept. 1724, Pennsylvania Archives, 2nd ser., XIX, 

722. 

63 Holy Trinity Record.(, 59, 83, 84, 86, 88. Both indentures are recorded in 

Deeds. Book G-1, 576-79. 

64 The logs (stackar) were cut in such irregular lengths that the size of 

the house specified by Bjork to be 30 by 25 feet within the walls had to be reduced 

to 27 feet 9 inches by 20 feet inside measurement, Holy Trinity Recod, 86. 

from the church." He had married, October 6, 1702, Christina 

Stalcop, a young daughter of Peter and Catharine Stalcop, granddaughter 

of John Anderson Stalcop. Having no house of his own 

he and his wife lived in part of the house of her parents on a 600 

acre plantation between Red Clay and Mill Creek~.~qhis meant 

that besides housekeeping expenses he had to keep a horse and 

like the money for the parsonage his salary was always in arrears. 

Bjork urged his congregation from time to time to finish the house, 

but he did not press them too hard for money was s~arce.~~ There 

was a balance of debt from the building of the church that with 

the cost of the glebe land amounted to &NO, and work was still 

to be done on the church and the grounds.6u 

At last, on January 20, 1710, Pastor Bjork moved with his 

family into "the slowly built, and now but little more than halffinished" 

parsonage. "And so," he writes, "after almost thirteen 

years of difficult and tiresome journeys to the church, I hope to 

have a little easier life, if God shall please."") 

Within a few years the parsonage was completed and those 

of the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> congregation still living could feel satisfaction 

that in spite of the trials and delays and the shortcomings of many 

of them, the pledge to King Carl XI had finally been made good. 

I 

The king had been dead since the year the learned ministers sent 

by him started for the Delaware, and many of those in the <strong>Crane</strong> 

I <strong>Hook</strong> congregation who had been active workers and generous 

/ givers for the building of Holy Trinity Church had died during 

1 the years since its dedication."' 

1 Pastor Erik Bjork received from Dr. Jesper Swedberg, Bishop 

of Skara, on January 9, 1707, a letter stating that it had pleased 

/ His Majesty Carl XI1 to recall Bjork and that the king had 

ordered two suitable pastors to be con~missioned to relieve him 

with the assurance that he would be well-provided for in S~eden.~' 

In May, 1712, there arrived at Christina, Magister Andreas Hesselius 

and the Reverend Abraham Lidenius as assistant to Hes- 

65 Holj. 7ri11irj Rrcord.r. 68, 86-87, 99; Del.lu..irr Hi.r/o~j, V, 273, n. 8. 

66 Deeds, Book A-1. 14. 22; <strong>Hook</strong> y-1. 752 (rec.ital); New Casrle Recnr,d.r. 

11. 19. This tract included Price's Corner .~nd ~hc mill site on the Red Clay 

(:reek that descended to Empson Bird, Deeds. Book C-2. 113. 

67 Holj 7'r111ir) Recordi. 108. 131-32. 

68 Atrelius. 265; ffol~ T~IIII~,. Rrcordi. 84. 88. 100, 107. 

09 Ih~d.. 134. 

70 //)11f.. 76-77, 125. 128. 130. 134. 

71 1/01) 'I'IIIIII~ Recurdr, 140.


~elius.~? Bjork continued to serve as pastor with the aid of the 

new clergymen until May 1713 when he removed from the parsonage 

with his wife and children to a house that had been left 

to him by his late father-in-law, Peter Stalcop, on the Red Clay 

Creek e~tate.~3 When Dr. Swedberg heard that it was convenient 

for Bjork to remain another year, Bjork received from him, August 

12, 1713, an appointment as Provost over the Swedish Lutheran 

churches on the Delaware. On January 15, 1714, he received his 

I 


between the entrance of the Brandywine into the Christina on the east and 

present Scott and Union Streets on the west and around the bend of the Christina 

opposite Long <strong>Hook</strong> on the southwest. North of Anderson all the land between 

these east and west limits was owned by Dr. Tymen Stidham with its north border 

along the Brandywine from Rattlesnake Run (present Clayton Street) to its entrance 

into the Christina. 

The west bounds of Anderson's land in 1669 are proved by a grant of 400 

acres to four soldiers in 1669, extending from Mill Creek to John Stalcop's 

(Original Land TirIes, 142), by subsequent divisions and conveyances of this tract, 

and by surveys of this and adjoining land, New Casrle Records, I, 511-12; Penna. 

Arrbiues, 2nd ser. XIX, 722; Book of Warrants (Penn), 720 ff; Book of Surveys 

(Penn's), 475, 477.). 

appointment as provost and pastor in the city of Fahlun, Sweden. 

Pastor Hesselius announced this honor and deserved recognition 

Tymen Stidham's tract was confirmed to him by Governor Francis Lovelace in 

1671 (original deed awned bv Hist. Soc. of Del.); recorded in Deeds, Book A-1, 

18; a ;urceyor's plot of the stidham tract showing Tymen's house is in Book of 

to the congregation of Holy Trinity. On June 29, 1714, Bjork 

left Christina for Bohemia Landing, whence he was to begin his 

journey to Sweden with his wife and children and several relatives 

by marriage,'.' accompanied by the Swedish pastors and of- 

Surveys (Penn), 479-80. 

The confirmation to John Anderson is not now of record, but that it was 

made in the time of "the late honble Coll. Francis Lovelace, Governor of the Duke 

of York" (May 1667 to July 1673) is given in recital in Deeds, Book M-1, 114, 

1737. The confirmation was for 800 acres within the bounds just cited. 

On "April 16, 1675" according to Deeds, Book M-1, 114, 1737, and on the 

ficers of Christina Church and several of the Wicaco congregation 

as far as Bohemia Landing. 

Erik Bjork had come to the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> congregation a young 

man of twenty-nine years and left it in the prime of life at fortypossessed 

of a priceless experience contributed to by his 

own traits of character and his unusually mature and sympathetic 

understanding of these people. The people though long isolated 

from the cultural influences of the home country had a vital culture 

of their own through the natural inclination of most of them 

to live good lives and promote the religious and elementary school 

education of their children, which Bjork had reported to Sweden 

in 1697. Their faith in their inherited religion was sincere and 

deep. So this learned pastor and these unassuming people were 

held to each other by strong bonds from the beginning, through 

hard times after the church was built and even after an ocean lay 

between the congregation on the Delaware and Provost Bjork in 

his pastorate at Fahlun, Sweden. 

! 

I 

1 I 

"10th day of 8th mo., 1674" according to Deeds, Book K-1, 364, 1735, John 

Anderson conveyed an undivided half of his 800 acres to Samuel Peterson and Lars 

Cornelison. What must have been a final agreement as to terms between Anderson 

and the grantees, dated April 16, 1676, is translated from the Dutch by A. R. 

Dunlap in DeIaware Hisfory, VI, 43, from a partly defective copy owned by 

Hist. Soi. of Del. 

The 400 acres was a strip beginning at a small run flowing into the Christina 

(site of Lombard Street) striking northwest to Scott and Lincoln Sreets. Cornelison 

took the north half divided lengthwise of this strip. He sold it to Justa Andries; 

Andries sold to Mathias De Foss. It was bought from De Foss (Deeds, Book B-1, 

55, 1685) by Charles Picketing, merchant of Philadelphia. Picketing bought another 

tract beyond the west boundary, and on May 10, 1693 sold both, amounting to 

about 500 acres, to John Stalcop's widow, Christina and their son John (Deed 

B-1, 103). John Anderson Stalcop's land as divided in 1686 is shown in Book of 

Surveys (Penn), 448-452, when the separate tracts add up to 994 acres instead of 

800. 1736 survey, ibid, 393. 

72 Ibid., 141. 

73 [hid., 154; Will of Peter St.~lcop, New C;~stle County Wills, Book R-1, 193. 

74 Holj Tt.;~t;ry Record.r, 157, 159, 161, 169, 193. 

75 A lejicntl on the oil portrait of Bjiirk sent from Fahlum, Sweden (1899) 

in memory of Rjijrk and now hung in the vectry at Old Swedes, tells that he \\(a\ 

60 years of age in 1728. 

76 John Anderson Stalcop's I;~ncl (tf. footnote 37): Anderson had a small 

tr.ict on the Christina near the fort in I660 \\-1iich he may have oumecl from 1655 

Hc bought an adjoining tract from Peter Meyer in 1659 for which Meyer had no 

patent. He w;lc fiiven one by Stuyves;~nt dated Sept. 18, 1660, after intercession 

hy Vicr-Dirrrtor \X'illi.~rn 13cetknlan on behalf of both men (Doc. XII, 182-3. 

324-25) I3y 1669 An~lrr\on o\vnccl more than half the s~tc a,f prcwnt \X'ilmingtc,ll

Some Crune <strong>Hook</strong> Lund Trunsfers 

and the 

T WILL be remembered that <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Church and burying 

I ground were on land given by two members of the congregation, 

Samuel Peterson who gave thirty feet and Lars Eskelsson who 

gave the church as much land as it should need. Also that Hendrick 

Lemmens at some time before October, 1683, had acquired 

Eskelsson's plot in addition to his own lot next but one above. 

In 1680 there was surveyed to Lemmens a large tract, 200 acres of 

"Land Creple & Marsh" between the north line of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> and 

the Christina.' This included the fast land of "Moens Poulson's 

Island" (<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Map I), also called Calkon Island, Calkon 

being the Swedish for turkey. The tract was confirmed to him 

in 1685 by patent from the Pennsylvania Commissioners of Propert~.~ 

Meanwhile, soon after Lemmens was in possession of the 

tract trouble between him and his <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> neighbors about 

their wagon road and footpath across this property to the ferry 

landing on the Christina, also about the extent of his right to cut 

wood and timber in the common woodland so vexed the community 

that to end the strife both sides agreed to arbitration. 

The report of the arbiters, John Cann, a justice of the New Castle 

Court and Ephraim Herman, official surveyor of the County is an 

invaluable document for the picture it gives of the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> 

community with the adjoining tract of Hendrick Lemmens' marsh 

and island in 1682-83.3 

1 Book of Surveys (Penn), 325. 

Z New Castle County Deeds, A-I. 152. 

3 Recorded Sept. 4, 1683, New Ca.rrle Recordr, 11. 50-53; and recited In 

Deeds, M-I. 268-270 (1738), from William Poulson and wife Elizabeth to Luca, 

Stidharn. Jr. 

; 

CHURCH BURYING GROUND 99 

i The marsh or "meadow ground" between the Badstu Creek 

t 

and Hendrick Evertson's island at the southeast part of <strong>Crane</strong> 

' 

<strong>Hook</strong> was to belong in proportionate shares to the land owners. 

i 

Hendrick Evertson, having bought Hendrick Lemmens', Symon 

Jansen's and Evert Hendrickson's shares of the marsh was to have 

six shares (one share to each single-lot-sized piece of fast land). 

The remaining landowners: now Hendrick Andriesson, William 

Johnson's widow, Catherine; Eskell Andries and John Matson 

were to have the eight remaining shares. Hendrick Lemmens still 

had his two home-lots, having sold only the two shares of marsh 

belonging to them to Evertson. 

As to cutting wood and timber: since Hendrick Lem~nens had 

the two shares of the common woodland belonging to his two lots 

and had reserved the cutting of timber and other wood on half 

of Symon Johnson's land sold to Hendrick Evertson, Lemmens 

was to be free to cut wood and timber on any part of the woodland 

outside the home-lots. 

The wagon way so long in use by <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> people across 

Lemmens' island was to remain free to the people, there being 

no other convenient landing on the Christina than the one to 

which this road led; with the provision, however, that the <strong>Crane</strong> 

<strong>Hook</strong> landowners should help Hendrick keep the bridge of the 

road and the road itself in good repair upon penalty of thirty shillings 

each for those who failed to report for the work at the first 

notice from Hendrick. The footway, being across the best part 

of Lemmens' marsh was to be given up and if necessafy one 

could be made in a less damaging place. Also the inhabitants of 

<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> were to respect.~emmens' fences and other properties. 

