The Swedish Colonial Society

03/30/2026

Sinnick Broer the Finn and his Sinex, Sinnickson
& Falkenberg 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 7 (Fall 2002)

Among the 92 Finns aboard the Mercurius when the ship arrived on the Delaware in March 1656 was the family of Sinnick Broer, a group of five which included his wife, a daughter and two sons,
Broer and Anders Sinnicksson. Sinnick considered himself lucky. When the ship left Göteborg in November 1655, less than half
of the Finns wanting to come to New Sweden could be accommodated. Over half of them who, like Sinnick, had sold all of their possessions and counted on being given space on the Mercurius, were left behind.
But, on arrival in the Delaware, a new shock arose. Unknown to anyone on board, from Lieutenant Johan Papegoja and Commissary Hendrick Huygen down to the passengers and crew, New
Sweden did not exist any more. The colony had been surrendered to the Dutch the preceding September. Even worse, Jean Paul Jacquet, the Dutch commander at Fort Casimir (New Castle)
forbid the ship to dock and unload its cargoes and passengers.

Under directions from Governor Peter Stuyvesant, Jacquet was ordered to send the Mercurius back to Sweden immediately.
But the impasse was soon broken by the local Swedish leaders and their Indian friends. Secretly during the night, Indians "in great numbers" boarded the Mercurius and defiantly ordered Papegoja
to take the ship past the fort to Tinicum Island, where both passengers and cargo were unloaded.

The Dutch did not dare to fire upon the ship with so many Indians aboard. The arrival of 92 Finns and 13 Swedes (several of whom were returning to New Sweden) also tipped the political scales on the Delaware. Huygen traveled to New Amsterdam and negotiated a new agreement with Stuyvesant, which granted the Swedes and Finns living north of the Christina River the right of self-government, including the right to have their own court (the Upland Court), their own militia and their own religion, provided that they remain loyal to New Netherlands.

Sinnick's name appeared briefly in the records of Fort Casimir (New Castle) when, on 10 January 1657, he was named as a party to an agreement fixing the prices that would be paid to Indians for
beaver and other animal furs. The Dutch scribe entered his name as "Zenok." Also, under Dutch rule, Sinnick Broer and two partners Anders Andersson the Finn and Walraven Jansen DeVos (a
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former Dutch soldier married to Christina Ollesdotter) were granted 450 morgens (900 acres) of land on the north side of Christina River.

After the Dutch surrender to the English in 1664, this tract of land was patented to Sinnick Broer and his partners by Governor Francis Lovelace on 1 September 1669. A month later, Lovelace also
issued a patent to Anders the Finn and 19 others living in the neighborhood to construct a mill on this site.
This large tract of land was called "Deer Point" in May 1671 when Walter Wharton made the first English census of the Delaware. Later, after the Dutchman Arnoldus de la Grange bought out the
share owned by Anders the Finn, it became known as "Middleburgh." Still later, it became known as Richardson Park, after the family which succeeded de la Grange. It is now part of Wilmington, Delaware.

During Wharton's visit to Deer Point in 1671, Sinnick Broer informed Wharton that he also had purchased 100 morgens (200 acres) of land at Appoquinimink Creek (present Odessa, Delaware)
from Daniel Andersson. Wharton dutifully made out a patent for Sinnick Broer for this second piece of land. Daniel Andersson, a Finn from Lekvattnet, Fryksände parish, in Värmland, had also
been a passenger on the Mercurius and had received a Dutch patent for this land in 1663. It would appear that Sinnick Broer was then planning a move to his new land at Appoquinimink
Creek, for he sold his third of Deer Point to Justa Andersson, eldest son of Anders the Finn.

However, within a year, Sinnick Broer was dead and the planned move came to naught. On 12 October 1672, Sinnick's three adult children signed a statement saying, "We the heirs of Seneca
Brewer have, for 930 guilders, sold to Justa Anderson his plantation at Appoquinimink."

The Falkenberg Line
The first name listed on this sale was written as "Henry Jackson," a poor translation of Sinnick Broer's daughter's husband, who was generally known as Hendrick Jacobs Falkenberg. He was a
Holsteiner who immigrated to Delaware in 1663 or 1664 when the Dutch colony was recruiting farmers from northern European nations. It is unknown when he married Sinnick's daughter or
what her name was. In 1675, however, he was residing at Deer Point with Broer Sinnicksson. He then formed a partnership with Pierre Jegou, a French Huguenot, and moved to "Lazy Point,"
north of present Burlington, New Jersey, where he operated an inn for travelers and native Indians. Becoming well versed in the language of the Lenape Indians, Hendrick Jacobs Falkenberg
soon became the foremost Indian interpreter in New Jersey and was a party to many treaties with the Indians. In 1682 he acquired 200 acres on the south side of Rancocas Creek in Burlington
County. As late as 1689 he was still listed as a member of the Swedish Church at Wicaco.

