The Other Siblings

Several of the posts this year have mentioned my grandfather Peter Linn and his brother Frank Linn, as well as my grandmother Maude Edith Olofson Linn. But there are other siblings who have had no mention this year. And today, it's time to look at Elsie Louellen Linn, Lee Verne (Vernie) Olofson, and Lilly Sophia Olofson.


Elsie Louellen Linn
Elsie was born on August 3, 1889, in Webster County, Iowa, the first born of Andrew and Elin Linn. Peter (1892) and Frank (1895) completed the family.

Several local articles from the Dayton Review and other local newspapers show Elsie to be a very social young lady, visiting with friends in different towns and hosting parties. According to later census records, Elsie had an 8th grade education. The first time I see Elsie with her future husband is in a December 12, 1907, Dayton Review article that states:

Frank and James Johnson of Paton and Elsie Linn and Francis Carlson of near Stratford, spent Sunday at S. B. Tell's. 

Were Elsie and Francis dating in 1907? It's not clear, but they were at least friends, spending a Sunday together over a year before they married.

Francis, born on November 23, 1886, was the son of a Swedish-born father and a mother from Illinois. Elsie was the daughter of a Swedish-born mother and a father from Iowa. Francis and Elsie married in Fort Dodge, on January 6, 1909 and set up farming north of Stratford. In 1911, they moved to Lake Wilson, Minnesota, then to Butterfield, Minnesota, before moving back to Webster County in 1918. In every Federal census (1910-1940), the Carlsons are renters, never owning their farm. In 1946, they retired from farming and moved to Boone where Francis worked for the Mabe Implement Company.

Four boys were born to Francis and Elsie:

• Kenneth Quinten Carlson, January 20, 1910 - September 29, 2008
• Chester Linn Carlson, July 4, 1913 - April 26, 1997
• Wayne Wendell Carlson, September 21, 1921 - October 9, 1974
• Eugene Francis Carlson, February 8, 1926 - April 16, 2008

So, four boys to Elsie. Five boys to her brother Peter. And then came Joan, the only girl, who was born to youngest sibling Frank. I'm thinking that everyone was happy to greet Joan, to finally have a girl in the family!

Elsie's husband Francis died on November 24, 1958, just ONE day after he celebrated his 72nd birthday. 

Elsie continued to live in Boone, and just a couple of months before her death, she moved to a retirement home in Boone. Elsie passed away on August 7, 1976, and is buried next to her husband in Oakwood Cemetery. 

Details about women at this time are difficult to find. Most women didn't work outside the home, have a higher education, or hold office. When I review the local articles about Elsie, I see that she was an assistant organist for her Sunday school (1905), visited her grandmother in Dayton for a few days (1905; this was Catherine Lundblad Linn), socialized with many friends and cousins.

Lee Verne (Vernie) Olofson
Vernie was the first born child to William Edward Olofson and Olivia Rask Olofson. He was born in Hardin Township on November 22, 1890. Vernie completed the 8th grade, and, on June 25, 1918, he began a one-year term of duty with the U.S. Army, serving overseas. On March 1, 1922, he was united in marriage to Thelma Shelton. They farmed near Stratford. They had 3 sons: Veryl, born in 1928 and still living; Leo Dean, born in 1929 and died in 1957; and Derrell, born in 1936.

Vernie passed away at the age of 68 on September 2, 1959 in the Veteran's Hospital in Des Moines. He and his wife are buried at Oakwood Cemetery.

Below is an article about Vernie's return from World War I. Notice what his position was. Can you imagine Uncle Vernie in the midst of a battle or in the evening camp?

Dayton Review, June 26, 1919

Lilly Sophia Olofson

Vernie was born in 1890; Lilly was born just 1 1/2 years later on May 3, 1892. At this point, it's important to remember that William Edward Olofson and Olivia Rask Olofson actually had 5 children, but two of them died in infancy. Agnes lived just 3 days, December 16-19, 1894; Edward Olof lived for 4 months, from October 12, 1899 to February 27, 1900. Maude Edith Olofson, my grandmother, was born on March 1, 1897.

Lilly had an 8th grade education. On March 1, 1911 (coincidence, or planned to be on her sister's birthday???), Lilly married a man 10-years her senior, Charles (Charlie) Lundgren. Charlie and Lilly had no children, but we see in every Federal Census that Charlie's brother David lived with them. In the 1940 Federal Census, Lilly's mother Olivia Rask Olofson, is living with them as well. 

Charlie died suddenly at the age of 74 on July 12, 1957. Lilly lived another 22 years, passing away at the age of 87 on December 14, 1979. They are buried at the Hardin Township Cemetery. A look at Aunt Lilly's funeral program shows some familiar names as her pall bearers: Ivan Linn, Veryl Olofson, Derrel Olofson, Marlyn Anderson, Kenneth Carlson, Keith Strandberg, Merlin Linn, Roland Linn.

Vernie, Maude, Lilly

Lilly and Charley

I'm thankful for the siblings Peter, Frank, and Maude had and the support they gave one another and their families. Today, a remembrance of these 3 people, important to the history of our family.