And henceforth they were required to cease from all suits and 

quarrels at law. 

So far as known this "fynall award arbitriment in manner 

and force," signed by the arbiters and the four <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> land 

owners (though not by Hendrick Lemmens) represented all the 

real property and privileges of Hendrick Lemmens in <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> 

and the adjoining area south of the Christina up to the time of his 

death in November, 1687. He had been a justice of the Court of 

New Castle from January, 1685 to 1687.qis nuncupative will 

was sworn to in that court, November 14/24, 1687:

100 CHURCH BURYING GROUND CHURCH BURYING GROUND 101 

Peter Clason and Jacob Clason being attested declare that being 

at the house of Henry Lemmens, lately deceased, said Henry being 

then on his death bed, did call them to him and told them it was his 

will that his wife should have half of all he had and his children the 

other half, and they asked him if he nleant his land. He said yes, the 

half of his land during her life, for she hath labored to get it as well 

as I, and there is something behooved to my wife's first children, and 

afterwards when the attestants came to speak with thc testator he was 

not capable of speaking plain.> 

Ann Lemmens was granted administration of her husband's 

estate. She had remarried before December 20/30, 1688, when 

"Thomas Gasper and Anneky Lemmens his wife" acknowledged 

in court a deed of that date to Henry Evertson for a house and 

lot in <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong>. The deed is not now of record and may have 

been only to give a clear title for a part of the Symon Jansen 

tract that Lemens had bought and sold several years before his 

death. Nor is any other sale of Lemmens' <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> land of 

record during Ann's lifetime. Thomas Gasper's will was probated 

October 5, 1692, by which his "wife Mary" was made exe~utrix,~ 

evidence that Ann Lemmens did not long survive Hendrick. 

Nothing has been found concerning Ann Lemmens' "first 

children," nor whether they received any thing from Henry Lem- 

mens' estate. If so it was not at <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong>. Lemmens had 445 

acres elsewhere in the county in 1684 and was assessed for 800 

acres in 1685/86 for which his widow was taxed the following 

year. In 1695 Paul Paulson "of Christiana Creek" records that 

"having intermarried with Elizabeth the daughter of Henry Lem- 

mens late of Turkey Island in Christina Creek aforesaid, deceased," 

he releases "Charles Rumsey and Nicholas Lockier, Gentlemen, 

late guardians of the said Elizabeth."' 

The Paulson or Poulson families lived at Fern <strong>Hook</strong>, where 

a tract in the tenure and occupation of Paul Poulson was con- 

firmed to him by Governor Nicolls, March, 1668-9; and at Bread 

and Cheese Island (formed at the junction of the Christina with 

Red Clay Creek) where William ("Wolley") Poulson had land 

confirmed to him a few months earlier. Moens Poulson's Island 

shows a Poulson in possession of that tract before it was surveyed 

to Hendrick Lemmens in 1680. That Paul Paulson came into 

possession of this tract and island through his wife is proved by 

5 New Castle County Wills. A-I. 94; Misc. 1. 282. 

6 Neu, Cutrle Record(. 11. 192, 146; Wills, Misc. I. 76. 

7 New CII~//P Rrrotdr, 11. 79. 119, 169; Deccls. B-I. 97.93. 

a resurvey of "Land belonging to Paul Paulson of Turkey Island" 

in 1702. The lines of which coincide with those of this tract of 

land, meadow, and marsh as surveyed to Lemmens in 1680.R 

Among sales disposing of Lernmens' property outside the 

<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> neighborhood, the first is dated November 16, 1696: 

Paul Paulson of Christina Creek, "in right of his wife Elizabeth, 

only Daughter and Survivour of the children of Hendrick Lem- 

mens," sold to Peter Anderson of the same place, 220 acres of 

land and marsh on St. Georges Creek. Along with the resurvey 

to Paul Paulson in 1702 of Hendrick Lernmens' Turkey Island 

Tract, the deed to Anderson and a much later indenture by which 

Elizabeth Lemmens and her second husband, Timothy Colliins," 

released to Lucas Stidham (Senior) of Christiana Hundred all 

right, title, and interest in the whole of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> land and the 

island tract, form the main evidence that Elizabeth Lemmens 

inherited the whole of her father's estate, including his southern 

home-lot with the burying ground at its west end. Attached to 

this release, dated November 18/28, 1725, is the reservation: 

Memorandun1 that <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Church yard is to be excepted out 

of this release and reserved as a Burying Ground for the use of that 

Congregation for ever as it was first intended. 

The release was acknowledged in court August 20, 1726, and 

recorded March 20, 1727. It was signed by Lucas Stidham with his 

characteristic signature mark, "L S,"' as well as by Elizabeth and 

Timothy Collins. Later indentures indicate that at the time the 

release was drawn up, Lucas Stidham was about to buy from 

Samuel Kirk 300 acres of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> land including the home- 

lots south of William Johnson's line with their proportion of 

marsh and woodland. Lucas Stidham died in December 1726 

and the sale of Kirk and his wife Elizabeth was made to Lucas 

Stidham, Jr., for f 160. In their deed is a recital giving some 

previous history of these home-lots. In 1720 Samuel Kirk bought 

from the sheriff of the county, the 300 acres1' and in 1723 mort- 

R Original Laird Tirle.~, 34. 134. 137. 152. 187; "Communicant Records," 

Deluu~are Hi.rror.y, VI, 242-243n.; Book of Surveys (Penn), 428. 

9 Deeds, B-I, 269.271. The date of Elizabeth's marriage to Timothy Collins 

has not been found. Paul Paulson died in 1713, buried Oct. 25. The entry in the 

printed Holy Trinrry Rerovdr. 190, adds by error. "in <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Church yard," 

which belongs to the name entered above. See "Burial Records." Deluufure History, 

V, 182. 

10 Drr

102 CHURCH BURYING GROUND CHURCH BURYING GROUND 103 

gaged the tract to the trustees of the New. Castle County loan 

office. 

In their deed to Lucas Stidham, Jr., dated August 20/'jO, 

1726" (the same day on which the release from Elizabeth and 

Timothy Collins was proved in court) they tell that outside of 

the 300 acres all the land of <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> proper (784 acres with- 

out Turkey Island) was owned by LVilliarn Paulson and a certain 

John Richardson, Esq. (who had been a trustee of the Loan office 

at the time of Kirk's mortgage.) 

William ("Wolle") Poulson had bought from Jacob Anderson 

by deed of February 16/26, 1721. for 270, the four lots formerly 

of Hendrick Anderson and U'illiam Johnson, bounded south by 

Hendrick Lemmens line and north by the swamp between this 

land and "Calcoon Island." Acknow~ledged in court February 21, 

1720/21, the deed was not rcorded until March jl, 1751, whei~ 

William "Poleson" of the Borough of Wilmington, Innholder 

(son of "Woola" Poulson who inherited half the tract from his 

father and half from his dead brother Peter), and his wife Mary 

sold to Peter Sigfredus Alrichs, 254 acres of marsh, fast land, 

and woodland, part of the four-lot tract, for f625 (see Cranc 

<strong>Hook</strong> Map 11). Innholder William Poleson mortgaged the re^ 

mainder of the four lots. The mortgaged land was sold by thc 

sheriff and bought by Jonas Stidham (written on the margin oi 

the deed) as recorded June 19. 29, 1752." 

Lucas Stidham, Jr., who acquired the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> property 

as described above, conveyed the lo\\rer half of this "plantation" 

by a deed of gift April 15/23, 1749 to his son Jonas. This wa\ 

just before his death in April of that year, after which, Peter ill 

herited the north half. Jonas' share was south of present Lamb 

son's Lane. Peter's share included the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Ruryinp, 

Ground. Peter by his will dated March j, 1777, bequeathed 

plantation "called <strong>Crane</strong>hook" to three sons to be divided into 

three equal parts: X'illiam, the eldest. to have the southern div~ 

sion (this would be next to his Uncle Jonas) ; Peter, the youngc\l 

son, to have the middle division, which included the <strong>Crane</strong> Hoob 

Burying Ground (See <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Map 11); Lucas to have tlw 

northern division.13 

11 Deeds, Q-1, 448. 

12 Ibid., Q-1, 448, 458-459. 626.627. 

13 [bid., 163.164; Book of Warrants (Pcnn). 720: Willh. G-I. $05. K I 

jH5 tf. 

Peter's plot had been in possession of direct descendants of 

Lucas Stidham, Senior, since 1726 when in 1813, this Peter Stid- 

ham by indenture of December 7 that year sold the middle divi- 

sion bequeathed him by his father to William Walker and Thomas 

Bradun of Wilmington. There was no reservation of <strong>Crane</strong> 

<strong>Hook</strong> Burying Ground. There was, however, mention of a grave 

yard, which by the boundaries of Peter's plot as described in the 

deed, was at the edge of the fast land and the Delaware River 

marsh. That is, it was at the river-front of the old home-lot, a 

half mile south of the church and churchyard of 1667. It was 

this graveyard, presumably a Stidham family burial place, mistaken 

for the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Churchyard, that led to the choice of this site 

for the monument, erected in 1896 to commemorate <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> 

Church. The site of it is mentioned later in a number of convey- 

ances. For example in a deed of E. I. duPont deNemours & Com- 

pany to Brandywine Realty Company, 25 May, 1903: "Beginning 

at a stone corner for the land formerly of Franklin Platt, thence 

by said lands S 84% degrees E along the middle of the lane 

189 3/0 perches to a stone at the edge of the marsh at the N. E. 

corner of the grave yard, etc."14 

John Matson by his will dated September 14, 1699, directed 

that he be buried at <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Church. Burials in the old <strong>Crane</strong> 

<strong>Hook</strong> Churchyard are recorded occasionally between 171 3 and 

1750. The Reverend Israel Acrelius, pastor of Holy Trinity (Old 

Swedes) Church, 1749-1756, wrote of it: 

The place is now changed into an orchard; yet the ground still serves 

as a burial place for a few families who have there, interred their 

fathers, as also for poor people on that side of the creek who have 

no fixed residence.1' 

Except for Matson's, records of individual burials have not 

been found for the period when the churchyard was most used. 

That more ground was taken into it in 1683 has been told, and 

it may have been extended later. Hendrick Lemmens would, it is 

likely, be buried there, also his daughter Elizabeth, who ensured 

the protection of the <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> Burying Ground for years to 

14 Deeds. N-I. 3-6. L-19. 498. 

I 5 Wills, Book I. 475-76 (Charles Sprinsc-r was a witness); "Burial Records," 

I)r/,~uitre 1111fory. V, 182. 184, 187. 195. 196. The last turo entries are for Olaf 

Paulsson's u'ifc and a d;~ughtcr. Atreli~~h, 264. The "poor people without fixed 

rcsi

104 CHURCH BURYING GROUND 

come by her recorded reservation in 1725-26. The year of her 

death has not been found, but she last appears in the records 

covered for this study in an indenture of August, 1738, by which 

"Timothy Collins of New Castle Hundred and his wife Eliza- 

beth" sold to Lucas Stidham (Junior) of the same place, sixty 

acres of "Cherry Island Marsh" in Brandywine Hundred, "right 

over against Calcoen or Turkey Island," being a tract confirmed 

to Lars Cornelius in 1676, which Cornelius sold to Christopher 

Myer, May 1, 1683, and Myer the same day conveyed by deed 

to Hendrick-Lemmens. "And the said Elizabeth the wife of the 

said Timothy Collins is the only daughter & Heir of the said 

Hendrick Lemmens." The deed was acknowldged in court, No- 

vember term, 1738 and recorded February 3/13, 1739.'" 

I6 Decds. Wr-1. 1S6-ISX. 

