The Swedish Colonial Society, 97 Wanamaker Avenue Essington PA, Philadelphia, PA (2026)

04/27/2026

Somewhat belatedly (sorry--it's been busy and I had a cold!), here are two photos from April 4 First Saturday Swedish Colonial Society Open House at Swedish Farmstead at Governor Printz Park at Tinicum.

Juliet and Kurt Wunsch came by to drop off some SCS items from Juliet's New Sweden Glimma i Mörkret Lucia exhibit at West Chester University. And log cabin expert Norm Glass came by to advise us on how to repair some of our logs. Thanks to both! Norm was a great extemporaneous docent! Ingrid Rosenback dropped by also and Jay Smith and Cole Mellinger as well. And the weather was nice. Bill Moller and Kim-Eric held Open House at the Lazaretto. Hope I'm not forgetting anyone else. We'll be back for another Open House this coming Saturday May 2nd.
The SCS held its annual Forefather Luncheon at the Corinthian Yacht Club on Sunday April 12th. Photos are coming.
Joe Mathews

04/26/2026

Johan Grelsson and his Archer,
Urian and Culin Descendants

by Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig
Fellow, American Society of Genealogists
Fellow, Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
Historian, Swedish Colonial Society
originally published in Swedish Colonial News,
Volume 2, Number 5 (Fall 2001)

Johan Grelsson, his wife Helena and their three children arrived in New Sweden on the ship Mercurius in 1656. He was described as a Finn from Fryksdalen, the valley of the Fryken Lakes in Värmland, Sweden. Otherwise, little is known about Johan Grelsson's life in Sweden.

His patronymic, Grelsson, indicates that he was the son of Gregor.
In America, Dutch and English scribes had difficulty spelling Johan's patronymic. The Dutch scribe Ephraim Herrman called him Jan Cornelissen. In 1671, the English census taker Walter Wharton called him John Gilsaw. Piecing together the evidence, however, we find that Johan Grelsson settled in the Finnish community known as Ammansland and shared a large tract of land along Mill (now Darby) Creek in what later became Ridley Township, Chester (now Delaware) County, PA. Here the family of Johan Grelsson joined the family of Matthias Matthiasson (also a Mercurius passenger from Fryksdalen) and the family of Mårten Mårtensson (who had arrived on the Örn in 1654).

The Matthias Matthiasson family abandoned its interest in this tract in late 1671 when it moved across the Delaware to Boughttown (present Penns Grove in Salem County, NJ). But both Johan
Grelsson and Mårten Mårtensson remained at Ammansland until their deaths.

A contemporary survey placed the cabin of Mårten Mårtensson on the site now occupied by the Morton Homestead. Grelsson's cabin was a stone's throw to the west, on a small creek called Stony (now Amosland) Creek.

Johan Grelsson led a quiet and unassuming life. He last appeared in public records on 27 June 1683, when (as "John Cornelius") he served on the new Chester County court's grand jury. He died
shortly thereafter and his widow Helena married, by 1685, the widower Mårten Mårtensson. She also survived her second husband and was buried on 8 February 1713 at Gloria Dei Church at the reported age of 97 (probably somewhat exaggerated).

Five children have been identified, three of whom left many descendants:
1. Elisabeth Johansdotter, born in Sweden, c. 1650, married [1] the widower Bärtil Eskilsson c. 1670, and [2] Hans Geörgen c. 1678. She died at Calcon Hook, Lower Darby Township in
Copyright Swedish Colonial Society 2012
1717 of tuberculosi (See Urian family below).
2. Anna Johansdotter, born in Sweden c. 1652, married Johan Van Cölin c. 1672 and died in Ammansland before 1697 (See Culin family below).
3. Anders Johansson, born in Sweden c. 1654, inherited his father's half-interest in the 829 acre plantation in Ammansland. After moving to New Castle County, he sold most of this land to his stepfather Mårten Mårtensson and the remainder to his brother John Archer. As a member of the Swedish congregation at Crane Hook and Christina, he was known as Anders Grelsson Mink. He died after 1713, apparently unmarried.
4. A***n Johansson, later known as John Archer, born in America c. 1656, married Gertrude Bärtilsdotter (daughter of Bärtil Eskilsson by his first marriage) c. 1679, and died in Ammansland in 1740 (See Archer family below).
5. Eric Johansson, born in America c. 1660, became insane. On petition of his father, who "being poor, could not contain him," the Upland Court ordered that a blockhouse be built for "the madman" in September 1678. Eric probably died shortly thereafter.

