Those Swedes!

While the major Swedish immigration to the United States did not occur until 1870-1910, when over one million Swedes arrived, settling particularly in Minnesota and other states of the Upper Midwest, the Swedes were in North America long before that.

The first Swedish expedition to North America embarked from the port of Gothenburg, Sweden in late 1637 and the community that gradually expanded along the banks of the Delaware River called itself "Nya Sverige." In English, this means "New Sweden."

If one Swedish colonist had to be chosen to stand for them all, perhaps there is no better candidate than Peter Gunnarsson Rambo. He came to New Sweden from Hisingen, now a suburb of the major seaport of Gothenburg, in 1640. Peter Rambo brought with him "apple seeds in a box." A few years later he married a girl who had come here from Vaasa, Finland. Peter Rambo's apples are still grown locally.

William Penn first stepped ashore in America in 1682 at the Swedish village of Upland—which as the "new owner," he promptly renamed Chester. Penn soon learned to count on experienced Swedish fur traders to act as interpreters when he negotiated treaties or bought land from the Delaware and Susquehannock Indians. And when his agents had picked a site for the great metropolis that he was planning, Penn found it expedient to buy the land from three Swedish brothers named Svensson. They were farmers, as their father had been, in what is now downtown Philadelphia.

The town the I live in, Norristown, was originally called Swedesford. Peter Rambo is buried in a churchyard a couple miles down the road.

The Swedes spread up the Schyullkill River from Philadelphia towards the site of what would become Reading, PA. About half way between these two iconic Pennsylvania cities, is the hamlet of Douglassville. And in Douglassville, one finds the oldest house in Berks County.


The house is a little off the beaten track. The sign points the way.

Monce Jones (Jonasson), the son of Jonas Nielson and Gertrude Y Svensdotter was born 1663 in Philadelphia, PA, USA, and died March 29, 1728 in Douglassville, Berks County, PA, USA. He married Ingeborg Peterssdatter Laikan Lycon, the daughter of Peter Nilsson Laikan Lycon.

I wonder just what pet name Mounce had for Ingeborg...


As the access road was deeply rutted and rather wet, I decided to walk into the site last weekend. I took this picture of a big leaf for a Swede I know, some time ago.


The access road turns into a long driveway. The house stands along the Schuyllkill River.


I think the front of the house faced the river. There is a fenced in herb garden just outside the front door.


The opposite side of the house has a prominent oven built into it.


The end of the house has one, very small window - I think this is because glass was imported from the old country (likely England) and was very expensive.


I thought the window was interesting enough to take a close up of it. It is rather plain.


In the "front" of the house, above the entrance way, is a marker that shows "I M I 1716". I pondered this for a while, I think the top "I" is an old style "J", and that the "M" and "I" below that might be Mounce and Ingeborg's initials. There was no one to be found in this little park, so I resorted to asking Mr. Google to no avail.

But...

Mr. Google did turn up something most intriguing. It seems that there are very (as in incredibly) old photographs showing the contents of some unsuspecting immigrating Swede's luggage. Which, no doubt...


...shows how the Orange Cones came to America. This rare photo shows three members of the most invasive species known to the human race that hitched a ride from the old country...

Inscribed on the back, it says, "Harold Coneson and Jenny Ochasdatter, arrive in America with little Peter Haroldsson in 1684. Jenny was claimed to have been the first to use the newfangled traveler's pillow."

With my feeble computer skills, I was able to greatly enhance and colorize the photograph.


Submitted for your approval -