Per Still was a prosperous farmer in the 1570s in Roslagen, eastern Sweden.1 His name was on a 1571 tax list of people in Solo, a farm belonging to Penningby Manor.2 The amount of tax shows “a very good economic position in comparison with the average peasant in the region”.3 In the list of church tithes for 1590 his name is missing, but the name of “Mrs. Brigitta” appears, probably his widow.

By 1596 the name Per Stille appears again on the bailiff accounts, probably a son of Per, with the same name. In 1601 lists were kept of people who were fed on the estate. Brigitta and Per appear several times. “The other farmers who were fed at the manor were (in contrast with Stille) never listed by name, but only as statistics. Stille thus appears to have held a unique position among the farmers… [possibly] the supervisor of the estate.”4 In 1609 the younger Per was listed as having a wife. After 1627 he was no longer on the Solo list, but on a different island, Humblö. “Apparently he has left the post of estate supervisor, and received the right to live on the latter island as a kind of pension.” By 1628, he is listed as “old Pär Stille” and by 1635 his name is gone and another man is living on Humblö.5The name of Per Stille’s wife is not known. From the names of three of her granddaughters, her name may have been Christina.6

Per and his wife are believed to have had at least six children. Three who did not immigrate are linked by estate records: Kerstin, Johannes and a sister who married a Larsson. When the inventory of Kerstin’s estate was taken in June 1670, Johannes was named as her brother and two Larssons are named as heirs, Witt Johan and Per. It is noticeable that these are people with white-color jobs. Witt Johan is an accountant and his brother Per is a customs inspector.7

There are also three siblings who did immigrate: Anna, Olof and Axel. They are documented in the records of the ship manifest in 1641 and in New Sweden, where Olof was a prominent figure.8 All six of them seem to be about the same generation. Anna was having children by about 1626 and Olof was married by 1632. Johannes was a student at Uppsala in 1625.

Presumed children of Per and an unknown wife:9

Kerstin, d. before June 1670, m. Nils Andersson Stake; a “naval artillerist”, he died before Sept 1667, when inventory was taken of his estate for the benefit of his widow. She had a stepdaughter Margareta Nielsdotter, and had been married previously, before the marriage to Stake.10

Johannes Peter Stille, d. 1672, married the daughter of his predecessor at Funbo. In the record of Kerstin’s estate, he was called the “worthy and learned Mr. John Stille”. Known child: Christina.

Anna, m. Måns Svensson Lom before 1626. Immigrated in 1641, settled on the Delaware River. He died in 1653 and Anna married Lars Andersson Collinus, a minister. Children with Mäns: Margaret, Catherine, Peter, Anna, Beata, Christina, Sven, Helena, Maria.

A sister who married a Larsson. Had two known sons, Witt Johan and Per, named in the record of Kerstin’s estate in 1670. They were grown by 1670, and must have been born before 1650.

Olof, married by 1632, immigrated in 1641, died about 1684. The name of his wife is not known. They had four known children: Ella, Anders, Christina, Johan.11

Axel, immigrated in 1641, a younger brother of Olof, alive in 1684. No children.

Olof was one of the most colorful of the early Swedish settlers. Because of some early court records we know some of his adventures.

“Although Olof Stille was on good terms with Erik Bielke, who inherited Penningby in 1629, he did not think well of Bielke’s wife, Catarina Fleming.

At the Norrtälje fair in 1636, Olof Stille indiscreetly voiced his opinion of Lady Catarina Fleming, who retaliated by prosecuting Olof for defamation and took his property at Humblö. When Olof refused to leave the island, he was imprisoned. After securing his freedom, Olof and his family resettled in Matsunda, where he was joined by one of his former servants named Anders. Lady Fleming, now a widow, had Anders seized on 18 March 1638 and imprisoned at Penningby under the claim that Anders had broken a verbal agreement with the late Lord Bielke to be their servant.

Olof Stille heard the news the next day, entered Penningby Castle by a secret door, broke the lock to the dungeon with his axe and then fled, with Anders carrying the axe and Olof his own rapier. On complaint from Lady Fleming, the Governor issued an order for Olof Stille’s arrest on 28 March 1638 – the same day that the first expedition to New Sweden was landing at the Rocks. At the trial on 13 April 1638 Olof Stille was convicted of burglary and sentenced to death by the sword. The appellate court, however, modified the sentence to a fine of 100 daler silver money, the equivalent of 17 months pay for a New Sweden soldier.

Three years later, in May 1641, when the Charitas departed for New Sweden, the passenger list included Olof Stille, a mill-maker, his wife, a daughter aged 7 and a son aged 1 ½.  Also on board were Olof’s younger brother Axel Stille, and the family of Måns Svensson Lom, whose wife appears to have been Olof’s younger sister. His older brother, Johan Stille, later pastor at Fundbo, 1644-1672, and his sister Kerstin remained in Sweden.”12

Once in this country Olof, his brother Axel, and the Lom family settled in the present-day Chester County, Pennsylvania, on the banks of the Delaware River. According to Craig, “the Indians were frequent visitors to Techoherassi and liked Olof Stille very much, but they considered his heavy, black beard a monstrosity and conferred a strange name on him because of it.” Olof was a millwright, a rarity in the colony.

He was a leader among the colonists. He presented the list of grievances in 1653 to Governor Printz, who considered this an act of mutiny. Fortunately Printz was soon replaced by Governor Rising, who was more conciliatory. In fact in 1656, when the first Swedish court was organized under Dutch rule, Olof Stille was named the chief justice.13 He served for eight years, which must have been a satisfying turn of events for such a troublemaker.  In 1657 the magistrates for the South River were Olof Stille, Mathys Hanson, Peter Rambo and Peter Cook. Peter Rambo and Peter Cock continued to serve in various capacities for years afterwards.14

Olof died about 1684 and was survived by at least four children (Ella, Anders, Christina, and John).15 The name of his wife is not known. His brother Axel did not have children.