M 

Charles Springer 

1658-1 738 

UCH has been written about Charles Springer without 

benefit of the first-hand information contained in his letter 

i of June 1, 1693, to his mother, from his home near present Wil- 

I mington. Neither in Swedish nor in translation was the letter 

' available in America for more than two hundred and fifty years 

after it was written. In 1874 William M. Reynolds, translator of 

Acrelius' History of New Sweden, wrote in a footnote to that 

work, that he had found such a letter mentioned in another Swed- 

I ish text (L. A. Anjou's Svenska Kyrkans Historia), but had cbserved 

no reference to it elsewhere. In 1893, Otto Norberg, in 

i his Svenrka Kyrkans Minion vid Delaware i Nord-Amerika, used 

i the 1693 letter, with other source materials, as the basis for a 

biographical note on Charles Springer. The Norberg work, however, 

has not been available in English, except for a partial manu- 

l , script translation in the library of the Historical Society of Penn- 

1 

sylvania. 

In November, 1948, the American Swedish Historical Foundation, 

Philadelphia, obtained for Courtland B. Springer a photostat 

of the original letter, now in the Royal Archives in Stockholm. 

An English translation of it skillfully made by Dr. Axel John 

j Uppvall (Professor Emeritus of Scandinavian Languages) of the 

All the new facts concerning the parents and ancestors of Charles Springer 

included in this chapter are from research conducted in Sweden in 1951 and 1952 

by Mr. Anton Olsson, of Stockholm, who was especially recommended to the late 

Courtland B. Springer for whom the work was done, by Dr. Olof Jagerskiold, of 

the Swedish Royal Archives. Photostats or certified copies of all pertinent source 

materials are now in the possession of Mrs. Courtland B. Springer of Upper Darby, 

Pcnnsylvania. In addition to the records from Sweden, Mr. and Mrs. Springer 

~upplicd genealogical information on Charles Springer's children. Courtland Bowker 

Sprinpcr, born May 15, 1878. died November 19, 1956. He was a direct descendant 

of Charlcs Springer.

106 CHARLES SPRINGER 1658-1738 CHARLES SPRINGER 1658-1738 107 

University of Pennsylvania was published in 1949 both in the 

yearbook of the American Swedish Historical Foundation and in 

Delaware History. 

Subsequent readings of the Swedish letter, while upholding 

Professor Uppvall's excellent translation in all major respects, 

have remedied some omissions, bringing to light additional in- 

formation, and have verified, or, in some cases, revised the earlier 

rendering of rather obscure passages, so that it is now possible 

to present the following translation which conforms even more 

closely to the original : 

Highly Esteemed, Beloved, Dear Mother. 

My highly esteemed, dear Mother: 

I cannot permit this opportunity which, thank God, I now have, 

to go by without making known to you disti~zctly, dear Mother, 

my present situation and life. 

First of all, I find it wholly deplorable to be so far away from 

my dear mother, brothers, family, and relatives, and in a land 

so distant from you, and not able to receive any communication 

from you, for all that I have written to you many times, without 

getting any answer except for one letter in England. 

Further, I shall also let you know about my coming here to 

this land. When I was in London, and was of a mind to journey 

home to Sweden, my native country, again, having gone to school 

there [i.e., in London), learned there the English speech and the 

writing and reading, and [having become) well versed in arithmetic, 

and, as I say, was about to journey home, I was kidnapped 

and, against my will, taken aboard an English ship. And against 

my will I was carried to America, in the West Indies, to Virginia. 

And when I got there I was sold off like a farm animal that is 

driven to market. Thus was I sold, to labor, and held in very 

slavery for five years together. 

My work was unspeakable. In the summer it was Extra Ordinary 

hot during the day, and my work was mostly in the winter, 

clearing land and cutting down the forest and making it ready 

for planting Tobarco and the Indian grain [corn) in the summer. 

I had a very hard master. But now-to God be praise, honor, 

and glory!-I have overcome it all. 

When I had faithfully served out my time I heard, uc-ride~ltl),. 

that there were Swedes at Delaware River. in Pc)/rr,ll~~o~i~r, whic-11 

formerly, under the Swedish rule, was called Nya Swerige [New 

Sweden), and so, as I now tell you, I made that difficult journey 

of about four hundred miles. And when I got there I beheld the 

Old Swedes, and they received me very kindly. 

When I had been here about a year and a half, then it pleased 

God to send and vouchsafe me a most virtuous wife, by name, 

Maria Hindrichss dotter [Maria, Hindrich's (Hendrick's) daughter), 

whom I married on December 27, 1685, and with whom it 

has pleased God to grant me three children, all three of them 

daughters; and she is even now with the fourth child. May God 

Almighty give her a good delivery! 

As for my activities, I am reader here in one Swedish congregation, 

and serve it, because now we have no pastors [i.e., Swedish 

ministers) in this land, for they are all dead. I serve the congregation 

in the church with the reading and expounding of God's 

Word, for I have a Swedish postilla [book of family sermons), 

and the singing of hymns. It is now upon the fourth year that 

I have served the congregation in this way. 

Moreover, I have two plantations that I have bought, and on 

one of them I live, and plough and plant, sowing all kinds of seed 

during the year. I also have livestock for the needs of my household, 

and so live, thank God, that I and mine suffer no want. 

My highly esteemed Mother, dear, let me also hear of you and 

my dear brothers, whether they are living, and how they fare. 

God has known my sadness at not being able to hear anything 

from you. That would make me truly of heart. My fondest 

longing has been that I might be permitted, before I die, to hear 

of your well-being. 

We here in this land now have a godly enterprise, we who 

are Swedes. We have received a letter in our country here concerning 

our king in Sweden, that he will, upon our writing and 

representation, send us pastors and Swedish books, of which we 

have a great lack. They have no one among them to write for 

them but me; I have done it diligently. 

I ask also, my beloved, dear Mother, that it may please you 

to send me a Bible, here, and two manuals and hymnals, for I 

have not one of my own. And if you please, you could send them 

here to me thus, that is, first, send them by some dear person 

(friend, acquaintance) to Giotteborgh [Gothenburg), to His 

Majesty's faitllft~l servant and postmaster, John The//j~ by name,

108 CHARLES SPRINGER 1658-1738 CHARLES SPRINGER 1658-1 738 109 

who will surely send them to me by messenger at the first oppor- 

tunity. Dear Mother, I am wholly at a loss for books. 

Dear Mother, it has been my great sorrow here in this land 

that I am so far away from you. But nothing can help that. 

I send greetings to my dear brothers, and my dear brother 

Lorentz Springer (half-brother; eldest of the family] and his wife 

and children. Greet all good friends, relatives, and family, and 

all who know me and my name. My dear wife and children also 

send all of you their greetings. 

I remain always your ever most obedient son, unto death, 

Karell Christoffe(rs]son Springer. 

Dated at Pensellvenia 

in Delaware River the 1 

June 1693* 

In Charles Springer's letter to Postmaster Thelin written the 

previous day he makes clear that the aged pastor, Jacob Fabricius 

is still living. Here he says the pastors are all dead. This seeming 

conflict is reconciled in the Swedish originals in which Fabricius 

is referred to as "Predikant," a preacher. In the letter to his mother 

he uses "Prast," which means a pastor in the fullest sense, able 

to conduct services according to Swedish custom and fulfill all 

the pastoral offices. 

"Christoffersson" in Charles Sptinger's signature, in the few 

places where he used it, was a patronymic, characteristic of the 

age, to identify the son with his father's family. In his letter to 

his mother it was a dutiful recognition of his dead father, who 

died in Sweden in 166g1 It is important that the given name of 

the man who was an oustanding religious and cultural influence 

on the Delaware in his day should be correctly established and 

that the gratuitous middle name, Christopher, be acknowledged 

for what it was, a misunderstanding by later writers and students 

continued possibly in unconscious tribute as more distinguished- 

sounding than plain Charles Springer. The confusion between 

* The original letter is preserved in the Royal Achives at Stockholm, Acts 

Eccles. V: 186. Translation and documentation by Mr. and Mrs. Springer, who 

supplied also the information on "Predikant" and "Prast" as used by Charle5 

Springer in his letters of May 31 and June 1, 1693. 

1 Patronymics used to identify contemporaries of Charles Springer in church 

and civil records include: Jonas Jespersson Walravcn, son of Jesper Wslraven; 

Anders Johansson Stalcop, son of Johan Stalcop; Timotheus Lylofsson Stedham. 

son of Lylof Stedham; Lucas Lucasson Stedham, son of Lucas Stedham. The II\V 

of "Junior" for the son of thc samc name gradually tarnc into fic.nc.ral nsr. 

patronymic and middle name probably came from Charles 

Springer's own emphasis upon his Swedish birth and family in 

order to identify himself as a good Swede among his new friends 

on the Delaware during his first year among them. 

The Reverend Erik Bjork in the early autumn of his arrival 

a short time after he had made the acquaintance of his best 

educated parishioner, refers to Charles Springer on one page of 

his written record2 by his Swedish name with patronymic: Carl 

Christofferson Springer-perhaps with the intention of recording 

Charles Springer's identification with his family in Sweden at least 

once. For not again in Bjork's record-of the seventeen years 

of his pastorate-in which the name of Charles Springer constantly 

appears, is he set down by Bjork himself as other than 

Charles Springer, or as Carl Springer-Carl being the Swedish 

form of Charles3 

To Bjork's record can be added many clvil commissions to 

"Charles Springer" and his signature in that form only, to documents, 

letters and church papers. One of the special papers denoting 

him by his given name is his certificate of naturalization 

from William Penn, 23rd of Fifth month 1701, which reads: 

"Charles Springer was born in 1658, the son of Christopher 

springe^."^ 

Charles Springer born in 1658 was the son of Christopher 

and Reata Salina Springer of Stockholn~. Records pertaining to 

his father and mother and his "brother Lorentz" are among 

Sweden's archives, church records, and other memorials. The 

family home was in a northern suburb of the city, the house built 

of stone at a period when wood was the almost universal material 

for dwellings. The Springer house stood opposite the east gate 

of the Sancta Clara (Lutheran) Churcl~ which the family attended. 

In the churchyard, his father, Cl~ristopher, was buried in 1669 

and his half brother, Lorentz, a magistrate in the circuit court of 

appeal, on June 24, 1690. Lorentz was the only surviving child 

of Christopher Springer's first marriage (to Karin Larsdotter, 

? Entry for Scpptemher 9. 1697; page 6 in the original "First Book" of 

Hr

110 CHARLES SPRINGER 1658-1 738 

December I, 1633). Lorentz and his wife, Maria Morling, lived 

in the family home which was still occupied by his widow at the 

time of the 1711 census of Stockholm and probably iintil her 

death in 1714.42 

Whether the house in wl~icll Charles Springer was born survived 

for another century or more is not known, but Sancta Clara 

Church, built during the years 1572 to 1590, is today one of Stockholm's 

prized landmarks. Tllough badly damaged by fire in 1751, 

when many of its valuable records were destroyed, restoration was 

immediately begun, and completed in a manner to withstand 

the wear of more centuries. As recently as 1953, the area surrounding 

the church and churchyard was being cleared and beautified 

to protect this "peaceful oasis, full of memories and sentiment," 

from the too close encroachment of modern city traffi~.~ 

The first appearance of Christopher Springer's name in 

records so far discovered is his signature on a treasury receipt 

dated Stockholm, February 9, 1626, for money paid to him as agent 

for another person. His own forty years of government service 

began in 1629, according to statements made at the time of his 

death. 

On August 30, 1630, Christopher Springer acknowledged 

receipt of his yearly salary as a musician, and entries for November, 

1632, and ~~r;l, 1633, show his continuing service in this 

capacity. On June 17, 1633, however, he received salary as a member 

of the secretariat of the treasurer's ofhce, and thereafter he 

can be followed from year to year in the records of the Camera1 

Board (in Swedish, the "Kammare," later on, the "Karnma'rkollegium"). 

