My ancestors came from both Sweden and Bohemia, settling in Iowa. Through this blog I hope to share information with my own relatives about my Swedish ancestors. Please comment or share any interesting and relevant information you have on this family line.

Monday, March 29, 2021

UPDATING A STORY, CORRECTING AN ERROR

I’m a careful researcher. I’m slow, deliberate, curious, and I have a healthy bit of skepticism whenever I look at another person’s research or online tree. After all, mistakes can happen. And today, I’m going to update a Linn story and correct an error; and I hope, in the process, you feel as if you now have some bragging rights when others talk about their famous ancestors.

On September 2, 2018, I posted an article about us being “Almost Royalty”. I described how our 5th great grandfather, Amund Persson, a well-to-do farmer, married a very well-connected woman named Catharina Margreta Strahle. They were married for over 6 years and, in 1756, Catharina died in childbirth. All of those facts are intact. What I discussed at the time is that we were not related to Swedish nobility because Catharina died before giving birth to any child with our 5th great-grandfather.

Today, and with more research, I know that is not true. Amund Persson and Catharina Margreta Strahle did have one child, a son named Carl Peter Amundsson, born on July 30, 1749. And so, through this son who is half Amund Persson, we are related to the Swedish nobility. Carl is my half 5th great uncle, certainly not a close relationship, but still, we are related. And that means that the Linns are related to Swedish nobility including the following:

 

  •       Johan Carl Strale, a captain;
  •          Barbaro Christina Gripenheim, daughter of Nils  Gripenhjelm who was also a captain and governor (appointed by the king) of Kopparberg;
  •          Gustaf Carlson Bonde of Lajhela, a titled man, a chancellor:
  •          Peter Natt-och-Dag Heer van Bro, a Swedish noble family and the oldest still existing family of pure Swedish extraction; officially known since the year 1280, according to documents at the Swedish National Archives


Priests, advisors, governors, captains are all part of Catharina Margreta Strahle’s lineage. And in turn, her son Carl is also related to us.

      I’ve traced Carl a bit. He was born in 1749 and died in 1799. He married and had one son born in 1778.

      I’m still most proud of my hard-working farmers from whom I descend. But I have to admit that I sat up in my chair a little straighter while writing this post.

      And for the record, I’ve traced the Olofson line back 7-9 generations and I can tell you with certainty that there is no nobility on that side. I’m thinking my grandma Maude Olofson Linn might have been a bit upset by that!

 


 Crest for the Natt-och-Dag noble family of Sweden

 


 

 

Crest for the Gustaf Carlson Bonde of Lajhela noble family of Sweden

 

 

Crest for the Strahle family


If you’re interested in learning more, you can google any of the names above to see photos and more information.

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

 To my relatives and those who found my blog of 2018:

Welcome back! I've missed all of you, your comments and questions and your interest in our family history. And I miss writing. In the past couple of months, 3 different people have commented on their interest in re-reading the original blog posts or asking me to write more. And so, here we are in 2021.

I do have a couple of ideas, people to write about, updates on some of the original stories. But I need your help. What would you like to have me write about? If I don't know it, I'll research it and do my best to present more information for all of us with Linn and/or Olofson ancestry. Do you have a story or a photo to share? If so, I'd be happy to post your contribution under your name on this blog. Many of you have my personal email, but you can always post in the comments section here and I'll definitely contact you.

It was wonderful during 2018 to reconnect with so many cousins and to be introduced to other relatives. I've had emails from people who simply found through a google search a blog post that was of interest. And now my circle of relatives has grown!

Let's make this new round of blog posts interesting and fun and keep our connection going. Look for a new post in the next week or two and please send me your ideas.

Diane

And please tell your siblings and other family members you know about the blog so we can continue to grow our family connections.