The Urian Family
Bärtil Eskilsson, the first husband of Elisabeth Johansdotter, was a Finn from Värmland who had been sent to New Sweden in 1641 as punishment for forest-burning. By his first wife, he had children Margareta (who married Mårten Mårtensson, Jr., in 1674), Anders Bärtilsson (who moved to Penns Neck by 1685), Gertrude Bärtilsdotter (who married John Archer) and Johan Bärtilsson
(who never married). When he married Elisabeth, Bärtil Eskilsson was living on the west side of Stony Run, opposite the cabin of Johan Grelsson. After his eldest daughter married Mårten
Mårtensson, Jr., however, Bärtil joined the young couple at Calcon Hook. He died there about 1677 and his widow then married Hans Geörgen.
Hans Geörgen from Brandenburg, Germany, came to the Delaware under Dutch rule, in 1662-1663. In 1674 he acquired a quarter interest in Calcon Hook and in 1678 married Bärtil's widow Elisabeth. He lived at Calcon Hook the balance of his life and was buried at Gloria Dei Church on 24 April 1713. The g's in his surname were soft g's so that his surname was pronounced "Urian" and, under the influence of English scribes, this became the family surname.
By her two marriages, Elisabeth Johansdotter had eight verified children:
Lars Bärtilsson, who later adopted the name of Lawrence Parker, born c. 1671, died in 1705, devising his 200-acre farm in Gloucester County, NJ to his nephew Jacob Archer and his cow to his mother.
Johan Urian, born 1679, moved to Gloucester County, where he married Elisabeth Guarron in 1715. He died in 1747, survived by his wife and nine children.
Anna Maria Urian, born 1680, became the second wife of Andrew Wheeler of Moyamensing in 1704. She died in 1720, the same year as her husband, survived by three children.
Helena Urian, born 1685, married her first cousin Gunnar Archer c. 1710. (See below)
Fredric Urian, born 1687, married Elisabeth Lycan c. 1718. He died in Gloucester County in 1722, survived by one child (Hans). His widow then married Måns Keen.
Elisabeth Urian, born 1689, was unmarried as of 1713; not further traced.
Andrew Urian, born 1690, married [1] Maria Longacre in 1717, and [2] Margareta Longacre (widow of Peter Tussey) c. 1737. He inherited his father's farm at Calcon Hook where he died 26 January 1753, survived by five children.
Dorthea Urian, born 1692, was still living in 1713; not further traced.
Copyright Swedish Colonial Society 2012

The Culin Family
Anna Johansdotter's husband Johan van Cöln (meaning from Cologne, Germany) arrived on the Delaware c. 1662, probably as one of the servants of Joost de la Grange from Leyden in the
Netherlands who in that year purchased Tinicum Island from Armegot Printz. That island lies on the south side of Darby Creek, opposite Ammansland.
Johan van Cöln, usually described as John van Culin in public records, was granted 100 acres of land on the east side of Crum Creek in Ammansland in 1679 and lived at that location until his
death c. 1711. His wife Anna died before 1697. In 1687, John van Culin complained to the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania against the sheriff's seizure of his only two milk cows, which was all his wife and seven small children had to live on, he being 66 years old and unable to work.
His children, as they became old enough, generally found employment in other households.
The seven known children of Johan van Cöln and Anna Johansdotter are listed below. Each of the sons, except Jacob, later dropped the "van" from their surnames and became known simply as Culin.
Jacob van Culin, born c. 1671, became the second husband of Brigitta Swanson (widow of Peter Justis) c. 1699. He died in early 1747 in Upper Penn's Neck, Salem County, NJ. He had four children who lived to adulthood.
Reigner van Culin, born c. 1673, married [1] Ingrid (father unknown) c. 1705, [2] the widow Anna Tussey Stidham Scoggin in 1728. He died in the winter of 1731-1732 in New Castle County, DE survived by his wife and three children.
Gregor van Culin, later known as George Culin, was born c. 1675 and was granted his father's farm in Ammansland in 1705 on condition that he support his father for the balance of his life. George married Margaret Morton, daughter of Mårten Mårtensson, Jr., c. 1704 and died in March 1736 in Ammansland. He was survived by his wife and eight children.
Margaret van Culin, born c. 1678, married 13 January 1703 Andrew Mårtensson, son of Mårten Mårtensson, Sr., of Ammansland, and cared for her mother Helena and her stepfather (and father-in-law) for the final years of their lives. She died in Ammansland, 6 February 1755. She had five daughters who lived to adulthood and married.
Anna van Culin, born c. 1682, married 25 May 1703 Andrew Mårtensson the younger, son of Mårten Mårtensson, Jr., of Calcon Hook. She died in Gloucester County, NJ, c. 1750. She had four known children, the first of whom (Morton) later built the Morton Morton House in Ammansland.
John van Culin, born c. 1685, married Christina Paulson 6 January 1714. He died in 1727 at Turkey Island, New Castle Hundred, New Castle County, survived by six children.
Maria van Culin, born c. 1687, married Gabriel Friend c. 1717, and moved to Gloucester County, NJ, where she was living in 1748. She had six known children.