An entry for May 19, 1636, states that Christopher 

Springer has .been entrusted with trallslating into S\\redish a contract 

written in the Dutch language. 

On January 23, 1637, Christopher \\,as granted the registration 

of the property opposite the Sancta Clara Chiirch. TI,; deed is 

in the municipal record office in Stockholm, and a map showing 

the location of the Springer property is in tlle archives of the 

town engineer's office. 

His employment in the Treasury uncler King Gustaf Adolph, 

was follo\ved by Queen Christina's appointment, 17ebruary 0, 

1646, of "Cammar Notarius Christofer Springer" as judge of 

4:) D~)cumcntnry m;ltcr;nl from .~rchiv.~\ .;l)rlrlc\ in S\vc~\~n. ni)\v In 111~. pcn\c\\ 

ion of Mrs. Courtland H. Springer. 

5 51,' P/~/.,I I?,I~/J/,I'/P~. Stockli111n1 Nc.w\p~~pc.r. 1.1n11.1rv I .1 I 05 4 1, 7. ( I ~ I , + 

CHARLES SPRINGER 1638-1738 111 

Nardinghundra, a district in the county of Upland. On July 16, 

1651, the Queen appointed him Referendary of the land revenue 

office. His oath of office, written in his own hand, has a well- 

preserved impression of his personal seal affixed to the signature, 

"Christoph Springer." At the time of his death, Christopher 

Springer was Archives Inspector of the Royal Exchequer." 

Full probate records of Christopher Springer's estate following 

his death in 1669 have been preserved. The inventory of his 

possessions proves him to have been a wealthy man for his day 

and his personal property was that of a man of culture, including 

an extensive library and a valuable collection of silver. One 

piece described as "of ancient \vorkmanship," was given a specially 

high valuation.' 

Charles Springer's mother, Beata Salina Springer, was the third 

wife of Christopher Springer, whom he married October 15, 1654. 

She was the eldest daughter of Dr. Raltzar Salinius, for many 

years physician to King Carl X.R \YJhen Reata Salina's husband 

; died in 1669, Dowager Queen Hedwig Eleanora, widow of King 

; 

i 

1 

Carl X, immediately selected Beata Salina for a place in her service. 

Beata Salina Springer would be well-known to the Queen 

Dowager because of her father's service to the king, and her 

husband's forty years of service in the government. she became 

the Queen Dowager's royal housekeeper at Gripsholm castle across 

Milar Lake from Stockholm. There she died and was buried 

December 17? 1693, in the front of the choir of the church at 

Mariefred, near the castle. The inscription on the gravestone, 

translated, reads: "Her Majesty's, the Queen Dowager's, royal 

housekeeper, Beata Salina, lies buried beneath this stone."" 

When the true date of Reata Salina Springer's death was established 

as December, 1693, instead of 1714, as preliminary research 

had indicated, some doubt was felt that her son Charles' letter of 

June 1, 1693, ever reached her hands. There now seems to be a 

reasonable certainty that it did. Charles Springer's letter to his 

mother was dispatched to Postmaster Thelin, in Gothenburg, 

i with the letter written c,n behalf of the Swedish congregations. 

which is now known to have arrived in Sweden at some time 

before November 4, 1693, a fact well documented by references 

0 Roy;~l Arcliivcs. Stotkholm. 

7 IOiJ. 

H 1!1td. 

0 1'111~10\1.11 111 1111. PO%\C\\IOII hlrx. Co~~rtl.ln~l H. Sprinprr.

112 CHARLES SPRINGER 1658-1738 CHARLES SPRINGER 1658-1738 113 

preserved in the Archives. Since Thelin himself was in the gov- 

ernment service, and had close friends at court, he would have 

known that Beata was at Gripsholm Castle, and would have been 

able to send her son's letter to her quite as easily as Beata could 

have sent to him the books for which the letter asked. Charles 

Springer's letter to Postmaster Thelin for the Lutheran congre- 

gations on the Delaware could be expected to be preserved in 

the Royal Archives as it was. The importance attached to his per- 

sonal letter to his mother is indicated in that it was also placed 

there. 

It was four years after the death of his mother that a letter 

was received by the government of Sweden at Stockholm from 

Charles Springer inquiring about his share of his parents' estate. 

The order by King Carl XI1 that the proper proceedings be under- 

taken to meet this request has been prserved.'O 

At the end of his first full year of research for information con- 

cerning the Springer family in Sweden, Mr. Anton Olsson wrote 

to the late Courtland B. Springer that his finds had been excep- 

tionally rich, owing to the prominent position in life that mem- 

bers of the family held, and the "detailed enlightenment that is 

characteristic of Christopher Springer's writings." Of Christopher 

Springer himself Mr. Olsson said that all information about him 

pointed to "a highly upright man."" 

Concerning Charles Springer as a child and schoolboy in 

Stockholm, there are no known family papers or public records. 

His birth and baptism in the Sancta Clara Church registers have 

not been found. There is record that for his higher education he 

was first sent to Riga, commercial city on the Baltic seacoast of 

Latvia, then a. province of Sweden, now a part of Russia. By the 

time he was eighteen arrangements had been made with Sweden's 

minister in London, Johan Leyonberg, to take charge of the young 

man's further education in England. The results are told in his 

letter to his mother.12 

For a yoilth reared in the comfort and amenities of a well-to- 

do cultivated family, and living in the home of the Swedish min- 

ister at London at the time he was seized on a London street, 

the shock of his transfer to bound service on a Virginia plantation 

and the forced labor he performed there could easily have ruined 

10 Royal Archives, Stockholm. 

1 I Letter in the possession of Mrs. Courtland B. Springer 

I 2 Royal Arrhives. Stockholm. 

a less hardy physical constitution and a less stable character than 

that of Charles Springer. He calls the conditions of his five years' 

labor "unspeakable," yet he stood them and arrived at Christina 

in 1684 in his twenty-sixth year a man mature in character and 

responsibility. To the location of the Virginia plantation there 

has been no clue other than his own statement that it was 400 

miles from the Christina. 

Under Virginia law, Charles Springer woud have received 

from the plantation owner at the end of his term, a signed release 

identifying him as a freeman. This would be his passport on his 

way to the Delaware. He would have only his clothing and a 

small sum of money to bring away with him, but he had a sure 

means of livelihood in his knowledge of agriculture. Free labor 

was scarce in the colonies and commanded high wages. As a young 

Swede at home and at Riga Charles Springer may have acquired 

some practical knowledge of forestry, for timber was part of 

Sweden's carefully guarded wealth. However he acquired his 

proficiency, he was engaged in 1678 as forester to the governor 

of Maryland, Sir Francis Nicholson. His absence on this job is 

noted by Bjork, who missed him in the drafting of a contract for 

work on the new church.13 

So far it has not been possible to identify among several 

families on the Delaware associated with Charles Springer, the 

parents of his wife, Maria "Hindrichsdotter," nor to be certain 

that her parents had the surname, Hindrickson (Hendrickson), 

for although a number of Swedish colonists had permanent sur- 

names from their arrival on the Delaware and more families 

were adopting them by this period, the custom of using the 

father's givenname as a surname was still fairly general. As late 

as 1704, a Hendrick Jacobson's son, Hendrick, who inherited 

from his father part of the Tymen Stidham tract along the 

Brandywine west of Rattlesnake Run, held ownership of that 

property as Hendrick Hendrickson, and thus the Jacobson name 

(for a grandfather whose given name was Jacob), was lost.'* 

Maria "Hindrichsdotter" Springer had a brother, John Hen- 

drickson, and a sister, Wiiliaminke Hindricksdotter. These rela- 

13 Records of Holy Trinity. "First Book." 19; Burr translation, 28. 

14 Lucas Stidham, other children of Tymen Stidham, and Tymen's wido\v 

acknowledge in court sale of 100 acres on Brandywine Creek near "Rattlesnake 

Creek" to Henry Jacobson of Chester County, Jan. 20, 1686, Neu, Cu.rtle Court 

Rerordr. 11, 160; Book of Surveys (Penn). 246; Plot of survey for Hendrick 

Hcndriikson's son Andrew showing "Rattlesnake Run" - /bid., 274.

114 CHARLES SPRINGER 1658-1738 CHARLES SPRINGER 1658-1738 

tionships are established by records that name John Hendrickson 

as Charles Springer's "brother-in-law," and Williaminke's husband, 

Stephen Cornelius, also, as his brother-in-law." So, whoever 

the father was, he had these three children and his name can 

be set down as: - Hendrickson, or Hendrick - , while 

the search continues. The children of the unknown parents were 

members of Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church after their marriages, 

but so far it cannot be known of which church the parents 

were members at the time of Charles Springer's marriage 

in 1685: <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong>, Tinicum, or Wicaco."" Charles Springer 

would have been eager to meet all the Swedes on the Delaware in 

those first years of his being among them and doubtless found 

congenial families in the Wicaco congregation, as well as that of 

<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong>. That he visited Swedes in New Jersey in 1685 before 

his marriage and even owned land there, a tract of 100 acres, in 

Gloucester County, before 1689 appears in the New Jersey court 

and land records." 

Of the two plantations which Charles Springer bought and 

on one of which he lived in 1693, his living plantation was in 

15 James Steel's Letter Book I, 57 (Historical Society of Pennsylvania) quoted 

in Delaware Hisrory, V, 281; Pennsylvania Arrbir~es, 2d Ser. V. 17, Minutes of the 

Board of Property, 731. 

15a Hendrick Jacobson (footnote 14) above) might have been the father of 

Marie, Williaminke, and john Hendrickson. As he had a son Hendrick Hendrick- 

son, he may have been the father of Jacob Hendrickson also, who with a Hendrick 

Hendrickson acquired in 1684 a tract of land on the south side of the Brandywine 

(Pennsylvanja Arrbives, 2nd Ser., VII, 193) adjoining Oak Hill where Charles 

Springer lived after his marriage in 1685. John Hendrickson and his wife and his 

sister Williaminke who married Stephen Cornelius had farms close to Oak Hill. 

Hendrick Jacobson, and Jacob and Hendrick Hendrickson contributed money, 

supplies and labor to the building of Holy Trinity Church and paid for pews in 

1699. This Hendrick Jacobson is presumably the soldier who came with Rising in 

1654 (Johnson, 11, 717), acquired from the Dutch in 1663 a tract of land at 

Calcoen <strong>Hook</strong> in the Schuylkill, confirmed under the Duke of York in 1668 

(Penrrsylr~aaia archive^, 1st ser., I, 28) and under Penn in 1685 (ibid., 2nd 

ser., VII, 193). and appears in Charles Springer's list in 1673 of those "born in 

our homeland," 4 in family. 

16 New Jersey Deeds, Book E 11, 337, Secretary of State's Office, Trenton: 

May 9, 1685, Charles Springer witnessed a deed of sale from Andrew Robeson 

"to Morten Mortenson and John Arian (Orion) his son of the Province of West 

Jersey." On May 24, 1738, Charles Springer appeared before the justices of thc 

Gloucester County Court to testify to the validity of the conveyance. Two days 

later, May 26, Charles Springer died at 80 years of age. Morton Mortonson, Sr. 

of the New Jersey deed was the grandfather of the first children of Cbarleh 

Springer's second wife, Annika Justis Morton Walraven - Delaufare Hi~rory, V, 

286n. Charles Springer was assessed for taxes in Gloucester County for 100 acres 

of land between Mantua and Oldman's Creeks, Feb. 3-6, 1687/70 together with 

Morton Mortonson, John Orion. Justa Justason and others (Stewart. Glovrerrer 

Counry rrnder rbe Proprierorr, 23). 

Christiana Hundred, part of an 800 acre tract called "Oak Hill," 

(granted to Niels Lawrsen {Larsson) Friend in 1686), bordering 

the east side of Red Clay Creek in the neighborhood of Wooddale. 