In 1679, Hendrick Jacobs and his wife were visited by a Dutch traveler, who gave this description of their house in his diary:
"The house was made according to the Swedish mode, and as they usually build their houses here, which are block-houses, being nothing else than entire trees, split through the middle, or squared
out in the rough, and placed in the form of a square, upon each other, as high as they wish to have the house. The ends of these timbers are let into each other, about a foot from the ends, half of one into half of the other. The whole structure is thus made, without a nail or a spike. The ceiling and roof do not exhibit much finer work, except among the most careful people, who have the ceiling planked and a glass window. The doors are wide enough, but very low, so that you have to stoop in entering. These houses are quite tight and warm, but the chimney is placed in a corner."

In 1697 Hendrick Jacobs Falkenberg obtained a confirmation of an earlier Indian deed for land at Little Egg Harbor on the Atlantic Coast. He moved to this location where he married a second
time. He died about 1712, survived by his second wife Mary (a Quaker) and their son, Jacob
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Hendricks Falkenberg.
By his first marriage to Sinnick's daughter, Hendrick had at least one son, Henry Falkenberg, who was living in Cecil County, Maryland, by 1710. He later moved with his several sons to Orange
(now Frederick) County, Virginia, and then moved to Bladen County, North Carolina, by 1746.
His descendants use the surnames of Faulkenberry and Fortenberry.

Broer Sinnicksson and his Sinex Descendants
Broer Sinnicksson, born in Sweden c. 1650, stayed on Sinnick Broer's former farm at Deer Point following his father's death and later re-acquired all of his father's land. The chain of succession
was a bit complex. After acquiring the plantation from Sinnick Broer, Justa Andersson had sold the entire property to Hans Peterson, the miller of Skilpot Creek. Peterson, in turn, sold half of the
land (including the house) to Anders Jöransson, a Finn, on 27 Sept. 1672. Peterson sold the other half (undeveloped) to Matthias Matthiasson, a Swedish blacksmith.
Anders Jöransson died in late 1675, survived by his widow Sophia and five small sons. By early 1678 Sophia had married Broer Sinnicksson. On 8 May 1678, "Broer Sinnexe, husband of Sophia,
relict of Andrew Jurianson, deceased," was granted the land of her former husband on condition that he pay his five sons 500 guilders apiece when they reached the age of 21. Meanwhile, the other half of Sinnick Broer's plantation was reconveyed by Matthias Matthiasson to Hans Peterson, who conveyed it to Anders Sinnickson, who conveyed it to his brother Broer.
Upon resurvey in 1684 by the new government of William Penn, Broer's land was found to be 460 acres, for which he was granted a patent on 7 June 1686. He remained on his plantation until his
death in 1708, specializing in the raising of sheep and horses as well as grain crops. With the arrival of Ericus Björk as pastor of the Swedish church, Broer was named to the Church Council
and served as a faithful lay leader of the church until his death.
In 1703, Broer Sinnicksson made a deed of gift to his only son James of half of his plantation. In his will of 25 November 1708, Broer left the other half (including his house) to his wife Sophia for
life, and after her death, to their son James for life, then to James' eldest son Broer. The will directed that £10 be given to the church and that his young mare be given to Pastor Björk "for the
funeral service which I desire him to make." On 2 December 1708, Pastor Björk held the funeral and Broer was buried in the church under his own pew.
Sophia, Broer's widow, died in 1717 at the home of her daughter-in-law Mary Anderson, widow of her son Jöran Andersson.
Broer and Sophia Sinnicksson had one child: James Sinnexon, who was born c. 1678. Shortly after 1700, he married Dorcas Harmensen (Dutch), daughter of Jan Harmensen of New Castle,
Delaware. In 1703, they sold her father's house in New Castle and made their home on the other half of his father's plantation at "Middleburgh." Shortly after the death of his father, James
Sinnexon also became ill. His will, dated 29 January 1708/9 and proved 8 March 1708/9, left his half of his father's land to his two youngest sons, John and James, after his wife Dorcas's demise.
Through subsequent generations, the descendants of James Sinnexon gradually shortened their surname to Sinex. The three sons were:
1. Broer Sinnexon, born c. 1703, was married in 1724 to Brita, daughter of John Hendrickson and Brita Mattson. They had five children baptized at Holy Trinity Church between 1725
and 1735. On 13 December, 1726, he and the guardian for his younger brothers sold their 50 acre mill tract at "Middleburgh" to John Richardson. On 29 January 1736/7 Broer and his
two brothers formally divided the remainder of their grandfather's "Middleburgh" estate, each obtaining 138 acres. Over the next several years, Broer sold all of his share and
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acquired a lot in Newport in 1744.
Deeply in debt to his brother John, Broer sold his pews in the church to his brother James in September 1744 and announced he was moving to another province. He next appeared in
Bladen County, North Carolina, where he was granted land in 1746 on the south side of the P*e Dee River. In the meantime, his brother John sued Broer for a debt of £100, causing the
sheriff to confiscate and sell Broer's remaining property in New Castle County. On 19 August 1746, on the petition of his abandoned wife Brita, his eldest son, also named Broer,
was bound out to Andrew Morton for four and one-half years.
Meanwhile, on 27 February 1746/7, Brewer Sinnixon married the widow Ann Dewit in Winyaw, South Carolina. She owned 300 acres on the north side of the Wateree River in Craven County, S.C., which had been originally laid out 21 November 1746, and which she
sold on 26 March 1756 under the name of Ann Sinnixon. Broer was clearly dead by this time. His property on the P*e Dee River was later claimed by his Falkenberg cousins, who claimed that Broer Sinnexon had died without heirs, except for a son who drowned in
Virginia.
This was not entirely true. Broer's first wife, Brita, died of pleurisy on 27 March 1755 in New Castle County at the age of 50 and was buried at Old Swedes Church in Wilmington. Her meager estate was administered by George Patton, who had married her daughter Maria, born in 1733.
2. John Sinnexon, born c. 1705, was married on 9 December 1726 to Ingeborg, the daughter of Matthias Tussey and Anna Stidham. During their 20 years of marriage they had eight
children born between 1727 and 1744: Dorcas, John, Sara, Anna, Catharine, Ingeborg, Susanna and Maria. John Sinnex died in 1746 at his "Middleburgh" farm. His widow, Ingeborg Tussey, married Edward Robinson on 17 December 1752. She died 7 June 1768 at
the age of 64.
3. James Sinnexon, born c. 1707, was married on 20 January 1730 to Margaret, daughter of John and Margaret Vardeman of Appoquinimink Hundred. James became a tailor and seems
to have prospered. He and Margaret had 11 children born between 1731 and 1752, of whom four are known to have lived to adulthood and married Henry, John, James and Margaret.
Both parents were still living on their "Middleburgh" farm in 1767.

