USA > Pennsylvania > Delaware County > A history of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and its people; Volume I > Part 6
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"Techoherassi, Olof Stille's place, was a small plantation, which was built by Swedish freemen, who gave it that name. They were frequently visited by Indians as it was on the river shore, and surrounded with water like a small island." The Indians named Olof on account of his thick black beard. This place was near the mouth of Ridley creek."
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The troubles of Governor Stuyvesant were not alone with the Swedes. He was constantly embroiled with his own people, and his New England neighbors gave him much trouble. His correspondence with the English, in which several transactions on the Delaware come under review, evinces much ability, while his domestic feuds show him to have been self-willed and arbi- trary.
Governor Stuyvesant had been advised by the Directors of the West In- dia Company of their intention to apply to the Queen of Sweden for the es- tablishment of limits between the Swedes and Dutch on the South river. This may have been in part the inducement for the visit of his excellency to the Delaware, which happened this year. Upon his first arrival it does not appear that he had a personal interview with Governor Printz-as their negotiations are said to have been conducted by means of "letters and messengers." After communicating to the governor the rights of the West India Company by rea- son of first discovery, possession and purchases from the Indians, "which in- cluded the Schuylkill district," he demanded him "to show in like manner, by similar evidence, what lands there had been purchased by him or his, and were consequently conveyed to them by the natives and proprietors." "The result was only a simple writing, wherein the aforesaid governor designated the Swedish limits wide and broad enough," alleging, that the deeds of the purchase were "in the chancery at Stockholm." This allegation Stuyvesant re- garded as a mere subterfuge and destitute of truth. He endeavored to sus- tain this serious charge against Printz by adducing the fact that he (Printz) then, "for the first time, had tried to buy from a certain sachem or Indian chief named Waspangzewan, such lands as he already occupied, and insisted, were included within his limits." The fact relied on by Stuyvesant proves nothing-it being more likely that the offer to purchase was to get rid of a troublesome claim, than to liquidate a just one. This is rendered more proba- ble by the fact that before Stuyvesant left the river, the Indian sachem wno refused to sell to the Swedes made a "free donation and gift" of the same lands to the Dutch.
This occurred July 30th. On the 9th of that month the very singular and rather suspicious negotiation was conducted, by which the Dutch pretend to have extinguished the Indian title to the land from Christina kill to Bomp- gens hook, before adverted to. This was also a "free gift," except that one of the ceding sachems made a condition "that when anything was the matter with his gun it shall be repaired ;" and also, that when he came empty among the Dutch, they were to give him some maize. The grantors in this case were Amattehoorn, Pemenatta and Sinques-who, although they claim to be the right owners of the west bank of the river from the Schuylkill downwards, de- clined selling the lands between that river and Christina, to the Dutch. They, however, do admit, that the Swedes did purchase the lands they occupy, but deny that it was from the right owners, which they now claim to be. No Jeed was executed at this conference, that ceremony having been postponed for four years, when another grantor named Ackehoorn joins in a regular In-
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dian conveyance for the same premises-the consideration being as usual, duf- fels, kettles, guns, powder, &c. What is remarkable in this deed, the right of fishing and hunting is reserved to the Indians.
That the Swedes were the first to purchase from the Indians the lands in- cluded within the bounds of Delaware county, has already been shown. The object of Governor Stuyvesant, was to make it appear that the Swedish title was imperfect, because their purchase was not made from the rightful owners. Of this he brings no proof but the testimony of the adverse claimants, who themselves refuse to sell to him this particular part of their dominions.
Since the arrival of the Swedes. the names of the Indian sachems who were owners or who set up a claim of ownership to the country embracing Delaware County, are-Siscohoka, Mechekyralames, Kyckesycken (Live Tur- key,) Amattehoorn or Mattehoorn, Pemenatta, Sinques, Wappingzewan and possibly Aquahoorn. These are given on Dutch authority. It will be seen hereafter that the dominions of a chief named Naaman, may have extended within our limits.
