USA > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia County > Philadelphia > Annals of Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania in the olden time; being a collection of the memoirs, anecdotes, and incidents of the earliest settlements of the inland part of Pennsylvania, Vol. II > Part 27
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225
The Pirates
In March, 1704, Samuel Lowman, Esq., collector of the port of Lewes, (vide Minutes of Council,) claims his bill of expenses as evidence in Philadelphia, in the year 1700, against certain persons of the port of Lewes, who had illegally traded with Captain Kidd's ship, the Pirate, for which they were then apprehended. These pirates, about eighty in number, had before plundered Lewestown, and threatened to do the same at New Castle, but were hindered by the arrival of a large vessel with German passengers. The prisoners named are Robert Brandingham and William Stanton.
It would seem as if the pirates, by hook or crook, found means to escape the toils of law, so much so as to give offence to some; for I find among the scandals of the time, some one had set forth in a printed pamphlet, of 1703, that "these Quakers have a neat way of getting money by encouraging the pirates, when they bring in good store of gold, so that when Avery's men were here, the Quaking justices were for letting them live quietly, or else they are bailed too easily."
In the Book of Pirates, we find a few additional facts concerning Captain Robert Kidd and his compatriots. The king's commission to Kidd, while he affected to be a legal privateersman, incidentally named the pirates whom he was intended to capture, say Captain Thomas Too, John Ireland, Captain Thomas Wake, Captain Maze, or Mace, and other subjects, natives or inhabitants of New York and elsewhere in America, they being pirates upon the American seas, &c. [None of their histories are in the book.] Some of them were natives of New Jersey, nearest to New York. With Kidd were executed, as his accomplices, Nicholas Churchhill, James How, Gabriel Loff, Hugh Parrott, Abel Owens and Darby Mullins. It was proved that Kidd had killed his gunner, " William Moor," in a quarrel. Nicholas Churchhill and James How proved, by Colonel Bass, the governor of West Jersey, that they had surrendered to him under the amnesty, or pardon. It seems that there was a board of commissioners under the king, to grant pardons to such repenting pirates as should come in and accept. It will not fail to be observed, in the foregoing and similar cases of names, that none of them are of the true Holland race. Still it is known, that the New Yorkers, even as Dutchmen, were keen enemies of the Spaniards, who had so long devasted their fatherland. They might have been willing to wink at their aggressions on their possessions in the West Indies and South America. Even the English colonists had no aversion to their being roughly scourged, even in time of peace.
Other Pirates
The death of Blackbeard and his immediate companions appears to have had no visible restraint on the spirit of desperate adventure in others. It doubtless broke the connexion with us on choro; but VOL. II .- 2 D
226
The Pirates.
as general sea-rovers, there still continued later accounts of several, roaming and ravaging on the high seas, to wit :
In the Gazettes of 1720, there is frequent mention of our vessels encountering " pirates" in the West Indies. They are pillaged, but not murdered; nor otherwise so barbarously maltreated as now.
In 1721, it is observed that " the pirates" act generally under the colours of Spain and France. "We have advice that Captain Ed- wards, the famous pirate, is still in the West Indies, where they have done incredible damage," and at the same time the Gazette says, " A large sloop has been seen from hence (off Cape May) cruising on and off for ten days together, supposed to be a pirate," and three weeks later she is mentioned as running ten leagues up the bay, and thence taking out a large prize.
In 1722, mention is made of a pirate brigantine which appears off and at Long Island-commanded by one Lowe, a Bostonian. They had captured a vessel with five women in her, and sent them into port in safety in another vessel. His name often afterwards occurs as very successful ; at one time he took Honduras, &c. One Evans, another pirate, is also named. While Lowe was off Long Island, several vessels were promptly fitted out against him, but none brought back any renown.
