Our Ancestors' Footprints: 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 5^th 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 5^th 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 5^th 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!