By Jared L. Olar
October 2019
Among my wife's ancestors are a group of Swedish-American families who came to America in the 1600s as colonists of New Sweden, which was established in cooperation with the Dutch in 1638 at the future site of Wilmington, Delaware. Although New Sweden only existed as a self-governing colony until 1655 (when the Dutch annexed it to their colony of New Amsterdam), the Swedish, Danish, and Finnish families of New Sweden remained both under Dutch and English rule. One of our ancestral Swedish lineages is that of the Stille family, which came from Roslagen, Sweden. Although in the 1600s most Swedes did not have family surnames, but instead used patronyms that identified a person's father (a practice still used by many Swedes today, and used exclusively in Iceland), the Stille family was one of the Swedish families that had adopted a surname, which they used alongside their patronyms. Most of what is known of Hans and Ella is due to the research of the late historian and genealogist Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig, who devoted many years to the study of the history of New Sweden and its families. The following account of our Steelman genealogy relies chiefly on Craig's published articles and books.
1. PERS STILLE, born circa 1546 probably on Solö Island, Roslagen, Länna parish, Uppland, Sweden, died about age 43 circa 1590 on Solö Island, Roslagen, Länna parish, Uppland, Sweden. The Swedish name "Pers," which was quite common in Sweden during this period, is a Christian name signifying that St. Peter the Apostle is the person's patron saint -- the name is a Swedish form of "Petrus," and is comparable to the French form of Peter, "Pierre," and the English versions of Pierre, "Piers" and "Pierce." Pers Persson married a woman named BIRGITTA (or "Britta"), born circa 1548 in Uppland, Sweden, died at the age of 35 in 1584 in Uppland, Sweden (probably on Solö Island, Roslagen). Pers and Birgitta are known to have had a son, also named Pers.
Under the name of "Peder Stille," Pers appears in 1571 as a tenant farmer Solö Island, which belonging to the Penningby estate near Roslagen, in Länna parish, Uppland, Sweden. Of Pers Stille, the Colonial Swedes website says, "The tax length that year shows that he had a significantly better financial position than the other farmers in the parish. The name Stille is known as an old boatman's name and is carried by several families. Maybe he had something to do with the fleet, or with the many merchant ships owned by Lars Turesson Tre Rosor."
2. PERS PERSSON STILLE, born circa 1584 on Solö Island, Roslagen, Länna parish, Uppland, Sweden.
2. PERS PERSSON STILLE, son of Pers Stille, born circa 1584 on Solö Island, Roslagen, Länna parish, Uppland, Sweden, died about age 51 in 1635 on Solö Island, Roslagen, Länna parish, Uppland, Sweden. Pers Stille was a supervisor at the Penningby estate in Roslagen, Uppland, Sweden, and upon his retirement in 1627 he was granted land on Humlö Island by the master of Penningby. Pers had four sons and at least two daughters (perhaps three daughters), a few of whom became colonists of New Sweden in Delaware. Of Pers Persson Stille, the Colonial Swedes website says:
"Between 1596 and 1610 there are then several notes on a Per Stille on Solö. Probably it was Peder's son. The notes indicate that he may have been a bailiff, thus the foreman of Penningby's leases. From the 1627 years of livestock it appears that he then left the farm on Solö and moved to the neighboring island of Humlö. In a list of Penningby's farmers in 1628 he is called 'old Pär Stille'. It is likely that he left the post as a rural bailiff and as a 'pensioner' had taken over the farm at Humlö. The last note about him is from 1631. In the livestock length of 1635 Anders Persson was recorded as a tenant of Humlö. He was probably a son of Per Stille. However, he soon disappears from history.
"In 1636, Humlö was leased by Olov Persson Stille, who is explicitly said to be the son of Per Stille. A third brother, Johan Persson Stille, was enrolled at Uppsala University in 1625 and later became a contract priest in Funbo and the priesthood chairman in 1657. He distinguished himself by not looking like a priest in terms of dress or hairstyle. A sister, Kerstin Persdotter Stille, married the naval chaplain Nils Stake in Stockholm. There was another sister whose name is unknown, but who became the mother of bookkeeper Johan Larsson and the inspector of small customs in Finland Per Larsson. The siblings thus had a relatively good social position. There is also an Axel Stille in the 1640s, who may have been another sibling."