In 1723, the above " Captain Lowe, the pirate, and his consort, Harris, came near the Hook ; there they got into action with his majesty's ship, the Greyhound. The two pirates bore the black flag, and were commanded by the celebrated Lowe." The Greyhound captured Harris' vessel, having thirty-seven whites and six blacks, prisoners ; but Lowe's vessel escaped, having on board, it is said, £150,000 in gold and silver. The names of the prisoners are pub- lished, and all appear to be American or English. They were tried and all executed, not long after, at Long Island. What a hanging day for forty-four persons at once !
Before this action they had probably been near Amboy, &c., as it was just before announced that "two pirate vessels looked into Perth Amboy, and into New York !"
On the return of Captain Solgard to New York, of the Greyhound, he is presented the freedom of the city, in a gold snuffbox. Lowe is afterwards heard of as making prizes of twenty French vessels at Cape Breton. He is stated as peculiarly cruel, since his fight above, to Englishmen, cutting and slitting their ears and noses. There is also named one Lowder-another pirate on the banks.
In 1724, Lowe, the pirate, lately came across a Portuguese, and plundered her. His vessel is a ship of thirty guns, called the Merry Christmas ; he has another ship in company as his consort. Captain Ellison, of New York, was taken in sight of Barbadoes, by Sprigg, the pirate, by whom he was well treated, though plundered some. Soon after, the Gazette announces that it is said that Sprigg, the pirate, is to come on our coast to the eastward, to careen. He is in the Old Squirrel man-of-war, which being sold for a merchantman,
227
The Swedes.
was taken by Lowe, and run away with by Sprigg and others of Lowe's crew. He says when he gets more men he will come and take Captain Solgard, with whom he before fought off the Hook, and who was at this time again out in the Greyhound, cruising along the coast for pirates.
The same year (1724) it is announced that they hear from Hon- duras by Captain Smith, that " Sprigg, the pirate," is there in the Bachelor's Delight, of twenty-four guns, in company with Skipton, in the Royal Fortune, of twenty-two guns-the same which had been commanded by Lowe, but his crew mutinying set him ashore, Skipton is a north countryman, and merciful. They promise to visit our coasts in the spring.
In 1725, it is said that Sprigg, the pirate, was put ashore by his men in the West Indies, whereby he was taken prisoner to Jamaica. From Barbadoes it is heard that Line, who was commander of his consort, was taken into Curracoa. There they were paraded to the prison, with their black silk flag! Line had lost his nose and an eye, and the wounds of his men stank as they walked. Line con- fessed he had killed thirty-seven masters of vessels !- Possibly it was boasting over-much. Skipton, the pirate, with eighty men, is stated to have been taken by his majesty's ship, the Diamond, in the bay of Honduras, together with Joseph Cooper,* another pirate vessel. When one of these vessels saw she must surrender, the captain with many of his men went into the cabin and blew themselves up.
This year of 1725 appears to have been fatal to the pirates. Their career seemed almost every where run out, and terrible and inglorious their end-" The way of the transgressor is hard !" After this the former frequent mention of pirates, in almost every weekly paper, subsides. The peaceful and honest mariners no longer fear to traverse the ocean. There were still delays of justice to some, when, as late as October, 1731, Captain Macferson and four others tere tried for piracy and hanged.
THE SWEDES.
The arrival time of the Swedes on the Delaware has hitherto been a difficult subject to settle with certainty. I shall herein endeavour .c settle the date at the year 1637, for the reasons which will be found below.
I had, in my former edition of Annals, set it down at the year 1631
9 Toe Cooper was before mentioned as a pirate, known and presented by the grand Arv at Philadelphia, in 1718.
228
The Swedes.
taking my date from Campanius. But he was not so good an authority as the Rev. Mr. Rudman's MS. account, since made public by the Rev. Mr. Clay, in his late publication, " the History of the Swedes on the Delaware." Thomas Campanius Holm, who wrote the history which he published in 1702, derived it all from his grandfather's MS. notes and papers, and may have easily mis- taken 1631 for 1637; or the difference may have been a printer's error, easily made. From the same cause, Proud, who used the time 1627, may have written 1637, and been misprinted by ten years ; just as his printer printed the 24th October instead of the 27th October, as the landing day of Penn at New Castle.
