Peter Andersson Långåker

Burial record:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45114413/peter-andersson

Peter left Gothenburg, Sweden in 1639 on the ship Kalmar Nycel, bound for the Swedish Colony in the Delaware River valley of the New World. We know Peter's father name was Anders Olsson because there is a record of Anders receiving Peter's wages.

When Governor Printz arrived from Sweden, Peter moved with him to Tinicum Island, near today's Philadelphia Airport. Peter is listed as being employed as a hay cutter and as the skipper of the Governor's yacht. By 1653, it had been a few years since a ship had arrived from Sweden. Several of the colonists had signed a petition asking for more freedom. Gov. Printz considered this a rebellion, appointed an acting governor and sailed to New Amsterdam (modern New York) and from there sailed back to Sweden. Peter returned to Sweden with Printz.

Peter arrived in Sweden in May 1654. Peter collected his back wages and was advanced two month wages for agreeing to return to New Sweden. In October 1655, the Mercurius sailed from Sweden to the Swedish Colony with Peter Andersson on board, along with his new wife, Gunilla. It is not clear if they married in Sweden, aboard ship, or after arriving.

When the Mercurius arrived in the Delaware River in March 1656, the political situation had changed; the Dutch had seized the colony from the Swedes and refused to allow the Mercurius to land. The Swedes and the local Indians had always had good relations. The Indians rowed out to the Mercurius and boarded her. The Dutch would not fire on the ship, in fear of upsetting the Indians. Peter and the other settlers arrived safely at Tinicum Island. Peter used his back wages to buy land from his friend Peter Rambo who had sailed to America with Peter in 1640. When the English took over from the Dutch, Peter received patents for his land, with 5 lots between Cobb Creek and the Schuylkill River.

In these dealings his name is spelled Peter Andries and Pieter Andries. This area was known as Kingsessing to the Swedes. In Kingsessing, Peter and Gunilla's son Andrew Petersson was born in 1657. There is no record of any other children. Dr. Peter Craig always left open the possibility of other children, thinking if they were women they might be identified later.

About 1678 Peter died. There was a burial ground at the church at Tinicum Island but the congregation was shifting to the log church at Wicaco, the site of present day Gloria Dei church, built in 1700. Since we have records of Anders, Peter's son, supporting the church at Wicaco and later pledging support for Gloria Dei and being rewarded with a favorable pew, we'd have to believe Peter was buried at the Log church at Wicaco. The log church at Tinicum was in decline and they stopped using it within a few years of Peter's death.

We have no idea where Gunilla might be buried. She remarried, to an Englishman, Henry Jones. When Henry died in 1686 or 87 he left a legacy to his son and the balance of his estate to Gunilla. We have no record of when or where she died. Henry's son may have buried her in an English Church yard, and Andrew may have buried her at Gloria Dei.

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http://www.colonialswedes.org/forefathers/Longacre.html

He came to New Sweden in the Fall 1639 on "Kalmar Nyckel", returned to Sweden, married and returned to New Sweden with his wife Gunnila on the "Mercurius", landing at Fort Christina (later New Castle, New Castle Co., Del.) 13 Mar. 1656, settling in Kingsessing , New Sweden in present day S. Phil. Their only know child is Anders b. 1657 . Anders adopted the name Langaker (Longacre) by 1684; possibly based on the surname of his wife's English brother-in-law Robert Longshore

Peter died prob. 1678. His widow Gunnila remar. Henry Jones, a Welsh hatter who d. in 1683.

Check out the Swedish Colonial Society website for info on the Longacre (Langaker) family.

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Nov 6 2022, 17:02:29 UTC