Our Ancestors' Footprints: Olaus Fredricsson

OLAUS FREDRICSSON

Were our ancestors good people? Interesting? Flawed? How did they die? What did they do for a living? How many children did they have? For over 40 years I’ve been studying and researching my family history, learning not just the names and dates of their lives, but ABOUT their lives.

One of our common Linn ancestors is Olaus Fredricsson, my 3^rd great-grandfather, father to Peter, John, and Gus Linn. This blog posting will give some details of Olaus' life, but please contact me if you would like to know more about him.

Olaus was born on the 15^th of September 1785 in the beautiful parish of Eksjo, located in Jonkoping County. Olaus and his sister Maria were born to Fredric Smedbom and his second wife Brita Olofsdotter. This family was middle class or perhaps even more well off as Fredric was a magistrate. When Fredric died in 1797, his probate listed him as a gentleman farmer. His probate was several pages long indicating some level of wealth.

Olaus was just 12 when his father died, which would have meant a shift in lifestyle for him, his sister Maria, and his mother Brita with no husband or father to support them. Olaus and his sister became farm workers and began to make their own way.

Olaus met Catharina Johansdotter while both worked as servants for other farmers. They married on November 13, 1810; and during the next church survey, he and Catharina are shown as land owners. To this union were born 8 children, including the three youngest, Olaus Petter (Peter Linn) born June 21, 1823; Johan Leonard (John Linn) born May 29, 1826; and the baby Augustus Magnus (Gus Linn) born April 17, 1829. When Gus was just 15 months old, his father, Olaus Fredricsson passed away from a fever at the age of 45.

In the probate for Olaus Fredricsson, as well as in several church surveys, he is listed as a jury man (namdemannen) which means that one of his roles was to conduct inventories for other families in probate. He was also a Rusthallaren which means that his farm supplied and supported a soldier.

We have been to the two major farms that Olaus and Catharina owned. Bjornstorp in Vastra Ryd Parish, Ostergotland County; and Dodringshult in Ingatorp Parish, Jonkoping County. Both farms were beautiful, large, had many buildings that would have housed servants, animals, and farm equipment. Clearly, Olaus had made a good life for his family.

Probates always include an inventory of all assets by category including pewter, copper, iron, wood, tools, bedding and clothing, the deceased’s clothing, miscellaneous items.

Among some of the more interesting items in Olaus Fredricsson’s probate were the following:

One mirror

Feather bed cover

Table cloth

4 hand towels

Two pair of short black boxers and one pair of brown boxers

An old Bible printed in Stockholm by Nicholas Van Kiff, dated 1688

A history of the year 1620

4 cows midsized

3 cows in their 2nd year

2 calves

Following this accounting of assets is a listing of debts. One of the more interesting debts in Olaus’ inventory is a payment to his half-brother, Hans Fredricsson, for 12 bottles of wine. According to Swedish rule, once the probate and final accounting was done, the wife would receive half of the proceeds; sons received twice what daughters received.

I’ve often wondered if our 15-month old Gus ever did receive his inheritance. While minor children had someone at the probate to supposedly look after their interest, it seems a bit far-fetched to think that Gus's share of his father’s estate would have been held for him until he was of age.

After Olaus died and the probate was settled, Catharina had to move to a small house called Vastra Lund down a dirt road from Dodringshult. In the 1831-36 survey, we see her, and her three youngest sons: Olaus Petter, Johan Leonard, and Gustus Magnus. However, in 1836, when Catharina marries Johannes Johansson, a man 19-years her junior, all 4 of them move to different places. Catharina moved to Eksjo where she married Johannes. Olaus Petter moved to Kisa; Johan Leonard moved to Ulrika, and Gustus moved to Torpa. In 1836, Gustus was just 6 or 7 years old; John would have been 10, and Peter would have been 13. Maybe these boys were sent away as Catharina prepared to marry again.

Had Olaus not died when his three youngest children were so young, their lives might have been very different. I wonder, would Peter, John, and Gus have left Sweden to make their way in the United States? They may have inherited land from their father on which to begin their own adult lives and never felt the need to leave. Something to think about.