Anders Sinnicksson and his Sinnickson Descendants
Anders Sinnicksson, born in Sweden c. 1651, did not return to his father's farm after his father's death. In 1677 he was residing at Feren Hook on the south side of Christina River and by 1678 he
had married Margaret Poulson. On 7 January 1678/9 he was sued for medicines supplied to his wife and child. Later in the same year he moved to Chestnut Neck in Salem County, where he was
granted 260 acres north of Parting Creek. This would remain his home for the rest of his life.
After giving birth to two children (Ingrid and John), Anders' wife Margaret died. His second wife, Sarah, was the mother of his other five children. Anders Sinnicksson wrote his will on 17 June 1696, but it was not proved until 4 April 1700. He had given two and one-half pounds for Holy Trinity Church but had probably died before 24 June 1699, when only his wife was assigned a pew
in the new church. His widow, Sarah Sinnicksson, was buried at the Penn's Neck church on 27 February 1719.
All seven of his children married:
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1. Ingrid Sinnickson, born c. 1678, married by 1696 Peter Bilderback and, after his death, John Hendrickson, Jr. She died in Penn's Neck on 26 March 1725.
2. John Sinnickson, born c. 1682, married Ann Philpot Gilljohnson, 28 January 1725, and had three children (John, Sarah and Sinnick) before his death in Penn's Neck in November 1739.
3. Andrew Sinnickson, born c. 1691, married Maria Weinam c. 1712. Both parents and their infant son Andrew died in 1713.
4. Sinnick Sinnickson, born c. 1693, married Maria Philpot 31 October 1717. He died in Penns Neck in 1750, survived by a son Andrew Sinnickson, who was later described by pastor Nicholas Colin as the wealthiest Finn in West New Jersey.
5. Margaret Sinnickson, born c. 1695, married [1] Thomas Vickery, [2] Albert Bilderback, and [3] William Mecum. She died of palsy in Penn's Neck on 12 March 1770.
6. Catharina Sinnickson, born c. 1697, married Christiern Peterson on 10 May 1716. She was buried 17 April 1721 at Penns Neck.
7. Dorothea Sinnickson, born c. 1699, married Oney Stanley, 27 November 1718. She died in Penn's Neck after 1727.
John Sinnicksson, the youngest son John Sinnickson, the youngest son of Sinnick Broer, was born in America c. 1660 and first
appeared in public records in 1677 when he was first listed as taxable (age 16 or more) in New Castle County. He later moved across the Delaware to Upper Penn's Neck where he purchased 200
acres of land in Piles Grove on 23 July 1698. Shortly before this, he had married Gertrude, the daughter of Isaac Savoy and Brigitta Hendrickson.
John Sinnickson wrote his will on 18 December 1729, but he did not die until 1735. He actively supported construction of Holy Trinity Church in Wilmington in 1698-1699 and later attended the
Swedish church in Swedesboro, New Jersey. He and his wife had eight known children, of whom two are known to have married:
1. Andrew Sinnickson, born c. 1698, married [1] Helena Friend by 1721. She died the same year and he married [2] Elizabeth Greenway in 1730. Andrew died in Piles Grove in 1764, survived by two daughters, Elizabeth (wife of William Tuft) and Ebajah (wife of Jonathan Beasley).
2. Brigitta Sinnickson, born c. 1710, married Ephraim Friend in 1731.
John was also survived by two other children, Stephen and Susannah, whose fate has not been determined.

