Governor's Profile

Click here to view the News Archive	Williams is 31st Governor of Swedish Colonial Society Kim-Eric Williams became the Governor of the Swedish Colonial Society at the Annual Meeting and Luncheon held on April 3 at the Brandywine Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware. This year’s annual meeting was held in conjunction with the Delaware Swedish Colonial Society. “It is a privilege to serve as the Governor of the Society at a time when it has accomplished so much and when so many exciting opportunities to expand the Society are before us, remarked Williams.” I am especially indebted to my good friend, Honorary Governor Ron Hendrickson for his collaborative and visionary direction during the last two years. The Society has moved into the very front ranks of all historical societies in this country. I hope that we can continue to expand both our domestic and Swedish membership, continue to pursue placement for our valuable and growing archival collection at the joint Mt Airy Archives, and be the voice of the people in preserving the imperiled historic sites in the Delaware Valley. In addition our publishing and research functions will continue to bear fruit with several ideas for publication in addition to the coming first volume of the Gloria Dei Records Project.” Williams lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania in the same county where his Ancestor, Olof Stille settled in 1641. He is an 11th generation descendent of a number of colonial Swedes including Carl C. Springer and Hendrick Jacobsson. He has four children: Lovisa in Virginia, and Pia. Justin, and Sarah in Connecticut. He received an AB in Social Science from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA, a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, PA. and a Doctor of Ministry from the Graduate Theological Foundation at Notre Dame, IN in Ecumenics. He was ordained by the Lutheran Church in America in 1969 and served congregations in New Jersey and Connecticut as well as serving as a Priest in the Church of Sweden at Täby in the Stockholm Diocese and as a staff official for the Division of World Mission and Ecumenism of the Lutheran church at Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. Since 2000 Williams has served as the Chaplain and Archivist of the Society, organizing and creating a Finding guide to the collections of the Society. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Lutheran Archives Center at Philadelphia and edits their newsletter, Archives Advocate. He has also been the editor of the Swedish Colonial News for five years and the translator and Assistant Editor of the Gloria Dei Records Project for the past seven years. He serves as the Director of Swedish Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Williams has been involved with a number of books, articles and presentations.Through his work on the Board of the New Sweden Centre of Wilmington he wrote The Eight Old Swedes Churches of New Sweden, and through his work with the Lutheran Archives Center, The Journey of Justus Falckner, the story of the first Swedish Ordination in America. Last year he edited Hans Ling’s Faces of New Sweden. He is a member of many local Swedish organizations and historical societies including the Augustana Heritage Association and the Anglican-Lutheran International Society.

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Williams is 31st Governor of Swedish Colonial Society

Kim-Eric Williams became the Governor of the Swedish Colonial Society at the Annual Meeting and Luncheon held on April 3 at the Brandywine Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware. This year’s annual meeting was held in conjunction with the Delaware Swedish Colonial Society.

“It is a privilege to serve as the Governor of the Society at a time when it has accomplished so much and when so many exciting opportunities to expand the Society are before us, remarked Williams.” I am especially indebted to my good friend, Honorary Governor Ron Hendrickson for his collaborative and visionary direction during the last two years. The Society has moved into the very front ranks of all historical societies in this country. I hope that we can continue to expand both our domestic and Swedish membership, continue to pursue placement for our valuable and growing archival collection at the joint Mt Airy Archives, and be the voice of the people in preserving the imperiled historic sites in the Delaware Valley. In addition our publishing and research functions will continue to bear fruit with several ideas for publication in addition to the coming first volume of the Gloria Dei Records Project.”

Williams lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania in the same county where his Ancestor, Olof Stille settled in 1641. He is an 11th generation descendent of a number of colonial Swedes including Carl C. Springer and Hendrick Jacobsson. He has four children: Lovisa in Virginia, and Pia. Justin, and Sarah in Connecticut. He received an AB in Social Science from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA, a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, PA. and a Doctor of Ministry from the Graduate Theological Foundation at Notre Dame, IN in Ecumenics. He was ordained by the Lutheran Church in America in 1969 and served congregations in New Jersey and Connecticut as well as serving as a Priest in the Church of Sweden at Täby in the Stockholm Diocese and as a staff official for the Division of World Mission and Ecumenism of the Lutheran church at Port-of-Spain, Trinidad.

Since 2000 Williams has served as the Chaplain and Archivist of the Society, organizing and creating a Finding guide to the collections of the Society. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Lutheran Archives Center at Philadelphia and edits their newsletter, Archives Advocate. He has also been the editor of the Swedish Colonial News for five years and the translator and Assistant Editor of the Gloria Dei Records Project for the past seven years. He serves as the Director of Swedish Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.

Williams has been involved with a number of books, articles and presentations.Through his work on the Board of the New Sweden Centre of Wilmington he wrote The Eight Old Swedes Churches of New Sweden, and through his work with the Lutheran Archives Center, The Journey of Justus Falckner, the story of the first Swedish Ordination in America. Last year he edited Hans Ling’s Faces of New Sweden. He is a member of many local Swedish organizations and historical societies including the Augustana Heritage Association and the Anglican-Lutheran International Society.