The Rev. John Campanius, who came out with Governor Printz in 1642, must have known, and have written the true time, if he had had occasion to have intended to mark the time. The history by his grandson, Thomas Campanius Holm, however, only speaks incidentally ; for when speaking of the subscription and sanction of the public men to the colonization, as done in 1627, he says, " soon after the Swedes and Fins went to the South river"-the Dela- ware. At another place he says, " the Christina fort was first built when the Swedes arrived in 1631." From such authority, many of the subsequent writers may have been misled. First, Campanius Holm, may have copied wrongly, and from him Smith and Proud take the time of 1627; and others, like Holmes, in his American Annals,-the time of the fort, in 1631.
But we know from official record, still on file at New York, (quoted by Moulton) that Governor Keift remonstrated in 1638, soon after his arrival, against the building of the fort at Christina. It is dated the 6th May, 1638, referring no doubt to a matter begun before the writing of the letter ; besides, as it was in old style, when the year began in March, it necessarily cast the arrival and beginning of the fort into the year 1637.
Acrelius, who came out as a minister to the Swedes in 1749, and published his history in 1759, assigns the time of the first settlement at the year 1638. The same period advocated by Moulton in his history, and also adopted by the Encyclopedia Americana. Acrelius, having published his book fifty-seven years later than Campanius, had his sufficient reasons then, for differing soven or cight years from Campanius, whose book he had road and considered.
It has been admitted, on all hands, that the Swedes came out here in the reign and under the patronage of Queen Christina. Thomas Campanius Holm infers, however, that it was in the time of Gustavus Adolphus, because the king's proclamation, of 1626, allowed the emigrants to depart in March and May, 1627, as he says. We know from history, that she only began to reign in 1632-3, as a minor. Of course her government could not have given sanction tc any public acts assigned to 1631. She was born in 1626, and died in 1654.
The Swedish papers, copied from the archives at Stockholm for the
229
The Swedes.
Philosophical Society at Philadelphia, as procured and sent out by our minister, Mr. Russel, have their earliest dates in the year 1640; but they seem to refer to an earlier date of colonization. Among them is a paper of grant of the ground, now Philadelphia, to Lieute- nant Swan Schute, from Queen Christina, dated 20th August, 1653, just one year preceding her death.
7
Finally, we come to the notice of the MS. accounts, (Swedish church papers,) left by the Rev. Mr. Rudman, as lately published, in part, in the book of the Rev. Mr. Clay, and this authority, on many accounts, we consider as very conclusive of the year 1637-8. Mr. Rudman came out in 1697, and remained here till 1708. He purposely made inquiries, and has left us sundry results.' He says, in brief, " in 1693, there had been a list taken of all the heads of families, of whom there were still alive, when taken, thirty-nine heads who had originally come from Sweden, and among them were Peter Rambo and Andrew Bonde, who had been in the country fifty- four years ;" thus making the year of their arrival to have been in 1637-8. He says too, " upon the authority of old Israel Holm, and many others," that the Dutch were here before the Swedes, and settled on the Jersey side ; and that in the time of Queen Christina, the Swedes came out in the ships Key, of Calmer, and the Griffin, and settled on the western side of the Delaware ; there "buying their lands from the Indians, from the capes to the falls" up the Dela- ware. Mr. Rudman further says, that the document and the survey, by M. Kling, were both filed in the archives, and had been seen by him before he left Sweden in 1697.
[Thomas Budd, one of the first settlers of New Jersey, in his pamphlet, speaking of the older Indians, says " their language was, that they were injured by strong drink. It was first sold to us by the Dutch ; the next people that came among us were the Swedes, and they also were blind and did not see it was hurtful to us."]
The author was the grandson of the Rev. John Campanius Holm, who went out as chaplain with Governor Printz, in the year 1642, and continued with the churches in Pennsylvania six years. The father of the author was also in the country at the same time, and from these two and sundry MSS., the author has deduced the chief part of all that he has communicated. It is not a book of so much local interest and information as we could wish; and, perhaps, the cause is in part explained, by his treating of what he never saw. Part of what he gives is derived by him from the MS. relation of Lindstrom, an engineer officer with the colony.