The Archer Family
Born as A***n Johansson, he reversed his name early in life to become Johan A***n, which evolved through Orian, Orchard and Archard to Archer. In May 1685, he purchased with his step
father Mårten Mårtensson, Sr., 500 acres on the north side of Raccoon Creek in an area sometimes called New Stockholm. Later, in 1695, he purchased 137 acres in Ammansland, immediately to the east of the Morton Homestead, from his brother Anders Johansson. This became his home until his death in 1740. His wife Gertrude Bärtilsdotter died there in 1748. They had 11 children:
Helena Archer, born 1680, married in 1701, but died soon thereafter apparently without issue.
Gunnar Archer, born 1685, married his first cousin Helena Urian c. 1710. They lived on the Archer's Raccoon Creek plantation until his death in 1744. He was survived by four children.
John Archer, Jr., born 1687, married Mary Peterson in 1720. They shared the Archer's Raccoon Creek plantation until his death in 1745. He was survived by his wife and five children
Copyright Swedish Colonial Society 2012
Jacob Archer, born 1694, married Gunnilla Boon in 1734 and inherited that part of his father's plantation on Darby Creek. Both he and his wife died in 1750, survived by three children.
Adam Archer, born c. 1696, married [1] his cousin Helena Morton, daughter of Andrew and Margareta Culin Morton, who died childless. He married [2] a woman named Elisabeth, by whom he had three children. Adam was given the north half of his father's Ammansland plantation, north of the Darby-Chester Road where, from 1730 until his death in 1747, Adam operated the White Horse Tavern.
Andrew Archer, born c. 1699, married by 1732 Christina Halton of Gloucester County, NJ. He died there in 1733, survived by his wife and their posthumous daughter Christina. His widow remarried William Guest.
Maria Archer, born c. 1701, married [1] c. 1722 John Morton, son of Mårten Mårtensson, Sr., and [2] c. 1733, John Sketchley (English). She lived in Ammansland until her death in 1778. Her only child was John Morton, Jr., born in 1725, who later earned fame as a Signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Catharina Archer, born c. 1703, married [1] by 1723 Jonas Walraven, and [2] in 1731 Hans Peterson, both of New Castle County. She died there after 1755. By her two husbands, she had seven children.
Brita Archer, born c. 1708, apparently died unmarried before 1738.
Helena Archer, born c. 1710, married c. 1745 Abraham Jones, son of Peter Jones of Kingsessing. In 1753 they were living in Wicaco with four children.
Elisabeth Archer, born 1713, married [1] in 1739 William Boon, [2] in 1743 Benjamin Simcock (English). She lived her entire married life on Boon's Island, where she died 14 November 1755. She had six known children.

Picture: Morton Homestead Marker, www.HMdb.org

04/22/2026

Peter Andersson of Siamensing
and his Longacre Descendants

by Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig
Fellow, American Society of Genealogists
Fellow, Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
Historian, Swedish Colonial Society
originally published in Swedish Colonial News,
Volume 2, Number 9 (Fall 2003)

Question: What is the connection between Anders Olsson, a resident of Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1639, and the 1.8 billion Indian head pennies produced by the Philadelphia Mint between
1859 and 1909?
Answer: The Swedish Longacre family.

Anders Olsson was at the docks when his son, Peter Andersson, went on board the Kalmar Nyckel on its second voyage to New Sweden in the fall of 1639. The lad had agreed to try his luck
in the America and had been hired as a laborer by the New Sweden Company at a wage of four Riksdaler per month (10 Dutch guilders). Among his shipmates were several other new settlers
who would become his friends and neighbors in future years; Peter Gunnarsson (Rambo), Sven Gunnarsson, Peter Larsson (C**k), Anders Svensson Bonde (Boon) and Anders Larsson Dalbo.

After his arrival in America, Peter Andersson sent part of his wages (20 Riksdaler) home for the use of his father, Anders Olsson.
Initially, Peter Andersson probably worked for commander Peter Hollender Ridder, but when Governor Johan Printz replaced Ridder in 1643, Peter Andersson was among the settlers chosen by
Printz to help him at his Printzhof estate on Tinicum Island. The 1644 census of the New Sweden colony reported that Peter was employed cutting hay and sailing with the Governor on his little
yacht. By 1648 Peter Andersson was shown as the skipper of the Governor's yacht.

When Governor Printz returned to Sweden on a Dutch ship in 1653, Peter Andersson was among his entourage. After arriving in Amsterdam, Peter collected 50 guilders of his back pay from the
Swedish ambassador in April 1654. He then proceeded to Sweden where he collected additional back pay on 24 May 1654. During his year and a half in Sweden, Peter Andersson not only collected the balance of his wages but also agreed to return to the colony, for which he was advanced two months' wages. More important, he also found a wife. The new couple were among the passengers on the Mercurius, which headed out to sea on 25 November 1655.
Copyright Swedish Colonial Society 2012
After 3 months at sea, the Mercurius arrived before former Fort Trinity (New Castle) on 13 March 1656, only to find that the Swedish colony was now in Dutch hands. At first, the Dutch refused to allow the ship to unload its passengers and cargo. However, the native Indians interceded and the Mercurius finally went upriver and discharged its passengers and cargo at Tinicum Island.
Peter Andersson and his wife joined three of his old colleagues (Peter Rambo, Sven Gunnarsson and Anders Dalbo) at the village of Kingsessing in present West Philadelphia. In May 1660, Peter
Andersson successfully represented the residents of Kingsessing in their effort to prevent the Dutch from ordering all the Swede to live in one protected community. The Swedes did not believe they needed any protection from the local Indians.

In 1664, when Peter Rambo moved to Passyunk, Peter Andersson acquired Rambo's 1/4 interest in Kingsessing. However, Peter also eyed land adjoining the Schuylkill River and settled there on a
tract named Siamensing. A 1677 tax list showed him then residing at Siamensing with one other tydable male (aged 16-60), namely his son. Peter Andersson probably died the following year.
Peter's widow, Gunilla, then married Henry Jones, a Welsh hatter. She appeared in the Upland Court in a lawsuit against Jonas Nilsson in 1680, accusing the latter of having wrongfully taken
some of Peter Andersson's land at Kingsessing and won her case. The will of Henry Jones, dated 8 October 1683, witnessed by Peter Rambo, gave a legacy to his nephew in Wales and left the balance of his estate to Gunilla.

