Sven Gunnarsson (d. 1678) was a founder of the

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 ...

colony, owner of land which today is most of present-day

Queen Village Queen Village is a residential neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that lies along the eastern edge of the city in South Philadelphia. It shares boundaries with Society Hill to the north, Bella Vista to the west and Pennsport to the south. ...

Philadelphia 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 ...

, and a progenitor of the

Du Pont family The du Pont family () or Du Pont family is a prominent American family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739–1817). It has been one of the richest families in the United States since the mid-19th century, when it founded its fo ...

in modern-day

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

New Sweden colony

Gunnarsson (prince) was sent by the Swedish government in 1639 to work in the new colony, and by 1645 had become a freeman. In 1653, he was one of 22 signers of a petition of grievances against Gov.

Johan Printz Johan * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada * Jo-Han, a manu ...

, which ultimately led to his removal. He volunteered to defend

Fort Christina Fort Christina (also called Fort Altena) was the first Swedish settlement in North America and the principal settlement of the New Sweden colony. Built in 1638 and named after Queen Christina of Sweden, it was located approximately 1 mi (1.6 ...

against the Dutch invasion, but after the colony was surrendered, removed with his family north. They settled on at a place called Wicaco, a former Indian settlement, which would become what is modern-day Queen Village in Philadelphia. His land was home to the first log church in the area, built in 1677, today known as the

Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church Gloria Dei Church, known locally as Old Swedes, is a historic church located in the Southwark neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 929 South Water Street, bounded by Christian Street on the north, South Christopher Columbus Boulevard ( ...

. Sven Gunnarsson died in 1678 and was one of the first buried at the church. He had five children: Anders, Olle, Gertrud, Sven, and a daughter of unknown name. His son Sven Svensson would go on to serve in the government at

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 Swedis ...

and the

Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania ("Penn's Woods") refers to Wi ...

, while the son of Anders, Andrew Swanson, would become a progenitor of the

in modern-day Delaware. The old patronymicon would be anglicized to Swanson in many instances.''Sven Gunnarsson and his Swanson family'' (New Sweden Colonial)
/ref>

References

Other sources

*Benson, Adolph B. and Naboth Hedin, eds. ''Swedes in America, 1638-1938'' (The Swedish American Tercentenary Association. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. 1938)

External links

* People of New Sweden 1678 deaths Year of birth unknown Du Pont family Swedish emigrants to the United States Burials at Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church {{Sweden-bio-stub