ELLA'S FATHER, OLOF STILLE

Ella Steelman is almost certainly the daughter of Olof Stille, who departed for New Sweden in 1641 with his wife and two small children, aged seven and one and a half. The birth year of the eldest, 1634, conforms to the description of Ella Steelman's age at her death. That both children were girls seems to be confirmed by the fact that Olof Stille's only known son, John Stille was not born until 1646. Indeed, Olof's eldest daughter was virtually the only marriageable woman in New Sweden around 1652 at the time Peter Jochimson must have married. Then there is Ella's selection of the surname Steelman for herself and her sons by Hans Mansson after his death. (Early variants of the name were Stillman and Stellman.) Armegot Printz, daughter of Governor Printz, was another example of a wife who retained her father's surname. The slight variation of adding the suffix "-man" served to avoid any name confusion between Ella's younger brother, John Stille, and her son, John Hanson, alias Steelman.
Olof Stille arrived in New Sweden with his family on the Charitas in 1641. Achieving early prominence in New Sweden, he was called upon by Governor Printz to deliver a protest to the Dutch in 1646. Soon thereafter he fell out of favor wth with the Governor. In 1648 Stille purchased a male calf from Rev Johan Campanius Holm. After Campanius returned to Sweden that same year, Printz "immediately sent over and caused the aforesaid male calf to be taken from him." Stille not only was one of the 22 signers of the 1653 complaint against Printz but also, as we have seen, was accused by Printz as being one of the three ringleaders in this "mutiny." After Rising's arrival Stille signed the 1654 oath of allegiance. Under Dutch rule he served as one of the first magistrates for the "up-river" settlers in present Pennsylvania.
Initially the Stille family settled at a place called Tequirassy next to present Ridley Creek, then called "Olle Stillen's Kill." Governor Printz in 1653 described this settlement as consisting of three plantations with 12 morgens (25 acres) of cultivated land. Under Dutch rule Olof Stille moved to Moyamensing, next to Wicaco. His initial patent for this land was issued June 1664. The last discovered mention of his name occurred 21 July 1684 when William Penn reissued the patent to the four Moyamensing landowners, William (Olof) Stille, Andrew Bankson (Andreas Bengtsson), Lasse Andrews (Lars Andersson Collins), and John Matson. Olof Stille must have died shortly thereafter, as Holme's map of Pennsylvania landowners, published in 1687 but current as of 1685, shows Olof's son John Stille as the owner of the Stille land at Moyamensing.

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According to Acrelius, Olof Stille in his later years had been much beloved by the Indians whose name for him was derived from the fact that Olof had a black beard, apparently an oddity among the contemporary Swedes.

HANS MANSSON, PETER'S STEPFATHER

Ella Steelman and Hans Mansson must have married within a few months after Peter Jochimson's death, as John Hanson Steelman was born in 1655. When she became a widow in 1654, Ella was only twenty years old. Hans Mansson must have been about 42 years old at that time for he declared himself to be "72 years or thereabouts" some thirty years later when, on 25 June 1684, he joined with two other "antient Sweeds," Peter Cock and Peter Rambo, in a deposition solicited by William Penn.
Hans Mansson had arrived in the colony on the same voyage that carried the Stille family in 1641. Therefore he would have known Ella since she was a girl of seven. Coming from Skara, Sweden, Hans initially served as a laborer planting tobacco at Printz's Upland plantation. By 1648 he had become a freeman and quite likely built his log cabin close to Peter Jochimson's at Aronameck or else shared the same habitat. At that time Aronameck had four morgens (8 acres) of cleared land and they probably farmed it together. Kile many other freemen, both of them were initially without wives, until Peter married Ella Olofsdotter. Perhaps they competed for her hand. In any event both would end up marrying her.
Governor Printz chose Hans Mansson as one of six settler's to go on a diplomatic mission to Annapolis in 1651 to confirm the peaceful intentions of Maryland toward New Sweden. After Rising's arrival he continued in active support of the colony. In June 1654 he was sent to Maryland again to urge deserters to return to New Sweden. On 27 July 1654, after word had been received of Peter Jochim's death in Manhattan, it was Hans Mansson who volunteered to go to Manhattan "to find out how conditions were there. He remained in Manhattan for about a week, long enough to verify that his friend Peter Jochim had died and been buried there. On Hans return to New Sweden on 12 August 1654, Governor Rising recorded in his journal:
Hans Mansson came from Manathans and related that a deal of talk circulated among the ordinary men there such as Hollanders, favoring free separation (boycott of New Sweden): it is allowed to speak freely in contempt of others (the Swedes); that we should starve out there; the savages would smite us dead; and we should get no more aid from the Fatherland; and Stuyvesant was full soon (going) to come here and make our river (clear?) of the Swedes. But he wanted first to await orders, we (would) take notice of that: and likewise that the tithe was due.
In August 1655 Hans Mansson ventured to Staten Island at Rising's request, taking with him another freeman (Jacob Sprint) on a mission of espionage. They returned with the news that Peter Stuyvesant was preparing to invade the South River with a flotilla of ships and many soldiers.

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