author
Amandus Johnson
1877–1974
Best known for bringing the story of New Sweden to a wide audience, this Swedish-born American historian helped preserve an overlooked chapter of early colonial life. His books and museum work kept the Delaware Valley’s Swedish roots in public memory.
1 Audiobook
The Swedes on the Delaware, 1638-1664
by Amandus Johnson
About the author
Born in Småland, Sweden, in 1877, he moved to the United States as a small child and grew up in Minnesota. He later became a historian, author, and museum leader whose work focused on the early Swedish presence in North America, especially along the Delaware River.
He is most closely associated with The Swedish Settlements on the Delaware, 1638–1664, a major two-volume history that helped establish him as a leading interpreter of New Sweden. He was also a founder of the American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia and served as its curator and director, combining scholarship with public history.
Across a long career, he wrote extensively and supported organizations devoted to Swedish-American history and heritage. Remembered as a central figure in preserving the story of the Swedish colonial experience in America, he died in 1974 at the age of 96.