During General Stuyvesant's detention on the Delaware, a petition for in- demnity on account of injuries sustained at the hands of the Swedes at differ- ent times and by sundry persons, was presented to his Excellency. Several of these have been noticed already ; but, in addition, a garden had been made back of Fort Beversreede, which was at once destroyed and the fence burnt by or- der of Printz. Also two persons had commenced the erection of buildings on the Island of Harommuny, or Aharommuny. "west of the Swedes' plantation." -one having "laid the ground timbers and set up the ties"-the other had "brought his clap-boards." In the first instance the timbers were cut into fire wood, and in the second the building was forcibly prevented, by the deputies of the Governor, Huygens and Papegoya, "fully armed." No clue is given to the location of this Island Aharommuny, except that it was "west of the Swedes plantation." This expression could not have applied to Tinicum, because there was no island west of it. It must refer to the Swedish fort on the Schuylkill, and assuming that to be the case. I have assigned the above name on the map of early settlements to the island situate next westerly from that on which the Swedish fort is located, and at present occupied by farm build- ings. This island was confirmed to Peter Kock, October Ist. 1669.
Having acquired an Indian title to the west bank of the river below Christina kill, Governor Stuyvesant at once determined to erect another fort, "for the greater security of the company's jurisdiction, and the protection of its people." and to raze Fort Nassau, which "lay too high up and too incon- venient a distance." The new fort, which was called Casimir, was erected on "a tolerably suitable spot" about a league from the Swedish Fort Christina. . Its site was within the limits of the present town of New Castle. Governor Printz protested against the erection of this new fort, but appears afterwards to have been reconciled to the measure, as before Stuyvesant took his depar- ture from the river "he had divers verbal conferences with Johan Printz, the Swedish governor, and they mutually promised not to commit any hostile or
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vexatious acts against one another, but to maintain together all neighborly friendship and correspondence, as good friends and allies are bound to do."
The doings of Stuyvesant on the Delaware were wholly upon his own re- sponsibility, not having given to the West India Company "so much as a hint of his intentions." The news was unexpected to the directors, and they de- clined to give any opinion on the subject until they "had heard the complaints of the Swedish governor to his queen, and ascertained at her court how these have been received."
The erection of Fort Casimir rendered the Swedish Fort Elsinborg use- less for the purpose of its original design. If any acts of submission were now required from Dutch vessels in passing that fort, the same would be ex- acted from Swedish vessels in passing Fort Casimir. Elsinborg was therefore abandoned, as it does not appear to have been a place of trade. The Swedes allege that it had become untenable from the great number of mosquitos, and gave it the nickname of "Myggenborg or Musquito Fort."
Governor Printz having been accustomed to an active military life, be- came wearied of his present position and requested permission to return to Sweden, at the same time soliciting a speedy reinforcement, in order to be prepared for the more threatening aspect that the affairs of the river had lately assumed. Not waiting for the arrival of his successor, he sailed for his native country during the present year, leaving the government in charge of his son-in-law, John Papegoya. Some writers have placed his departure in 1652, but this is disproved by a trading commission issued by him from Fort Chris- tina, October Ist, 1653.
In Sweden, three persons had been convicted, each of killing an elk on the Island D'Auland. Two of them were sentenced to run the gauntlet, each three times,-the third "to be sent to New Sweden." This is perhaps the last Swedish criminal sent to New Sweden.
On August 20, of this year, Queen Christina granted to Captain John Amundson Besh, and to his wife and to his heirs and their heirs, "a tract of land in New Sweden extending to Upland kill." This grant has been sup- posed to embrace the present site of Marcus Hook, but this is not probable. On the same day another grant was made by her Swedish Majesty to the "brave and courageous Lieutenant Swen Schute" and to his wife and to his heirs, "a tract of country in New Sweden, viz., Mockorhulteykyl, as far as the river, together with the small island belonging thereto, viz., the island Karinge and Kinsessing, comprehending also Passuming." To those acquainted with this region of country it will not be difficult to give the above grant an ap- proximate position, but I have not met with anything that enabled me with any degree of certainty to decide upon the island embraced in the grant.
