This story is from "The 1693 Census of the Swedes on the Delaware" by Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig, p. 107-108.

Charles Springer died of a stroke on May 26,1738 while crossing the Delaware on his return from the Gloucester County court,where he proved a deed from Andrew Robeson, Sr., to Mårten Märtensson, Sr., and John Archer that he had witnessed May 9, 1685.

Carl or Charles Springer was born in Stockholm in 1658, the son of Christopher Springer and his third wife, Beata Salina. His father died in 1669 after forty years of service for the Swedish government; his mother, the royal housekeeper for the dowager queen Hedvig Eleonora (widow of King Charles X) at Gripsholm Castle, was buried December 17,1693 at the Gripsholm church in Mariefred.

As a young man, Charles Springer had been sent abroad to study, first to Riga, Latvia (then a province of Sweden), and later to London to learn English and mathematics. He then disappeared. By a letter to his mother, dated June 1, 1693,Charles explained his fate: About to return home,he was kidnapped and carried aboard an English vessel to Virginia 'where I was sold like a farm animal' and held in 'very slavery' for five years. Having served his time,he went 400 miles to join the Swedes on the Delaware. After being there a year and a half,he married Maria Hendricksdotter, December 27,1685. At the time of the letter, they had three daughters and were expecting a fourth child.*

Springer first lived in Gloucester County at 'New Stockholm,' a tract claimed by the Swedes by purchase from the Indians but owned by Andrew Robeson, Sr. Here, John Andersson Cock, Springer's future brother-in-law, was operating a farm in 1684. In the following year, Springer married Maria,the daughter of Hendrick Jacobsson.

In 1687, Maria's brother John Hendricksson and Charles Springer were taxed on 250 acres at New Stockholm.Springer remained a resident of Gloucester County through at least 1690. On December 1, 1693,he was shown as delinquent on 1692 taxes and apparently lost his land in that county.

Springer's home plantation in 1693 was 200 acres, part of 'Oak Hill,' an 800-acre tract east of Red Clay Creek,which had been granted by William Penn to Nils Larsson Friend in exchange for land Penn wanted in Bucks County for his Pennsbury estate. Springer had written and witnessed Nils' will, December 20, 1686. The entire tract of Oak Hill was resurveyed as 936 acres in 1703. By 1727,the Springer family owned 786 of these acres.

Charles Springer and Maria Hendricksdotter had six sons and at least five daughters: Anna Elisabeth (born c. 1687), Rebecca (c. 1689), Maria (c. 1691), Charles (c. 1693), Christopher (May 12, 1696), John (c. 1698), Andreas (c. 1700), Jacob or James (1703), Israel (c. 1705), Magdalena (c. 1707) and Joseph (1709). Charles Springer's first wife was buried March 15, 1727. Three months later, he married Annika, daughter of Johan and Brita Gustafsson and widow of both Matthias Mårtensson and Jonas Walraven.

Charles Springer was serving on the church council in 1693 and remained in this capacity until his death. He also served as a justice on the New Castle court. Charles Springer died of a stroke on May 26,1738 while crossing the Delaware on his return from the Gloucester County court,where he proved a deed from Andrew Robeson, Sr., to Mårten Märtensson, Sr., and John Archer that he had witnessed May 9, 1685. Source: The 1693 Census of the Swedes on the Delaware by Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig, p. 107-108.Picture: William Penn.

*Virginia records show that Captain William Hunt was awarded 608 acres in Charles City County, Virginia, for the importation of 13 persons, including Charles Springer.