Besides the known and probable children mentioned above, Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig in his article "Olof Stille and His Family," published in Swedish Colonial News, Vol 1, No. 16 (Fall 1997), noted that besides Kerstin, wife of Nils Stake, New Sweden colonist Måns Svensson Lom's wife Anna was probably another sister of Olof Persson Stille, and that Olof's brother Johan Stille was pastor at Fundbo in Sweden from 1644 to 1672. Johan was known by the Latin version of his name, "Johannes Petri Stillerus."
The known and probable children of Pers and Britta Stille were:
-- JOHAN PERSSON STILLE, born circa 1605 on Solö Island, Roslagen, Länna parish, Uppland, Sweden, died 1672 at Fundbo, Uppland, Sweden, married Karin Azariasdotter.
-- ANNA [PERSDOTTER STILLE?], (probable daughter), born circa 1607 on Solö Island, Roslagen, Länna parish, Uppland, Sweden, died 13 Feb. 1703 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, married Måns Svensson Lom.
3. OLOF PERSSON STILLE, born circa 1610 on Solö Island, Roslagen, Länna parish, Uppland, Sweden.
-- AXEL PERSSON STILLE, born circa 1612 on Solö Island, Roslagen, Länna parish, Uppland, Sweden.
-- ANDERS PERSSON [STILLE?], born perhaps circa 1615 on Solö Island, Roslagen, Länna parish, Uppland, Sweden.
-- (DAU.) PERSDOTTER STILLE, born circa 1620 on Solö Island, Roslagen, Länna parish, Uppland, Sweden, married Lars (NN).
-- KERSTIN PERSDOTTER STILLE, born circa 1631 on Humlö Island, Roslagen, Länna parish, Uppland, Sweden, died 1692 in Sweden, married Nils Stake.
3. OLOF PERSSON STILLE ("Olaf Petersson Stille"), son of Pers Persson Stille, born circa 1610 on Solö Island, Roslagen, Länna parish, Uppland, Sweden, died circa 1684 in Moyamensing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Olof followed in his father's footsteps as a supervisor and tenant farmer on the Penningby estate. He lived on Humlö Island, where he married circa 1633 a Swedish woman, NN, whose name unfortunately still has not been discovered. Olof and his wife are known to have had two sons and two daughters (but may have had others who either died young or have not yet been identified). Olof is chiefly known as one of the leading colonists of New Sweden (Delaware), arriving in America in 1641 on the ship "Charitas," accompanied by his wife, his daughter Ella, and his son Anders. The late Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig provided this summary of Olof Stille's life in his book The 1693 Census of the Swedes on the Delaware (1993), page 46, which says:
Olof Petersson Stille, of Penningby and Humlö in Länna parish, Roslagen, Uppland, came to New Sweden in 1641 as a freeman with his wife, his daughter Ella (then 7) and his son Anders (then 1½) after two sentencings had brought him to economic ruin. He first settled at Techoherassi on the north side of Ridley Creek, moving by 1664 to Moyamensing, where he died c. 1684. Under Printz’s rule, he was the alleged instigator of the 1653 complaint against Printz, signed by himself and 21 other freemen. However, Governor Stuyvesant approved of his appointment in 1656 as the chief justice of the Swedes’ court, a position that he held for several years. His daughter Ella married first the Swedish soldier Peter Jochimsson (see #35) and then the freeman Hans Mansson (see #54). Anders Stille moved by 1658 to New Castle County, where he died before 1693, leaving minor sons named Jacob and (probably) John.
A few years later, Craig presented a much more full account of Olof's life and family in his article, "Olof Stille and His Family," published in Swedish Colonial News, Vol 1, No. 16 (Fall 1997). A delightful telling of Olof's story, based on Craig's research, entitled, "Olof Persson Stille -- The Swedish Connection," is published at the Legends of the Family weblog. However, the most extensive treatment of Olof Still's life and genealogy is found at The Swedish Colonial Society's website, in a Swedish-language biographical sketch entitled, "New Sweden in North America: Olof Stille." Following are extensive excerpts from that essay, translated into English and annotated with occasional commentary.