Picture: Rancocas Creek, Burlington County NJ https://www.rancocasconservancy.org/

03/28/2026

What should you bring to New Sweden Day?

You are welcome to bring chairs or a blanket to the park. Also, bring some cash to shop our handcrafted items or purchase something to eat. We will have hotdogs, chips, and soda/water, as well as a selection of Swedish desserts--from cookies to princess cake!

03/23/2026

Anders Svensson Bonde and his Boon Family
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 1, Number 14 (Fall 1996)

Bonde (pronounced Boon-de in Swedish) means "farmer" and was adopted as a surname by Anders Svensson, born in 1620, one of the farmers hired by Cornelius Van Vliet of Gothenburg in 1639 to work in the New Sweden colony. Promised a wage of 5 guilders per month, Bonde and others from the Gothenburg area, including Peter Gunnarsson Rambo and Peter Andersson (progenitor of the Longacre family) sailed to New Sweden on the Kalmar Nyckel, arriving at Fort Christina in April 1640.

Three years later, after the arrival of Governor Printz, Anders Bonde was promoted to the position of gunner at Fort New Gothenburg on Tinicum Island at ten guilders per month. He served in this
capacity for ten years until he returned to Sweden with Governor Printz in September 1653 on a Dutch ship, which arrived in Amsterdam in March 1654. On returning to Sweden, It took many
months for Bonde to collect his substantial back pay. He then decided to return to New Sweden and left again for the colony on the Mercurius in late 1655.

Anders Svensson Bonde established his residence in Kingsessing. By 1660, he had married Anna (parents unknown), who had been born in Nya Kopparberget, Örebro län, in Sweden. A successful farmer, Bonde added additional lands to his holdings. At an early date, he acquired from the Indians an island in the Delaware east of Tinicum Island which came to be known as Boon's Island, now a part of Philadelphia International Airport. This became his permanent home.

He also shared the island with Otto Ernest C**k, a Holsteiner, who had married Anna Bonde's sister. Other acquired lands included "Boon's Forrest" 200 acres, in Calcon Hook (Lower Darby).
The wilI of Andrew Swanson Boon, dated 18 April1694 and proved 1 Jan.1696, provided for his wife and his ten children. His widow Anna Boon dictated her will on 8 Jan. 1713. She was buried at Gloria Dei Church on 11 Jan. 1713. Rev. Sandel reported her age to be 79, probably a substantial exaggeration. The husbands of her three surviving daughters were named administrators of her estate.

The ten surviving children of Anders Svensson Bonde, all of whom were known as Boon in English records, were:
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1. Swan Boon, born 1661, married by1688 Brigitta Swanson, daughter of Swan and Catharina Swanson of Wicaco. He died in Lower Darby Township in 1729 survived by one son (Andrew) and two daughters (Catharine and Margaret).
2. Peter Boon, born 1664, married Catharina Morton, daughter of Mårten Mårtensson, Jr., and Margaret Bärtilsdotter, c. 1693. He moved to Boughttown in Upper Penn's Neck, Salem County NJ in 1705 and died there two years later, survived by three sons (Andrew, Morton, and Peter).
3. Hans Boon, born in 1669, married c. 1698 Barbara Swanson, younger sister of Swan Boon's wife. He died in Lower Darby in 1725, survived by two sons (Andrew and Swan) and three
daughters (Catharine, Anna, and Brigitta).
4. Catharina Boon, born c. 1673, married c. 1691 Anders Jonasson, son of Jonas Nilsson. She died in Kingsessing before 1728, survived by eight sons and two daughters.
5. Nils (Nicholas) Boon, born in1675, married Mary Van Kirk, Dutch, from Bucks County. They lived at Pennypack, Lower Dublin Township, where Nils died in 1736, survived by several daughters, including Maria and Catharina.
6. Olle (William) Boon, born in 1677, married c. 1704 Margaret, probably the daughter of Måns C**k and Gertrude Jonasdotter [Nilsson]. he died in 1714 at Boon's Island, Kingsessing, survived by one son (William) and two daughters (Anna and Gunilla).
7. Margareta Boon, born in l679, married Måns Yocum, son of Peter Petersson Yocum and Judith Jonasdotter [Nilsson]. He died childless in 1722. She may have remarried.
8. Brigitta Boon, born in 1681, died before 1713, as she was not named in her mother's will.
9. Anders Boon, born in 1683, married Helena, daughter of Nils Jonasson and Christina Gästenberg, who bore two sons (Andrew and Nils) and one daughter (Christina). After Helena's death Anders married Mary (parents not identified), who was mother of his third
son (Joseph). Anders Boon died in Kingsessing in 1731.
10. Ambora Boon, born in 1685, married Jonas Bjursrtöm, a native of Sweden who arrived in America with pastors Rudman, Björk and Aurén in 1697. They established their home in Mannington Township, Salem County NJ, where Ambora died 12 Nov. 1719. They had one son and one daughter baptized at the Swedish church in Penn's Neck.