Anders Petersson Långåker
The only known child of Peter Andersson was Anders Peterson, who was described as 26 years old in a census taken in the spring of 1683. This suggests that he was born during the year following
the arrival of the Mercurius in America. He married c. 1680 Magdalena, one of six daughters of Peter Larsson C**k.
Anders Petersson inherited his father's lands at Kingsessing and Siamensing. In 1680, the Upland Court granted him an additional 100 acres adjoining Siamensing. He then sold his Kingsessing
land to his brother-in-law Lasse C**k, who resold it to James Hunt, an Englishman. Unfortunately, with the transfer of sovereignty to William Penn, there was no survey made of Anders Petersson's expanded Siamensing estate. It would not be patented officially by
Pennsylvania until more than fifty years later. It further appears that a part of Anders Petersson's land was sold or rented to Robert Longshore, an English surveyor who had married Lasse C**k's
sister, Martha C**k.

In a 1684 survey of adjoining land owned by the Swedish Justis family, we find the first public record of Anders Petersson's adopted surname Långåker in Swedish (meaning "long field"), Longacre in English. It is uncertain whether this was descriptive of his land or a play on words, mimicking his new brother-in-law Robert Longshore.
Anders Petersson and his wife Magdalena C**k were active members of the Swedish log church at Wicaco. As "And. Persson," he was listed among the persons pledging contributions to that church in 1684. When that congregation and its counterpart at Crane Hook were without Swedish ministers or Swedish Bibles and hymn books, they petitioned the King of Sweden on 30 May 1693
asking for help. To the petition was appended the names of the two congregations. The 34th entry of the Wicaco congregation was the name of Anders Pärsson Långåker with "seven souls" in his
household. On 30 October 1697 the leaders of both churches signed a letter to William Penn thanking him for allowing the Swedish clergymen to come to Pennsylvania. Among the signers for
the Wicaco congregation was Anders Långåker, apparently written in his own hand.
Copyright Swedish Colonial Society 2012

Church records also show that in 1697 Anders Långåker pledged ^1.5 annually for Rudman's salary and also gave ^5 towards the construction of Gloria Dei (Old Swedes) Church at Wicaco,
which was dedicated in 1700. In return, Anders Långåker was assigned a favorable pew, in the second row of the second quarter. On 14 May 1702, he was elected a vestryman and on 20 September 1717 he was elected a church warden.

On the tenth of October in 1718, Andrew Longacre of Kingsessing Township wrote his will, directing that his eldest son Peter receive "the place whereon he now dwells," 60 acres; that his second son Andrew, receive "all the land on which he now liveth on the north side of the King's Road," and that his youngest son Gabriel receive
"the place whereon I now live" after the death of Magdalena. He also bequeathed to Gabriel two oxen, two cows, one horse, a bed and furniture. The will directed that his daughter Helena was to
be "maintained on the plantation whereon I now live for life." He named as executors his wife and his son Andrew. The will was proved two months later, on 10 December 1718.