Clashes with Penningby's owner
Over the years, Penningby underwent several changes in ownership. In 1629 it was taken over by Erik Bielke. At Norrtälje market in 1636, his wife Katarina Fleming clashed with her tenant Olof Stille. He was unkind and treated her with "extravagance and unkind words." As a result, he was terminated from the lease at Humlö. His two manservants, however, remained and Olof himself "did not relent on the enlistment, etc." He was jailed on two occasions -- perhaps in the barred room in Penningby's dungeon -- but at least once managed to break out. He was also stripped of some land that had been cleared by burning, a year's harvest, firewood and a herd note. He himself felt that it was revenge for his behavior.
Accused of stealing firewood
After a while, Erik Bielke was told that both of Olof's menservants had cut wood on Penningby's property in Mutsunda on the mainland north of Humlö and that the wood had been delivered to Olof who now resided in Stockholm. Bielke called them to Penningby to find out. One of them never came, but fled to an unknown place. The other, Anders, who had grown up at Humlö, resigned and was persuaded by Bielke to return to his service instead of Olof's.
Some time later, Olof came to Länna and contacted Anders. He then went back to work at Olof's and continued to chop wood in Mutsunda and transport it to Stockholm and sell it there on Olof's behalf. It was long before Penningby found out about this and meanwhile Erik Bielke had died in the beginning of 1638. Shortly after the death, Anders clashed with people from Penningby in March and quarreled with them. They ended up sending a message to the commander-in-chief with a request that he arrest Anders as a 'loose driver' because he had left his job at Bielke. It was thought that he should be handed over to army recruiters who had just come to impress soldiers for the war in Germany.
A few days later, Olof came by on the road from Norrtälje to Väsby. He inquired at Jakob in Torpet and found out that Anders had been locked in the dungeon below the floor where the body of Erik Bielke was lying awaiting the funeral. Probably it was in the same cell where Olof himself had sat. Olof then took a wood-axe and said roughly:
"I'll get him out of there, let the Devil take me!" ("I will take him out there in the name that is not good," as it says in the preserved account.)
Relieves the servant by force
Through a hidden gate, Olof entered the house and down to the cell. He failed to break the steady padlock, but after a while knocked a large hole in the wall. He got Anders out, gave him the axe and sent him away. Meanwhile, widow Katarina Fleming's servant Olof Svensson had appeared. He was the only one who was home at the time. The others were on discharge. Olof quietly turned to Olof Svensson, drew his rapier and swung around with it as he swore and shouted:
"I defy you to come and take me!"
So he went his way. At that moment, the other servants returned home. They wanted to arrest Olof Stille, but Olof Svensson prevented them from risking their lives by trying to arrest him.
Penningby Slott ("Penningby Castle"), near Roslagen, Uppland, Sweden, is the seat of the Penningby estate where Olof Stille lived and worked for many years. It was probably in Penningby Castle's dungeon that Olof was held prisoner for insulting the Lady of Penningby, and it was from the same dungeon that Olof rescued his friend and servant Anders. -- Photograph by Svens Welt
Sentenced to death
On 13 April 1638, Olof Stille was placed on the order of the governor before the court for breaking Anders out of jail. The district court sentenced him to death. However, in May the High Court commuted the sentence to 100 daler in fines and the obligation to compensate the damage to the cell's lock with 2 daler. If he could not pay the amount, he would have to do forced labor. A statement in the district court's minutes of Oct. 31 states that two-thirds of the fine would go to Katarina Fleming and one-third to the district governor and the district court. Nothing is said about any punishment. It therefore seems that Olof paid the money.
NOTE: In his essay, Olof Stille and His Family, the late Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig observed that 100 daler in silver was the equivalent of 17 months pay for a New Sweden colonial soldier.
To the New World
Then there is no more information about him until he and his wife and children, Ella, 7 years old, and Anders, 1½ years, on 3 May 1641, departed on the ship Charitas from Stockholm to the colony of New Sweden in America. He was then reported to be a mill worker, but he intended to become a farmer in New Sweden. He received a "start grant" of 50 daler and promised payment if he performed work for the New Sweden Company or delivered goods there.