Picture: Governor Printz Park, Essington, PA
order-of-the-jackalope.com

03/22/2026

An impressive lineup of speakers is expected for our New Sweden Day festival! We hope you’re planning to be there, too!

Come hear from:
• His Excellency Urban Ahlin, Ambassador of Sweden to the United States
• Honorary Consul Lauren Swartz, Sweden in Pennsylvania
• Governor Matt Meyer, State of Delaware
• Mayor John Carney, City of Wilmington
• County Executive Marcus Henry, New Castle County
• Representative Stephanie Bolden, Delaware House of Representatives (2nd District)
• Chief Dennis Coker, Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware
• Superintendent Joshua Boles, First State National Historical Park
• Professor Juliet Wunsch, West Chester University

visit newswedenalliance.org for details.

03/20/2026

Active Members of the of the Swedish Colonial Society
with Forefather Status
March 20, 2026

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

03/17/2026

YOU’RE INVITED!

The Swedish Colonial Society requests the pleasure of your company at their annual Forefathers’ Day Luncheon on April 12, 2026 at the Corinthian Yacht Club, 300 West Second Street, Essington, PA 19029.

We are delighted to present as our speaker Mr. Per Ehn of Uppsala and Gotland, Sweden. His topic will be “Fostering the US – Sweden Link: Valuable Potentials in the New Sweden Legacy, seen from the Perspective of a Swedish High School Teacher.” Per was an exchange student in New Jersey in 1988 when the Farmstead was built. He remains an informed and enthusiastic student and teacher of all aspects of New Sweden history.

From 11AM to 12 noon: Guests will be able to visit both the History Gallery in the Lazaretto and the Swedish Farmstead in Governor Printz Park. Both are adjacent to the Corinthian Yacht Club.

12 noon: C**ktail Hour with cash bar
1PM: Plated Luncheon
2 PM Annual Meetings, SCS & DSCS
2:30 PM to 3 PM: Per Ehn, Keynote Speaker
3:30 PM: Adjourn

Menu:

Corinthian House Salad with Balsamic Dressing
Choice of one: Plank Steak with Mushroom Gravy, Chicken Francaise, or Honey Glazed Salmon (please specify preference upon reservation)
NY Style Cheesecake

Ticket Price: $60 per person

RSVP by Wednesday April 1, 2026

To make a reservation, mail a check payable to The Swedish Colonial Society or SCS to Joseph Mathews, PO Box 395, Leesburg NJ 08327.
Include name(s), telephone, and entree choice.

If you would like to support the educational/cultural programs of The Swedish Colonial Society, please enclose an optional contribution (a separate check payable to the SCS).

For more information, contact Joseph Mathews at 856-405-7152 or jpmathews1@aol.com.

Free parking is available at the Corinthian.

03/14/2026

A timely reminder: 2026 Forefathers Day Luncheon

Sunday, April 12, 2026
The Swedish Colonial Society
requests the pleasure of your company at our annual

Forefathers Day Luncheon

on Sunday, April 12, 2026 at the Corinthian Yacht Club
at 300 West Second Street, Essington, PA 19029.

We are delighted to present as our speaker Mr. Per Ehn of Uppsala and Gotland, Sweden. His topic will be Fostering the US - Sweden Link: Valuable Potentials in the New Sweden Legacy, seen from the Perspective of a Swedish High School Teacher. Per was an exchange student in New Jersey in 1988 when the Farmstead was built. He remains an informed and enthusiastic student and teacher of all aspects of New Sweden history.

From 11AM to 12 noon: Guests will be able to visit both the History Gallery in the Lazaretto and the Swedish Farmstead in Governor Printz Park. Both are adjacent to the Corinthian Yacht Club.
12 noon: C**ktail Hour with cash bar
1PM: Plated Luncheon
2 PM Annual Meetings, SCS & DSCS
2:30 PM to 3 PM: Per Ehn, Keynote Speaker

3:30 PM: Adjourn

Menu:
Corinthian House Salad with Balsamic Dressing

Choice of one: Plank Steak with Mushroom Gravy, Chicken Francaise, or Honey Glazed Salmon (please specify preference upon reservation)

NY Style Cheesecake
Ticket Price: $60 per person
RSVP by Wednesday April 1, 2026.

To make a reservation, mail a check payable to The Swedish Colonial Society or SCS to

Joseph Mathews, PO Box 395, Leesburg NJ 08327.
Include name(s), telephone, and entree choice.

If you would like to support the educational/cultural programs of The Swedish Colonial Society, please enclose an optional contribution (a separate check payable to the SCS).

For more information, contact Joseph Mathews at 856-405-7152 or jpmathews1@aol.com.

Free parking is available at the Corinthian Yacht Club.

03/12/2026

https://www.loc.gov/item/88695890/

Shows rural landholders' names and lots in the Philadelphia region. Alternate title at top: A map of the improved part of the province of Pennsylvania in America : begun by William Penn, proprietor and governor thereof, anno 1681. Facsim. "Reproduced from the original in the Philadelphia Library by....