One of the shorter sides of the rectangular Oak Hill tract 

extended along the Red Clay, the body of the land running northeast 

toward the Brandywine." Deeds for parts of the tract describe 

them as at the headwaters of Mill Creek, and numerous 

small creeks and runs are mentioned in tracing the boundary 

lines, as well as trees, chiefly oaks and hickories. Charles Springer 

then lived four miles or more from Christina Ferry, but being a 

prosperous farmer he had horses to ride so his trips to <strong>Crane</strong> 

<strong>Hook</strong> and to the new church at Christina were not as arduous 

as Pastor Bjork's during Bjork's early years on the Delaware. 

The Lancaster Turnpike built through the site of "Oak Hill" 

farms probably followed an early cart road to Christina and 

later to Wilmington used by Charles Springer and his neighbors. 

Among the immediate neighbors were Niels Larsson Friend and 

his four sons, John Anderson Cock's famliy, Cock's son-in-law 

who was Charles Springer's brother-in-law, John Hendrickson; 

Jacob and Hendrick Hendrickson on a tract called "Jacob's Possession," 

sold before 1700 to Eric Anderson; Adam Stidham whose 

plantation was "Adam's Garden," Robert and Richard Robinson, 

Samuel Barker and Mathias De Foss (De Voss) .I8 

The deed for Charles Springer's first tract at "Oak Hill" is 

not now of record but can be located by adjoining tracts, especially 

one sold to Jacobus Cullen (Vanderculen) in 1699.'' This adjoining 

200 acres Charles Springer later bought from Rynier Cullen, 

brother of Jacob~s.'~ Meanwhile in 1702 Charles Springer 

bought from John Anderson Cock 200 acres of the "Oak Hill" 

tract and an additional ten acres of Cock's land.2' Finally John 

and Laurence Friend, sons of Niels Larsson Friend, on March 7, 

1725/6 conveyed the remaining part of the "800 acres" of the 

17 Book of Surveys (Penn), 337-38. 

18 Ibid., 275, 337-38. 

19 Deeds, Book 1-1, 1, August 15, 1677. 

20 Ibid., 150 ff. 

21 Deeds. Book G-1, 572. Feb. 10, 1702. In the deed the year is given as the 

first year of the reign of Queen Anne with no calendar year. By error the Re- 

corder's index carries the year "1725" and gives that year also for the conveyance 

by Ann Stalcop to the church wardens. which is dated 1703. There are no separate 

"Recordccl" dates on the recorded deeds.

116 CHARLES SPRINGER 1658-1738 

original survey to their brother Gabriel "a part having been sold 

before to John Anderson Coxe." Gabriel on May 12, 1726/7, sold 

the "remainder," bounded by Red Clay Creek and land of Charles 

Sprin~er the elder, containing 176 acres, to John Springer and 

his brother Charle~.?~ According to the resurvey of the "Oak 

Hill" Tract in 1703, it contained 936 acres, of which Charles 

Springer and two of his sons, in the spring of 1727, owned 786 

acres, leaving 150 acres, in part at least at one time in the possession 

of John Anderson Cock. 

In 171 9 and again in 1725 Charles Springer had requested 

of the Commissioners of Property a grant of 200 acres of land 

ncar his neighbor Samuel Barker and Red Clay Creek," it being 

for the settling of his children, he having several sons (he had 

seven) and but little land for them."" He was granted the land 

on condition of improving rt, and seems to have taken up his 

option, for in February 1735, in a letter to the Commissioners of 

Property, he reviewed the requests and grants, and according to 

the minutes said "that those children some time after dying he 

the sd Charles assigned his right to Daniel Barker who made 

considerable improvement there~n."'~ The sons who died were 

Israel and Andreas, both buried in 1731 about a week apart.?' 

From the time of his arrival on the river, Charles Springer was 

active not only in building up an estate for himself and his own 

children but in giving aid to others for the protection of their 

grants and patents, as what follows shows. 

Among the numerous tributes to Charles Springer written by 

Bjork is an early one in a letter of October 26, 1697, to Bishop 

Israel Colmodin in Sweden telling that before Bjork arrived 

the Swedish inhabitants had been "daily overrun" by the Quakers. 

but they held fast to their lay reader, Charles Springer, who, 

although to conduct divine services, was otherwise: 

a plain modest man, yet by the grace of God who is used 

to accomplishing great things through humble beings, he has 

been such an obstacle to the Quakers that they wished him out 

of the way, meaning that it \\,auld then be easy to settle the 

27 Book of Warrants (Penn), 15 ff. 

23 Pennsylr~ania Arrhir~es, 2nd set., V. 19 (Minutes of the Board of Property). 

657. 731. 

24 Ibid., 3rd Mr., I, 54. 

25 Hall Trilliry Rerurdr, 344. 

CHARLES SPRINGER 1658- 1738 117 

others. He is a man who has kept all his energy and substance 

unspared for the sake of God's work, as I have constantly 

observed: 

En slatt och ringa man elliest, doch igenom Gudz Mldh som 

igenom ringa stoore tingh plagar Uthratta, Qwakerne till ett 

sHdant hinder warit, att dhe Onskat honom aff wagen, menen- 

des sedan snart skulle vara giordt medh dhe andre. Han ahr en 

man, den all sin flijt och Wallfardh haar hlllit Ospardh for 

Gudz Ordz skull, som iag och allt sedan marcht. 

The excerpt is from an authentic copy of the original in the 

possession of Mrs. Courtland B. Springer and the translat~on, as 

literal as English idiom permits, is based on an English draft by 

Anton Olss~n.~~ 

Thomas Campanius Holm in his Beskrifning (Stockholm, 

1702) deleted in quoting from Bjork's letter the criticism of the 

Quakers which could easily have harmed the Swedes on the 

Delaware and embarrassed their friend William Penn whose 

government was then under question in London in a movement 

to transfer all proprietary colonies in America to the crown. 

The Quakers by whom the Swedes were "daily overrun," as 

Bjork expressed it, were settlers who came in increasing num- 

bers after 1682. Some of these when they found the old settlers 

in possession of the most desirable tracts along the Delaware and 

tributary streams, tried, according to Andreas Rudman and Acre- 

lius, to trick the owners out of their patents, convince them that 

i the patents were worthless or that Penn's officers had cheated them 

I when their land had been resurveyed. Some Swedes and Finns 

were the more easily affected by such arguments because under 

the proprietary land system which they did not understand they 

felt defrauded of their rights. Penn had readily confirmed their 

land to the old inhabitants and granted each of them as much 

new land as each could use. When their original tracts were re- 

surveyed, however, and it was found that a man with a Duke of 

York patent for 300 acres, sometimes had three times that much, 

and that many had taken in additional acres of land, woodland, 

26 The original in Swedish is given here hecause in the first version of this 

letter published in English. the translator represents Bjiirk as writing that Springer 

was a m;in "devoid of talents."-A Shorr De.rrriptiolz of rhe Prorirrce of Neu, 

Srr.erleit, hy l'homas Cnmpanius Holm. translated by Peter S. Du Ponceau, 76 ff; 

copiccl hy J(.llu Curtis Clay. Anjrrrls of rhe Sumedes on the Dclau*trre, 56.

CHARLES SPRINGER 1658-1738 CHARLES SPRINGER 1658-1738 119 

I 

and marsh, they were given the choice of paying quit-rent for 

the "overplus" or forfeiting it. This was a ready made opportunity 

for the schemers, who egged on the old inhabitants to defy 

the collector so that when the "overplus" was declared vacant they 

could sign up to pay the quit-rent and get patents for improved 

land with valuable woodland and hay marsh." 

In 1687, the Provincial Court, in the name of the proprietor, 

ordered the sheriffs of the Province and Territories "to seize into 

the Proprietary's hand all the Lands & Tenemts with their appurtenances" 

of those refusing to pay quit-rents long in arrear~.?~ 

Whether or not the orders were carried OLI~ or attempted to be 

carried out against owners whose only debt was quit-rent is not of 

record. Rut tlie threat and attempts of newcomers to use it to 

get control of vali~able property illegally or make trouble among 

the quiet, honest, older settlers must have given Charles Springer 

much practice in preventing mischief and securing justice, which 

Bjork's testimony tells that he did. 

Trouble under the land system continued for many years. Not 

all injustice could be prevented or cured; insecurity under changes 

in provisions and operation, and under changing enforcement 

officers would be hard to endure, and tlie cheating of landgrabbers 

aided by the obstinacy of honest Swedes made for the 

exasperation of some of Penn's officers. Qu~t-rents remained low. 

Even the increase about 1700 on new grants to a penny sterling 

per acre was not a burden, time being given for the land to produce 

before the rent was demanded. Quit-rents for those who 

had patents before the raise continued at the old rate of one bushel 

of wheat per hundred acres per year."' Twenty-two years later, 

officers for the Penn's appointed to investigate petitions, complaints, 

and dissatisfaction among the Swedes (mostly of the 

Wicaco congregation) : Richard Hill, Isaac Norris, and James 

Logan, stated that these were caused "by others more nearly related 

to Great Britain (presumabily Irish and Scots) ~ ~ may h o 

27 Comment hy Anclreas Rudman. origin.11 manu\cripts. archivcs of Gloria 

Dei church. translated for use here by Mrs. Courtland B. Springer. The lanrl 

question as Acrrlius Iearnccl it from old inhabitants and from the Rudman papers 

is rlescribrd in his History of Neu- Sueedew, 155 ff. 

28 Pe~~s.rylr~a~ria Arrhir*er, 1st ser., 1, 98. Refusal to pay or evasion of quit 

rents was so general among the English and the land management under Penn so 

1.1rking in system that the proprietor and his heirs could collect only a fraction 

of what was due. 

29 Logan Papers ( Historiral Soi.icty of Pennsylvania), Quit Rents, Threc. 

1.owc.r Ct~unticc. 1701-171 3.

120 CHARLES SPRINGER 1658- 1738 

justly be accounted the truly Deszgning Men to whom our divi- 

sions, whenever they arise will be owing . . . Swedes among us, we 

are sure have never been injured by the Proprietor or any under 

Him; tho' they are very I11 used by those who from time to time 

court their hands and names to carry on Designs.">' 

An instance was the occasion for Charles Springer's letter in 

which he told of transferring the rights in his land originally in- 

tended for the sons who died, to Daniel Barker. As reported in 

the minutes of the Commissioners of Property at a meeting at- 

tended by Thomas and John Penn as Proprietaries, February 25, 

1735, the letter from Charles Springer was read, reporting that 

one James Phillips having obtained from the Secretary a warrant 

for the same land was threatening Daniel Barker not only by 

surveying the land away from him but by suing him for cutting 

timber on it. "The Proprietaries were pleased to order that as 

the warr't (for survey) to J. Philips was irregularly obtained, he 

knowing of the settlem't and Imp't of Barker, it be declared 

void."" 

Soon after his naturalization in 1701, Charles Springer's ac- 

tivities in the cause of justice among Swedes and Finns and others 

in the jurisdiction of the New Castle Courts were recognized by 

his appointment as one of the justices of the New Castle County 

Courts. His name appears in the May Term, 1703. Whether this 

was his first term cannot be known; records of 1701 and 1702 

are lost and neither minutes nor dockets for the several courts 

are complete for any of the remaining years of Charles Springer's 

lifetime. But among the surviving loose pages and sections and 

several bound volumes of the period his name appears as a jus- 

tice in many years.32 Deeds, orders, declarations and other papers 

signed by Charles Springer as one of the justices of the New Castle 

County courts fill enough pages to warrant the conclusion that he 

continued in the office from May 1703 to May 1738, the year of 

his death.33 

92. 

