Not much is known about Jonas Bronck. Bronck was born in 1600 on a province called Smaland in Sweden.

Jonas decided to leave his home country for many reasons. The first reason Jonas left was due to the war of Kalmar which was between Sweden and Denmark. The Kalmar war was going to be fought on his village. The second reason Jonas could of left was because of the high tariffs put on cattle. The high taxes could leave him homeless and broke. After Bronck left Sweden he resurfaced in the Netherlands and became a merchant sea captain.

The Dutch West Indian Company wanted people to settle into the new world. If the Netherlands had settlers already on the land; it would be able to lay claim. Bronck and other farmers and seamen came with him to the new world. The farmers settled in what is now The Bronx.

In the new settlement Native Americans were still occupying the land. Since the new settlers were farming they saw the fur trade as a good way of making money. The fur trade will show conflict between the settlers and Native Americans. In 1642 a farmers killed an Indian for his fur causing a violent conflict that would cause many deaths.

The death of Jonas Bronck is said to be from a Indian violence that had erupted from the fur trade conflict.

Jonas Bronck and his family did not spend a lot of time in The Bronx but he was the first settler on that land. The idea that he left his home country with a mix of people to live is what The Bronx is all about.