03/11/2026

Old Map of Philadelphia PA, 1681 Thomas Holme

old-maps.com and https://www.loc.gov/item/2006625100

03/09/2026

Jacob & Catharina Van der Veer and their
Vandever 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 10 Spring 2009)

Among the passengers on the Golden Shark when it left Göteborg on 15 April 1654 was a young woman named Catharina who expected, like the other passengers, to go to the New Sweden
colony. The ship had been scheduled to leave with Governor Risingh and the Eagle, but its departure was delayed by repairs. The ship never did arrive in New Sweden. Instead, it landed near
Staten Island on 12 September 1654 and was confiscated by Governor Stuyvesant three days later.

Catharina therefore found herself alone in Manhattan. She was soon befriended by a Dutch corporal, Jacob Van der Veer. After giving birth to a child by him, she was banished to the South River in 1657, probably because of adultery. Van der Veer deserted his Dutch family and followed her. Now a sergeant, he served under Willem Beeckman at the old Swedish fort at Christina (now Wilmington). In 1660, Jacob Van der Veer sought permission to return to the fatherland in the spring, but Stuyvesant persuaded him to stay.

Jacob bought a tavern in New Amstel, but after the English conquered the Dutch in 1664 and renamed the Dutch town New Castle, Jacob was banished from the town for his insolence toward the court. He sold the tavern in 1665 and purchased over 100 acres of land north of the Christina River from a former Dutch soldier, Walraven Jansen de Vos. who then occupied the former land of Governor Johan Risingh at “Timber Island.”

Jacob Van der Veer was granted a patent for this new land by Governor Francis Lovelace of New York on 25 March 1669 and later expanded it to 535 acres through an additional grant from the
New Castle court in 1677, which was confirmed by a new survey under William Penn on 29 January 1684/5.

Jacob and Catharina made their home on the island (renamed Jacob Van der Veer’s Island) on the north side of the Brandywine River – an area later known as Brandywine Village. Disputes with
the Stedham family, who claimed part of this land, were finally resolved in favor of the Van der Veers by arbitration on 12 May 1688. A week later Jacob was granted the right to build a grist
mill, using the water of the Brandywine.

Until his later years, Jacob Van der Veer was in frequent trouble with the New Castle court. The justices wrote in 1679 that he had “always been a troublesome, mutinous person and one of a
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turbulent spirit, from the beginning, always contending with and opposing authority, for which various and other his misdemeanors he formerly was banished from this town and his wife from New York.” In 1675, he was accused as being the “ringleader” in the refusal of the Swedes and Finns to improve the d**e of Justice Hans Block. He and his two eldest sons were fined 20 guilders apiece for their refusal to work on the d**e. In 1679 he was fined 200 guilders for fraud, having sold a bag of feathers to which he added a stone to falsify the weight. He was constantly in debt and at one time, in 1686, his goods were seized and he and his family were turned out of their house for non-payment of debts.

The will of Jacob Van der Veer, dated 15 April 1698, was proved on 31 March 1699. It required that Catharina be allowed to stay on the land which was divided among three of his sons William, Cornelius and John – provided that each of them pay £10 to his son Jacob, Jr., who had settled across the Delaware River in Salem County. In addition, the three sons should pay “every one of their sisters” (not named) £10 apiece. His “creatures” were also to be divided equally
among all of his children.

On 24 June 1699, the widow Catharina Van der Veer “on the island” was assigned a pew at the new Holy Trinity Church. She also gave £1 to the church. A year later, she and her family prosecuted a case before William Penn and the Pennsylvania Provincial Council, complaining of encroachment by their neighbor Cornelius Empson.

Catharina Vandever died at the home of her son Jacob in Penn’s Neck in February 1720. She was the mother of four sons and an unknown number of daughters. Four sons and two daughters have been positively identified:
1. William Vandever was born in 1656 in Manhattan and died 8 October 1718 on Van der Veer’s Island. He had no children. He married Alice Smith [English], daughter of Francis Smith of
Kennet Township, Chester County, Pa. The will of William Vandever, innkeeper, of Brandywine Ferry, proved 13 October 1718, bequeathed £5 to the Swedes’ church and left all of the remainder
of his estate to his wife Alice. She then married Samuel Kirk on 8 January 1720. In her will of 12 March 1731/2, she devised to her husband Samuel Kirk the ferry and adjoining lands for life, after
which they were to go to Jacob Vandever, Jr., son of Cornelius. The tombstone of Alice Kirk states that she died 13 March 1732 at the age of 63 years.

