The Swedes on the Delaware, 1638-1664

"The Swedes on the Delaware, 1638-1664" by Amandus Johnson is a historical account written in the early 20th century. It examines Sweden’s attempt to found and sustain the New Sweden colony on the Delaware River, tracing its European roots, the expeditions that established it, the colony’s daily life and governance, and its rivalry with Dutch and English interests.

The opening of the work sets the stage in Sweden, outlining the wartime politics of Gustavus Adolphus, Queen Christina, and Carl X, and showing how military ambition, administrative reforms, and a state‑guided Lutheran culture fostered trade, shipbuilding, and colonial thinking. It surveys Sweden’s industries, commerce, transport, postal system, money and measures, and the era’s many trading companies, especially Willem Usselinx’s South Company. The narrative then shifts to the actual birth of New Sweden: Amsterdam merchant Samuel Blommaert and former New Netherland director Peter Minuit guide Swedish interest toward the Delaware; the first expedition (Kalmar Nyckel and Fogel Grip) sails in 1637–1638 with trade goods and soldiers, establishes a foothold, and returns with modest profits; Minuit dies soon after at St. Christopher. Johnson details the legal steps (Indian deeds, depositions), the shaky finances, and a second voyage in 1640 that brings the first Lutheran pastor (Reorus Torkillus), commander Peter Hollender Ridder, and officials like Gregorius van Dyck. As Dutch investors are bought out and the venture becomes fully Swedish, the section closes with plans to attract more settlers under special privileges, signaling the colony’s next phase. (This is an automatically generated summary.)