Andrew Peterson Longacre and his wife Magdalena C**k had ten children, as follows:
1. Peter Longacre, born in 1682, married Barbara Friend, 10 Nov. 1705. She was the daughter of Nils Larsson Frände. After his marriage, Peter was given 60 acres of Siamensing lying next to the
Schuylkill, which remained his home until he died on 7 May 1739. He was survived by five children.
Peter Longacre, born c. 1710, married his cousin, Sarah Sträng, daughter of Lars Sträng and Rebecca Friend of Gloucester County. He and Måns Justis acquired title to his father's lands, but lost the same to creditors. Peter died in poverty at the Sträng plantation on Oldmans Creek, Gloucester County NJ, 26 November 1770, survived by his widow Sarah and five daughters.
Sarah Longacre, born in 1713, married Måns Justis, son of Charles Justis and Margaret Boon, on 4 August 1739. They had two known children (Rebecca and Israel) before Måns deserted her to become a "vagabond." Sarah died 13 May 1754 at the age of 43.
Israel Longacre, born c. 1715, moved with his younger brothers to Calcon Hook, Lower Darby Township, where he initially lived on the land of his uncle Anders Geörgen. In 1766 he moved to Ridley Township, where he acquired land adjoining the Morton Homestead, near the ferry to Tinicum Island. He was a charter member of St. James (Old Swedes) Church of Kingsessing, founded in 1762, and served as a vestryman of that church from
1772 until his death 23 September 1784. By his wife Susannah, daughter of Peter Justis and Helena Lock of Gloucester County NJ, Israel had five children, including Peter Longacre (1757-1830), father of James Barton Longacre, who became the Engraver of the
Philadelphia Mint.
Andrew Longacre, born c. 1718, appears to have died in Ridley Township by 1774.
Gabriel Longacre, born c. 1720, appears to have died in Lower Darby Township by 1768.
2. Andrew Longacre, born in 1684, married Elizabeth [parents not identified] about 1705. His father gave him that part of Siamensing lying north of the King's Road (Woodland Avenue). He also acquired Gabriel's share of Siamensing lying south of the King's Road. He and his wife Elizabeth sold all of this to Peter Stille of Philadelphia on 24 December 1736 for ^133. The family
then moved to Calcon Hook to live on the Geörgen plantation. Andrew apparently died soon thereafter. His widow Elizabeth died at Calcon Hook 14 February 1758 at the age of 78. They had
two known children:
Elizabeth Longacre, born c. 1706, married Peter Tussey of New Castle County c. 1725. Their sole surviving child, Elizabeth Tussey, married her cousin Anders Geörgen (Urian), Jr., of Calcon Hook.
Andrew Longacre, born c. 1712, married Hannah, daughter of Richard Ireson c. 1737. They joined a group of Quakers moving to Frederick County, Virginia, in the 1740s. The family was active in the Hopewell Friends Meeting in Wi******er, Va. Hannah died 4 August 1793 and Andrew died three years later. They had six children (Joseph, Mary, Richard, John, Copyright Swedish Colonial Society 2012, Andrew and Benjamin) and became the forebearers of the "southern" Longacres.
3. Margaret Longacre, born in 1688, was living at home in 1697. She was not named in her father's will and probably died before reaching adulthood.
4. Helena Longacre, born in 1690, was disabled and living at home in 1718; she died unmarried shortly thereafter.
5. Maria Longacre, born in 1692, married Andrew Geörgen [Urian] at Gloria Dei Church in 1717. Her husband was born in 1690, the son of Hans Geörgen and Elisabeth Johansdotter Grelsson.
The couple made their home on the Geörgen plantation at Calcon Hook, Lower Darby Township, Chester County, which Andrew inherited from his father. They had two children, Benjamin
Geörgen or Urian, born c. 1720, and Anders Geörgen or Urian, Jr., born in 1723. Maria died, probably in the late 1720s. Her husband remarried and died in 1753 at Calcon Hook.
6. Catharina Longacre, born in 1696-7, was not mentioned in her father's will and probably died in childhood.
7. Gabriel Longacre, born c. 1700, died unmarried in 1723. His will devised his father's home plantation to his four surviving sisters (Maria, Anna, Magda-lena and Brita) after the death of his mother.
8. Anna Longacre, born c. 1702, married Christopher Lindemeyer (sometimes Linmire) by 1725. He was the son of Niclas Lindemeyer and Christina Jonasdotter [daughter of Jonas Nilsson] and
lived on a nearby plantation then owned by his mother Christina and her third husband, Friedrich Schaffenhausen. After the death of her brother Gabriel Longacre and her mother, Ann Linmire was
named to administer Gabriel's estate on 7 April 1729. The Schaffen-hausen estate having been sold to John Bartram at public auction in 1728 to satisfy a debt to Christopher and Anna, they collected
the money and moved to Kent County, Delaware, where they were living when they conveyed their rights under Gabriel's will to Andrew Longacre, 19 August 1735. Next they moved to
Verdrietge Hook, Brandywine Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware, where Christopher's mother Christina was living with her daughter Anna Maria Schaffenhausen, wife of Olle Tussey.
Anna Longacre Linmire was buried by the pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Wilmington on 25 November 1740. She was survived by two children, Andrew Linmire, born 26 Jan. 1732, and Jöran [George] Linmire, born 5 February 1739. In 1743 Christopher moved to Upper Penns Neck, Salem County, N.J., where he married widow Ann Hays. They joined the Moravian Church on Oldman's
Creek. Christopher Linmire died in Upper Penns Neck on 7 November 1756.
9.. Magdalena Longacre, born c. 1704, married John Townsend. On 14 August 1735, John Townsend of Kent County, Delaware, and his wife Magdalen joined Christopher Linmire of Kent County, Delaware, and his wife Ann in conveying their rights under the will of Gabriel Longacre to Andrew Longacre of Philadelphia County, husbandman, for ^20. On 12 January 1744/5, Magdalene Townsend, widow, was granted administration of the estate of her late husband, John Townsend. On 19 August 1749, Magdalen Townsend, widow, formerly Longacre, quitclaimed any interest in Gabriel's former property to Peter Stille, for five shillings.
10. Brita Longacre, born c. 1708, conveyed her share of Gabriel's estate to her sister Ann and Ann's husband Christopher Linmire on 1 March 1729. On 15 September 1729 she married Joseph
Tetlow in Chester, Pennsylvania. Not further traced.

Acknowledgments are due Ronny O. Bodine of Columbus, Ga., and Ray Longacre of Ephrata, Pa., for their research contributions on Longacre descendants.

Pictures: 1855 portrait of James Barton Longacre and Longacre's 1849 double eagle (first year of issue and unique) Wiki.

04/18/2026

Tyler (Hancock) Log House

It is notable for its white, hand-hewn, long cedar planks. It originally stood on the property of John Tyler in Salem and was rebuilt on this site in 1934 by the Civil Works Administration. While it does show Swedish building techniques, the interior is furnished with rescued woodwork from other nearby 18th century homes in Salem County, Owned by the State of New Jersey, it stands on the property of the William and Sarah Hancock House (1734). This splendid English Quaker brick mansion is the site of a massacre of colonial militiamen in 1778 by 300 British soldiers.

Visitor Information
Tyler (Hancock) Log House
3 Front Street, Hancocks Bridge, New Jersey 08038
phone: 856-935-4373
https://dep.nj.gov/parksandforests/state-park/hancock-house/

Source: New Sweden on the Delaware: A Photographic Tour of the Historic Sites of America's First Swedes and Finns, Photography by Kenneth S.Peterson, Text by Kim-Eric Williams, Edited by Ronald A.Hendrickson, p. 86-87. Note: The book is out of print.
Picture: By Bill Coughlin, August 13, 2009, Hancock House Historic Site
The Swedish Cabin, seen in the photo above the sign, is part of the Hancock House Historic Site.

