Andrew Swanson

(c.1642-1688) Andrew Swanson (Anders Svensson) was born in New Sweden around 1642. His father Sven Gunnarsson was stationed at the Fort Christina plantation where he worked on a tobacco farm until he earned his freedom in 1645. His family eventually settled on a former Indian settlement called Wiccaco, where Gunnarsson was granted 1125 acres of land from the Dutch Governor in 1664. When William Penn became Governor, his council established an Act of Naturalization in 1682 which gave landowning foreigners residing in Pennsylvania three months to become naturalized. Andrew and his brothers Wolle and Sven were amongst the first group of Swedish settlers to be naturalized. By doing so, they received the same rights as their English born neighbors and were allowed to maintain their land holdings. The Swanson brothers landholdings included the river frontage that William Penn needed to create the city of Philadelphia. In 1683, the Swanson brothers agreed to provide Penn with the northern part of their landholdings, leaving each brother with 230 acres each in Wiccaco.  He married Anna, who died in 1709.  They had seven children: Gunnar Swanson, Catharine Swanson, Elisabeth Swanson, Christina Swanson, Margaret Swanson, Christopher Swanson, and Andrew Swanson.  Andrew died at Wiccaco in 1688.