Also on the same trip was Axel Stille who would work on one of the company's tobacco plantations for 19 months. It is not clear whether he traveled voluntarily or if he, like most plantation workers, committed some crime and had to choose between punishment in Sweden or plantation work in America. However, he is called Klas Fleming's servant and had an annual salary of 20 daler.
NOTE: In his essay, Olof Stille and His Family, the late Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig commented that Olof's older brother, Johan Stille, later pastor at Fundbo, 1644-1672, and his sister Kerstin remained in Sweden.
Olof's family built a house and farmed in a place the Lenaps called Techoherassi and the Swedes over time called it "the Land of the Stilles." It was adjacent to the present town of Chester on the west side of the South River (presently the Delaware River), north of a stream that flows into the river and came to be called Olle Stille's Creek (present Ridley Creek). Possibly it was Olof who built the mill at present Cobbs Creek. Axel Stille also eventually came to live there, as did another Swedish named Måns Lom, who with his wife and three children came over with the same boat. Here Olof's family was increased by the births of his daughter Kristina and son Johan.
NOTE: As mentioned above, the late Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig made the very plausible proposal that Måns Lom's wife Anna was a sister of Olof Stille.
Businessman and rebel
Olle (as he was now commonly called) became one of the leading emigrants in Sweden over time. He was allowed to serve as a witness in a couple of trials, and together with the priest Lars Loccenius, who married Måns Lom's daughter Beata, and the soldier Anders Jönsson, the main drivers of the 1653 revolt against the governor Johan Printz, who was considered dictatorial. Olle claimed, among other things, that he illegally seized one of Olle's calves. Printz was forced to return to Sweden after having Anders Jönsson shot. Fifteen Swedes, including Axel Stille, preferred to move to the Dutch or English colonies. Johan Papegoja, who maintained the post of governor after Printz, tried to use Lenaps to force them back, but the Indians only managed to return with the two severed heads of the brothers Mats and Anders Hansson. Olle, for his part, was known for his good relations with the Lenaps. They liked to invite him to their homes and gave him the nickname "Blackbeard" because of his thick, black beard. By the next governor, Johan Rising, Olle was appointed together with Peter Kock, who was married to Måns Lom's daughter Margareta, as judge in the court he had set up.
NOTE: A brief discussion of Olof Stille and his brother Axel Stille, highlighting Olof's personality and character, is found in Mark L. Thompson's The Contest for the Delaware Valley (2013). Thompson writes: "On the same voyage as the exiled soldiers [including Hans Mansson] were the Stille brothers, Olof and Axel. Olof, whom Printz accused of being one of the ringleaders of the rebellion, had a history of confrontations with his betters. A feud with his landlord’s widow resulted in two jailings. The second came for breaking into the widow’s castle, freeing a former servant from a dungeon, and waving a sword as he announced, 'I defy you to come and take me!' This move earned him a death sentence, which was commuted to a large fine that he probably found impossible to pay. Three years later Stille came to the colony as a millwright with his wife and two children, seven-year-old Ella and one-and-a-half-year-old Anders. Olof’s brother Axel, meanwhile, first served as a field worker but later became a freeman."
Dutch conquest
Following the Dutch conquest of New Sweden in 1656, Olle, Peter Kock, Gothenburg citizens Peter Rambo and Gregorius van Dyck and the Finnish Mats Hansson swore allegiance to the Dutch on behalf of the Swedes at the same time that they were strictly warned not to try to sell alcohol to the Lenaps.
NOTE: In his essay, Olof Stille and His Family, the late Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig adds the following remarks on Olof's life under the Dutch: "After the surrender of New Sweden, the Dutch governor, Petrus Stuyvesant, agreed to allow the Swedes and Finns living north of the Christina River to govern themselves. The first Swedish court, organized in 1656, had Olof Stille as its chief justice and also included Peter Larsson Cock, Peter Gunnarsson Rambo and Matts Hansson from Borgå, Finland. During his eight years as chief justice of the Swedes' court, there were frequent policy clashes between the Swedes and the Dutch. Olof Stille proved himself to be an able defender of the Swedes' position and usually prevailed." Craig says further, "Even in retirement, he was called upon to arbitrate disputes among the settlers."