It is a remarkable fact that on October 6th, just about the time Governor Printz sailed for Sweden, Director-general Stuyvesant wrote to the directors of the West India Company that "the Swedes on the South river would be well inclined to repair among us, in case we will take them under our safe- guard ;" adding "that hitherto and until we receive further information from
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your honors, we decline their proposal, inasmuch as we know not whether it would be well or ill received." It will be remembered that a colony of Hol- landers, before the arrival of Printz, had settled under Swedish jurisdiction in the neighborhood of the place where the Dutch had erected their new Fort Casimir. From these such a proposition may have been received : but it is highly improbable that the regular Swedish settlers on the river participated in making it.
In November of this year, the Swedish College of Commerce granted to John Amundson a commission as a captain in the navy. He was about to em- bark on board of a galliot belonging to the South Company for New Sweden, and when arrived there, part of his duty was to consist in superintending care- fully "the construction of vessels. in order that they may be faithfully built." This is the same person to whom the grant of land "extending to Upland kill" was made, Besh or Besk, in the name of the grantee, being the place of his residence. The appointment of this officer would indicate that the Swedish government designed to establish the business of building ships in New Swe- den. The land granted to Captain Amundson was at a point on the river well adapted to that business, and was probably selected with that view.
The letter from the Queen, granting Governor Printz leave to return to Sweden, is dated December 12th, when it may be supposed he had already embarked. He was urged to delay his departure until "the best arrangements could be made in regard to his successor." It has been said that Printz be- came unpopular "by the exercise of a too rigid authority." This letter is con- clusive that he possessed the entire confidence of his government. The com- mission of John Rysingh, the successor of Printz, bears the same date with the above letter. Both documents show that the government contemplated the continuance of Printz in the country for some time longer, during which per- iod Rysingh would act as his aid. But the interval between the departure of the old governor and the arrival of the new one. during which the burden of the government devolved on Papegoya, must have been brief-not exceeding five or six months.
The semi-romantic claim and settlement of Sir Edmund Plowden, or Ploy- den (although its vague boundaries probably included the district now em- braced within the limits of Delaware county) has not been noticed in its prop- er order of time, because it has little or no historical value in connection with the early settlements on the Delaware. To show, however, that the "Earl Palatine of New Albion" had a real existence and was not a myth, we give the following extract, from "The Representation of New Netherland :" "We cannot omit to say." (remarks the author, Vander Donck) "that there has been here (at Manhattan) both in the time of Director Kieft and that of General Stuyvesant, a certain Englishman who called himself Sir Edward Plowden, with the title of Earl Palatine of New Albion, who claimed that the land on the west side of the North river to Virginia was his by gift of King James of England : but he said he did not wish to have any strife with the Dutch, though he was very much piqued at the Swedish governor. John
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Printz, at the South river, on account of some affront given him, too long to relate. He said that when an opportunity should offer, he would go there and take possession of the river." It is presumed the "opportunity" never did offer, and the reader, in consequence, can only imagine the character of the threatened exploit. The grant was not made, however, by King James as mentioned in the extract, but it was obtained in the reign of King Charles I., (1634) from the deputy-general or viceroy of Ireland.
The commercial privileges were as liberal as could be desired, and in this respect were in striking contrast with those of the Dutch. The purchase and cultivation of land was encouraged-the purchases to be made "either from the company or the savages," and, "in respect to the lands thus purchased, sub- jects recognizing the jurisdiction of the crown of Sweden" were to enjoy "all franchises and allodial privileges, themselves, and their descendants forever."
In consideration of the very faithful and zealous services that Rysingh had rendered and was still disposed to render, her Majesty granted "to him and his wife, and to their legitimate male heirs and their descendants, as much land in the West Indies and New Sweden as he shall be able to cultivate with 20 to 30 peasants ; ceding to him the aforesaid country with all its dependen- cies, with all, &c., . to enjoy, employ and keep the same, in the same manner and with the same franchises as our nobles, and as a perpetual prop- erty." This royal grant was located on the river a short distance below New Castle.
