Israel Helm (c. 1630- c. 1701) was a colonist and soldier in

New Sweden New Sweden ( sv, Nya Sverige) was a Swedish colony along the lower reaches of the Delaware River in what is now the United States from 1638 to 1655, established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a great military power. New Sweden form ...

who became one of the first settlers in the area of

Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Biography

Israel Åkesson was born around 1630 and would later adopt the surname Helm. He came to New Sweden with his father, Åke Vilhelm Karl Israelson, in 1641. His father died during the trip and he probably became a ward of Governor Printz when he arrived at New Sweden in 1643. He became a soldier in 1648, and accompanied Printz back to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

in this capacity in 1653. The Swedish settlement was incorporated into

New Netherland New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the East Coast of the United States, east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territor ...

in 1655. Åkesson subsequently returned and probably settled on Tinicum Island in Pennsylvania. The island was sold to Dutch merchant Joost de la Grange (1623-1664) in 1662. Åkesson later traveled back to Sweden where he recruited settlers and returned with them in 1663. Thirty-two Finns arrived on board the "Purmerlander Kerck " and were settled at Feren Hook on south side of

Christina River The Christina River is a tributary of the Delaware River, approximately 35 miles (56 km) long, in northern Delaware in the United States, also flowing through small areas of southeastern Pennsylvania and northeastern Maryland. Near i ...

. As a reward, he received from the Dutch governor a monopoly on the fur trade in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and in 1664 was entitled to become a justice replacing Mats Hansson (1612-1663) on the

Upland Court Upland Court was the governing body of the New Sweden colony following Dutch West India Company annexation from Swedish colonial rule. In 1655, Peter Stuyvesant, governor of the Dutch colony, allowed the colonists to remain an independent Swedish ...

where he served until 1681. By this time, his military rank had risen to captain, and he had adopted the surname Helm. In his trading with the local American Indians, he learned their language, and was frequently employed as an interpreter. He acted as such in 1675 at the conference between English Gov. Sir

Edmund Andros Sir Edmund Andros (6 December 1637 – 24 February 1714) was an English colonial administrator in British America. He was the governor of the Dominion of New England during most of its three-year existence. At other times, Andros served ...

, the magistrates of

New Castle, Delaware New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington and is situated on the Delaware River. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 5,285. History New Castl ...

, and the

Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...

sachems of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, when their treaty of peace was renewed. In 1677, he was living in

Gloucester County, New Jersey Gloucester County () is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 302,294. Gloucester County is located approximately southeast of Philadelphia and northwest of Atlantic City. I ...

, where he remained for the rest of his life. He died during 1701 and was buried with his wife on Tinicum Island.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Helm, Israel 1630 births 1701 deaths Swedish emigrants to the United States People of New Sweden Burials at Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church