In 1663 Olle resigned as judge and in 1664 his sold his farm to Lars Loccenius and bought from another Dutchman another farm at Moyamensing further up the river in present-day southern Philadelphia. He settled there with his son Johan. As neighbors he had his daughter Kristina who married Dutchman Mårten Kleinschmidt; and Lars Andersson Collin, who married Måns Lom's widow; Anders Bengtsson from Älvsborg, who a few years later married Brita Rambo; and Finn Erik Mullika from Värmland with his wife Ingeri. Eventually Axel Stille also moved there. Olle died in Moyamessing about 1684.
Olle's eldest daughter Ella married the soldier Peter Joakimsson, and after his death in 1654 she married Captain Hans Månsson from Skara. Their eldest son Johan Hansson married Maria Stålkofta and took the surname Stålman (Steelman) himself. He at least made a considerable fortune in trading with the Indians, and moved several times to keep in touch with them. One of his and Maria's log cabins is still there and is currently being renovated.
Olof Stille's four known children were:
4. ELLA OLOFSDOTTER STILLE, born 1634 in Roslagen, Länna parish, Uppland, Sweden.
-- ANDERS OLOFSSON STILLE, born 1640 in Roslagen, Länna parish, Uppland, Sweden, died between 1688 and 1692 in White Clay Creek, New Castle County, Delaware, married Annetje Pieters (van Couwenhoven).
-- CHRISTINA OLOFSDOTTER STILLE, born circa 1643 in America, married Marten Roosemond.
-- JOHAN OLOFSSON STILLE, born 1646 in America, died 1722 in Moyamensing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, married Gertrude Mårtense.
4. ELLA OLOFSDOTTER STILLE, daughter of Olof Persson Stille, born 1634 in Roslagen, Sweden, died 20 Jan. 1718 in Greenwich, Gloucester County, New Jersey. Ella came to America with his parents and younger brother Anders, departing from Stockholm, Sweden, on 3 May 1641 aboard the ship Charitas. In 1651, Ella married her fellow New Sweden colonist PETER JOCHIMSSON ("Peter Jochim" or "Peter Yocum"), born 1618 in Schleswig-Holstein, Denmark (today in Germany), died shortly after 25 June 1654 in Manhattan, New Amsterdam (New York), son of Jochim (Joachim). Peter Yochimsson was a soldier in the Swedish army, enlisting in Sept. 1642 in Gothenburg, Sweden, with a pay of 10 guilders per month. He was assigned to Fort Elfsborg in the colony of New Sweden and Fort Korsholm on the Schuylkill, coming to America on the ship Fama. He was discharged a Freeman of the colony on 1 Nov. 1652. Peter and Ella lived at Aronameck on the west shore of the Schuylkill. Ella and Peter had a son, Peter Petersson Yocum, born 1652, and a daughter, Elizabeth Petersdotter Yocum, born 1654.
On 27 May 1654, Peter Yocum departed from New Sweden on a diplomatic mission to the Dutch of New Amsterdam, accompanied by an Indian guide named Taques. However, according to Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig, "Taques returned 25 June with a letter from Jochim . . . he had become ill in Manhattan and was too sick to return. Shortly after, [New Sweden Governor] Rising received a bill from Stuyvesant for 127 guilders for Jochim's burial."
After the death of her husband Peter in 1654, Ella remarried in July 1654 in Kingessing, Pennsylvania (now a part of Philadelphia), to a widowed New Sweden colonist named HANS MANSSON, born circa 1612 in Skara, Västrägötland, Sweden, died 14 April 1691 in Pennsauken Creek, New Jersey, son of Måns Persson and Brita Marien Lilliebielkie. Hans, a Swedish cavalryman from Skara, Sweden, was one of the early settlers of New Sweden, arriving three years after the founding of Fort Christina. Hans is known to have married twice, but the identity of his first wife, by whom he had a son and probably a daughter, is unknown. Hans and Ella had six sons, in addition to Hans' children from his late first wife and Ella's two children from her late first husband. After Hans' death, his sons adopted the surname of "Steelman," which they created by joining their mother's maiden name "Stille" with the name of their paternal grandfather "Måns."
