Swedish Colonial Society facts for kids
The Swedish Colonial Society is the oldest group in America that studies and protects the history of New Sweden. This was a Swedish colony in North America a long time ago. The Society collects information and publishes books about Swedes and Finns in America. They also help take care of old parks, monuments, and historical places. A special thing about this group is its close link to the Royal Family of Sweden and the Swedish government.
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How it Started
In 1906, a person named Dr. Amandus Johnson came back from Europe. He had found lots of information about New Sweden. He really wanted to make sure this history was written down. In 1907, Johnson met with Swedish officials in the United States. He wanted to get their support for a new national group.
In 1908, he held informal meetings with important people who shared his idea. These meetings happened at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. The first official meeting of the Swedish Colonial Society was on January 20, 1909. That same year, the founders asked the King of Sweden to support their group. They sent an invitation to King Gustav V on a silver scroll. On July 13, the King agreed to be the Society's first High Patron.
Growing and Changing
Many important families, scholars, and business leaders from Philadelphia and Wilmington joined early on. By 1926, Amandus Johnson had raised money from all over the country. This money helped create the American Swedish Historical Museum. This museum was meant to celebrate the achievements of Swedish immigrants.
The Society decided this museum project was too big for them. They chose to focus on history before 1800. The museum would focus on later years. Still, the Society supported the museum's building. In June 1926, the first stone of the building was placed. Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf and his wife, Princess Victoria, were there for the ceremony.
At first, the Society was quite exclusive. But in 1909, the first female associate member joined. By 1929, women could become regular members. In the 1930s, the group still had only 193 members. Meetings were small, usually with about seven people. They mostly involved welcoming new members and accepting resignations.
The Society changed a lot when Colonel Frank W. Melvin was Governor (1936–1946). During this time, six projects were approved by the Works Progress Administration. Colonel Melvin tried to make the Society a more patriotic group. This was during World War II, when supporting Swedish neutrality was seen with suspicion. However, this idea was too controversial and was not approved.
Today, the Society mainly focuses on research and protecting historical sites. More people are interested in colonial history now. The membership has grown to about 1,000 people. They come from all over the United States and many other countries. The current Governor is John B. Tepe, Jr., Esq., who started in early 2018.
Protecting History
One of the Society's first projects was in 1923. They created a monument to Governor Johan Printz on Tinicum Island in Philadelphia. The group took care of the land around the monument. They improved the poor condition of the ground.
Archaeologists then explored the site. They found the outline of The Printzhof, which was the governor's home. The ownership of this area has since been given back to Tinicum Township.
After this, the Society worked to get Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church recognized as a National Historic Landmark. It received this special title in 1946. It was the first American religious building to get this honor.
In 2003, the Society supported the Rambo Apple Project. This project aimed to bring the Rambo apple tree back to Sweden. The tree had disappeared from Sweden after a harsh winter in 1709-10. But it survived in America because a colonist brought its seeds to New Sweden in 1640. The King of Sweden paid for the first planting in Sweden. Rambo apple trees were then planted in many important places in both Sweden and America.
The Society has also worked with the Pennsylvania state government. They helped preserve the Morton Homestead. This place is important because of its connection to John Morton. He was one of the people who signed the Declaration of Independence.
More recently, the Society helped restore two paintings by Gustavus Hesselius. These paintings are of Pastor Erik Björk and his American wife, Christina Stalcop. They are from 1712 and are important because they were the first paintings of their kind in the Delaware Valley. The Society is currently helping to preserve Bartram's Garden in Philadelphia. They are also helping to save the New Sweden Farmstead Museum in Bridgeton, New Jersey.
Discovering the Past
For over a hundred years, the Society's research has been key to studying the New Sweden Colony. The group is still the main place for information on this topic. Recently, they started the Gloria Dei Records Project. This project aims to gather, translate, and publish all the old records from the church.
These records are a major "missing link" in understanding the history of Swedish settlement and culture on the Delaware River. They cover the years from the 1640s, when the first Swedish church was founded, to 1787. The Society also helps with family history research. They have a genealogist who studies New Sweden family trees. This helps members who want to prove their connection to early Swedish families. The Craig Collection, a full library of family history books, is also kept by the Society.
The Society's historical archives are stored at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. Anyone can view them there. The archives program started in 2000. It now includes many materials, a map collection, and paintings. This includes a large copy of a 17th-century painting of Governor Printz.
The Society also hosts the New Sweden History Conference every year. They do this with the American Swedish Historical Museum. This conference presents talks about different parts of the New Sweden Colony's history or culture.
Helping Students
The Society offers the Amandus Johnson Prize through the University of Pennsylvania. This is a travel grant for a student who is excellent at language study. It helps them study in Sweden.
Connection to Royalty
The reigning King of Sweden traditionally becomes the High Patron of the Society. This tradition started in 1909. The Swedish Ambassador holds the Patron position. The current High Patron is King Carl XVI Gustaf. He took on this role when he became King of Sweden in 1974. In 2003, Crown Princess Victoria became the Deputy High Patron.
The Royal Family has recognized the Society's work. They have given the Order of the Polar Star to five of the Society's current twenty-five Councillors.
Membership
The Society relies on membership fees for its activities. There are two types of membership:
- Active Membership: Anyone interested in the history of New Sweden and early Swedes and Finns in America can join. It is open to everyone, no matter their nationality or family background.
- Forefather Membership: This is for active members who can show they are related to Swedish or Finnish colonists in the United States. This must be for the period between 1638 (when Swedes first landed on the Delaware) and 1783 (when the Treaty of Paris was signed). This membership certifies them as being part of America's oldest Swedish families.
