This web page and subpages are dedicated to stories by descendants of the New Upsala colonists.
New Upsala Colonists, the first settlers.
Gustaf and Charlotta Unonius and friends arrived in the territory of Wisconsin in October of 1841, they claimed land and settled in an area east of Pine Lake, later named New Upsala. Below are the names of the first settlers of New Upsala. (Reference: William F. Stark, Pine Lake)
- Gustaf and Charlotta Unonius
- Carl Groth – Close relative of Unonius, brought his hunting dog Fille.
- Christine Södergren – Servant of Charlotta’s parents, friend of Charlotta.
- Wilhelm Pohlman, a Medical student at Upsala University.
As a result of the published America Letters, a number of Swedish people—some with families–arrived to join the settlement in 1842 and 1843:
- George Edward Bergwall, a Customs Inspector from Gothenberg,
- Baron Fredrik Thott, Officer of the Swedish Army,
- Bengt Petterson, a Regimental Paymaster in the Swedish Army, and Postmaster at Karlsborg Fortress arrived in 1842. His wife and 8 children arrived in 1843.
- Iwar Hagberg – 22 years old, former student at Upsala.
- Knut Bottiger, a Lieutenant in the Swedish Army,
- Carl Fredrick Polycarpus von Schneidau, nobleman, Lieutenant of the Swedish Artillery, with his wife Caroline and brother-in-law, Levi Jakobson.
- A.F. von Proschwitz, Lieutenant from the Varmland Regiment,
- Lars and Anders Wohlin, blacksmiths,
- John O. Rudberg, surveyor and forrester,
- Charles Balkman, sailor,
- Adolf Fredrik St. Cyr von Lindsfelt, exchamberlain of the Swedish Court with his wife, five children and two servants.
Stories by Descendants
- Bergwall, Why My Swedish Ancestors Came to the United States, Cletus Hasslinger
- Bergwall, Family of Emily Bergwall, Kathy Natzke and Jan Jeffery Robar
- Bergwall, The Letters of George Edvard (and Ebba) Bergwall 1858 – 1881, Cletus Hasslinger
- Curator’s Introduction
- The Bergwalls Valued and Served Public Education in Wisconsin
- Black Sheep and Golden Son
- Letter Excerpts Concerning the United States Civil War and its Aftermath.
- Archive of the Letters of Georg and Ebba Bergwall
- The Brief and Incomplete Story of US Bergwalls Obtaining these Letters
- Bergwall, A Legacy of Music and Song, Margaret (Hasslinger) Wittkopp