Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-07-24
NEW SWEDEN.
Historical Account Of the Settlement OF
the Swedish Colony IN Aroostook.

ilitSiS~eAA'5 ---'N- -
count of the settlement of New Sweden
was read YESTERDAY at the dedication of the
new Lutheran church. in tina, township. and
the deceuniai celebration OF the settlement
Besides the pleasing style of the writer, and
his interesting narrative. il IS an account
of State enterprise which mas proved high
" successful AMI whicli for that reason VIII
be douiiv entertaining to our readers. Hon
W. W Thomas. Jr.. the writer. did excel
lent s.rr;c,. to the State liz planting this col
ony and Iuav look with pride upon the beau
tifnl and fouTi..,ius settlement which has
grown from the work of his hand.
Ten wears agu New Sweden was an unbrok-
en- wilderness. The primeyal forests covered
all the Land. stretching away over hill ana
dale As far as the eve could reach me
bou diaries of this ownship were run in 1852
Ii was then designated As Township No. 10.
Range west of the east line of the State. In
1851 the township was run out into lots OF
about 100 acres each for settlers, and the
choice OF these lots WAS offered by the State
to all Corners under our settling laws. which
did not require the payment of a dollar, but
simply the performance of certain amount
of road labor and other settling duties, so that
the lot was virtually gift from the State to
the settler. This offer remained open to ev-
ervbody tor nine long years, but during that
time no one was found willing 10 accept a lot
of land in this town a gift provided he was
required to make his nome upon it. Not on
ly was Township 10 without settler ten
years ago, but several of the lots in the ada
cent plantation of Woodland. which had been
taken up by American settlers years before,
had been deserted and the clearings were
growing up again TO forest.
Notwithstanding such generous offers ofthe
State to settlers the population of Maine de
creased during the decade from 1860 TO 1870,
falling off from 62S.219 to 626.9l5. Every
other State in the republic. with the single
exception cf New Hampshire. increased in
numbers. What element of growth was Jack
ing to us? We had fertile lands, exhaustless
quarries. noble rivers with water power for
all the manufactures in the Union. harbors
countless and unrivalled. What We lacked
was labor to utilize the resources lying waste
around us. Men are the wealth of the State.
and we lacked men. The stream of imni-
grafton from Europe was then flowing into
the United States at the rate of 500, 900 year
"a regiment a dav-but flowing past Maine
W DIodu Htlus VI tIc Sfcat w tSi
Governor Washburn had first presented the
subject of Scandinavian immigration to the
legislature of Maine in 1861. The immigrants
from the Old World move on fixed isothermal
lines. The French and Spanish from South
ern Europe, makes their homes in Louisiana
and Florida the Germans, from the centre
of Europe, settle in Pennsylvania and Ohio
the ScandinavianS, from the wooded north
fell the forest and build their cabins in Wis
cons;n and Minnesota. 1t was from these
Mortimer that Names help must come, but
no immediate result followed Governor
Washburns recommendation. In 1864 an
attempt was made by company of Maine
gentlemen to procure laborers from Sweden,
but the undertaking proved failure. The
project then slumbered until General Cham
berlain was called to the gubernatorial chair
He eloquently and persistently pressed. the
subject upon the attention of the legislature
and of the people, and in 1869, the legisla-
ture authorized the appointment of COM
mission ITO ascertain what measures, if any,
should be adopted by the State to induce set
Element upon its unpeopled townships
The appointment of that commission is the
beginning of the story of New Sweden,-a
unique chapter in the history of Maine. which
on this day it is my purpose briefly and faith
fully to narrate.
The commissioners appointed were the
Hon Parker p. Burleigh, Hon. William
Small and your historian. After a tour of
observation through Aroostook county, they
reported to the legislature of 1870, proposing
this plan:
|. Send a commissioner of the State of
Maine to Sweden.
=. Let him there recruit colony of young
Swedish farmers-picked men-with their
wives and children. No one, however was
to be taken unless he could pay his own pas
sage and that of his family to Maine
3. A Swedish pastor should accompany the
colony. so that religion might aid in binding
the community together.
4. Let the commissioner lead the COLONY
in person, all together, at one time and aboard
one ship. from Sweden to America In this
way they would become acquainted with one
another. and would not be led away by the
agents OF other States.
5. Let the commissioner locate the Swedes
on Township No. l5 Range 3, in Aroostook
county, give every head of family 100 acres
of woodland for farm. and do whatever else
might be necessary to root the colony firmly
in the soil of Maine. Then all State aid was
to cease; for it was confidently expected that
the colony would thrive without further care
and attract fair proportion of Swedish i'm
migrate n thereafter to Maine
This plan was eloquently advocated in the
House of Representatives, and was adopted
by the act of March %, 1870. The act es-
tablished Board of Immigration, consisting
of the Governor. Land Agent and Secretary
of State. On March 25th the board appont
ed me Commissioner of Immigration.
sailed from the United States April 30. and
landed at Gothenburg on the 10th of Nav
previous residence Of three wears in Sweden
had rendered me familiar with the language
customs and traditions of the Swedes. A
head office was established at Gotbepburo
Advertisements and circulars were scattered
broadcast over the country Agents were
employed to canvass the northern provinces
As soon as the ball was fairly in motion. I
left the office at Gothenburg in charge of Can
tam u. W. Schroeder. and travelled exten-
siveiy in the interior of the country. distrib-
uting documents and talking with the peonle
in the villages, at their homes by the road
side, wherever ! met them. 1t vas announced
that only limited number of families could
be taken and none would be accented unless
they brought certificates of chara. ter from
their pastors. and recommendations from
their employers, if they had worked for 9th.
ers. The colony was not recruited without
opposition but all objections were success
fully met
On June 23d, the colonists, who came from
pparly evpry prnxi1oa sc S,~~Jo-