02/02/2026
Christina Ollesdotter and her Walraven
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 4 (Spring 2006)
Among the passengers arriving at Fort Christina on the Kalmar Nyckel and Charitas in November 1641 were three small orphans, Jöns (Jonas) Ollesson, Helena Ollesdotter and Christina Ollesdotter. The voyage from Gothenburg had been a stormy one and their parents had died at sea. Of these three orphans, only one has been accounted for in subsequent records Christina Ollesdotter, who married the Dutch soldier Walraven Jansen deVos and became the ancestor of the Walraven families of Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church in Wilmington, Delaware.
A 1951 article appearing in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record by George V. Massey, claimed that Christina Ollesdotter was the daughter of Olof Thorsson. This now proves to
be incorrect. There was never any association between Olof Thorsson or his Tussey family and the family of Walraven Jansen deVos. Massey was unaware of Hendrick Huygen's New Sweden
accounts identifying the three orphans arriving in 1641.
Walraven Jansen de Vos
Christina Ollesdotter was married by 1659 to a Dutch soldier stationed at Fort Altena (former Fort Christina) by the name of Walraven Jansen de Vos ("the fox"). He had been a soldier for the
Dutch West India Company since 1656. At the time of her marriage, Christina was probably living with the family of Måns Andersson, whose eldest daughter Brita (wife of Johan Gustafsson) lived
with the Jonas Walraven family in her old age.
In the summer of 1659, Walraven Jansen's commander Willem Beeckman granted Måns Andersson and Walraven Jansen a tract of land west of Fort Altena straddling the Brandywine.
Måns' tract, later sold to Dr. Timen Stiddem, was on the south side; Walraven's was on the north side. Here Walraven built a house for himself and his bride. Walraven asked for his discharge, which initially was opposed. In January 1660, Stuyvesant's Council in New Amsterdam approved a salary increase for him, but Walraven was persistent and before the month ended, Beeckman granted the requested discharge.
Copyright Swedish Colonial Society 2012
After a few years of farming, Walraven sold his farm on the north side of Brandywiine Creek to another former Dutch soldier, Jacob van der Veer, and moved up Christina Creek to settle on a 900-acre tract of land in partnership with Anders Andersson the Finn and Sinnick Broer the Finn. An English patent confirming their joint ownership of this tract, called "Deer Point" (later called Middle Borough, now Richardson Park in Wilmington) was granted on 25 March 1676.
The will of Walraven Jansen DeVos was proved on 1 March 1680/1. The will left one half of his lands to the eldest son living at home Gisbert Walraven with the other half going to his youngest son Jonas Walraven after Christina's death. The will mentioned but did not name other children, some married and some not.
Within a few years, Walraven Jansen's wife Christina Ollesdotter was remarried, this time to the widower Dr. Timen Stiddem, whose plantation lay across the Brandywine on the south bank. The
will of Christina Ollesdotter Stedham, proved 13 March 1698/9, named sons Gisbert and Jonas and daughters Christina, Anna and Maria.
The apparent children of Walraven Jansen de Vos, who adopted their patronymic (Walraven) as their surname, were as follows:
1. Hendrick Walraven, although not named in either will, appears to be the eldest son of Walraven Jansen, perhaps by a prior marriage. By 1677 he was taxed at Appoquinimink Creek, where 225 acres were surveyed for him in 1678. Later, in 1689, he acquired 600 acres at Dragon Swamp. He died there c. 1715. By his wife (name unknown) he had three known children:
Peter Walraven, born by 1677, married by 1707 Tanne Van Horen (Dutch). He died in 1713 in St. Georges Hundred. They had three children: Jacob, born c. 1708, died young; John, born 1710, married Susannah Margaret, died 1764 in Appoquinimink Hundred; and Isaac, born c. 1712, died young.
Anna Walraven married Robert Hartop (English), a large landowner on Blackbird Creek. She had sons named John, Henry and Robert Hartop and died in St. Georges Hundred in 1710.
