Eric Pålsson Mullica
Encyclopedia
Eric Pålsson Mullica was an early Finnish
settler to New Sweden
. He and his family were the source of the name of several geographic features and places in New Jersey.
, Sweden
. His father was Pål Jönsson Mullica who arrived in New Sweden
with his wife and children on the vessel Örnen (Eagle) which sailed in 1654 from Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden
. The Mullica family had earlier immigrated to Sweden from Finland. "Mullica" is a variation of the Finnish
term mullikka, which means bull
or young bull.
Mullica lived for several years at Tacony
, adjoining the present-day Frankford
neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
and later moved to the area of Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey. Mullica built a homestead near Little Egg Harbor. The area in which he resided near Little Egg Harbor was named Mullica Township
in Atlantic County
, New Jersey
in his honor. What had been known as the "Little Egg Harbor River" is now called the Mullica River
. Mullica later moved further north to an area now known as Mullica Hill
, a census-designated place located within Harrison Township
, in Gloucester County, New Jersey
.
Mullica first married Ingrid, the daughter of Olof Philipsson, a Finn who arrived with his family on the Mercurius in 1656. All of Mullica's eight children were by his first wife. After Ingrid's death, Mullica married Ingeborg Helm, daughter of Capt. Israel Helm. Mullica died before 1704.
In 1704, three of Eric and Ingeri's children, Eric jr, William and John, purchased 400 acres (1.6 km²) of land and built farmhouses. Eric jr built a house that dates to 1704 and is now located on North Main Street in Mullica Hill. In 1996 the house was purchased by a local merchant. Another structure several doors away is believed to have been built by William and is also owned by a local merchant.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
settler to New Sweden
New Sweden
New Sweden was a Swedish colony along the Delaware River on the Mid-Atlantic coast of North America from 1638 to 1655. Fort Christina, now in Wilmington, Delaware, was the first settlement. New Sweden included parts of the present-day American states of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania....
. He and his family were the source of the name of several geographic features and places in New Jersey.
Background
Mullica was born in April 1636 in Mora, Delsbo parish, HälsinglandHälsingland
' is a historical province or landskap in central Sweden. It borders to Gästrikland, Dalarna, Härjedalen, Medelpad and to the Gulf of Bothnia...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. His father was Pål Jönsson Mullica who arrived in New Sweden
New Sweden
New Sweden was a Swedish colony along the Delaware River on the Mid-Atlantic coast of North America from 1638 to 1655. Fort Christina, now in Wilmington, Delaware, was the first settlement. New Sweden included parts of the present-day American states of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania....
with his wife and children on the vessel Örnen (Eagle) which sailed in 1654 from Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The Mullica family had earlier immigrated to Sweden from Finland. "Mullica" is a variation of the Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
term mullikka, which means bull
Bull
Bull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.Bull may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Bull , an original show on the TNT Network* "Bull" , an episode of television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
or young bull.
Mullica lived for several years at Tacony
Tacony, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Tacony is a historic neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia, about from downtown Philadelphia. It is the oldest continuously occupied neighborhood in Philadelphia. It is bounded by Frankford Avenue on the northwest, Cottman Avenue on the northeast, Levick Street on the southwest, and the...
, adjoining the present-day Frankford
Frankford, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Frankford is a large and important neighborhood in the lower Northeast section of Philadelphia situated about six miles northeast of Center City. Although its borders are vaguely defined, the neighborhood is bounded roughly by the original course of Frankford Creek, now roughly Adams to Aramingo...
neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and later moved to the area of Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey. Mullica built a homestead near Little Egg Harbor. The area in which he resided near Little Egg Harbor was named Mullica Township
Mullica Township, New Jersey
Mullica Township is a township in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 6,147....
in Atlantic County
Atlantic County, New Jersey
-National protected areas:* Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge * Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Recreational River -Demographics:...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in his honor. What had been known as the "Little Egg Harbor River" is now called the Mullica River
Mullica River
The Mullica River is a river in southern New Jersey in the United States. The Mullica was once known as the Little Egg Harbor River.The river provides one of the principal drainages into the Atlantic Ocean of the extensive Pinelands...
. Mullica later moved further north to an area now known as Mullica Hill
Mullica Hill, New Jersey
Mullica Hill is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Harrison Township, in Gloucester County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, Mullica Hill population was 1,658.-History:...
, a census-designated place located within Harrison Township
Harrison Township, New Jersey
Harrison Township is a township in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 8,788....
, in Gloucester County, New Jersey
Gloucester County, New Jersey
Gloucester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 288,288. Its county seat is Woodbury....
.
Mullica first married Ingrid, the daughter of Olof Philipsson, a Finn who arrived with his family on the Mercurius in 1656. All of Mullica's eight children were by his first wife. After Ingrid's death, Mullica married Ingeborg Helm, daughter of Capt. Israel Helm. Mullica died before 1704.
In 1704, three of Eric and Ingeri's children, Eric jr, William and John, purchased 400 acres (1.6 km²) of land and built farmhouses. Eric jr built a house that dates to 1704 and is now located on North Main Street in Mullica Hill. In 1996 the house was purchased by a local merchant. Another structure several doors away is believed to have been built by William and is also owned by a local merchant.
Legacy
- Township of Mullica - Township in Atlantic County on Mullica River.
- Mullica Hill - Populated place in Gloucester County, about 25 miles (40.2 km) west of Glassboro
- Mullica Hill Pond - Reservoir in Gloucester County, on the southeastern border of Mullica Hill.
- Mullica Landing Point - Airport in Atlantic County, 2 miles (3.2 km) NW of Egg Harbor City.
- Mullica River - Stream in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden and Ocean Counties.
Other sources
- Benson, Adolph B. and Naboth Hedin, eds. Swedes in America, 1638-1938 (The Swedish American Tercentenary Association. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. 1938) ISBN 978-0838303269
External links
- Finnish Place Names in New Jersey
- Swedish Colonial News Fall 2004 .pdf formatPortable Document FormatPortable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
- Information on Eric Mullica's family
- Mullica in context of Burlington Co., NJ