· Acrelius-(the Rev. Israel,) who was in this country, a Swedish minister, from 1749 to '56, has written more interestingly, and seen correctly, concerning the earliest settlements of the Swedes. The ' description" is in extracts, as follows, viz .:
The banks of the river, are inhabited by a great number of Indians of different nations. 'I'heir principal towns are six. Poatquissing, Pemickpacka, (Pennipac,) Wequiquenske, Wickquakonich, (Wic-
20
230
The Swedes.
caco) Passyunk, and Nattabakonck, (Schuylkill.) In each town there is a sachem or chief.
The Schuylkill is (we think, the same) called "Menejeck, (Manayunk,) a large creek."
Calabash is a plant growing in vines all along the river.
A monthly notice of the weather (much like the present times) is given for ten years, from 1644 to '45.
He asserts that the Swedes made the first settlement in the reign of Gustavus Adolphus, at the instance and publication of William Ussaling, a Dutchman. He infers that it must have been in 1627, (the time given by Proud,) because all the preparation for it was made in 1626, by the king's proclamation and grant of license to such a settlement in that year; the people of Sweden were to embark in the month of March; and those from Livonia and Fin- fand, in May, of the year 1627. [This is the year of the birth of Queen Christina, who began, at six years of age, in 1633, to reign.]
They seemed to wonder much at our large "sea spiders," found driven ashore in our bay, by the south winds. Their description of them shows they must have been our king crabs, popularly called horse-shoe crabs.
The class of Swedish emigrants were of three kinds, to wit: the company's servants, who were employed in various capacities, and those who went there to better their fortunes; both of these were, by way of distinction, called freemen. The third class "consisted of vagabonds and malefactors," who were to remain in slavery, and to be employed in digging the earth, throwing un trenches, and erect- ing walls and other fortifications. With such, the freemen had no intercourse; and they (the former) had besides their particular spot for their assigned residence. Such was the earliest arrangement and purpose; but it so happened, that in the beginning of Governor Printz's administration, when a great number of those criminals were sent over from Sweden, the European inhabitants combined to refuse their admission among them; wherefore they were returned, and many of them perished on the return voyage. After this severe lesson, it was ordered, that no more criminals should be sent; where- fore, we trust that the Swedish families actually retained among us, as primitive settlers, were "all good men and true," leaving no blur upon the reputation of their descendants-several of whom may be still traced among us, as may appear by the following names, copied from a list actually taken in the year 1693, for the information of William Penn. The fact of their being in pluralities is, indeed, self-evident proof that none of them could have been individual criminals, to wit:
HEADS OF FAMILIES.
PERSONS. HEADS OF FAMILIES.
PERSONS
Peter Rambo, Senr.,
2 Johan Rambo,
6
Peter Rambo, Jr., 6 Gunner Rambo, 6
The Swedes.
231
HEADS OF FAMILIES.
PERSONS. HEADS OF FAMILIES.
PERSONS
Anders Rambo, .
9 Casper Fisk, 10
Capt. Lasse Cock, (since Cox)*
11
Peter Dahlbo, (since Dalbo) 9
Eric Cock, .
9
Otto
Do.,
7
Mans Cock,
8
Johan Mattson,
. 11
Johan Cock,
7. Nils Do., 3 And. Perrson Longaker, (now
Otto Earnest Cock,
.
Anders Frende, 4
Bengt Bengtsson
2 Nils Do., widow, 7
Anders Bonde, (since Bond)+
11
Rainer Petersson,
2
Johan Bonde, .
1 Hans Do.,
7
Sven Bonde,
5 Do. Do.,
5
Johan Svensson, (since Swanson) 9
Paul Do.,
3
Gunner Svensson,
5
Peter
Do.,
3
Miche Nilsson, (since Nelson) 11
Carl Do.,
5
Anders Nilsson,
3 Lars Do ..
1
Jonas Do.,
4 Brita Do.,
8 4
Gostaf Gostafson,
8 Johan
Do.,
5
Hans Do.,
7
Do. Do.,
6
Mans Gostafson,
2
David Do.,
Jons Do.,
3
Jacob Do.,
5
Nils Jonsson, (since Johnson) . 6 Lucas Stedham, .
