Peter Gunnarsson Rambo

Peter Gunnarsson Rambo (1612-1698) was a Swedish immigrant to New Sweden who lived as a farmer and served as a justice on the Governor's Council. A variety of apple which he grew became known as the Rambo apple. Rambo's Rock along the Schuylkill River is named for his family.

History with New Sweden

At the age of twenty-seven, Peter Rambo sailed to New Sweden as a laborer on the second voyage of the "Kalmar Nyckel" in 1639-40. He become a freeman, and by 1644 was growing tobacco on for the Swedish Company. [cite book |title=Pennsylvania, Colonial and Federal |last=Pennsylvania Historical Publishing Association |year=1907 |pages=75 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=_EsMAAAAYAAJ ] Rambo married Brita Matsdotter from Vaasa, Finland, on April 7, 1647. They initially settled in Kingsessing, but moved by 1669 to Passyunk on the northeast side of the Schuylkill River.

Rambo was present when the Dutch besieged Fort Christina in 1654, serving as the deputy to the Swedish governor, Johan Rising.cite book |title=A Genealogical History of the Dupuy Family |last=DuPuy |first=Charles Meredith |coauthors=DuPuy, Herbert |year=1910 |publisher=J.B. Lippincott Company |location=Philadelphia |pages=92–93 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=NQC5vQ3LGFQC ] When the colony fell to the Dutch, Rambo was among the local settlers to meet with representatives from New Netherland. In 1668, when the colony fell under English jurisdiction, Rambo became a member of the governor's council. In 1674, he was commissioned a justice of the peace.

Rambo along with Peter Cock, and others, was selected by his fellow Swedish settlers to greet their new governor, William Penn, when he arrived at "Upland" (now Chester, Pennsylvania) when their colony was taken over by the British on October 27, 1682. Rambo was a witness to Penn's treaty with the Indians for the purchase of land west of the original boundaries of Philadelphia. [http://www.colonialswedes.org/Headlines/GovProfileRambo.html Governor's Profile ] ]

Rambo died in 1698 and was buried at the Swedes' log church at Wicaco. He was survived by four sons (Gunnar, John, Andreas, and Peter) and two daughters (Gertrude and Katharine).

Gunnar's Run, a long covered stream along Aramingo Avenue in Philadelphia is named for Gunnar Rambo, one of Peter's descendants.

ee also

*Swedish colonization of the Americas

External links

* [http://www.colonialswedes.org/forefathers%5Crambo.html Peter Gunnarsson Rambo]

References