04/16/2026

List of Current Forefathers
Active Members
of the Swedish Colonial Society
with Forefather Status
April 16, 2026

https://colonialswedes.net/list-of-current-forefathers/

04/16/2026

The Enoch Brothers and their Swedish
Descendants

by Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig
Fellow, American Society of Genealogists
Fellow, Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
Historian, Swedish Colonial Society
originally published in Swedish Colonial News,
Volume 3, Number 3 (Fall 2005)

During the week of 13 October 1738, Johan Dylander, the new pastor of Gloria Dei Church, recorded the receipt of 5 shillings for "the opening of a grave for a Dutch woman." The woman was the old widow Gertrude Supplee, whose will, proved 20 November 1738, named two sons, Henry and David Enochson, and two daughters, Catharine Smith and Mary Griffith.

Gertrude was Swedish, not Dutch. But she knew Dutch well she had married three Dutch speaking husbands. Indeed, she was four times a widow. Born by estimation in 1650, she had first married Garret Enochson in 1669. Garret died before November 1677 and she next married Garret's brother Harman Enochson. Harman was buried at Gloria Dei in 1699, and she next married the Finn Lasse Bärtilsson alias Parker, who died in 1705. Within a few years thereafter,
she married Andreas Souplis, who was buried at Gloria Dei in early 1727. All of her children were by her first two husbands.
The Swedish churches on the Delaware accepted as members only those persons who were Swedish or who were married to Swedes. Gertrude and her three Dutch husbands were accepted
as members only because of Gertrude's Swedish credentials.
The brothers Garret and Harman Enochson first appear in surviving records in 1673 when they were renting land in Kingsessing. By that time, Gertrude had two sons, Enoch (named after Garret's father) and Johan (named, we believe, after Gertrude's father). It seems probable that her father was Hans Månsson who, around this time, deeded part of his large Aronameck estate in Kingsessing to Garret Enochson. (The names Johan and Hans are both derived from the name Johannes.)

Hans Månsson had arrived in New Sweden in 1641 with a wife and children, names unknown. His first wife died before 1654 when Hans married Ella Stille, widow of Peter Jochimsson. Gertrude
Enochson's first son, Enoch Enochson, was born in 1670. This places Gertrude's birth year c. 1650. It is known that Hans had a son by his first marriage (Måns Hansson), but his daughters (if any) have not been identified before.
Copyright Swedish Colonial Society 2012

The Enochson Brothers
The Enochson brothers probably arrived on the Delaware in 1663-1664 among the many young farmers which the Dutch had recruited from the Netherlands, adjoining countries and even from
Sweden, to develop agriculture on the river. It is probable that Garret Enochson married Gertrude around 1669. Their first son, Enoch Enochson, was born in 1670. Soon to follow was their second
son, Johan Enochson. Confirmation of the death of Garret Enochson is to be found in Nils Larsson Frände's tax list of November 1677, naming all males sixteen and over within the jurisdiction of the Upland Court. The name of "Harmon Ennis [Enochs]" is shown, but Garret's name is missing.
Gertrude wasted little time in agreeing to marry Garret's brother Harman. He remained on the land acquired from Hans Månsson until about 1683 when he moved with his wife, children and
stepsons to join Matthias Keen at two plantations northeast of Philadelphia designated as "Enock & Keene" on Holmes' 1685 map of Pennsylvania. That same map also showed "Enockson" owning
land in Kingsessing a reference to Garret Enochson's son Enoch, then still a minor.
In 1684 Harmon Enoch was listed among those agreeing to contribute to the salary of the Swedish pastor at Wicaco, Jacob Fabritius. The 1693 tax list valued his land in Oxford Township at ^60. With the arrival of a new minister from Sweden, Andreas Rudman, Herman Enoc (as Rudman spelled his name) pledged ^3 for the construction of a new church at Wicaco. Rudman's church
accounts show that Herman Enoc was buried in late July 1699. Upon the completion of Gloria Dei Church in 1700, his family was assigned a pew. In 1704, as Herman Enoc's widow, Gertrude gave
19 shillings and 7 pence towards the addition of brick porches to Gloria Dei Church.

Gertrude's Last Two Husbands
Gertrude's third husband was born Lars Bärtilsson, son of Bärtil Eskilsson, but was commonly known as Lasse Parker. Their marriage probably occurred in 1705 and was very short lived. He
died 13 October 1705, in the presence of Enoch Enochson, then aged 35, who proved Lasse's nuncupative will.
On 1 September 1705 Michael Fredericks executed a deed conveying to Gertrude one half of 200 acres which had been patented to him in 1676. It is likely that this was the land on which Gertrude had been living since 1683. On 23 November 1708, as Widow Parker, Gertrude conveyed this land to her eldest son, Enoch Enochson.
Gertrude's final marriage, about 1709, was to the widower Andreas Souplis, a French Huguenot from Alsace Lorraine, whose primary language was also low German. He had originally settled in
Germantown, but later purchased land at Aronameck in Kingsessing from Peter Petersson Yocum.
He died in 1727. Gertrude survived him by eleven years and was shown in 1734 as the owner (for life only) of his 40-acre estate in Kingsessing. She was probably 88 years old at the time of her
death in 1738.