7
Mans Do.,
6 Lyloff Do.,
9
Anders Do.,
4
Adam Do.,
8
Jon Do.,
2
Asmund Do.,
5
Thomas Do.,
1 Benj'n. Do.,
7
Hans Joransson
11
Joran Anderson,
5
Christiern Joransson,
1 Johan Do.,
9
Joran Do.,
1
Do. Do., 7
Staphan Do.,
5
Hendrich Do.,
5
Peter Stake,
3 Broor Seneca,
7
Marten Martensson, Senr.,
3 Anders Do., 5 7
1 5
Matts Hollsten, (since Holstein)
7 Olle Paulsson, (since Poulson)
9
Johan Stillé,
8 Bengt Do.,
5
Eric Molica, (hence " Mulica Hill," N. J.,)
8 Olle Diricksson,
7 1
Matts Kyn,
3 Johan Hoppman,
7
Hans Kyn's widow,
5 Frederick Do., 7
Nils Gastenberg,
3 Anders Do.,
7
Eric Gastenberg,
7 Nicholas Do.,
5
Lars Johansson, (since Johnson) Didrich Do., .
5 Lars Do., ·
1
Simon Do.,
10 Jacob Van der Weer, (Vandeveer
Peter Stillman,
4 now) 7
Jonas Do.,
4 Cornelius Do.,
1
Johan Do.,
·
5 Jacob Do., 3 .
. Old Moses Cox, who owned the little triangular square, at Little Dock and Spruce streets, was a lineal descendant of the Cocks-altered since to Cox.
t And the Rev. Mr. Clay says, they are now called Boon.
.
Gabriel Cock,
7 5 Longacre) 7
Anders Bengtsson, (since Bankson) 9
.
Peter Soccom, (since Yocum) . 9
Peter Palsson, .
Marten Do., Junr., .
10 Jesper Wallraven,
Mats Do., ·
4 Jonas Do.,
4 Gostaf Do., 6 Anders Homman, (Homans) 9
Jonas Kyn, (since Keen)
8 Anders Do.,
Anders Wihler, (since Wheeler)
Anders Kindricksson,
Brita Gostafson, (since Justice) 6
·
.
6 Olle Pehrsson, (since Pearson) 6
232
The Swedes.
HEADS OF FAMILIES.
PERSONS.
HEADS OP FAMILIES.
PERSONS.
William Van der Weer,
1
Lars Larsson,
7
Peter Mansson,
3 Matts Ericsson, (now Erickson) 3
Johan Do.,
5 Eric Do.,
1
Hendrich Tossa,
5 Goran Do.,
1
Johan Do.,
4 Eric Goranson,
2 3
Lars Do.,
1 Nils Do.,
3
Christian Classon,
7
Chierstin Stalcop,
3
Jacob Do.,
E
Johan Do.,
6
Lucas Lucasson, (since Lucas) .
1
Peter Do.,
6
Hans Do.,
1
Hendrich Slobey,
2
Peter Do.,
1 Olle Do.,
3
Hendrich Larsson,
6 Olle Resse, (Reese)
3
Lars Hulling,
1
There were also a few of the following surnames :- Mink, Jacob, Danielson, Schrage, Thorsson, Olsson, Talley, Iwarsson, Skrika, Grantum, Kempe, Clemson, Kuckow, Meyer, Dennis, Savoy, Fransson, Stark, Long, Knutsson, Frende, Ekhorn, Konigh, Tay, Bure, Lock, Hallton ; the whole list constituting one hundred and eighty-eight families, and nine hundred and seven individuals.