In 1641, Hans Månsson had been convicted of the crime of damaging six apple trees and two cherry trees in the Royal Garden at Varnhem Abbey, Varnhem, Sweden. For his crime he was sentenced to death by hanging, but was told his death sentence would be commuted if he agreed to be deported to New Sweden. In colonial records his name is spelled "Hance Mounson" or "Hance Monseur." That and other matters is mentioned in a summary account of Hans Månsson's life is included in the Descendants of Founders of New Jersey's biographical sketch of his son James (Jöns):
In 1641, Hans Månsson was arrested for damaging several apple and cherry trees in the Royal Garden in Varnhem, and was given the option of being sentenced to death or emigrating to New Sweden. Upon arrival to the New Sweden colony in November 1641, Hans served as an indentured laborer cultivating tobacco at the “Plantation at Upland” till 1648. Finally he was able to settle on the west side of the Schuykill at Aronameck, now West Philadelphia, PA. In 1654 he married Ella Stille, affectionately known as “Mrs. Ella” within the Swedish community. In 1667 Hans Månsson settled his family in present day Cinnaminson Twp., Burlington County, New Jersey, on 100 acres on the east side of Pennsauken Creek, where he was buried in 1691. Captain Hans Månsson is listed in the Burlington County Records of freeholders and inhabitants in the “ye Cort of Burlington” on 3 August 1680. Upon the death of Captain Hans Månsson, his children and “Mrs. Ella” took the last name Steelman (Stilleman), anglicizing their name while establishing their family lineage from Hans Månsson and Ella Stille.
To that account may be compared Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig's summary of Hans Mansson's life in Craig's book 1671 Census of the Delaware (1999), pages 18-19, which says:
Hans Månsson (#19), born in 1612 in Skaraborg County, Sweden, was a cavalryman in 1640 when he was arrested for cutting branches of fruit trees at the Royal Garden in Varnhem which he intended to use as mane combs. He was sentenced on 31 May 1641 to the choice of being hanged or going to New Sweden with his wife and family. He chose the latter, arriving in the colony in November 1641. After becoming a freeman, he settled at Aronameck, where his first wife died before 1654. In that year he married Ella Stille (see #7), widow of Peter Jochimsson, a former New Sweden soldier. On 14 May 1669, Governor Lovelace issued Hans Månsson a patent for his land, estimated at 100 acres, plus two smaller lots, about ten acres apiece, one bounded by Johan Gustafsson on the north and Jonas Nilsson on the south, and the other by Peter Andersson on the north and John Bowles on the south. In 1671 Hans Månsson was Captain of the Swedes' militia and lived at Aronameck with his wife Ella, his son Måns Hansson (by his first marriage), one stepson Peter Petersson Yocum (b. 1652), one stepdaughter Elisabeth Petersdotter (b. 1654), and several sons by his second marriage, including Johan (b. 1655), Jöns, and probably Christiern Hansson. After the death of Hans Månsson at Pennsauken Creek, New Jersey, about 1691, his widow and six surviving sons (Johan, Jöns, Christiern, Peter, Charles, and Eric Hansson) adopted the surname Steelman [Stille + Måns].
Varnhem Abbey, at Varnhem, Västrägötland, Sweden, is about eight and a half miles east of Skara. Our ancestor Hans Månsson was deported to New Sweden (Delaware) because he chopped branches off several trees in the Royal Garden at Varnhem Abbey. Originally a Catholic monastery, Varnhem Abbey was founded by the Cistercian Order in A.D. 1148, and several medieval Swedish kings and rulers are interred there. Beginning in 1527, however, the abbey and all other ecclesiastical lands were stolen from the Catholic Church by King Gustav I Vasa, who had decided to replace Swedish Catholicism with a new religion entirely controlled by the king while enriching his treasury with stolen goods. -- Photograph by Harri Blomberg
A fuller account of Hans Mansson's life is told in "Hans Månsson and his Steelman Family," by Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig, was published in Swedish Colonial News, Vol. 1, No. 10 (Fall 1994). Here follows Craig's account of Hans' life:
Hans Månsson chose to go to New Sweden with alacrity. His alternative was death by hanging.