Children of Garret Enochson
1. Enoch Enochson, born in 1670, is first mentioned in records by his patronymic. In 1690, Blackwell made a list of unpaid quitrents and found that Enoch Garretson, then 20 years old, had never paid quitrents since William Penn acquired Pennsylvania in 1681. In 1694, Enoch married Susanna Friend, daughter of Nils Larsson Frände and Anna Andersdotter. He found that living on the Friend family plantation was preferable to his land in Kingsessing and remained at Crum Creek in Ridley Township He therefore sold the his 100-acre inheritance in Kingsessing to Richard Bonsal for ^58 on 2 July 1696.
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In 1697 Enoch Enochson pledged 12 shillings annually for the salary of the new minister from Sweden, Andreas Rudman. However, like the Friend family, he became unhappy over the decision in 1698 to build the new church at Wicaco rather than at Passyunk or Tinicum Island. He therefore gave nothing to build the new church and, in protest, attended St. Pauls Episcopal Church in Chester instead. After his mother deeded him the land at Pennypack Creek, he turned around and sold it to Matthias Keen on 12 September 1711 for ^105.
In 1715 Enoch Enochson was still being taxed on land in Ridley Township. Soon thereafter, however, he moved to Cecil County, Maryland, where he lived on land owned by his wife's cousin,
Lawrence Rawson, until the latter died about 1718. Enoch then returned to Crum Creek in Ridley Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, where he was taxed in 1722. He stayed there until
December 1725, when he acquired a 665-acre tract north of Raccoon Creek in Gloucester County in western New Jersey from his brother-in-law John Friend. Ten years later, Enoch Enochson and
his wife Susannah transferred this land to another brother-in-law, Gabriel Friend, and moved with their sons to western Maryland. In 1740, Enoch Enochson, aged 70, and his son John Enochson,
aged 36, both living on the Potomac, presented an affidavit which was used in the litigation between Pennsylvania and Maryland regarding the proper boundary between the two provinces.
Enoch Enochson and Susanna Friend had four known children:
Gabriel Enochson, born 25 February 1695 at Crum Creek, Ridley Township, married Maria Guarron, daughter of James and Brigitta Guarron, at the Swedish Raccoon church, 30December 1730. She died three days after the birth of their only child, also named Gabriel, who was born 21 September 1731. Gabriel, Sr., moved west with his father and in 1739 was granted land in present Washington County, Maryland, which he called "Enochson's Lot." He did not remarry and died soon after 1751. His only known son, Gabriel, remained with the Guarron family in Gloucester County, where he died in 1761.
Anders Enochson, born in 1697 at Crum Creek, was married at the Raccoon Church on 25October 1727, to Catharine Jones, daughter of Stephen Jones and Anna Mattson. He is traced in western Maryland up to 1754. Known children, all baptized at Raccoon, were:
Rebecca, Priscilla, Abraham and John Enochson.
Enoch Enochson, Jr., born c. 1702 at Crum Creek, never married. He lived in western Maryland until 1756 when he moved with his younger brother to Rowan County, North Carolina, where he died in 1788.
John Enochson, born 1704, at Crum Creek, was married at the Raccoon Church to Margaret Vanneman, daughter of David and Catharine Vanneman, 27 June 1729. In 1745, he was granted an 80-acre tract at the Potomac River which he called "Enochson's Delight." This tract adjoined his brother Anders Enochson's land. John Enochson sold this land to Thomas Cresap in April 1750 and moved to Rowan County, North Carolina, in 1756. He died there
on 20 June 1765. He had six known children: David, Rebecca, Gabriel, Margaret, Mary and Isaac Enochson.
2. Johan Enoch, born c. 1672, was married in 1696 to the widow of Derrick Johansson, who was named Brigitta Gästenberg, daughter of Olof Nilsson alias Gästenberg (ghost mountain, in Swedish). She already had three children by her first marriage. Her first husband had been executed for murder after a trial which left considerable doubt as to his guilt. Johan and Brita lived in Nishaminy, Bucks County, on Derrick's plantation. In 1697, Johan Enoch made a pledge for the salary of the new minister and contributed ^3 toward the construction of Gloria Dei Church. He doubled this gift in 1699 and in 1700 was given a desirable pew in the new church. In 1704 he also gave ^1.16 to help pay for the porch additions.
In 1713, John Enoch and his wife sold their 100-acre farm in Bucks County to her late husband's brother Johan Johansson and moved to Aronameck in Kingsessing, where they lived on land provided by Nils Jonasson, who had married Brita's sister Christina. Brita died in Kingsessing in
Copyright Swedish Colonial Society 2012
childbirth on 29 January 1716. Her husband, Johan Enoch died about 1730. They had six known children:
Hannah Enoch, born 1698 in Bucks County, married Jonas Yocum, son of Peter Peterson Yocum, 26 August 1715. They moved to Manatawney (present Douglassville, Berks County, Pennsylvania) where Jonas Yocum died in 1760. Hannah survived him. They had
five children who grew to adulthood and married: Peter, John, Judith, Mary and Margaret.
John Enoch, Jr., born c. 1700 in Bucks County, was married on 6 November 1718 to Elizabeth Van Zandt. Their son, John Enoch III, was baptized 17 January 1719/20. The father died in the same year and his widow married Jacob Supplee, son of Andreas Souplis, 11
August 1720. They moved to Upper Merion Township, where the younger John Enoch became a faithful member of Christ (Old Swedes) Church of Upper Merion.
Richard Enoch, born c. 1704 in Bucks County, married Martha parents not identified). He took over the family farm, which he sold to Swan Jones, son of Nils Jonasson, on 12 January1730/1. He died before 23 November 1736, when his widow married John Ewan of
Burlington County, N.J. He had three known children: Margaret, Mary and Thomas Enoch.
Henry Enoch, born c. 1707 in Bucks County, was living in Kingsessing in 1730 when he signed the tardy inventory of his brother John's estate. However, he soon left to join his Enochson cousins in western Maryland. He married Elizabeth Ross, daughter of William Ross, and on 23 April 1750 George Washington surveyed for him 388 acres at the Forks of the Cacapon River in Hampshire County, Virginia. George Washington also dined at his
home in 1770. Henry died there in 1783. He had seven confirmed children: Henry, David, Enoch, John, Rachel, Elizabeth, Sarah.
Enoch Enoch, born c. 1712, in Bucks County, accompanied his brother Henry to Virginia, where in 1753 he was granted a patent for 168 acres on the Potomac River. The name of his wife in unknown. He died c. 1760, survived by two daughters, Mary and Sarah.
Phoebe Enoch, born c. 1714, married Joseph Boyce, Jr., of Kingsessing, 10 October 1734.
They moved to Ridley Township, Chester County, where Joseph died in 1742, survived by Phoebe and four children: Margaret, Joseph, John and Mary.