Cornelius Walraven married Walborg Evertson (Swedish) by 1713. Initially he lived in Penns Neck, but took over his father's farm at Dragon Swamp by 1715. The last reference to him alive was on 1 May 1733 when, after being convicted by the Lancaster County court for counterfeiting seven silver dollars, he was sentenced to receive 21 lashes, stand in the pillary for one hour and have both of his ears cut off. He was survived by his wife, who remained at
Dragon Swamp, and four children: John, Susannah, Elias and Eliza-beth.
2. Aeltie Walraven, eldest daughter, married Matthys van Limborgh (Dutch) of New Castle, who died soon after the birth of their sons, Sybrant and Jan Matthysen Valk ("hawk" in Dutch). She
then married by 1676 Justa Andersson, eldest son of Anders Andersson the Finn. Aeltie was described as the daughter of Walraven Jansen when she and her second husband sued the Stalcop family for slander in 1680. She had no children by her second marriage. Both Aeltie and her sons disappear from records after 1684 when Justa Anderson sold land which had been patented to his stepson Sybrant Matthysen Valk.
3. Gisbert Walraven, also known as Jesper Walraven, was born about 1660. In the late 1680s he married Christina (Kerstin) Peterson, daughter of Samuel Petersson and Brita Jönsdotter Anderson of Christina (now Wilmington). She was buried 20 Dec. 1725 at Holy Trinity Church. They lived at Middlle Borough, Christiana Hundred, where he divided his father's plantation with his younger brother Jonas Walraven, 19 April 1708. His will of the same date was proved 4 June 1708 and named Mathias Peterson [his wife's brother] and Edward Robinson [his sister's husband] as executors. His will named five children:
Brita Walraven married John Stalcop, son of Andrew Stalcop, by 1706. They had one son who survived childhood, Andrew Håkan Stalcop. After the death of her first husband, Brita married
Copyright Swedish Colonial Society 2012
Ambrose London, 6 Jan. 1715, by whom she had four additional children. Brita was buried at Holy Trinity on 16 March 1721 and Ambrose London was buried there on 4 December 1721.
Edward Robinson served as executor of his estate and became guardian of his only surviving son, Ambrose London, Jr.
Catharina Walraven, born 1690, married by 1709 Måns Justis, son of Justa Justisson and Anna Morton of Kingsessing. They lived on the east side of Red Clay Creek in Christiana Hundred. They had ten children born between 1710 and 1732, all of whom grew to
adulthood. Catharina died of apoplexy on 2 January 1754 at the age of 63. Her husband survived her by about two decades.
Gisbert (Jesper) Walraven married Maria Snicker (daughter of Hendrick Jöransson Orrhan, snickare [carpenter in Swedish], 24 May 1716. She was buried 12 Nov. 1723. He then married widow Anna Paulson (daughter of Bengt Pålsson and widow of John Garritson) in 1724. She died after 1743. On 15 Nov. 1752, Gisbert married his third wife, Christina Morton, daughter of Matthias and Anna (Justis) Morton and widow of Samuel Peterson.
Gisbert Walraven lived his entire life on the Middle Borough plantation, which he inherited from his father. By his first two wives he had ten children. He died intestate before 21 July1761 when his widow Christina Walraven filed her first accounting of his estate. On 27March 1762 his heirs sold all 113 acres of his plantation to Richard Richardson.
Jonas Walraven married in 1723 Catharina Archer, daughter of John and Gertrude (Bartleson) Archer of Ridley Township., Chester County. Jonas was buried 11 March 1727. His widow married Hans Peterson in 1731 and died before 1748. On 28 Jan-uary 1723/4
Jonas had acquired 110 acres at Christina in Christiana Hundred from Samuel Peterson. A weaver by trade, Jonas devised his land to his son John by his will of 7 March 1726/7. He was also survived by a daughter Maria.
Sarah Walraven married John Seeds, 22 August 1720, but died in childbirth and was buried at Holy Trinity Church on 4 April 1721. Her son Edward Seeds survived.. John Seeds remarried Brita Lynam by 1722.
