It’s been nearly four decades since I last visited Sweden It sounded like a good way to explore my Swedish roots for a few months long enough to fall in love with the culture Would I be able to communicate in Swedish with real people after such a long time I was determined to try during another visit this summer My patient friends helped me to stumble through staying with Elisabet and her husband Thomas and took a day trip by train to Småland’s Jonas Bronck Center My excuse for the trip was that I am an educator for The Bronx County Historical Society Although I would only be at the center for a few hours my plan was to begin researching events surrounding the early life of Jonas Bronck the first European settler in the area now known as the Bronx and to network with a few town officials and fellow educators Jonas Bronck was born in 1600 in the southern Swedish hamlet of Komstad the town most historians now accept as Bronck’s birthplace  Located just outside of Sävsjö municipality in Småland It is a sparsely populated area graced with fertile yet stony forested farmland and gleaming chains of lakes and streams But why would young Jonas leave such a beautiful place a successful Swedish businessman and the founder of the Jonas Bronck Center in Sävsjö he has made it his avocation to help people on both sides of the Atlantic to know more about Jonas Bronck He organizes a yearly celebration at the Center when the community consisted of only a few houses carpentry and other wood-related industries grew whisking me off to meet with fellow history buffs and educators we shared ideas on how to network student historical research projects in Sävsjö to those going on at the Bronx County Historical Society’s Museum of Bronx History The Jonas Bronck Center is located near several sites that already existed during Jonas Bronck’s childhood The Center’s exhibit provides a glimpse into the lives of people associated with Jonas Bronck from both sides of the ocean Obviously Sweden has changed dramatically over the years from centuries of feudal oppression to a modern social democratic system where there is virtually no poverty or homelessness life was in many ways filled with turmoil for the people of Småland all demanded impossible tributes and taxation from the poor Wrigfors described life in Sävsjö during Jonas Bronck’s childhood The area still includes the mill site where farmers processed their grain the 12th century Norra Ljunga Church where young Jonas was baptized and the Ecksjö Court Mansion that dates back to the 15th century One can visit a hill where alleged heretics were beheaded and a place where religious fanatics burned women accused of being witches their fates having been determined by purported eyewitness accounts extracted from children and Danish soldiers occupied much of southern Sweden Jonas Bronck would have been under pressure to choose a side and join up Most of Europe was in fact on the verge of some kind of conflict The Thirty Years War was about to throw Swedish and French Protestants into a bloody revolt against German Catholic religious oppressors It seemed like an easy decision for young Jonas to leave his homeland and seek his fortune elsewhere Danish soldiers no longer torment its inhabitants unless it is with silly jokes although there are no big tourist attractions it provides a fascinating and peaceful vacation My parents did it on a tandem bike back in 1947 There are hotels and a lovely camping site on Sävsjö’s lake and it is close enough to Stockholm to make a quick day-trip of it Add a portion of herring and a side of salad claims that the Swedes invented hospital food but I have found it a lot more interesting Traditional weekday specials in small cafés might include split pea soup accompanied by pancakes with lingonberry preserves A konditori will serve coffee with an assortment of sandwiches making one wonder why obesity is so rare in Sweden I ate kanel bullar (cinnamon buns) and princess torte (cake swathed in marzipan) with impunity Editor’s Note: Janet Norquist-Gonzalez is a cartographer and teacher at the Bronx County Historical Society She is the organist and choir director for Epiphany Lutheran Church http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/20/nyregion/from-bronck-to-the-bronx-a-name-and-a-swedish-heritage-to-celebrate.html Mr. Wrigfors is no longer associated with our efforts, but one can visit the homepage http://www.JonasBronck.se (being updated) or me directly at BGAndersson2@gmail.com Brian G Andersson was not founder of Jonas Bronck Center he was member of the board round about six month Wrigfors heard about from a previous Swedish Consul General in New York View current print edition Click here to read our disclaimer >> Jonas Jonasson Bronck of Sweden first settled in the area of Nieuw Amsterdam in 1639 The 375th anniversary of Bronck’s arrival and settlement as the first European in the Bronx will be celebrated this weekend in Sävsjö One of our favorite New York based singers Eva Engman will be among the many performing and among the attending will be descendants and dignitaries from both countries (This year is also the centennial of Bronx County Research and publicity generated over 30 years by Bronx native Brian G. Andersson, 'Our Man' from The Bronx Commissioner of New York City’s Department of Records (2002 - 2011) brought this to the attention of the Consul General of Sweden in New York Andersson to Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf The continuing efforts have encouraged a businessman and resident of Sävsjö in Småland to establish The Jonas Bronck Center right in the center of town in the old hotel building The ribbon-cutting and weekend celebration will take place in Sävsjö August 22nd – 24th Bronck family descendants will also be in attendance including one who in his capacity as an Episcopal priest will be concelebrating the service in the 12th-century church of Bronck’s christening in 1600 Dutch documentation uncovered in the last 35 years has indicated that Bronck had emigrated from Holland during the expansion of Dutch efforts in the New World specifically their colony and company town Niew Amsterdam Both the records of his marriage and the securing and underwriting his voyage conclusively established the fact that he was a native of Sweden He was born in Komstad in the present day municipality of Sävsjö about 1600 built in the 12th century and still functioning Bronck emigrated to Nieuw Amsterdam in 1639 aboard the Brandt van Trojen (“Fire of Troy”) with his wife and contracted farm hands He named his farm on the mainland "Emmaus.” He died in 1643 leaving no children The inventory of his estate conducted