Children of Harman Enochson
1. Henry Enoch, son of Harman, was born in Kingsessing c. 1680. He was married to Sarah (parents unknown) by 1711. They lived in Bensalem Township, Bucks County, and attended the Dutch church there and the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and later the Presbyterian Church in Abington. He died after 1755. They had seven known children:
Rebecca Enoch, born c. 1713 in Bensalem Township, Bucks County, married John May at the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, on 1 August 1737. Not further traced.
Hannah Enoch, born c. 1715 in Bensalem Township, has not been further traced.
Herman Enoch, born c. 1717 in Bensalem Township, Bucks County, was married in New Jersey on 12 November 1741 to Mary Dillon, also of Bucks County. He had no children and died in Philadelphia County in 1769, survived by his widow Mary.
Joseph Enoch, born c. 1722, was married on 16 April 1747 to Jemima Wynkoop at the Presbyterian Church in Abington. He died in Philadelphia County in 1755. His widow married Abram Newkirk. Joseph had one known child: Jonathan Enoch, who was an heir
under his uncle Herman Enoch's will.
Gertrude Enoch, born c. 1725, was married on 29 May 1747 to William Maxwell at the Abington Presbyterian Church.
Olive Enoch, born c. 1727, was married on 2 December 1747 to John Lawrenson at the Abington Presbyterian Church. He died in Makefield Township, Bucks County in 1750, naming his wife Olive as sole legatee.
Susanna Enoch was baptized 19 August 1733. Not further traced.
Copyright Swedish Colonial Society 2012
2. Garrett Enoch, son of Harman, was born c. 1688. In 1717 he joined his younger brother David Enoch to trim logs at Passyunk for a new parsonage for the Swedish pastor Andreas Sandel after
the first one had accidentally burned down. From 1731 to 1741, he was taxed as the head of household in East Caln Township, Chester County. His wife and children, if any, have not been identified.
3. David Enoch, son of Harman, was born c. 1690. He helped trim logs at Passyunk in 1717. A cordwainer by trade, he was married by 1721 to Helena, daughter of Charles Hansson Steelman and grand-daughter of Hans Månsson. They lived in Brandywine Hundred, New Castle County, but after Helena died c. 1733, David Enoch moved to Kingsessing to live with his mother. Around 1738, David Enoch married 2nd Miriam Reece, a Quaker, daughter of William Reece of Haverford. They acquired a house in Wilmington in 1740, which remained his home until his death on 9 December 1767. His known children by two marriages were:
Anders Enoch, baptized at Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church on 1 July 1722, had an illegitimate daughter named Jane Enoch, born of Catharine Brian, 10 February 1752. Not further traced.
Anna Enoch, born 20 October 1725, died young.
Hendrick Enoch, born 17 December 1727, was buried as a child at Philadelphia Monthly Meeting.
Margareta Enoch, born 29 July 1729, married Nicholas Moore 31 January 1751.
Gertrude Enoch, baptized 9 November 1731, died young.
Mary Enoch, born c. 1733, was buried 27 June 1735 at Philadelphia Monthly Meeting.
Benjamin Enoch, born c. 1737, was married c. 1759 to the heiress Mary Stalcop, only child of Andrew and Hanna Stalcop of New Castle County. After working as a cord-wainer in Wilmington for several years, he sold all of his Delaware property in 1772, and moved to Granville County, North Carolina. Benjamin died in Caswell County, North Carolina, after 1790. His known children were Maria, David, Andrew, Sarah, Benjamin Jr., Reece, John and Samuel Enoch.
Reece Enoch, born c. 1739, was married at Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church in Wilmington on 7 May 1764 to Jane Carter. They lived in a house in town provided by his father. Reece died by 17 January 1795 when letters of administration were issued on his estate. He had no children.
4. Catharine Enoch married - Smith, who had died before 1737 when Gertrude Enoch wrote her will. Both Catharine Smith and her daughter Brigitta Smith were living with Gertrude at the time.
5. Maria Enoch married Henry Griffith of Upper Merion Township. His will of 17 March 1747/8 named his wife Mary, children Rachel and Martha and grandchildren Enoch and Joel (surname not
stated), sons of Rachel. Gertrude Enoch's 1737 will made a bequest to her daughter Mary Griffith.

The author is indebted to Richard A. Enochs of Indianapolis, Indiana, for his research contributions to this article.

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