4. Jonas Walraven, born by 1672, was married in 1693 to Sarah Peterson, a younger sister of Jesper Walraven's wife. Sarah was the mother of all of his children. Jonas married second, by 1713, Anna Justis, widow of Matthias Morton of Ridley Township., Chester County. He also lived at Middle Borough in Christiana Hundred. Jonas was buried 31 Aug. 1724. His widow married, as her third husband, Charles Springer, in 1727. By his first marriage, Jonas had five children:
Brita Walraven, born in 1693, married Morton Justis, son of Justa Justisson and Anna Morton, on 1 Oct. 1713. They made their home at Bread and Cheese Island, Mill Creek Hundred, and had ten children born between 1714 and 1739. After Brita's death at the age of 54 on 14 July 1747, Morton Justis married Magdalena Springer, then twice a widow, on 5 December 1747.
Sarah Walraven, born 3 February 1695, married Rev. Andreas Hesseius, pastor of Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church, 3 May 1713, and died in London on 17 June 1724 en route to Sweden with her husband and children.
Christina Walraven, born c. 1698, married Morton Morton (son of Matthias Morton and Anna Justis) 8 May 1718. They made their home on the south side of Christina River in New Castle Hundred. They had ten children born between 1719 and 1741, of whom four lived to adulthood. Christina died of pleurisy at the age of 53 and was buried 3 May 1754. Her husband remarried and died by 1767.
Walraven Walraven, born c. 1700, married Christina Colesberry (daughter of Sven Kålsberg and Elisabeth Anderson), 6 Oct. 1725. He was buried 4 Aug. 1736, and his widow married John Justis, 30 July 1737. On 29 April 1735, as son and heir of Jonas Walraven, Walraven Walraven divided the Middle Borough plantation with Gisbert Walraven, son and heir of Gisbert Walraven. The will of Wal-raven Walraven, dated 1 August 1736, left his plantation to his two eldest sons, Sven (Swithin) and Jonas. He was buried 4 August 1736.
Jonas Walraven, born 31 May 1704, married Maria Justis (daughter of Justa Justisxon and Anna Morton), 1 Dec. 1727. A weaver, he lived on the north side of Christina Creek at
Copyright Swedish Colonial Society 2012
Newport, west of Middle Borough, in Christiana Hundred on land purchased from Conrad Constantine in 1735. He died there on 6 Nov. 1751, survived by two children, Justa and Sara.
5. Anna Walraven married before 1700 Edward Robinson, born in England in 1676, who had arrived in America at the age of 8 and became the first Englishman to serve as a trustee of Holy
Trinity (Old Swedes) Church. They had seven children who grew to adulthood and married:
Joshua Robinson, who married by 1720 a woman named Maria.
Catharina Robinson, who married Henry Snicker (son of Hendrick Jöransson) on 1 November 1720; 2nd, Måns Justis, 8 August 1756.
Israel Robinson, who married Elizabeth Hendrickson (daughter of John Hendrickson and Brita Mattson) by 1723.
Margareta Robinson, who married Charles Springer, Jr. (son of Charles Springer and Maria Hendrickson) by 1723.
Jesper Robinson, who married Magdalena Springer (daughter of Charles Springer and Maria Hendrickson) on 11 November 1725.
Robert Robinson, who married Catharina Derickson (daughter of Zacharias Derickson and Helena Van der Veer) by 1730.
Jonas Robinson, who married Rebecca Cleneay (daughter of William Cleneay and Maria Springer) on 19 May 1736.
After the death of Anna before 1714, Edward Robinson remarried several times: first to Margaret Claesson, daughter of Jacob and Grety Claesson (by whom he had three additional children);
second to Elizabeth, widow of Matthias Peterson; third to Sarah Empson Bird, widow of Thomas Bird; fourth to Ingeborg Tussey Sinnex, widow of John Sinnex. Edward Robinson died 31 May
1761.
6. Maria Walraven was named in her mother's will and appeared frequently in the records of Holy Trinity Church as a communicant and baptismal sponsor from 1714 until her death on 3 February 1734, under the name of Maria Brown, widow of Robert Brown. No evidence has been found indicating that she had any children.
7. Christina Walraven was named in her mother's will. Not thereafter traced.
Picture: The Christina River in its upper course in 2006, near the community of Christiana, Wiki.
