Maine Memory Network

Contributed by Maine Historical Society

Description

Governor Joshua Chamberlain appointed William Widgery Thomas as Maine’s first—and only—Commissioner of Immigration in March of 1870, after the Maine State Legislature approved a bill to support a Swedish colony.

Less than four months after passing the legislation, Thomas had traveled to Sweden where he recruited 22 men, 11 women, and 18 children, moved them across the Atlantic, and settled them into their town of New Sweden, located in Aroostook County.

Thomas’s commission was disbanded in 1873, after the success of New Sweden was secure. Though he was “Commissioner of Immigration,” Thomas never recruited people from other countries.

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About This Item

• Title: William Widgery Thomas' Commissioner of Immigration certificate, Portland, 1870
• Creator: State of Maine
• Creation Date: 1870-03-25
• Subject Date: 1870-03-25
• Locations:
  • Portland, Cumberland County, ME
  • Augusta, Kennebec County, ME
• Media: Vellum, Ink, Silk
• Dimensions: 34.5 cm x 45 cm
• Local Code: Coll. 2780
• Collection: William Widgery Thomas collection
• Object Type: Physical Object

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Cross Reference Searches

Standardized Subject Headings

• Ambassadors -- Norway.
• Ambassadors -- Sweden.
• Certificates
• Maine -- Emigration and immigration.
• New Sweden (Me.) -- History.
• Sweden -- Emigration and immigration.
• Swedish Americans -- Maine.
• Thomas, William Widgery, 1839-1927.

People

• Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence
• Drew, Franklin M.
• Thomas, William Widgery

Other Keywords

• Assistance programs
• Colonies
• Honors

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For more information about this item, contact:

Maine Historical Society
485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
Website

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