2. Cornelius Vandever was born about 1658. His wife Margareta, whom he married by 1681, was probably the daughter of Olof Fransson of the Bought [Verdrietige Hook]. When old Olof
Fransson conveyed 50 acres of his land to his grandson, Cornelius Vandever signed a bond on 20 July 1687 to give his personal security to the transaction. The will of Cornelius Vandever, dated 18 December 1712 and proved 18 February 1712/13, bequeathed his dwelling plantation to his wife Margareta, but if she remarried it was to be rented out for the children's benefit until the youngest was 21. His son John was to receive the tract on the Brandywine between Spring Run and William Vandever. His two youngest sons, William and Henry, were to receive the dwelling plantation after the death or remarriage of Margareta. All movables were to be divided among all of the children. His widow Margareta did marry again, 19
April 1720, to the widower William Lerchenzeiler of St. Georges Hundred, New Castle County. She was still living in February 1727 when she was one of the sponsors at the baptism of one of
her many grandchildren. The children, all named in the will of Cornelius, were:
Jacob Corneliusson Vandever (c.1682-1739) married Maria Stedham, daughter of Adam Stedham. He lived on the Brandywine and, by the will of his aunt, Alice Kirk, inherited the Vandever property at the Brandywine Ferry in the vicinity of present Market Street. The will of Jacob Vandever of Brandywine Hundred, yeoman, dated 19 October 1739 and proved 8 December 1739, provided for his wife Maria during her widowhood, gave to his two eldest surviving sons John and Cornelius 5 shillings apiece, and to Jonathan Stilley and his wife Magdalena 5 shillings. He gave to his son Tobias the ferry and half the land belonging thereto and the “upper” [westerly] half of the land to his son Peter. One third of his
movables went to his wife; the other two-thirds were to be equally divided among Tobias,
Copyright Swedish Colonial Society 2012
Peter, and his daughters Catharina and Elisabeth. Elisabeth subsequently married John bWelsh in 1745. Jacob's widow survived him by many years. She was still listed in the 1764 church census.

Philip Vandever (1684-1750) had four wives. The first one, Elisabeth, was buried 5 February 1728. He then married, on 13 May 1729, Brita Stille, who died 1 November 1730. In 1731 he married Christina, who died by 1744 when he married Beata Hoffman, daughter of Andrew and Maria Hoffman and widow of John Vanneman. The will of Philip Vandever
of Brandywine Hundred, dated 1 March 1747/48 and proved 15 August 1750, provided his 4th wife Beata with one-third of the personalty and one-third of the income from his real estate for life. All of his real property was devised to his sons John and Peter equally, except for six acres of marsh which went to his son-in-law Joseph Jackson, husband of Magdalena, for life. He also was survived by five other daughters: Maria (the second wife of Timothy
Lulofsson Stedham), Elisabeth (married to Peter Schmidt), Susanna, Rachel and Rebecca.
After his death, his widow Beata married Edward Graham.

John Corneliusson Vandever (c.1689-c.1718) was married on 14 January 1714 to Maria Stalcop, daughter of Peter and Catharina Stalcop. On 29 June 1714, they sailed to Sweden with Pastor Ericus Björk, who had married Maria's elder sister, Christina. John died in
Sweden, after which his widow married Hans Georgen Schmidt. They returned to Delaware in 1720. Maria Stalcop Vandever Schmidt died 19 November 1750 at the age of 53. Her only
child by her first marriage was Catharine Vandever, born in Sweden in 1715, who married Simon Johnson in Cecil County, Maryland, 4 November 1738.

Elisabeth Vandever (1695-1738) married Timothy Lulofsson Stedham 7 June 1715 and bore five children before her death on 5 March 1738.
Margareta Vandever (c.1699-1733+) married John Wilder, 30 April 1719. They had six children baptized at Holy Trinity, 1720-1729, of whom three died in their infancy. Margareta appeared as a baptismal sponsor up to 1733.
Catharine Vandever (c.1701-1735) married Hendrick Stedham, 10 November 1719 and bore ten children before her death on 21 October 1735.
William Vandever (c.1703-1739) of Brandywine Hundred acquired, for a nominal £3, one half of his uncle Jacob Vandever Jr.'s share of the Vandever plantation on the Brandywine on 4 November 1726. A year later, on 7 December 1727, he married Margareta Colesberg,
daughter of Sven Colesberg and Elisabeth Anderson. William Vandever died in Brandywine Hundred on 12 October 1739, survived by two children who reached adulthood: Elisabeth, who married John Taylor of Red Lion Hundred, and Sven, who conveyed all of his father’s property to John and Elisabeth Welsh.
Henry Corneliusson Vandever, born c.1705, and his wife Margaret deeded the land he inherited from his father to John and Elisabeth Welsh on 14 March 1749/50. Henry apparently had one son, also named Henry Vandever, born c. 1734, who was living on the Brandywine with his wife Sarah at the time of the 1764 census with “small children” who were not further identified.

