Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-05-12
TRINITY CHURCH
IN SNEDESBORO.

Paper Read BEFORE the NAOueestcr
County Historical Society by
Rev. Geo. c. sutton. April
Ii. 1904.
concluded
Swedesboro has always cared for two in
stitutions, without which no community
can attain or retain any true prosperity,
the church and the school
The New Jersey Swedes from the very
beginning desired a church and pastor Of
their own, and by 1902 were taking steps
to that end, all of which was very displeas-
ing to Pastor Biork, the pastor of
Wilmington Church. Indeed he wrote
quite strongly about it; but to us it seems
quite natural, for we should think it a
hardship to make our way down to the
Delaware River oyer no road at all, across
the river in a canoe and then as best we
might to Wilmington or Philadelphia. At
any rate the Swedes on this side of the
river thought so and did what they could
to relieve themselves of the hardship.
Such accounts of these early days as have
been able to obtain are very meagre. 1t
was natural that things should be done
somewhat irregnlarly and without any
authority, and 50 the beginning was indefi-
mite and its continuance for considerable
time precarious; but we have evidence that
by 1908 land was bought right here, and a
ehurcn completed before the second Sunday
after Trinity, 1904 Thus we see that as
early as 1902 an independent movement
had been inaugurated.
The church had ministers sent from
Sweden for nearly ninety years, the last OF
them being the Rev. Nicholas Collin, who
resigned in 1889; but meanwhile it will be
remembered that all this time the country
was under English government and that
the Swedish language was being less and
i loss NED, and further that in the year 1855,
King George III, on the petition of the
Rev. John Wicksell, Thomas Denny, John
Denny, Lawrence Lock, William Homan,
William Mattson, Andrew yanneman and
others, had granted the church charter
under which it has worked ever since. Thi
charter provided that when a vacancy in
the Rectorship should occur it should be
filed by appointment from Sweden, or the
Swedish authorities failing to appoint, then
by the English Society for the Propagation
of the Gospel, OF they failing, then by cleo
tion Of the Wardens and Wesley. AS a re-
suit, when DR.. Collin resigned, no successor
was sent from Sweden, and no application
appears to have been made to the vener-
able Society Temporary shift was made
by the appointment Of a German Lutheran
Minister, Mr. John Wade, for one year,
after which, 1890, that distinguished man,
who was destined to become the first
Bishop of New Jersey, was chosen as rector.
The present church was built in 1884.
We have an itemized account of receipts and
expenditures, incurred and among the latter
there is this, which shows that the present
building was not erected on the site of the old
log church. Expense of moving the kitchen
garden Of the parsonage from the area OF
the new church Ell 0 O." Another
reads ssTo Turner and Tomson for
an old mast for making the door columns
81 1S and an account of 6 12 6
for turning the six columns. The old mast
must have been pretty good one, for if
am not mistaken those columns are there
yet. Among the subscribers many FAM
iliar names occur as Vanneman, Lock,
Hewes, Hendriekson, Homan, Helms, Tall
man, Batten, etc. And last, but well
worth writing, "Cudio, . black, subscribed
fifteen shillings. His name appears again
on the church records in 1909, when he
was confirmed in the great class Of PSI
members
The important matter Of education has
received careful attention in Swedesboro
from very early days. The first school
master Of whom we have any mention was
one Brienion, who came with his relative
the Rev. Jonas Aurens when he became
pastor of Trinity Church in 1706. In 17l5
as I have already noted DR.. Jesper SYed-
burg taught in this place, But there is no
record of a permanent school until 1771,
when the Rev. John Wicksell, rector Of
Trinity Church induced the vestry to appro-
pirate half an acre Of ground on which to
erect a school building. The lease set
forth that it was to be public and free
school. This did not mean free from tut
ton fees; but free to all who could OF
would pay the tuition prescribed. The
rector Of the church was ex-oficio presi-
dent Of the Board Of Trustees. The same
year a small log building was ereeted-the
same that we have seen burned in 1778.
This was succeeded by stone house con-
sisting Of school room and teachers
a-ssa.-- rgys.1 <s,.n4 &oa<l,or Il, this eehnol