30 Penu~yltfania Avchii,er, 1st ser., 1, 172-77. James Steed's Letter Books. 11. 

31 Ibid., 3rd ser., I, 54. 

32 State Archives. Dover. Charles Springer's name appears among the justice\ 

in court sessions: 1703, 1706, 1712-17, 1718-22, 1726-29. 1734-35. Only a few of 

the commissions survive. Three are in Deeds, Book H, 71,202, 240. 

33 Other references to Charles Springer as a justice of the courts account fol 

the years 1709-10 (Deeds. Book H, 122); 1731 (Executors account in Orphan\ 

Court at Near Castle, New Jersey Architler, 1st ser.. XXX. Abstracts of Wills, 11. 

91); 1736 (Deeds, Book K. 447); 1737 (L-1. 161); 1738 (m-1. 18). 

CHARLES SPRINGER 1658-1738 121 

In the courts of Common Pleas, of Quarter Sessions, Orphans 

Court, and by appointment of the governor, the Court of Oyer and 

Terminer for the trial of high crimes,'' a man of Charles Springer's 

traits and abilities would have become thoroughly informed con- 

cerning the government and life of the people. For during his 

thirty-five years of serving among the justices, the county courts 

were charged with many administratives duties. They saw to the 

execution of laws affecting the county, fixed the county rates, and 

directed the assessment and collection of taxes, ordered all pub- 

lic improvements such as roads, bridges, dykes and causeways; 

made nomination of some county officials and performed other 

government services outside their judicial functions." 

An example of the papers signed by Charles Springer as one 

of the justices of the New Castle Courts is a "memorial" to Gov- 

ernor Patrick Gordon at Philadelphia, November 22, 1728, stating 

in part: 

It has always been the sentiments of the People of this Government 

that their Records as well as their Officers ought to be, live & reside 

among themselves, 6: Within the counties; and that no p'son except 

the Proprietr 6: Govr ought to have Com'and or keeping of any of 

our Deeds, Records, Writts, ctc. unless such person live and reside 

among us and in the County to which such Records do belong.36 

The practice of appointing Pennsylvanians to hold County 

offices in Delaware and enjoy the perquisites caused endless trouble 

and expense to local courts and people by the keeping of their 

records outside the jurisdiction of the courts. 

Among other papers signed by Charles Springer as a justice 

of the courts is the proclamation of allegiance and fealty to King 

George I1 upon his accession to the throne, drawn up at New 

Castle, September 4, 1727.?' 

34 Got,er.nor.'s Register, 10-1 1. 

35 Reed, ed., A Hi.rtory of the Fiv.rt State, 274-75. In Springer's time the 

duties later assigned to the Levy Court, were performed by the justices only. 

36 Perzn.rylr~ania Ar.chir,e.r, 1st ser., I, 234-35. 

37 Ibid., 204.

Springer's Service to 

Chzlrch and People 

J UDGING from the records in the Church Books civic duties 

did not lessen Charles Springer's attention to the needs of 

church and congregation. In October 1699, Erik Bjork prepared 

an account of the achievements and progress in his parish since 

his arrival. For the sake of posterity he wanted to append to it 

the names of the men "under whose churchwardenship all this 

(building the new church with all that it involved) had been 

done and happily brought to a consummation with me in behalf 

of the congregation." These churchwardens, Charles Springer, 

Brewer Sinnexen, William Slubey, Jacob Van de Ver, and John 

Stalcop resigned in modesty rather than have their names affixed, 

as acting churchwardens, to praise of themselves. 

Bjork writes of choosing of new wardens at the following 

meeting of the congregation : 

They all stuck to Charles Springer for one on this side, as they could 

not get along without his assistance in the Church and wished that he 

remain in office so long as God should spare him or at least as long as 

he was able to attend to the work. 

Charles Springer did not serve as warden after Bjork's time, 

however. Upon coming into the pastorate in 1713, Magister 

Andreas Hesselius, his successor, persuaded the congregation to 

elect a church council or vestry to assume most of the work of 

the church. To this council they elected Charles Springer as the 

first one named and from that time the wardens were chosen 

outside the council.' 

1. Holy Trinity Records, 67-68, 122, 194-97. 

Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church 

With South Portico Added 1762. 

Israel Acrelius, pastor of the Church, 1748-1756, wrote in his History 

of New Suleden, 1759, that the north wall had been strengthened in 

1740; that by 1751 the south wall also was bending outward under the 

weight of the roof, but the people could not decide upon the best means 

to support it. Benjamin Ferris in his Se///ejizejz/s, 1846, wrote that the 

south portieo was built in 1762 and that the date and the name of the 

builder, Cornelius Haines, werc still plainly visible on a corner stone.

As during the pastorate of Erik Bjork the services of Charles 

Springer were appreciatively recorded in the Church Rook, so in 

the new book begun by Andreas Hesselius in January 1713, 

Springer's many activities for the wellbeing of the congregation, 

church, and the new pastor are written down with obvious care. 

For although Hesselius through his own recording proves himself 

of a more reserved temperament than Bjork and less cordial in 

his dealing with his parishioners and church affairs, he had a high 

conception of his duties and a sense of orderly procedure in both 

the spiritual and the business aspects of his pastorate, shown par- 

ticularly in his association with the church council he created. 

In his exhortations before council and the congregation An- 

dreas Hesselius who wrote them down in the Church Book, gives 

today's reader glimpses of the stage of local culture among the 

church people. Bjork presumably trained the youths not to come 

into the presence of their pastor with hats on their heads and 

pipes in their mouths. Hesselius had other cautions for young and 

old. Among these they must take care: 

To have the music of the church performed in proper, decent and 

devout manner and that all who have received God's gift to be cap- 

able of singing with a pleasing voice, and with psalms to praise their 

God, ought by no means to neglect them and stand silent when one 

should lift his voice to God's glory. 

Also those who have not received the gift or have not yet learned to 

sing should by no means by their harsh and untrained voices make 

discord and be a hinderance to others, but either hear in silence or by 

low after-singing accustoln themselves to the melodies and learn them 

better. 

Rut pastor Andreas Hesselius was not establishing himself in 

the affections of the congregation when he made early complaints 

to Bishop Swedberg in Sweden about the affairs in his new parish. 

The bishop wrote a revealing letter to the congregation, dated 

November 24, 1714, in which he said: 

I hope the church will be on good terms with their teacher, Mr. 

Andreas Hessellius who is a learned man and blessed by God with 

excellent gifts and capacity for preaching His word, and that the 

congregation will so treat him that he will have no cause to write 

home again of his discontent. 

I hope that in time he will be as pleased as his predecessors, Messrs 

Biork and Rudman, who never complained. 

Whether the complaints of Hesselius included his attitudc 

toward Charles Springer at this early day in his pastorate is not 1 

I I 

SERVICE TO CHURCH AND PEOPLE 12 5 

shown in available records, but his brother, Samuel Hesselius who 

succeeded him in 1723, said publicly in defense of himself at 

the end of his own term as pastor, that his brother Andreas had 

been much afflicted by Charles Springer and suffered great in- 

juries because of him.* 

After Erik Bjork any minister from Sweden unless an unusually 

wise and perceptive person would be at a disadvantage with the 

Christina congregation. Charles Springer would also be at a dis- 

advantage in helping a pastor who saw in him a rival in the de- 

pendence and trust of the parishioners. Unconsciously Charles 

Springer in his confident position of leadership through many 

years could have riled the pastor and could have been angered 

himself by the pastor's failure to realize that the congregation 

must be led and not driven to accept the standards that were law 

to the learned man who had come to them. Specific incidents of 

the trouble do not appear in the time of Andreas Hesselius. 

Pledges of contribution to the minister's salary were late in pay- 

ment each year by some of the people and Charles Springer as 

usual made the collections so far as the individuals were able to 

make good, and in 1717 secured pledges for an increase of the 

pastor's salary. 

Meanwhile Charles Springer's name appears on many pages of 

the church records as attending to essential business on behalf of 

the congregation: securing and recording at court a deed from 

the sons of John Stalcop for land of the church site and the ad- 

ditional few acres of ground adjoining it that had been agreed to 

verbally by their father and mother; finishing at last the en- 

closure of the churchyard by a suitable fence having gates with 

locks; taking the lead in fulfilling the obligation of the Christina 

church to help the members on the east side of the river when 

they were authorized by Bishop Swedberg to build their own 

~hurch.~ 

Whatever the disagreements between the pastor and his lead- 

ing parishoner a great deal of improvement was made at the 

parsonage and on the glebe land during the term of Andreas 

Hesselius. A good well was dug, walled with stone, roofed and 

provided with a windlass; a frame kitchen was added to the par- 

sonage, an orchard planted on the glebe by the freewill gifts of

126 

SERVICE TO CHURCH AND PEOPLE 

several members; a tenant house and barn were built; and finally 

the parsonage was repaired with clapboarding, a new porch built 

and the cellar fl~ored.~ Among those who "labored" on the parsonage 

work was Charles Springer. Charles Springer agreed to 

having his name appended among others to a glowing tribute to 

Andreas Hesselius upon his leaving, written by the pastor of 

Wicaco, Magister Jonas Lidman, for endorsement by representatives 

of the several congregations. From the English clergymen 

on the Delaware a fine letter of tribute was received by Hesselius, 

for he had served their churches in time of need by preaching in 

English in which he seems to have been proficient. 

During the term of Samuel Hesselius who succeeded his 

brother in October 1723,> relations between Charls Springer (along 

with many members of the congregation) and the pastor came 

to an open breach. Hesselius was permitted by his commission 

from Bishop Swedberg (as his brother had been) to supply English 

(Episcopal) churches that were without pastors, and it seems 

that he was in demand most Sundays at Chester, Marcus <strong>Hook</strong>, 

Concord, or Northeast. Usually he preached a morning sermon 

at Christina and left afterward to ride to one of his English 

churches. The Christina church had been used to two sermons 

on Sunday during part of each year, but when the clamor over his 

"neglect" became disturbing Hesselius refused to hold any service 

at Christina for six weeks, "as a just censure." he said, upon unruly 

spirits. Under these circumstances it is not surprising that 

some of the parishioners did not feel called lipon to pay their 

pledges to his salary (not that a part of them wouldn't have been 

late in their payments under the best pastoral service). Hesselius 

must have appealed to Charles Springer. because he reported 

publicly later: 

Mr. Springer has indeed power and authority to make thein pay me 

Iny dues according to the obligations they gave, but he a,ould not do 

anything in such a religious matter, pretending it was against his 

conscience to give judgment against them to pay my dues, because of 

the neglect he said I was guilty of.6 

That the root of Charles Springer's lack of accord with the 

pastor was deep can be sensed in other charges Hesseliiis made 

4 Ihid., 21 1-15, 226, 230-32, 234, 245. 273-74, 258. 263, 285. 273 

5 Ihid., 274-78. 

6 Ihid., $20, 319. 

SERVICE TO CHURCH AND PEOPLE 127 

against him: that Springer had called the pastor a coveteous man 

to his face, accused him of committing sacrilege, and told him he 

was not fit to go up to a pulpit. 

A further incitement to dissatisfaction and even bitterness was 

the refusal of Hesselius to administer communion to two very 

ill members of the church because when he answered the calls 

their condition, in his opinion, made them mentally incapable of 

receiving the service. This decision a pastor had a right to make 

according to his conscience, it was said later in his defense, when 

this refusal to give the sacrament to the dying was charged 

against him.' 

In the climate thus created Charles Springer would not need 

to stir up the people against the preacher, which Hesselius charged 

he did. As could be expected, irresponsible members of the 

church were ready Jo believe of the pastor things of which he was 

guiltless. One or more of them wrote to Bishop Swedberg, as 

from the congregation, including, unfortunately, false charges as 

well as their real grievance^.^ When Hesselius received a sharp 

letter from Bishop Swedberg based on the charges, which meant 

that if guilty he would lose his commission and his preferment in 

Sweden, he "took the prudent course," as he wrote down of him- 

self in the Church Rook, of translating the bishop's letter into 

English and sending it to the governor at Philadelphia with a 

petition that the governor order Charles Springer to appear before 

him for a hearing or "appoint Mr. Gordon and Mr. French to 

hear our differences." To the bishop's letter and his petition Hes- 

selius attached a detailed vindication of himself blaming the 

false charges upon the malicious enmity of Charles Springer." 

