Mother's Day

On Mother’s Day, appreciation and thanks to these Swedish moms who came before me, the women I research and try to bring to life for others to know:

My grandmother: Maude Edith Olofson Linn (1897-1973)*

My great-grandmothers: Olivia Rask Olofson (1859-1943) and Elin Mathilda Andersson Linn (1867-1925)

My great-great grandmothers: Catharina Lundblad Linn (1823-1912); Anna Maja Abrahamsdotter Anderson (1832-1918); Maria Barquist Olofson (1842-?); and Sophia Margrita Kjellander (1822-1888)

And the many, many female ancestors whom I appreciate for their strength, courage, and abilities that trickled down from generation to generation to give us life. Some of these women endured extreme hardship or poverty, the loss of a spouse and children; some raised their children as single mothers; some had a dozen children or more and some died in childbirth; some crossed the ocean to find a better life. Others said goodbye to their entire families and never saw parents or siblings again. All were women who, through their strength in being the heart of the home, their courage in traveling across the ocean for a better life for them and their families, or for their education and pioneer work in medicine or teaching or other fields, fill me with pride.

All of them, each of them, is a part of each of us and we are a part of them. I honor

each of these mothers and their place in the history of our family…the Linns. And to my blog readers who are mothers, I send you a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY as well.

*Yes, I believe Grandma Linn that she was born in 1897, not 1896. Contact me for details as I used this as a topic I presented at my local genealogy society.

Maude Edith Olofson Linn