Laurentius Carels
Encyclopedia
Laurentius Carels was one of the first settlers of Delaware County, Pennsylvania
and one of the first Swedish Lutheran
clergyman in New Sweden
. As was typical among Swedish ministers, he generally used a Latinized version of his name Laurentius Caroli Lockenius. He is listed in historical records under several different names, most commonly as Lars Carlsson Lock.
, in Skaraborg County
, Sweden
. In the colony, he replaced the veteran minister, John Campanius
. He was based at a church built by Johan Björnsson Printz
, governor of New Sweden
on Tinicum Island
. At the start of his ministry, he served about 200 members.
The Swedish colony of New Sweden ended during the summer of 1655. The Swedish settlement was incorporated into Dutch New Netherland
on September 15, 1655. the Swedish settlers were allowed to retain a pastor of their confession. Reverend Lars Lock remained, but the other pastors returned to Sweden. His congregation was widely scattered, extending from the Schuylkill River
on the north to Christina River
on the south.
His role as the only minister on the Delaware River
did not end until 1677 when the Swedish settlers living northeast of Darby Creek
built a new log church at Wicaco (now Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church) and invited Jacob Fabritius to be their pastor. Jacob Fabritius, a native of Grosglogau in Silesia
, had arrived in New York in 1669 to serve the Dutch Lutheran churches along the Hudson River
. Lars Carlsson Lock continued to serve in the pulpits of both the Tinicum
church and the Crane Hook church until his death at Upland Creek in September 1688 at the reported age of 64.
in what is now Eddystone, Pennsylvania
. Lars Lock was involved in several legal disputes and was rumored to have had an "overfondness for intoxicating drinks." Lars Carlsson Lock also got into trouble for selling liquor to Native Americans and was involved in at least one lawsuit over a horse.
On September 20, 1661, another early settler, Jacob Jough, ran away with his first wife, Catharina, which led to Lars Carlsson Lock (in his words) to fall "from one misfortune to another." In response, Lars Carlsson Lock, after finding out where a trunk of Jough's was being kept, trespassed into a house and broke the trunk open and took some of his wife's property (and left a "memorandum of what he had done"). Within a month of his wife's desertion, Lars Carlsson Lock sought to remarry, but first tried in vain to obtain a divorce. He decided to marry Beata Lom, the 18 years old daughter of Måns Lom. For his unauthorized marriage and for breaking into another's home, charges were brought against Lars Lock and he was fined 280 guilders. Together Lars Carlsson Lock and Beata were the parents of seven known children.
Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 558,979, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties....
and one of the first Swedish Lutheran
Church of Sweden
The Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...
clergyman 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....
. As was typical among Swedish ministers, he generally used a Latinized version of his name Laurentius Caroli Lockenius. He is listed in historical records under several different names, most commonly as Lars Carlsson Lock.
Biography
Lars Carlsson was born in Sweden during 1624. In September 1647, at the age of 23, Lars Carlsson sailed from Göteborg to New Sweden. He subsequently adopted the surname Lock from his place of origin, Lockerud, near MariestadMariestad
Mariestad is a locality and the seat of Mariestad Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 15,448 inhabitants in 2005. It was until 1997 the capital of the former Skaraborg County and an episcopal see in the Church of Sweden between 1583 and 1646....
, in Skaraborg County
Skaraborg County
Skaraborg County, or Skaraborgs län, was a county of Sweden until December 31, 1998 when it was merged with the counties of Gothenburg and Bohus and Älvsborg to form Västra Götaland County....
, 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....
. In the colony, he replaced the veteran minister, John Campanius
John Campanius
John Campanius , also known as John Campanius Holm, was a Swedish Lutheran clergyman assigned to the New Sweden colony.-Background:...
. He was based at a church built by Johan Björnsson Printz
Johan Björnsson Printz
Johan Björnsson Printz was governor from 1643 until 1653 of the Swedish colony of New Sweden on the Delaware River in North America.-Early Life in Sweden:...