Governor Patrick Gordon's commissioners, Robert Gordon, 

David French, and William Read, former justices of the New 

Castle Courts and now holding county offices as Register of Wills, 

7 Ibid.. 316-323. 

8 One false charge was that Hesselius sold some \voodland belonging to the 

church and used the money for himself. The truth was that the church council, 

wardens and minister together decided to sell the plot. With the 140 received 

the wardens bought a negrrss to serve the pastor's household. 

A similar th:lrgc \\'as that he used for himself the 115 received from Edward 

Robinson as a release from the church of its claim upon farm-land bequeathed to it 

hy Aaron Johnson. Here again the decision was his only in association with 

(hurch officers and the money was deposited by the wardens in the church funds - 

Iioly Tvinify Recovd.r, 384-85; 324 (Articles 4th and 5th). 

9 /hid., 31 3-1 5.

128 SERVICE TO CHURCH AND PEOPLE 

Clerk of the Peace and Clerk of the Orphans Court,lo began the 

hearing at Brandywine Ferry,'' September 1, 1729. There Hes- 

selius presented another long vindication of himself (later written 

down in the Church Book with other papers in the case) which 

was also a detailed exposition of his reasons for naming Charles 

Springer as the source of all the trouble between him and his con- 

gregation, and as the author of the letter to the bishop. 

In their investigation the commissioners cleared Hesselius 

of selling church lands for his own benefit, the chief false charge. 

They, as Englishmen, did not take it to be neglect in Mr. Hes- 

selius that he preached in English churches since by his commis- 

sion from his bishop he was permitted to do so. They thought 

it would be uncharitable to say he had neglected his care because 

he assisted those who had no teacher at the time. The commis- 

sioners were honest, however, and added in their report to the 

governor, "but if this be neglect he is certainly guilty of it." They 

reported further that this neglect, the too frequent absence of 

Mr. Hesselius, especially on Sundays, of which "Charles Springer 

and a great part of the congregation" complained to them, they 

took to be the foundation of the church differences. 

Ignoring the all too obvious desire of the minister to have 

Charles Springer condemned by them, the commissioners assured 

the governor of their conviction that Charles Springer was not the 

author of false charges and that he had done his minister many 

good offices." 

Hesselius copied the report of the commissioners into the 

Church Book, but his attitude toward Charles Springer was un- 

changed. Back in Sweden in the winter of 1731-32, in con- 

ferences, with his brother Andreas and Erik Bjork, he convinced 

even Bjork of Springer's obstructive behavior. Worse, however, 

was the effect of Samuel's report that Edward Robinson had been 

released by payment of f 15 to the church wardens from his ob- 

ligation to turn over to the church a plantation that had been 

11 The ferry crossed between the south shore of the stream and Vandever's 

Island, the Timber Island of Rising's time) near the present Church Strcet Bridgc 

(Wilmington). Meetings were held at the inn of William Vilndever. After his 

death in 1718, it \\.as conducted by Samuel Kirk who married Vanclever's wide\\-. 

Alice, New Castle County Wills, Book C-I, 236-38; I:crris. 187; Ilnly T,-;III/I 

Recol-d.r, 258 (where the name Kirk is mi\-printell). 

I? Ibid., 316-321, 325. 


left to it by the will of Arent Jansen Vandenburg, known gen- 

erally as Aaron Johnson. 

Johnson, who owned a plantation on Bread and Cheese Island 

and some adjacent land, left his estate, real and personal, to his 

wife by his will of 1694. By a codicil of 1701 he confirmed her 

right to it but bequeathed what should be left after her death real 

and personal, to the Swedes Church at Christina, the minister and 

churchwardens successively to have charge and management of it 

for the benefit of the church. Charles Springer and Lucas Stid- 

ham were witnesses.13 Aaron Johnson died in 1707, but his widow 

who came into legal possession lived until 1719. Before her death 

it had been learned by the congregation that Edward Robinson, 

one of the appointed trustees of the widow's estate, had persuaded 

her to deed the plantation to him. The pastor, Andreas Hesselius 

and deputies of the congregation visited the widow and Edward 

Robinson to hear what both had to say of this attempt to divert 

the estate from the church. 

Though Edward Robinson would admit no responsibility to 

the church he finally agreed to act so that the church should in 

time be satisfied. However, in the discourse he stated that neither 

Aaron Johnson nor anyone else could under English law will any 

land to a church. By this he made it clear that he intended to 

keep the land if he could, whatever he might do about sharing the 

revenue from it with the church. At that time church bodies or 

congregations, not being incorporated, could not become possesed 

in fee of real property devised to them by will. If Aaron Johnson 

had had children or other kin, the property would have descended 

to them unaffected by the bequest to the church. It was upon the 

lack of such heirs and therefore of any pressing claim for settling 

the estate that Edward Robinson had tenure for the time being 

13 Wills, Book B-1, 131-33. A copy is printed in Holy Trirriry Recoi.d.i, 

202-03, the probate date \\,as Aug. 5, 1707. The codicil made clear that the 

testator wanted some part of his estate to beneht Erik Bjiirk personally for good 

services done to him and his wife. By an indenture of June 21. 1712, recorded 

in 1714, the \\,iJow scllcl a tract of 110 acres her husband had bought from Thomas 

Lloyd in 1685 (Deeds. Book S-I. 295 ff.), to give Bjiirk the proceeds. Delautare 

Ili~tol-J, V. 279n.


and the church any hope of benefit from the revenue the land 

produced.14 

After the widow's death, Robinson again refused to give any 

information to minister and wardens concerning his management 

of the plantation or to give the church any share of the revenue 

from it. Andreas Hesselius then petitioned the governor to appoint 

commissioners to settle the case of the church against Edward 

Robinson. Colonel John French, New Castle County member of 

the Supreme Court of the counties15 headed the commission which 

met with the pastor, Charles Springer, and Edward Robinson. 

The commissioners heard the charges on both sides after which 

Colonel French asked for and was given all the papers in the 

case, promising to return them when the governor had made his 

decision. Andreas Hesselius closed his account of the hearing in 

the Church Book by writing, "But the just God only knows if any- 

thing will be done in this case. or any writing or documents 

returned."" 

Nothing could be expected of the commission immediately, 

nor of Edward Robinson meanwhile. The case was not followed 

up after Samuel Hesselius became pastor, but it was at some 

time between 1725 and 1728 that what Bjork later called the petty 

sum of &15 was paid by Edward Robinson in lieu of further 

claims of the church.'' 

The date of the release does not appear, but as Charles 

Springer's son Charles, Jr. had married Margareta Robinson, 

daughter of Edward before April 28, 1723, and Charles Springer's 

daughter Magdalene had married Edward Robinson's son Jesper 

in 1725, this close association between the two families strength- 

ened Erik Bjork's belief that Springer had turned soft toward 

14 Holy Trinity l7rcord.r. 253. 205-06. William Houston of Ncu Castle. 

merchant, by his will, Miscellaneous Book-I. 178-79, probate Dcc. 11. 171 1. left 

most of his property to his brother and other kin. but made a bequest of 300 acres 

to John Wilson, minister of the New Castle Presbyterian Church and his successors 

forever. William's brother Anthony as chief executor settled the estate according 

to law, ignoring the bequest to the church. The church tried over many years with- 

out success to secure a court order against the heirs. 

15 Richard S. Rodney, Early Delaware Judges, MS. in the possession of Judge 

Rodney. 

16 Holy Trinity Records, 267. 

17 Pastor Hesselius received a sharp letter from Erik Bjork, Mar. .39, 1729. 

based on the charges written to Sweden and on June 11, a severe letter from 

Bishop Swedberp. Unfortunately the bishop sent the letter "open" to Charles 

Springer instead of direct to Hesselius, which gave the pastor adilecl reason to 

accuse Springer of defaming him. Holy Triuity Rero~dr, 31 1-12. 


the malefaction of Edward Robinson or he would have prevented 

the release of the church claim against him. Bjork wrote, in 

English, an eloquent letter to Governor Gordon, in which he was 

joined by Andreas Hesselius, under date of December 10, 1731, 

giving a record of the transactions concerning the right of the 

church to the bequest of Aaron Johnson and pointing up the 

baseness of Robinson's violation of his trusteeship. 

By the strictures in this letter Bjork indicates that he had 

accepted the account of Samuel Hesselius regarding Charles 

Springer's obstructive behavior, but he does not absolve that 

minister from blame for joining with the vestry in releasing Ed- 

ward Robinson. The letter shows Bjork's firm belief that it was 

legally possible for the church to receive the revenue from the 

Johnson plantation and seemingly the trusteeship if not the title 

to the land.18 

It is likely to have been Charles Springer, who succeeded in 

getting even as much as 215 out of the canny Edward Robinson, 

who intended to enjoy the profits of the Johnson land as long 

as he could. Springer would know the reasons that prevented so 

many eminent justices from declaring the law at once and for- 

feiting the estate to the proprietaries. There may have been reluc- 

tance to offend so many good Lutheran citizens. Governmental 

or political expediency may have dictated avoidance of trouble 

that could be used maliciously by opponents of the proprietary 

1 regime. 

! 

In the end the land was forfeited to the proprietaries, under 

, what circumstance has not been discovered. Throughout the 

i controversy, and while Charles -Springer endured the condemna- 

; tion of his faithfully served friend, Erik' Bjork, which must have 

cut deep, no words of Charles Springer are set down in the sur- 

viving records. He is represented only by opinions and motives 

attributed to him by others. It was not until the pastorate of 

Erik Unander, 1756-59, that a charter of incorporation was secured 

by act of Assembly for Holy Trinity Church, enabling the minister, 

19 In 1763 the minister Andrew Borell, the church wardens and vestrymen 

(bcing a corporate body since 1759) petitioned the proprietors, Thomas and 

Richard Penn, for a patent to the land of Aaron Johnson. "forfeited or escheated 

to your Honors." but bequeathed by Johnson to the church. Nothing came of this 

appeal which seems to have been the last effort made.-Holy Trinity Rerord.r, 

340-42. The land in question, 149 acres of original grants to Arent Johnson on 

Hreacl and Cheese Island and Red Clay Point, excluded the tract he bought from 

l'lio~n;~\ Lloyd which his widow suld for the benefit of Pastor Bjiirk.


vestry and wardens to become possessed in law of real property 

devised to the church. Governor Denny signed the charter October 

27, 1758.20 

Following the departure of Samuel Hesselius in the summer 

of 1731, the Reverend John Eneberg who had recently arrived at 

Philadelphia from Sweden came to Christina as pastor until a 

successor to Hesselius could be sent. Eneberg himself was commissioned 

regular pastor at Christina by King Frederick, July 4, 

1733. Charles Springer's cooperation with the new pastor is 

evident in such records as Pastor Eneberg set down which are 

few and scattered in his time, except for vital statistics. 

In 1733 Charles Springer was elected a member for life of 

the Church Co~ncil.~' He had been reelected annually since the 

council was formed. In 1736 the minister, John Eneberg, the 

vestrymen, church wardens and others of the congregation, appointed 

Charles Springer their trustee for leasing land belonging 

to the church to the benefit of the church and to pay the minister's 

salary. Associated with him for this purpose were two wardens 

elected annually. The formal document of the trusteeship was 

recorded in the county recorder's office from the original text in 

English in the Church 

Charles Springer died' May 26 (old style), 1738 and was 

buried on the twenty-eighth; the item in the Church Rook cites 

that he was "80 years As told by his grandson, Joseph, in 

1830, he died suddenly in a boat on the Delaware River, "probably 

of apoplexy." This would be on his return journey from 

20 An act of assembly of 1744 had confirmed to Societies of Protestant 

churches title to land iri their peaceable possession for seven years and authorized 

such societies to acquire property for churches, schools, and burying grounds, but 

made no provision for incorporation by which they could receive bequests (Laws 

of the Government of New Castle, Kent and Susen upon Delaware, Phila.. 1752. 

