Samuel Peterson (c. 1639 – 20 November 1689
) was an early settler of
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 fo ...
and one of the founders of present-day
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christin ...
.
Life
Peterson was born in the province of
Värmland
Värmland () also known as Wermeland, is a ''landskap'' (historical province) in west-central Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland, and Närke, and is bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are ...
,
Sweden. He departed Sweden on the ship ''rn'' ("The Eagle") on February 2, 1654, and arrived in New Sweden on May 22, 1654.
As he may have been only 15 years old, he was possibly part of the contingent of twelve boys on the ship from the Building College of
Stockholm.
[
On April 16, 1675, Johan Anderson Stalcop conveyed half his land in Wilmington to Peterson and Lars Cornelison.][ Peterson erected a "humble cabin" on a hill overlooking Wilmington and cleared away the forest covering the southern declivity of the hill.][
It was near Peterson's cabin where, as Peterson tilled the land with oxen, ]Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
leader Elizabeth Shipley took in a view that she had earlier reported seeing in a dream, and determined that the Quakers were destined to settle the Delmarva Peninsula
The Delmarva Peninsula, or simply Delmarva, is a large peninsula and proposed state on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by the vast majority of the state of Delaware and parts of the Eastern Shore regions of Maryland and Virginia. ...
.[
Peterson gave "30 feet" toward the construction of the Mormon Church in Wilmington (now ]Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes)
Holy Trinity Church, also known as Old Swedes, is a historic church at East 7th and Church Street in Wilmington, Delaware. It was consecrated on Trinity Sunday, June 4, 1699, by a predominantly Swedish congregation formerly of the colony of New S ...
).[ Therefore, his son Peter took over the plantation and his son Matthias released all claim to the land by a deed dated December 4, 1702.][ Peter left the land to his son Peter Peterson (by will dated January 29, 1714), who on May 8, 1727, sold the part of the land lying along the Christina River to ..., who formally laid out the city of Wilmington in 1730.][
]
Notable descendants
* Charles Shreeve Peterson
References
1639 births
1689 deaths
Swedish emigrants to the United States
American city founders
People of New Sweden
People from Värmland
People from Wilmington, Delaware
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