New Jersey Native Honored by Government of Sweden
Up until 1975, the Order of the Polar Star was intended as an honor for those of Swedish descent who demonstrated civic merits for devotion to duty, for science, for literary, learned and useful works, and for new and beneficial institutions. Perameters for the honor now includes those individuals who have personally raised the bar on maintaining and cultivating Sweden’s culture and history throughout the world. The Cross of the Royal Order itself is somewhat unique; it is of the Maltese type and was originally worn on a black sash. However, since 1975, the sash is now blue in color with yellow edges, and the emblem bears the device of the Order: “Nescit Occasum” (“It knows no decline”).
Hendrickson was born in Salem, New Jersey, a rural, agriculturally-oriented area, but has resided in Moorestown township for nearly thirty-five years. His personal and keen interest in Swedish genealogy goes back to his early teen years. “When I was young, I was born in Salem but lived in Auburn, Salem County, which was and still is very much a farming region. My father was a farmer, and all of the family helped out on our farm. By the age of 16, I was able to get my farmer’s driving license because I drove the tractors and trucks that we used. One day, just out of pure curiousity, I drove over to Woodbury to see the Gloucester County Historical Society museum. Honestly, it was there that I first learned about the history of the Hendrickson family in the United States, after they emigrated from Sweden. It really piqued my interest in my family tree and of course in the country of Sweden itself. It wasn’t until about fifteen years later that I once again began thinking about where I fit into that genealogical line; there was a lot of information to be found about my ancestors themselves, but somewhat, I wanted to fit my self into that gray, fuzzy area of connecting the family past to the present day, from the old to the new”, stated Hendrickson.
After graduating from Woodstown High School in 1972, Hendrickson attended the prestigious Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania; he graduated from Wharton in 1976. “At that time, I really wanted to become an accountant or perhaps a ‘captain of industry”. Little did I know what path my life would take.” On a bit of a whim, Hendrickson applied to the Rutgers School of Law and received his J.D. in 1979. After law school, he worked for the United States Attorney’s Office in Camden, New Jersey and was later hired as the Assistant Prosecutor for Burlington County, New Jersey. “My career as a criminal defense attorney lasted from 1981 through 1988”, said Hendrickson. “It was a very interesting and often very stressful occupation. I was looking for a larger law office space when I met Nancy, whom at that time was looking for a larger space for her family design firm. We were married a few years later. As time went on, I found myself doing less and less legal work – and enjoying it less – and becoming more and more involved in the design firm’s business. Cataleno is a Communications Design firm for the electronics, intranet and web media industries. We do corporate communications, we provide seminars and workshops for industries, and produce corporate annual reports and human resources reports as well for our clients. It’s a very fast-paced business as you can probably imagine. That’s particularly true when you compare it to a career in the legal field, which by its very nature demands longer time constraints and a real sense of ‘patiently waiting’ to conclude matters. As a husband and wife team working together, Nancy and I are blessed to have a very good working relationship together.”
Somehow, attorney/design firm partner Hendrickson made the time to commit to his goal of crossing that ‘fuzzy gray line’ to put his family and himself on the genealogical map. He served as the Governor of the Swedish Colonial Society from 2003 through 2005. The Swedish Colonial Society’s mission is to maintain the memory and genealogy of the Swedish colony, New Sweden, which was founded in 1738. The Swedish Colonial Society, which was itself founded in 1909, is the oldest Swedish historical organization in the country. The Society’s purposes include the collection, preservation and publication of materials related to the history of the Swedes and the Finns in the United States. It also serves to maintain parks, memorials, monuments and historical sites related to Swedish settlers as well as to commemorate historical accomplishments and events, many of which are both free and open to the public. At least five books have been published regarding the history of the first permanent Swedish settlers; in 1929, Dr. Amadus Johnson constructed the American Swedish Historical Museum located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (In gratitude, the Society established the Dr. Amandus Johnson Endowment Fund, which provides yearly scholarships to students of Scandanavian studies at the University of Pennsylvania.) There are actually three levels of membership available within the Swedish Colonial Society itself. Active members are those who as individuals, families or groups are interested in the history of the New Sweden Colony and the early Swedish/Finnish American settlers. Life members are active members who pay a one-time admissions fee in lieu of annual dues. The top level, Forefather members, are active members who can provide legitimate confirmation of their descent from Swedish or Finnish colonists in the United States prior to the Treaty of Paris, marking the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783.
Hendrickson is both a Councillor and Forefather member of the Society, having served as Honorary Governor of the Society for three years. Perhaps his most valued contribution to the Society, including his time, legal counsel, research papers and more, was his publication entitled “Hendrickson House: The Oldest Stone House in America?”. Printed in 1999, the document is an extensively-researched and well-documented history of his paternal ancestors’ home. The article remains in print to this day.
Congratulations to Ronald Hendrickson for his years and years of service to the Swedish/American community and for finally being able to locate his own ‘fuzzy gray spot’ on his family tree!