In the autumn of 1640, a young trooper called Hans Månsson from Hanaskede, Skaraborgs län, Sweden, entered the Crown's garden at the monastery in Varnhem "and there ruined six of the best apple trees and two of the best cherry trees in order to obtain material for some mane combs." At his sentencing on 31 May 1641 he was given the choice of being sent to New Sweden with his wife and children or of going to the gallows.
Born about 1612, Hans Månsson was not yet 30 years old when he departed from Göteborg on either the Kalmar Nyckel or the Charitas in July 1641. It is probable that his wife and children accompanied him, although no later reference to them has been found. Arriving in New Sweden in November, Hans served for at least five years as a convict laborer before gaining his freedom. He then settled on a tract of land on the west side of the Delaware known as Aronameck with Peter Jochimsson, a former Swedish soldier who married Ella Stille, daughter of Olof Stille.
In 1653 Hans Månsson joined Peter Jochimsson and 20 other freemen in signing a petition to Governor Printz raising objections to the harshness of his rule. Printz labeled the petition a "mutiny" and then abruptly returned to Sweden. When Governor Rising arrived in 1654 to assume command, both Hans and Peter joined other freemen in pledging their allegiance.
Peter Jochimsson then agreed to go to New Amsterdam to deliver a letter of friendship from Rising to Governor Stuyvesant and to bring back the Dutch governor's reply. However, Peter became ill in Manhattan and died there in the summer of 1654, leaving the young widow Ella and their two infant children, Peter and Elizabeth. Hans Månsson, then 42, married Ella Stille, then 20, and started his second family.
Hans Månsson became a respected leader of the up-river Swedes living within the jurisdiction of the "Swedish Nation," later known as the Upland Court. He succeeded Sven Skute as captain of the militia and served as spokesman for settlers in his area who in 1660 successfully opposed Stuyvesant's plan for them to move to a single, fortified village. His 1100-acre plantation fronted on the Schuylkill between present Woodlands Cemetery and about 60th Street and extended westward as far as Cobb's Creek.
In the mid-1670s, Hans Månsson also became the first white settler on Pennsauken Creek in present Burlington County. He moved permanently to this site by 1681 when he sold his Aronameck plantation to his stepson, Peter Petersson Yocum. Hans returned to Pennsylvania on occasion. On 25 June 1684, at the request of William Penn, Hans Månsson, aged "72 years or thereabouts," joined Peter Cock, 74, and Peter Rambo, 72, in signing an affidavit relating facts designed to show that Lord Baltimore recognized the right of New Sweden to occupy lands on the Delaware.
Hans Månsson died at Senamensing, Burlington County, about 1691. In the following year his property was taxed to "Widow Hance."
By 1693 Hans Månsson's widow and his six sons (known as Hansson, or sons of Hans) adopted the surname of Steelman, undoubtedly derived from her maiden name of Stille. Old Ella Steelman, born in Sweden, was buried in Gloucester County, N.J., 22 Jan. 1718, at the age of 83.
Ella's known children, all but the first two born to Hans Månsson, were:
1. Peter Petersson Yocum, born 1652, who married Judith Jonasdotter, daughter of Jonas Nilsson of Kingsessing, in 1676 and had ten children, seven of them sons, before his death at Aronameck in 1702.
2. Elizabeth Petersdotter, born 1654, who married John Ogle, an English soldier. They resided on White Clay Creek in New Castle County and had two sons before Ogle's death in 1684. She died in the early 1690s.
3. John Hansson Steelman, born 1655, moved to New Castle County by 1687 and married Maria, daughter of John Andersson Stalcop. Moving to Cecil County, MD, by 1693 he became an Indian trader and died in present Adams County, PA, in 1749. He had at least two sons, possibly more.
4. Christiern Hansson Steelman followed his brother John to New Castle County. By 1708 he was the second husband of Mary Cann, a Quaker, widow of James Claypoole, Jr. Thereafter, until at least 1737, Christiern was an active communicant at Holy Trinity Church. Children, if any, are unknown.
5. James Hansson Steelman married Susannah Toy by 1690. In 1695 he acquired lands at Great Egg Harbor in the area of present Atlantic City. He died in 1734, survived by six sons and two daughters.
6. Peter Hansson Steelman, born c. 1674, married Gertrude Keen, daughter of Hans Keen, c. 1695. He, too, acquired lands in the Atlantic City area, where he died after 1737, survived by five sons and two known daughters.
