The American Cyclopædia (1879)/Acrelius, Israel

ACRELIUS, Israel, a Swedish clergyman, born Dec. 25, 1714, died April 25, 1800. He studied in Upsal, and was ordained in 1743. In 1749 he was appointed provost of the Swedish congregations on the Delaware, and pastor of Raccoon and Pensneck, and subsequently of Christiana. He managed the ecclesiastical affairs of the Swedish colonists, which he found

in great disorder, with zeal and prudence. Ill health, however, compelled him to resign his situation in 1756, and return to Sweden. The king bestowed upon him a large pension, and the lucrative living of Fellingsbro. Besides some articles on American affairs in the Swedish journals, and numerous religious works, Acrelius published a description of the Swedish colonies in America (4to, 1759).