New Sweden

[MikeBickerson]

I've been slowly building up a minor New Sweden obsession over the last year or so, I figured I'd share the insanity. It's not the Pines, but it's pretty interesting!

I started with two books -
"The Swedes and Finns of New Jersey" by the Works Progress Administration (1938)
http://www.amazon.com/Swedes-Finns-Jersey-American-Series/dp/040457940X
"Reminiscences of Old Gloucester County" by Isaac Mickle (1856)
Conviently located in scanned book form here -
https://archive.org/details/reminiscencesofo00mick

The first book is excellent, dry, dull history. The second seems really outlandish in parts. Anyone know how reliable Mickle is (by which I mean, Jerseyman would probably be the only one to know)? There's a whole chapter (by which I mean two pages) dedicated to a joint Swedish/Dutch venture to through the English out of present day Salem County, which seems odd that I hadn't seen elsewhere. Completely unrelated to the Swedes, the second chapter has a pretty interesting story about the Dutch avoiding an ambush by the Native Americans on the Cooper River.

Anyone else know of any other good books?

I've visited Old Swedes Church in both Swedesboro and Glory Dei in Philadelphia, which were interesting. I have yet to visit the Kalmar Nyckel (http://www.kalmarnyckel.org/) or go inside Fort Christina park in Wilmington (I visited both in February when they were closed... poor planning!)

Does anyone know if there is anything worth driving down to see at Elfborg in Salem County?

I also have yet to visit the Swedish Museum at FDR Park in Philadelphia, which needs to move up my priority list. My poor 3 year old and toddler...

I'll add to this thread as I keep digging!

 

[MikeBickerson]

Glory Dei (Old Swedes Church) in Philadelphia. Built in 1677 by an already established congregation (predating the establishment of Pennsylvania by 4 years and of Philadelphia by 5 years). The present building built in 1700, and has obviously undergone renovations.

The baptismal font and some of the decorations are original.

Other fun tidbits -
Betsy Ross was married here to her second husband.
Most of the Swedish Lutheran Churches in the New World (six total) converted to Episcopal Churches immediately following the end of the War for Independence. This one held out until 1845 before changing over.

Revolutionary War veteran.

Early pastor.

 

[amf]

Regarding Ft Elfsborg, there's literally nothing to see. Nice little strip of beach, but the site of the fort is presumably beneath the waters of the Delaware.
Regarding Ft Christina Park in Wilmington, I've never seen it open and have been past it on weekends and midweek in variious seasons.
If you want to do some investigating, look into Grand Sprute in Gloucester County.

 

[Spung-Man]

It's not the Pines, but it's pretty interesting!

MB, I have some good news; Swedish dynamics are relevant to the Pines! Unfortunately their presence was not well recorded. I like to joke that history always begins with the English (maybe Scots), and the Swedes just weren’t white enough to count!

One anecdotal account by old-timers put a Swedish settlement with graveyard at Horse Break Pond in Buena. It is a classic dried-up spung located on the ancient Cohansey/Egg Harbor Trail that linked Greenwich with the Egg Harbor region and maybe even the long-forgotten settlement of that namesake.

http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.509282644721964&lng=-74.8988940159607&z=16&type=nj1930&gpx=
E. Wright (c.1867), Davis Collection, Township of Hamilton Historical Society.
​

Log cabins were scattered between Horse Break Pond and Campbell's Tavern (Midway Inn). Another abandoned cemetery, the Vanaman, exists near the old one-room schoolhouse on Route 54. Recently a map surfaced that identified a Conover Branch just to the west of Horse Break Pond, part of which was filled in to build the Buena Vista Township hall.

Unnamed map appended to Taxes and Assessments in Arrears log, 1894–1899.
​

According to local lore the Swedish headstones at Horse Break Pond were removed in the 1940s to make a patio. Swedish and Dutch names like Conover (Cowenhoven), Vanaman (Van Inaman), Steelman (Mansson), and Ingersol are in association. Unfortunately, the written history only begins once the Campbell clan arrive in the late eighteenth century to make naval stores in tar kilns, but the Campbell's do report earlier inhabitants. Other place names off the top of my head that are trail-connected to Horse Break Pond are Vanaman's Thick n' Hole (New Italy), the c.1706 Steelman Plantation (Mays Landing) , and Old Forgotten Ingersol (Estell Manor).

