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Eric or Erik Jansson or Janson (21 December 1808〔According to ''Nordisk familjebok'', the birthdate was 19 December.〕 — 13 May 1850) was the leader of a Swedish pietist sect that emigrated to the United States in 1846. ==Biography== Jansson was born in Biskopskulla in Uppland, near Uppsala, the son of Jan Mattsson, a farmer, and his wife, Sarah Eriksdotter. Believing that he was miraculously cured of rheumatism, he became devoutly religious, and developed beliefs that conflicted with the catechism of the Lutheran Church of Sweden. He believed in the supremacy of the Bible and was arrested several times by the authorities for burning the works of Luther and others in public and encouraging his followers to do the same. From 1844, he claimed to be a true prophet speaking the word of God. After repeated brushes with the law in Sweden, and having outraged members of the Church of Sweden, he departed for the United States in 1846, condemning his homeland to eternal damnation and taking 1,200—1,500 followers with him.〔The lower figure is from ''Nordisk familjebok'', the higher from Barton, 16.〕 A trusted follower, Olof Olsson, was sent ahead to locate a suitable place to settle in the United States. He arrived in New York on the ''Neptunus'' on 16 December 1845. There he met a fellow Swede, Olof Gustaf Hedström, who suggested that Olsson contact his brother, Jonas Hedström, who was living in Victoria, Illinois. Other followers were not so lucky as several vessels foundered during the voyage, consigning hundreds of Janssonists to the deep. Many others were killed by cholera during the trip, or soon after they arrived. Jansson arrived in New York in June 1846 and with the help of 400 of his followers who had survived the journey, founded the Bishop Hill Colony in Henry County, Illinois. He named the colony after his Swedish birthplace. Although many died in the first winter, others continued to arrive from Sweden. The villagers lived as a collective religious colony for 15 years, from 1846 to 1861, tilling the soil, tending their animals, and building their settlement with bricks that they made by hand. Some local pioneers were amazed by their lifestyle and the relative success that it generated. Jansson sent nine of his followers to California in 1850, hoping that they would prospect successfully during the California Gold Rush. It was hoped that this additional wealth would help support their community. But the idyllic life in rural Illinois was not to last. John Root, a Swedish immigrant who had married Jansson's cousin, Charlotta Louisa Root, had become disaffected with the commune and wanted to leave Bishop Hill, but the other colonists prevented him from taking his family along. On May 13, 1850, while Root and Jansson were dealing with unrelated legal matters at the courthouse in nearby Cambridge, Illinois, Root shot and killed Jansson. John Root was convicted of manslaughter, but was released after serving just one year in prison. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Eric Jansson」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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