The custody battle that ended America’s most successful Swedish commune in 1850

John Root’s Fatal Shooting of Eric Janson

In 1846, Eric Janson led 1,200 Swedish followers to Illinois, fleeing Lutheran church persecution. They built Bishop Hill Colony, a thriving religious commune.

Trouble came in 1849 when outsider John Root married Janson’s cousin Charlotta under a special contract. When Root tried to leave with his wife and child, she refused to go.

After two failed kidnapping attempts, Root filed legal claims against Janson. Then on May 13, 1850, at the Cambridge courthouse, Root shot Janson dead.

This shocking murder marked the beginning of the end for one of America’s most successful religious experiments, now preserved at Bishop Hill State Historic Site.

Swedish Pietists Fled Religious Persecution to America

Eric Janson started a religious group in Sweden during the 1840s. His followers rejected the Lutheran Church’s rituals and clergy focus.

They burned religious books they thought took attention away from the Bible. Swedish officials went after the Jansonists because laws banned private worship meetings.

Police arrested Janson several times. During one prison trip to Gävle, he escaped.

Facing more trouble, Janson gathered about 400 followers in 1846 and left for America to worship freely.

The Prairie Colony Survived Despite Brutal First Winter

Janson’s group landed in New York in June 1846 and traveled to Henry County, Illinois. They bought 800 acres of prairie and named it Bishop Hill after Janson’s birthplace.

Their first winter hit hard. The Swedes dug caves into hillsides for shelter, with men and women living apart.

Sickness spread in these tight spaces, killing 96 colonists before spring. Survivors stuck together, built proper homes and planted crops.

More Swedes joined them in the following years.

A Marriage Contract Planted Seeds of Future Conflict

Three Swedish men came to Bishop Hill from New Orleans in late 1848. Two left quickly, but John Root stayed.

He fell for Charlotta Louisa “Lotta” Jansson, Eric Janson’s cousin. The couple married in November 1849 with an unusual rule in their contract.

If Root ever wanted to leave the colony, Charlotta could choose to stay with her people. This small detail later sparked deadly events nobody saw coming.

Root Grew Restless With Colony Life

John Root never fully fit into Bishop Hill’s shared lifestyle. He skipped the regular work schedule other colonists followed in their textile business.

Root liked hunting, tracking, or using his language skills as a translator. He often left for weeks at a time.

During one long absence, Charlotta had their baby. When Root came back, he told Charlotta to pack up.

He wanted to take his family away from Bishop Hill for good. Charlotta said no, pointing to their marriage agreement.

The Desperate Husband Took His Family By Force

Root couldn’t accept Charlotta’s choice to stay at Bishop Hill. He grabbed her and their baby, taking them away from the colony.

Charlotta’s sister Caroline found out where Root had taken them and told Janson. Jan, Charlotta’s brother, tracked them down and brought mother and child back to Bishop Hill.

Charlotta told everyone she came back because she wanted to, not wanting to live with Root. The colony leaders then kept Root from seeing his family, making him angrier.

Root Returned With Reinforcements and Threats

On March 26, 1850, Root tried again to take his family. This time he brought fellow Masons from Cambridge to help.

The plan failed when Janson hid Lotta and the baby before Root arrived. Worried about their safety, Janson ran with them to St. Louis, where he found work selling flour. Root grew more desperate.

He gathered an angry mob and marched to Bishop Hill, threatening to burn the colony down. He claimed the colonists took a veteran’s wife against her will.

Legal Battle Brought Both Men to the Same Courthouse

Root took his fight to court, filing trespassing charges against Janson in Henry County. The legal case forced Janson to come back from St. Louis to appear at the Cambridge courthouse for the colony.

On May 12, 1850, Janson preached to his followers about a Bible passage where Jesus talked about “drinking in his Father’s kingdom. ” Nobody knew how strange this timing would seem.

The next day, both men would face each other at the courthouse in Cambridge.

Two Gunshots Ended the Prophet’s Life

During lunch break on May 13, 1850, Janson stood talking with the Henry County Clerk in the courthouse. Root saw his chance.

He ran up the courthouse stairs and called out Janson’s name from a doorway. When Janson turned to look, Root fired twice.

The bullets hit Janson, killing him right away as shocked people watched. Root didn’t try to run.

Police arrested him on the spot, and a grand jury charged him with murder that same day.

The Colony Waited Three Days for a Resurrection

Janson’s followers couldn’t believe their leader was really dead. He often compared himself to Christ and talked about divine protection.

The colonists put his body on display for three days, fully expecting him to come back to life. When nothing happened, they finally buried him.

The community felt lost and confused about what to do next. Mrs. Janson picked Andreas Berglund to look after her young son, but questions about who would lead remained unanswered.

Seven Men Took Control of the Leaderless Colony

Jonas Olsson hurried back from California when he heard about Janson’s murder. He claimed Janson had picked him to lead if something happened.

The colonists decided to choose seven trustees with lifetime jobs to run colony business. Olsson and Olof Johnson became the main leaders among these trustees.

Under them, Bishop Hill grew more successful than ever. They fixed the work system, built new buildings, and grew their farming and manufacturing.

A Light Sentence and Financial Troubles Spelled the End

John Root stood trial for murder but got convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter. The judge sentenced him to just two years in prison.

After serving only one year, the governor pardoned Root in 1852. He died shortly after his release.

Meanwhile, Bishop Hill faced growing problems. In 1857, trustee Olof Johnson made terrible unauthorized investments that drained the colony’s finances. The economic panic that year made things worse.

By 1861, the colonists voted to end their communal system, dividing the property among members and closing the final chapter on Eric Janson’s utopian dream.

Visiting Bishop Hill Colony, Illinois

You can explore Bishop Hill Colony at 304 South Bishop Hill Road where Eric Janson’s tragic murder shattered this Swedish religious community. The state historic site is free with donations welcomed.

Visit Wednesday through Sunday, 9am-5pm from March through October, or 9am-4pm November through February. Take self-guided tours of the Colony Church, Colony Hotel, and Museum.

Watch the orientation video at the Museum to see upper floors that aren’t accessible.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• Would you volunteer to catch malaria to help win WWII? These Illinois prisoners did
• The decision that exposed the real Ulysses Grant years before he fought for the Union
• The Illinois Michigan Canal: where American progress met medieval plague