Wilmington, Delaware

:For other places called Wilmington, see Wilmington

History

The area now known as Wilmington was first colonized by settlers from Sweden and Finland about 1638, establishing the colony on New Sweden. In 1655 the Dutch arrived and took over the colonies from the Swedes and Finns. Then in 1644 British colonization began, the area stabilized under British rule, with strong influences from the Quaker communities, and was granted a borough charter in 1739 by the King George II which changed the name from Willington, after Thomas Willing the first 'developer" of the land who organized the area in a grid pattern similar to that of its northern neighbor Philadelphia, to Wilmington, presumably after Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington.

Related Topics:
Sweden - Finland - 1638 - New Sweden - 1655 - Dutch - 1644 - British - Quaker - Borough - 1739 - Thomas Willing - Spencer Compton - Earl of Wilmington

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