after his death indicates that his death was most probably not as a result of the conflict murders and reprisal killings in Niew Amsterdam at the time who did establish a family around Coxsackie some of whom will be at the Sävsjö celebration These events are being celebrated in conjunction with the Bronx Borough President's office and Bronx Chamber of Commerce 1914 also marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of The Bronx as a County and despite its 375 years of settlement is New York State's youngest county This year, 2014, marks the 375th anniversary of the settlement of The Bronx by Jonas Jonasson Bronck of Sweden. The detailed program of the celebration is available here: Jonas Brock Celebration August 22-24 in Sävsjö For more info, see: http://www.jonasbronck.se/ the tiny town of Sävsjö will celebrate native son Jonas Bronck who some 375 years ago settled as the first European in what later become known the New York City borough of the Bronx Bronck was born and raised just outside of Sävsjö in the region of Småland He is thought to have been a farmer’s son and set out for the New World in his late thirties arriving in what was then New Amsterdam in 1639 He settled near the river now known as the Bronx River who co-founded the Jonas Bronck Center in Sävsjö told Radio Sweden that the Swede bought land from Native Americans in 1639 and signed the first peace agreement in US history in 1642 It was around 1880 that the town of New York named the borough the Bronx after seeing the Swedes’ name on maps of the area They just changed the spelling – from Bronck to Bronx Swedish and American dignitaries and descendants of Jonas Bronck’s relatives Jonas Bronck never had any children himself "Between 5,000 and 10,000 people are coming this weekend and there are only 5,000 inhabitants in Sävsjö," Gustafsson said.  Gustafsson said Jonas Bronck is well-known in New York City where there is a memorial plaque dedicated to the man in the borough that was named after him hardly anyone knows about Jonas Bronck," Gustafsson told Radio Sweden plus weekly summary on Fridays at 4.30pm on P2 (P6 89.6FM in Stockholm) Kontakta gärna Sveriges Radios forum för teknisk support där vi besvarar dina frågor vardagar kl The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden "A lot of Swedish kids wear Yankees caps I bet they don't even know it was named after a Swede," former New York commissioner Brian G The New Yorker has collaborated with Swede Roy Gustafsson to celebrate a piece of real estate - but more than that the southern Swedish city of Sävsjö and its 11,000 inhabitants are about to hold what may be their biggest party ever And it's all to celebrate a man named Jonas Bronck - the Swede who gave the famous New York Bronx borough its name a small village outside of Sävsjö didn't stick around in his hometown for too long He became a sea captain in the Dutch merchant navy and sailed to New York in 1639 New York wasn't quite so crowded at the time and the Swedish sailor bought the lands which would be nicknamed after him and known forevermore as the Bronx his hometown is going to celebrate the 375th anniversary of that very purchase moved to Sävsjö some years ago when he first heard of Bronck He struggled for the first six months to get some kind of project off the ground but faced resistance from the municipality The Sävsjö council found it unlikely that posh New Yorkers would have any interest in a small town in Småland and figured that Gustafsson's project was as doomed as the Dodgers in the 1977 World Series.  Gustafsson's frustration was boundless "You should be proud of your municipality and do something good and positive for the community," Gustafsson told The Local "But in Småland people stay in their corner Even now that the event is about to happen people have been positive Roy Gustafsson in front of the Jonas Bronck Center Photo: Anna Hållams/TT Someone all the way in New York was also looking into Jonas Bronck - and that someone was Brian G Andersson had been researching Bronck for 30 years before he finally contacted Gustafsson eager to touch base with someone else interested in a Bronck project.  "It was encouraging to find that someone else wanted to build a cultural connection," Andersson explained "This is a big anniversary for Sweden added that he hoped the event would promote a connection between New York and Sweden "We hope for a sister relationship between Jönköping and the Bronx This could open up business and cultural opportunities." The anniversary of Bronck's settlement will kick off on Friday There will be a variety of activities and exhibitions throughout the weekend including cruising with American veteran cars and motorcycles by the religious MC gang Descendants of Jonas Bronck visiting from the US will also attend the event including a priest who will hold a service at the church of Bronck's christening "The locals of Sävsjö have been very positive about the event and the stores have been decorated with American flags," Gustafsson said "I am proud because many unemployed people have been working on organizing the event for over a year." In 2016 Andersson hopes to celebrate 400 years since the birth of Jonas Bronck He will also be arriving this week in Sweden to attend the event "It is very fulfilling after so many years of work to attend the celebrations," he added For more information about Jonas Bronck and the schedule of the weekend's celebrations in Sävsjö, visit the official website here. Please log in here to leave a comment Swedish prosecutors say they have lifted the arrest warrant on a man already in prison suspected now of the murder of another girl 17 years ago Six year old Jasmina Jasharaj disappeared in Sävsjö in Småland in 1997 and has never been found Police suspect that double-murderer Anders Eklund also killed the girl but that as he is already in jail cannot interfere in the criminal investigation and so prosecutors have removed the warrant and the decision will not affect the investigation who is serving life for the murder of ten year old Engla Höglund and 31 year old Pernilla Hellgren has denied any involvement in Jasmina's disappearance The five Afghan refugees dumped in a freight container outside the southern Swedish town of Sävsjö over Christmas may not have been dumped in the container after all the five were thrown off an X2000 express train on its way through the town after refusing to buy tickets had claimed that they had been travelling in a container for 18 days before being dumped in the forest by refugee smugglers The five then found a railway track and followed it to Sävsjö where they have since been looked after by a local church