7. Charles Hansson Steelman, born 1679, married Anna, daughter of Anthony Nilsson, c. 1702. He died six years later at Senamensing in Burlington County, N.J., survived by one son and two daughters, all of whom moved to New Castle County.
8. Eric Hansson Steelman, born 1681, married Brigitta [parents not identified] and acquired land in Gloucester County, N.J., from Gustaf Lock in 1715. He died of smallpox in 1731, survived by two sons and four daughters.
It is not unlikely that Ella Stille, who was bearing children for almost 30 years (1652-1681) had additional daughters who have not been identified.
A short genealogical essay entitled, "Hans Månsson in America," at SteelmanGenealogy.com, informs us that, "The only tangible reminder that we have of Hans Månsson and Ella Stille are the marks that Hans Månsson made on two affidavits given on January 11, 1683 and June 25, 1684. These statements were used by William Penn before the Lords of Trade, in London, England, in September of 1685 to successfully defend a claim on a portion of Pennsylvania by Lord Baltimore."
Hans Månsson's mark, circa 1683.
From SteelmanGenealogy.com
One of Hans' male-line American descendants, Sanford Steelman, traveled to Sweden in 2002 to see the places where Hans Månsson and his Stille ancestors lived. In the summary of his trip, Steelman wrote, ". . . The next day we made the long drive from Stockholm to Skara, in central Sweden. This is the area where Hans Månsson lived. We then travelled to Varnhem Abbey, where Hans Mansson cut down the fruit trees. For this crime, he was deported to America. This resulted in all of the Steelmans now living in America rather than in Europe. Through the efforts of our guide and the librarian at the Skara library, we were able to contact Colonel Mac Catoni, the present owner of Hanaskede. In the Court proceedings, Hans Månsson is referred to as 'Hans Månsson i Hanaskede.' Colonel Catoni graciously agreed to let us visit him, and took us around the farm. Colonel Catoni told us that portions of the current manor house date back to the early 1800s, long after Hans Månsson left for America. However, he indicated that the presenthouse was probably built upon the site of an earlier farmhouse."
The children of Ella Olofsdotter Stille by her two husbands were:
-- PETER PETERSSON YOCUM, born 1652 in Aronameck, New Sweden (now Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), died at Aronameck, Pennsylvania, married Judith Jonasdotter.
-- ELIZABETH PETERSDOTTER YOCUM, born 1654 in in Aronameck, New Sweden (now Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), died early 1690s at white Clay Creek, New Castle County, Delaware, married John Ogle.
-- JOHAN HANSSON STEELMAN ("John"), born 1655 in New Sweden (Delaware), died 1749 in Adams County, Pennsylvania, married Maria Stalcop.
-- JÖNS HANSSON STEELMAN ("James"), born circa 1665 in Senamensing, Burlington County, New Jersey.
-- CHRISTIERN HANSSON STEELMAN, born 1670 in Grays Ferry, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, died 1739 in New Castle, Delaware, married Mary Cann Claypoole.
-- PETER HANSSON STEELMAN, born 1674 in Senamensing, Burlington County, New Jersey, died 1762 in Gloucester County, New Jersey, married Gertrude Keen.
-- CHARLES HANSSON STEELMAN, born 1679 in Senamensing, Burlington County, New Jersey, died 1708 in Senamensing, Burlington County, New Jersey, married Anna Nelson (Nilsson).
-- ERIC HANSSON STEELMAN, born 1681 in Senamensing, Burlington County, New Jersey, died 10 May 1731 in Swedesboro, Gloucester County, New Jersey, married Brita (NN).
Stille Genealogy Resources:
Geni.com: Olof Persson Stille, with links to children ancestry. A Brief History of New Sweden in America The Swedish Colonial Society The 1693 Census of the Swedes on the Delaware, Chapter 2: The Wicaco Congregation, by Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig. New Sweden in North America: Olof Stille Olof Stille and His Family, by Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig, published in Swedish Colonial News, Vol 1, No. 16 (Fall 1997). Olof Persson Stille -- The Swedish Connection Stake-Bielke-Oxenstierna-Stille: a circle of connection, a discussion of the social status of the Stille family.