I encourage anyone with references to Swedes (Finns, Dutch) in the Pinelands to post them here!

S-M

 

[MikeBickerson]

Regarding Ft Elfsborg, there's literally nothing to see. Nice little strip of beach, but the site of the fort is presumably beneath the waters of the Delaware.
Regarding Ft Christina Park in Wilmington, I've never seen it open and have been past it on weekends and midweek in variious seasons.
If you want to do some investigating, look into Grand Sprute in Gloucester County.

I figured as much at Fort Elfsborg, darn changing course of the Delaware.

Apparently Fort Christina has no regular hours, which is annoying.

I'd never heard of Grand Sprute, but it looks interesting!

In 1756 a brick farm house was built on a side road off Route 322, two miles west of the intersection of US322 and County Road 551 in Woolwich Township...

http://www.nj.searchroots.com/Gloucesterco/swedesborohistory.htm

 

[MikeBickerson]

MB, I have some good news; Swedish dynamics are relevant to the Pines! Unfortunately their presence was not well recorded. I like to joke that history always begins with the English (maybe Scots), and the Swedes just weren’t white enough to count!

One anecdotal account by old-timers put a Swedish settlement with graveyard at Horse Break Pond in Buena. It is a classic dried-up spung located on the ancient Cohansey/Egg Harbor Trail that linked Greenwich with the Egg Harbor region and maybe even the long-forgotten settlement of that namesake.

View attachment 6736
http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.509282644721964&lng=-74.8988940159607&z=16&type=nj1930&gpx=
E. Wright (c.1867), Davis Collection, Township of Hamilton Historical Society.
​

Log cabins were scattered between Horse Break Pond and Campbell's Tavern (Midway Inn). Another abandoned cemetery, the Vanaman, exists near the old one-room schoolhouse on Route 54. Recently a map surfaced that identified a Conover Branch just to the west of Horse Break Pond, part of which was filled in to build the Buena Vista Township hall.

View attachment 6737
Unnamed map appended to Taxes and Assessments in Arrears log, 1894–1899.
​

According to local lore the Swedish headstones at Horse Break Pond were removed in the 1940s to make a patio. Swedish and Dutch names like Conover (Cowenhoven), Vanaman (Van Inaman), Steelman (Mansson), and Ingersol are in association. Unfortunately, the written history only begins once the Campbell clan arrive in the late eighteenth century to make naval stores in tar kilns, but the Campbell's do report earlier inhabitants. Other place names off the top of my head that are trail-connected to Horse Break Pond are Vanaman's Thick n' Hole (New Italy), the c.1706 Steelman Plantation (Mays Landing) , and Old Forgotten Ingersol (Estell Manor).

I encourage anyone with references to Swedes (Finns, Dutch) in the Pinelands to post them here!

S-M

Thanks Spring-Man! I never would have thought the Swedes made it that far in, but I guess with the Mullica family doing what they did, I should have known better. I didn't realize that the Steelmans would be of that ancestry, but there are certainly enough of them about!

 

[Spung-Man]

MB,

Have you read a family history by Turp (1975)? While I'm not partial to the author's poetic license with his ancestors, the work provides the author's interpretation of early dynamics to Swedes associated with West Jersey, including those in the Pines.

Turp, R.K., 1975: West Jersey: Under Four Flags. Philadelphia: Dorrance & Co. 305 pp.

S-M

 

[MikeBickerson]

MB,

Have you read a family history by Turp (1975)? While I'm not partial to the author's poetic license with his ancestors, the work provides the author's interpretation of early dynamics to Swedes associated with West Jersey, including those in the Pines.

Turp, R.K., 1975: West Jersey: Under Four Flags. Philadelphia: Dorrance & Co. 305 pp.

S-M

I read that about 15 years ago, not much has stuck. Might be something to add to ol' Christmas list.