Jonas Bronck

Jonas Jonasson Bronck (* 1600 in Komstad, Småland, † 1643) was in 1638 the first European settlers at the mouth of the Hudson River ( New York). According to him, the Bronx is named.

Over many decades circulated various assumptions, which origin was Bronck.

After the meantime disproved the view of many Faroese he was a countryman, who emigrated to America. In the Faroese capital Tórshavn street Jónas Broncks Gøta is named after him, and there he was not only regarded as the son of the city, but also as the "first New York ". Under the name of Johannes Martini Farinsulanus (or: Hans Mortensen [ of the Faroe Islands ] ) was a theology student in 1619 in Roskilde (Denmark) enrolled. When his parents the Faroese and Danish priests couple Billu and Morten Jespersen Brunck (also: Jesperson ) called from Tórshavn.

Most plausible recently refuted the U.S. genealogist Brian G. Andersson, the thesis of the Faroese Broncks as namesake of the Bronx by stating that the settlers on the Hudson River appears in a document as Jonas Jonasson engagement. Jonasson may not be the son of Morten (ie Mortensen ). Also, the Faroese Morten Jespersen Brunck already died on August 15, 1583, nearly seventeen years before the birth of Jonas Bronck explored the Hudson River.

It now seems certain that Bronck came (today in the municipality Sävsjö, Småland) over Holland from his home Komstad. Various sources mention a Jonas Jonasson Bronck as the first settlers in the area of present-day New York, where he is identified as Norse times, sometimes as a Dutchman. This could be explained by the fact that the Swede, as indicated in some sources, should be initially emigrated to the Netherlands.