Arriving in new Sweden towards the end of May, 1654, on board of the government ship "Aren" (Eagle), Rysingh commenced his administration by capturing the Dutch Fort Casimir, in direct violation of his instructions. There is some variation in the accounts given of this transaction, which it will not be necessary to notice. Gerit Bicker was in command of the fort, and see- ing a strange sail in the distance, dispatched Secretary Van Tienhoven and others "to ascertain the particulars." The messengers did not return till the next day, and then only two hours in advance of the Swedish ship, which they reported to be full of people, with a new governor, who made known to them his intention to take the fort, "as it stood on ground belonging to the Swedish crown." Bicker was urged to give orders to defend the fort, but declined be- cause "there was no powder." Soon after a boat's crew consisting of twenty or thirty Swedish soldiers landed under the command of the former lieutenant of Governor Printz, Swen Schute, who were welcomed by Bicker "as friends." Escorted by him, the Swedes passed immediately into the fort, took possession, and stripped the few Dutch soldiers by whom it was garrisoned of their mili- tary equipments, even of "their side arms." Bicker seems to have stood para- lyzed while these proceedings were in progress, and it was not till Van Tien- hoven made the suggestion that he and two others were deputed to demand from Governor Rysingh his authority for taking forcible possession of Fort Casimir. The governor claimed "to act by orders of her Majesty in Sweden," and he further informed the embassy that when complaints had been made by the Swedish Ambassador to the States General in respect to the building of
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the fort, they referred him to the West India Company, who in their turn denied giving any authority for its erection, and had further told the Swedish Ambassador "that if our people are in your way there, drive them off." The truthfulness of the reply of Rysingh is in a measure corroborated by a letter from the Company to Governor Stuyvesant on the subject of the erection of the fort before referred to: from which it may reasonably be supposed that a correspondence between them and the Swedish Ambassador would ensue, and that the company was disposed to make concessions to the Swedish crown. This correspondence may have resulted in additional orders to Rysingh, sub- sequent to the issuing of his general instructions, in which the capture of the fort was authorized. It is not, however. to be supposed that such orders would afford any palliation or excuse for the rash and unsoldierlike manner in which the capture was effected. Rysingh was not a soldier, and it does not appear that Amundson, commissioned as his military colleague, accompanied him, or was ever in the country.
The exploit of capturing Fort Casimir happened on Trinity Sunday, and in commemoration of that circumstance. the captors changed the name of the fortress to Trefalldigheet, or Trinity Fort. News of the event was duly communicated to Governor Stuyvesant, both by Rysingh and Bicker,-their statements, of course, varying somewhat in the details of the transaction. Three or four of the Dutch soldiers, including Bicker, remained on the river, who, with nearly all the Dutch freemen residing there, took an oath of fidelity to the Swedish governor. The depositions of Van Tienhoven and the eight or ten soldiers who returned to New Amsterdam, place the conduct of Bicker in a very unfavorable light. His behavior served as an invitation to a small body of men to capture the fort, who probably had only been detailed to make a formal demand for its surrender, preliminary to the usual negotiations in such cases. But the "brave and courageous Lieutenant Swen Schute," who com- manded the Swedes, was not the man to allow so favorable an opportunity to pass unimproved, for he was never more in his element than when adminis- tering a lesson of humility to the Dutch.
With the capture of Fort Casimir. the authority of the Dutch on the river, for the time being, was suspended. The engineer, Peter Lindstroom, who came to the country with Rysingh, caused this fort to be greatly strengthened. He also laid out the town of Christina back of the fort of that name, and con- structed a map of New Sweden. There also arrived with Rysingh several offi- cers, some troops and a clergyman. and all the Dutch accounts mention that he was accompanied by a large number of people. We are informed by Acre- lius, that Papegoya soon went home, and that Rysingh assumed the title of Director-general.
On June 17. a great convocation of Indians, including ten sachems, was held at Printz Hall, on Tinicum, at which "it was offered on behalf of the Queen of Sweden to renew the ancient league of friendship that subsisted be- tween them and the Swedes, who had purchased from them the lands they oc- cupied. The Indians complained that the Swedes had brought much evil up-
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on them, for many of them had died since their coming into the country," whereupon considerable presents were distributed among the Indians, which brought about a conference among themselves. The result was a speech from one of their chiefs, Naaman, in which he rebuked his companions for having spoken evil of the Swedes and done them an injury, and told them he hoped they would do so no more, for the Swedes were very good people.
