| Brandywine Creek, Brandywine River | |
| May be of Finnish origin. Several place names Brandywine are today found in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Vinam may be a derivation of the Finnish surname Viinanen. Anders Andersson Vinam, born in Sweden, arrived at the Delaware as a bachelor and was living at Christina, south of the Brandywine, in 1669-1670, when (as Andries Andriessen or Andres Brainwinde) he was named in patents for adjoining land. His alias (Weinam or Vinam) may have been derived from vinna [the correct Finnish word is viina], the Finnish word for brandy, and arguably the Brandywine River was named after him. Brännvin is the Swedish equivalent. He first moved to Crane Hook, but in 1679 joined Matthias Jönsson Hutt and Lars Cornelisson Vinam in the move to Chestnut Neck in Penn's Neck. Source: Peter Stebbins Craig, New Sweden Settlers, 1638-1664. Part 8 (1663-1664). -Swedish American Genealogist 19(1999):4, p. 305. The derivation of the name Brandywine, used as early as 1665, has never been satisfactorily explained... Source: Heck et al. 1966. |
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| Finns Point | |
| Point of land on the left bank of the Delaware River, in the Killcohook National Wildlife Refuge, 2.5 miles NE of Delaware City, New Castle County. | May be of Finnish origin. It is doubtful whether such appellations as Finns Point were ever bestowed by Finns. Rather, such names indicating nationality tend to have been given by individuals of other nationalities to identify certain places with the Old World background of their predominant inhabitants. Source: Kaups 1966, p. 387. |
| Matson's Run | |
| A stream in New Castle County. | Eric Mattsson, a servant in 1656, first resided on a branch
of Skilpot Creek, which became known as Matson's Run. He moved to Crane Hook in 1663 and
remained there until his death after 1671. His widow Anna later married Hendrick Lemmens.
Eric was survived by two sons, Matthias Ericksson and Eric Ericksson, both of whom
sometimes used the surname of Hammalin. [Is "Hammalin" the Finnish surname
"Hämäläinen"?] Source: Peter Stebbins Craig, New Sweden Settlers, 1638-1664. Part 7 (1656). -Swedish American Genealogist 19(1999):1, p. 8. Reported to be named after Eric Matsson (Erich Matzon) a servant on the Swedish expedition of 1655. Source: Heck et al. 1966. |