, governor of 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....
on Tinicum Island
Tinicum Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Tinicum Township, more popularly known as "Tinicum Island" or "The Island", a census-designated place and township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,353 at the 2000 census. Included within the township's boundaries are the communities of Essington and Lester...
. At the start of his ministry, he served about 200 members.
The Swedish colony of New Sweden ended during the summer of 1655. The Swedish settlement was incorporated into Dutch New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
on September 15, 1655. the Swedish settlers were allowed to retain a pastor of their confession. Reverend Lars Lock remained, but the other pastors returned to Sweden. His congregation was widely scattered, extending from the Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
on the north to Christina River
Christina River
The Christina River is a tributary of the Delaware River, approximately 35 miles long, in northern Delaware in the United States, also flowing through small areas of southeastern Pennsylvania and northeastern Maryland. Near its mouth the river flows past downtown Wilmington, Delaware,...
on the south.
His role as the only minister on the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
did not end until 1677 when the Swedish settlers living northeast of Darby Creek
Darby Creek (Pennsylvania)
thumb|Darby Creek where it crosses [[Pennsylvania Route 320|Route 320]] in [[Marple Township, Pennsylvania|Marple Township]]Darby Creek is a creek in Delaware County, Pennsylvania...
built a new log church at Wicaco (now Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church) and invited Jacob Fabritius to be their pastor. Jacob Fabritius, a native of Grosglogau in Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
, had arrived in New York in 1669 to serve the Dutch Lutheran churches along the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. Lars Carlsson Lock continued to serve in the pulpits of both the Tinicum
Tinicum Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Tinicum Township, more popularly known as "Tinicum Island" or "The Island", a census-designated place and township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,353 at the 2000 census. Included within the township's boundaries are the communities of Essington and Lester...
church and the Crane Hook church until his death at Upland Creek in September 1688 at the reported age of 64.
Legal Matters
In 1674 Lars Lock bought the former Tequirassy estate of Olof Persson StilleOlof Persson Stille
Olof Persson Stille was a pioneer settler in the Swedish colony of New Sweden. He served as the first chief justice of the Upland Court.-Background:...
in what is now Eddystone, Pennsylvania
Eddystone, Pennsylvania
Eddystone is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,442 at the 2000 census.-Early history:The area at the mouth of Ridley Creek was first called "Tequirassy" by Native Americans. The land was owned by Olof Persson Stille, one of the early settlers from New...
. Lars Lock was involved in several legal disputes and was rumored to have had an "overfondness for intoxicating drinks." Lars Carlsson Lock also got into trouble for selling liquor to Native Americans and was involved in at least one lawsuit over a horse.
On September 20, 1661, another early settler, Jacob Jough, ran away with his first wife, Catharina, which led to Lars Carlsson Lock (in his words) to fall "from one misfortune to another." In response, Lars Carlsson Lock, after finding out where a trunk of Jough's was being kept, trespassed into a house and broke the trunk open and took some of his wife's property (and left a "memorandum of what he had done"). Within a month of his wife's desertion, Lars Carlsson Lock sought to remarry, but first tried in vain to obtain a divorce. He decided to marry Beata Lom, the 18 years old daughter of Måns Lom. For his unauthorized marriage and for breaking into another's home, charges were brought against Lars Lock and he was fined 280 guilders. Together Lars Carlsson Lock and Beata were the parents of seven known children.
Other sources
- Barton, H. Arnold (1994) A Folk Divided: Homeland Swedes and Swedish Americans, 1840—1940 (Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis).
- Benson, Adolph B. and Naboth Hedin, eds. (1938) Swedes in America, 1638-1938 (The Swedish American Tercentenary Association. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press) ISBN 978-0838303269
- Johnson, Amandus (1927) The Swedes on the Delaware (International Printing Company, Philadelphia)
- Munroe, John A. (1977) Colonial Delaware (Delaware Heritage Press, Wilmington)
- Ward, Christopher (1930) Dutch and Swedes on the Delaware, 1609-1664 (University of Pennsylvania Press)
- Weslager, C. A. (1988) New Sweden on the Delaware 1638-1655 (The Middle Atlantic Press, Wilmington ) ISBN 0-912608-65-X