"Look," said he, pointing to the presents, "and see what they have brought to us, for which they desire our friendship." So saying he stroked himself three times, down his arm, which among the Indians was a token of friendship; afterwards he thanked the Swedes on behalf of his people for the presents they had received, and said that friend- ship should be observed more strictly between them than it had been before; that the Swedes and the Indians had been in Governor Printz's time as one body and one heart (striking his breast as he spoke), and that thenceforward they should be as one head; in token of which he took hold of his head with both hands, and made a motion as if he were tying a knot, and then he made this comparison ;- that as the calabash was round without any crack, so they should be a compact body without any fissure; and that if any one should attempt to do any harm to the Indians, the Swedes should immediately inform them of it, and, on the other hand, the Indians would give imme- diate notice to the Christians of any plot against them, even if it were in the middle of the night. On this they were answered that that would be, indeed, a true and lasting friendship, if every one would agree to it; on which they gave a general shout in token of consent. Immediately on this, the great guns were fired, which pleased them extremely; and they said, Poo, hoo, hoo; mokirick picon; that is to say, "hear and believe, the great guns are fired." Then they were treated with wine and brandy. Another of the Indians then stood up and spoke and admonished all in general, that they should keep the league and friendship which had been made with the Christians, and in no manner to violate the same, nor do them any injury, or their hogs or cattle, and if any one should be guilty of such violation they should be severely punished as an example to others. The Indians then advised that some Swedes should be settled at Passyunk, where there lived a great number of Indians, that they might be watched and punished if they did any mischief. They also expressed a wish that the title to the lands which the Swedes had purchased should be confirmed; on which the copies of the agreements (for the originals had been sent to Stockholm) were read to them word for word. When those who had signed the deeds heard their names, they appeared to rejoice; but when the names were read of those who were dead, they hung their heads in sorrow. Then there were set upon the floor in the great hall two large kettles, and many other vessels filled the sappaun, which is a kind of hasty pudding made of maize or Indian corn, which grows there in great abundance. The sachems sat by themselves ; the other Indians all fed heartily and were satisfied."
This proceeding, copied nearly entire from Campanius, is highly charac- teristic of such transactions with the Indians. Other treaties with the aborig- ines may have been held within our limits, but this is the only one the re- corded proceedings of which have come down to us. It is conclusive that the Swedes had purchased from the Indians the lands then occupied by them ; and the fact that one of the principal chiefs, Naaman, who was a party to this transaction, resided on the creek that bears his name, renders it almost equally conclusive that the former purchase of the Swedes had been made from "the right owners," the pretension set up by the Dutch to the contrary notwith- standing. The treaty thus so solemnly made between the Swedes and In-
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dians, we are informed by Campanius, "has ever since been faithfully ob- served by both sides."
The war between England and Holland having been concluded, and the Dutch having been driven from the Delaware, a favorable opportunity was presented to the New Englanders to renew their claims on the river. These were pressed on the ground of purchases made from the Indians, and gave rise to a correspondence between Governor Rysingh and the Commissioners of the United Colonies which it will not be necessary to notice.
A Swedish vessel, called the "Golden Shark," by accident or design, was piloted into the Raritan river. The vessel was immediately seized by Gover- nor Stuyvesant, who regarded this as a fair opportunity to force the Swedes to restore Fort Casimir. The event gave rise to considerable correspondence, which did not result in a restoration either of the fort or the vessel.
The affairs of the Swedes on the Delaware were now approaching a crisis, but nothing had occurred to arouse the suspicions of the home govern- ment. The triumph of Rysingh was regarded as a reconquest of usurped ter- ritory, and no other means to reclaim it by the Dutch were apprehended be- yond the usual one of protest. This was a fatal delusion; for at the close of 1654, while estimates were being made in Sweden for the support of their colony during the ensuing year on a peace basis, an armament was being fitted out in Holland, not only sufficient to replace "matters on the Delaware in their former position," but to drive "the Swedes from every side of the river."
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