272; Del. Laws, I. Chap. 108). In 1787 a general law was passed authorizing 

religious bodies to incorporate by election of trustees and registration of their names 

with the county recorder (Del. Laws. 11, Chap. 144).Betwcen 1744 and 1787 

individual churches, including Holy Trinity (1759) were incorporated by special 

act. Text of the 1759 charter, -Holy Trinity Records, 473-81. 

21 lbid., 351-52, 353-54. 

22 Election of Charles Springer as trustec with power of attorney by Pastor 

Eneberg, wardens, vestrymen and congregation is set down in English in the first 

book of original records of Holy Trinity church, as of I\jovcmber 18, 1736, pl?. 

105-107; and in the New Castle County Recorder's office in Book L-1 24, dntrcl 

January 24, 1736/7. The only entry in the Burr translation of Holy Trinity 

Records (page 369) is copied from a crossed out section in the ori~in:~l Scio~l,l 

<strong>Hook</strong> (page 243). 

23 lfoly 'I'ri~~iry Rerordr, 357. 


Gloucester County where he was present to testify on May 24, to 

the validity of a deed of sale witnessed by him fifty three years 

earlier.24 

The only mention of his death in the church records other than 

the vital statistic concerns the choice of successors to his offices: 

A. D. 1738, June 1st. At a general meeting of the congregation be- 

longing to the Swedes church in Christina, then by general choice, 

Lucas Stidhaln [who lived on his <strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> land) of the Hundred 

of New Castle, yeoman, was elected trustee for the leasing of church 

lands in the room of the late Charles Springer, Esq., deceased. At the 

same time was chosen Charles Springer, son of the said Charles 

Springer, Esq., deceased, one of the vestry of the said church in the 

room of the above mentioned deceased gentleman.Z5 

It is unfortunate that the minutes of the church council or 

vestry were not preserved to tell in detail of Charles Springer's 

activity in the church work during his last years and that Pastor 

Eneberg did not record the service he must have conducted at the 

burial of Charles Springer (whose grave was made close to the 

church), nor the tributes that must have been paid to him by the 

vestry, congregation, and people at large. Minutes of the Court 

of New Castle for the time of his death are also missing. 

What a history of his time on the Delaware Charles Springer 

could have written ! 

24 Items of family history writtcn by the Revercnd Cornelius Springer, dated 

at Meadow Farm, Muskingum County, Ohio Dec. 15, 1865. Historical Socicty of 

Delaware, Genealogical Records. 

25 Rccnrdr ol Il,)ly T~.inir~, 374-75.

The New Sweden Monument 

Fort Christina State Park, Wilmington 

Erected by the peoplc of Sweden to commemorate the tercentenary, 1638- 

1938, of the first Swedish settlement in America and given to the peoplc, 

ot the United States, June 27, 1938, this memorial shaft was designed by 

the late Carl Milles, great sc-ulptor of Sweden, who was present at 

~~nvciling. Carved from black granite on the shore of Lake Milnr ill 

Stockholm, it is crowned by a represcntation of the Knlnlor Nyc-he1 ri~lirij: 

n stylized wave. Below on the concave surfaces of tlic flutcs of t11c 11,111 

;11-c steiles fronl the settlcmc~lt I11.c of IIK colorli\(\ 

' 

Charles Springer's Farnib 

(All dates are Old Style) 

"Springer Heirs" 

HARLES SPRINGER'S first wife, Maria Hendricks' dotter 

C (daughter), (Maria Hendrickson), whom he married December 

27,1685 (see his letter to his mother, p. lob), and by whom 

he had four daughters and seven sons, died in March 1727, and 

was buried in Christina churchyard (Holy Trinity Records, 300). 

On June 15, 1727, Charles Springer married (by governor's 

licence) Annika Walraven, by whom he had no children. She 

was the daughter of John and Rrita Justis and widow (1) of 

Mathias Morton; (2) of Jonas Walraven, Sr. (Delau~are Hist01.y~ 

V, 286n.). 

Charles Springer's daughters, three born before June 1, 1693 

(letter to his mother) : 

1 Arzrza Elizabeth, married, about 1706, Samuel Hall of Kennett 

I Township, Pennsylvania, a member of the Society of Friends, 

I son of James and Hannah Hall of Rucks County. 

Rebecca, married before 1713, Jacob Stilley (Cf. Delau1a1.e His- 

tory, V, 289, n. 37). 

Maria, married July 31, 1716 (Immanuel Records), William 

Cleneay (cf. Ibid., V, 289, n. 38). 

hlagdaler2el married ( 1) November 11, 172 5 (Holy T~.z,~ity 

Records), Jesper Robinson, son of Edward Roblnson and his 

first wife (cf. ibid., V, 147, n. 27) ; married (2), November 

19, 1728 (Holy ?'~.i~iit~' RPCOI.~.~), Pall1 Paulson, son of Peter

136 CHARLES SPRINGER'S FAMILY 

and Geizie Paulson; married (j), December 5, 1747 (Holy 

Trilziry Records), Morton Justis, son of Justa and Anna (Mor- 

ton) justis of Philadelphia County (cf. ibid., V, 267-77, n. 

16, par. 7). 

Chai,les, probably born 1693 or 1694 (cf. letter to his mother of 

June 1, 1693); died 1759 (Dr1au~'rr.e History, V, 202); mar- 

ried Margareta Robinson daughter of Edward Robinson and 

his first wife (cf. ibid., VI, 157, n. 36). 

Ch~irtophr~., born 1696; died 1755, aged 59 (ibid., V, 200); 

married Catharina Hendrickson, his first cousin, daughter of 

John and Rrita (Cock) Hendrickson. 

/oh)?, blind from birth (cf. ibid.. VI, 146, n. 26) ; married (I), 

Maria Hendrickson, his first cousin, daughter of John and 

Rrita (Cock) Hendrickson; married (2), August 31, 1736 

(Holy T~.inrtj Rrcovds), Mary Dempsey, whose parents have 

not been found. John Springer died between October 4, 1770, 

the date of his will, and June 15, 1772, the probate date. 

/NI)Z~J (often appears as /acob, the Swedish form of /anzes), 

born 1703, died 1763, aged 60 (Delazc1a1.e Hi.rro~.y, V, 204); 

married Mary Bishop, daughter of Nicholas and Dorcas 

Bishop. 

Israel, born 

Andreas, born 

unmarried. 

; died 1731 (ibid., V, 191) may have married. 

. -. -; died 1731 (zbid., V, 171) probably 

/osep/~, born 1709; died 1799 (Ferris, 283, gives gravestone record 

which cannot now be read; Joseph Springer's will was pro- 

bated March 11, 1799); married Annika Justis, daughter of 

M3ns and Catharina (Walraven) Justis. 

"SPRINGER HEIRS" 

Numerous descendants of Charles Springer have continued 

to live in Wilmington and nearby parts of New Castle County 

and still do in 1957. By the middle of the nineteenth century 

hundreds of others were scattered throughout the tlnited Statcs 

and abroad. About that time some persons from outside thc 

state looking into W'il~nington property rcc.ords clisiovcrccl ;I 

"SPRINGER HEIRS" 137 

number of land leases signed by Charles Springer. How the first 

news spread is not known, but it was discovered by Wilmington 

attorneys that advertisements in newspapers outside Delaware 

offering to descendants of "Charles Christopher Springer" in- 

formation to their financial interest brought response from hun- 

dreds of descendants. 

Agents purporting to represent these heirs arrived at New 

Castle and at Wilmington (to which city the county court house 

and county offices had been moved in 1881) to badger city and 

county officers and local law firms with arguments presented as 

supporting their claim that millions of dollars in the accrued 

value of Wilmington property belonged to the "heirs of Charles 

Christopher Springer." 

All the agents were shown the proof in recorded documents 

that leases by Charles Springer of Wilmington land had been 

as a trustee with power of attorney for land belonging to Holy 

Trinity (Old Swedes) Church. That nothing was found to sup- 

port the claims that could be presented in a court of law did not 

stop the organization and even incorporation of groups of descen- 

dants as "Springer Heirs." 

In 1884 Judge William G. Whitely of the Delaware Courts 

published in a Wilmington newspaper' an exposition of the claims 

made during the then past twenty years with his able refutation of 

them. Judge Whiteley's account of the activities of the agents 

shows that they had collected substantial sums from the "heirs" 

to prosecute their claims in Delaware and make a search of 

Charles Springer's background in Sweden. Finding that Charles 

Springer's father had been a man of importance in Stockholm 

the agent or agents returned with the unfounded report that 

"Charles Christopher Springer" as the sole heir of his father had 

come into the title of baron and legitimate claim to a large se- 

questered estate. Descent from a peer of the Swedish realm now 

added prestige to hopes of even larger financial gain as lure for 

"Springer heirs" to invest money in the promotion of their claims. 

More than thirty years after the publication of Judge White- 

ley's paper, Charles M. Curtis, Esq., a distinguished Wilmington 

attorney also published in a Wilmington newspaper' a similar 

refutation of the claims, saying in part: 

1 Deldrr;lrr G./:erre, January 3, 1884. 

2 Et:r,ry El~,ort~g, Dcccrnbcr 6, 1907.

138 "SPRINGER HEIRS" 

I know that the claims of Springer heirs to valuable land in Wilm- 

ington have ceased to be a joke and have become almost a nuisance - 

for county officers, judges, the mayor and other city officials have been 

beseiged with inquiries about these vague, fictitious and elusive claims 

to great wealth. 

In February 1707 the mayor and postmaster of Wilmington, 

the register of wills and recorder of deeds of New Castle County 

issued in pamphlet form a joint statement of their belief that the 

Springer claim was a myth having no foundation in fact. To 

substantiate this statement they included in the pamphlet the 

papers of Judge Whiteley and Mr. Curtis with their legal refuta- 

tions. From this time all inquiries were answered by a copy of 

the pamphlet. Expectations of "Springer heirs" continued to 

flourish, however. In 1925 there was published in the Wilming- 

ton El3ei.y Ei.el7il2g4 an Associated Press dispatch under a Chicago 

date line giving news of a fight to control "Springer Heirs, Inc." an 

organization of "several hundred heirs of Charles Christopher 

Springer," whose outgoing officers had refused to turn over the 

books to those newly elected. Upon complaint to the Superior 

Court of Illinois by the new president, a resident of Minneapolis, 

a judge of that court had ordered the books opened. 

Fresh inquiries were coming into Wfilmington in 1733,' and 

it was not until June 7, 1937 that the corporation was dissolved 

in the Superior Court of Cook County, Illinois, by action of the 

Attorney General.The Illinois organization seems to have been 

the parent of subsidiary groups in other states. Descendants living 

in Delaware were a threat to the success of agents, for they knew 

the truth about the claims and spoke out. Consequently they 

were never invited to the meetings which were held behind locked 

doors, admission only by pass. 

3 S/rr/ernen/ ReXrrtdi~c~ /he 10-crrlled SIII.JIIR~I Clc~il~. 

4 Srptrmber 6, 1925. 

5 The Delm.rrr.;r Sf.~r-. (maynrinc. section), July 23, 1933. 

h 1.c.ttc.r of January 5. 1951, from E,l\\.;~rLl J. 13;lrnctt. Sc~rc(.~ry of St~rtc of 

lll~~io~\, to Mr. C:o~lr[I.~ncl 13. Spr~r~,cc,r in .II)\\\C,I to bfr. Sl>rin,

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Crane Hook on the Delaware - NC CHAP

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