3. John Vandever, born by 1665, was married and had one child by 1693 when three persons were listed in his household in the Crane Hook church census. He died intestate before 1713 when Judith Vandever, described as the daughter of the late John Vandever, was a sponsor at the baptism of Zacharias and Helena Derrickson's child. Subsequent deeds conveying his former land to Philip Vandever identify four married daughters. His known children were:
Jacob Johnsson Vandever (c 1691-c1724) was married to Jane, widow and administratrix of John Gill of Baltimore County, Maryland, by November 1718. He died there without issue before 1725, when his sisters began to sell their father’s land in Brandywine Hundred. Jane Vandever, his widow, died in 1730 in Baltimore County.
Judith Vandever, born c. 1693, married Jonas Stalcop of New Castle County, 5 January 1716. They had three children (John, Annika and Carl) before her death in June 1721.
Catharine Vandever, born c. 1695, married John Scoggin of Penn’s Neck, 22 January 1717.
They had five children (John, Jonas, Maria, Jacob and Elisabeth) before her husband’s death
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in 1729. Not further traced.
Maria Vandever, born c. 1697, married Henry Vanneman of Penn’s Neck, 21 October 1724. She had children John and Elisabeth born in 1725 and 1728. No further record.
Anna Vandever, born c. 1699, married Samuel Fowdrie of New Castle County, 8 December 1724. They had a daughter Susanna born in 1726. Not further traced.
4. Jacob Vandever was born by 1668. He moved to Boughttown in Upper Penn’s Neck, Salem County, New Jersey, c. 1692 when he married Catharine, the widow of Andrew Bartlesson. She was buried 1 December 1716. He next married Catharine, the widow of Stephen Tussey, on 12 December 1717. The will of Jacob Vandever of Penn’s Neck was dated 15 August 1726 and proved 7 December 1726. His widow Catharine died before 23 January 1727/8 when the inventory of her estate was filed. Jacob’s surviving children were:
Judith Vandever (c. 1693-after 1732), married c. 1710 Michael Homan of Gloucester County, New Jersey. They had six sons: Jacob, Peter, Gustaf, Johannes, Olof and Abraham Homan.
Magdalena Vandever (c. 1695-1748), married c. 1712 William Vanneman of Piles Grove, Salem County. They had twelve children, six of whom grew to adulthood: Jacob, John, William, Elisabeth, Rebecca and Andrew Vanneman.
Jacob Vandever (c. 1696-1729) was married on 2 November 1720 to Margaret, daughter of Peter and Catharine Månsson. They resided in Upper Penn’s Neck until their deaths during a smallpox epidemic in 1729. The inventory of Jacob Vandever was filed 5 May 1729, that of his widow on 17 October 1729. They had three children who grew to adulthood: Henry (c. 1721-1761) who married by 1742 and left one surviving daughter; Jacob (c.1725-c.1757), who married Maria Connoway 13 July 1748; and Margaret Vandever (c. 1728 - ?), who married William Smith of Penn’s Neck on 4 August 1763.
Henry Jacobsson Vandever was born 13 January 1725. On 29 October 1747 he married Sarah Barber. They lived in Upper Penn’s Neck, Salem County, on land inherited from his father. Henry died there shortly after making his will, dated 22 February. 1748/9, which
directed that his estate be sold to support his only child, Jacob. His widow Sarah sold the land as directed and then married Henry Peterson, 10 January 1751. No further record has been found relating to his son Jacob.
5. Helena Vandever married Zacharias Derrickson, son of Olle Derrickson, c. 1701. Over the next sixteen years she had nine children, all of whom grew to adulthood and married. She died about 1734. Her husband remarried and died in 1748. Their children:
Jacob Derrickson (1702-1728) married Annika Justis 9 June 1728. No children.
William Derrickson (1704-1766) married Maria Peterson in 1735 and had eight children.
Helena Derrickson (1706-after 1776) married Jonas Stedham in 1727. They had nine children.
Kerstin Derrickson (1708-1738) married Peter Anderson in 1728. She died in October 1738 as the result of childbirth after bearing six children.
Elisabeth Derrickson (1709-after 1737) married John Smith in 1727. He died one year later.
Catharine Derrickson (1711-after 1764) married 1st Robert Robinson by 1730, 2nd John Loinam in 1745. She had six children by her first marriage and three children by her second
marriage.
Zacharias Derrickson (1713-1776) married Sarah (surname unknown) in 1735 and had eleven children.
Peter Derrickson (1715-1753) married Margaret Stille in 1740 and had five children.
Cornelius Derrickson (1717-1787) married Mary Vanneman in 1756 and had four children.
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6. Another daughter, name unknown, married Johannes Casperson of Upper Penn’s Neck about 1695. He was described as German in 1714 when he gave land on which the Swedish church was
to be built. His will of 14 November 1733 was proved the following January, naming seven children:
John Casperson, born c. 1694, married Maria Baner 1 October 1719. She was the daughter of Isaac Baner, a native Swede, who had died in Penn’s Neck in 1713. Isaac Baner’s family in Sweden arranged for Maria and her two unmarried brothers to return to Sweden in 1727.
Susanna Casperson, born c. 1697, married David Straughan in 1717.
Tobias Casperson, born c. 1699 married Brita Mink in 1724 and, after her death, Judith Corneliuson by 1726. He died in Penn’s Neck in 1734. Catharine Casperson, born c. 1705, married Thomas Nixon in 1725 and, after his death, became the second wife of Peter Enloes.
Maria Casperson became the wife of — Boerd by 1733.
Anthony Casperson, baptized in 1713, married Elizabeth Redstreak in 1739.
Rebecca Casperson, baptized in 1717, was unmarried when her father wrote his will.