I observe that the Rev. Mr. Clay's Annals of the Swedes, furnishes this same list, as being the same taken from the document left by the Rev. Mr. Rudman, minister from 1697 to 1708, (when he died.) The list, as so left, states one hundred and thirty-nine families, and nine hundred and thirty-nine individuals ; and says, that thirty-nine of the list were native Swedes, of whom Peter Rambo and Andrew Bonde, had been in the country fifty-four years, (making their arrival in or near 1639.)
It may be remarked, that their names are often compounded, after the manner of the Welsh, by adding the word son. Thus Paulsson (Poulson,) is the son of Paul; Lucasson, is the son of Lucas, (Luke,) and "Goran Ericsson," is the son of Eric, and " Eric Goransson," is the son of Goran; "Svenson," is the son of Sven, i. e. Swanson, &c.
Descendants, and even acquaintances, of the foregoing names, will feel, necessarily, some interest in this exhibition of names, thus made honourable, as the proper primores and magnates of our coun- try! They are entitled to the distinction, thus given, and let it be perpetuated. Estu perpetua !
The desire of the Swedish families to come out here, must have been very great, as Mr. Lindstrom observes that, when he sailed, "more than one hundred families, of good and honest men, with their wives and children, presented more than the ship could carry ;" and, on another occasion, several vessels were prevented from going, by the Spaniards.
Great pains were taken, that they should be well sustained in their new home by a Gospel ministry. To this end a regular sup- ply was sent out, and some, by the Bishop of Upsal, of "men of sound learning and approved piety."
·
.
Matts Do.,
.
1
Matts Rapott, .
233
The Swedes.
There was a great treaty held at Printz's hall, on Tinicum Island, on the 17th June, 1654, at which were present ten sachems, and a renewal was then made of former leagues and covenants.
We are not aware of any place, now known, on which any of the aforesaid Swedish families dwelt, save that of the Stille family in the time of its head, Olof Stille, which is marked in Lindstrom's map, as " Stille's land," in the neck. Its Indian name was Techohe- rassi, being " a place on the Schuylkill shore, and surrounded with wa- ter like an island." It was " a small plantation, built by freemen, and was much frequented by the Indians, who gave Mr. Stille the name of ' the man with the black beard,' because of his strong black beard."
The manner of living among the Swedes, as told by themselves, in a letter of the year 1693, to John Thelin, of Gottenberg, is as fol- lows :- " We are almost all of us husbandmen, and our meat and drink is after the old Swedish custom. The country is very rich and fruitful, and we send out yearly to our neighbours on this conti- nent, and the neighbouring islands, bread, grain, flour and oil. We have here, thank God, all kinds of venison, birds and fishes. Our wives and daughters spin wool and flax, and many of them weave. We live in great peace and friendship with the Indians; and we only wish we had good and faithful shepherds and guardians of our souls ; we may add, that since we are no longer under the govern- ment of Sweden, we have been well and kindly treated by the Dutch and the English." The foregoing letter was presented to King Charles XI., who thereupon ordered three ministers to be sent with Bibles, prayer books, and catechisms. One cannot but feel curious now to know, whether any family now extant, of Swedish origin, remaining among us, has preserved any one of those royal presents. They had before lost, by death, the services of the Rev. Jacob Frabritius, a Dutchman, and had only the services of C. Springer, " a pious reader."
One of the aforesaid newly sent ministers, the Rev. Eric Biork, writes to his superiors at home, that the people received him with great joy and gratulations ; but the religious services of the people were very irregular and lax, and needed reform, especially among the rising generation. He said, there were no poor in the country, but all provided for themselves, without any cases of want. [What can we say now!] The Indians he found to be great friends; more so to us than they are to the English. They call us, in their lan- guage, their "own people." They are very fond of learning the catechism, which has been printed in their language, [where shall we find a copy now!] and which is to be read to their children, and taught to them by Mr. Springer. Our people live scattered among the English and Quakers ; and yet our language is preserved as pure as any where in Sweden, and there being about one thousand two hundred persons that speak it. Many Swedes are employed in the administration of the government under Governor Markham ; some are judges, captains, ensigns, constables," &c
VOL. II-2 E 20*
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