Ivan Linn Talents

The five Linn brothers were/are very musical, gaining an appreciation for music from both their parents, Peter and Maude Linn. Whether it was singing, dancing, playing an instrument, OR a combination of all three, each of the Linn boys was musically talented.

For a time, brothers Ellis and Ivan formed a group that entertained in and around Dayton. Ellis was and still is a great pianist, and in my fondest memories, played the great old honky tonk songs that Grandma Linn also played. Stanley, Rolland, Ellis, Ivan, and Merlyn all had rhythm, using their talents on the dance floor with the ladies or entertaining others.

Ivan Linn was certainly no exception. With much financial hardship, Peter and Maude found a way to pay for Ivan's dance lessons where he excelled at tap. 

While attending a Navy school at the Naval Air Technical Training Center in Norman, Oklahoma, Ivan entered a contest in Oklahoma City, and was chosen as the winner out of a group of 235 contestants. This gained him the attention of Ted Mack scouts who invited him to appear on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour, an early version of American Idol-type talent shows where the audience voted for their favorite. 

I am delighted to be able to share with you the video of the entire Ted Mack program from September 26, 1952. Ivan is the second entertainer in the video.

https://clipchamp.com/watch/USvTHxDcxAW

And following are two news articles about Ivan's appearance on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour in 1952 and at the American Legion in Fort Dodge as a child.

On a little side note, I found Mrs. Helen Childs (age 38) in the 1940 US Federal Census, living with her husband Walter (age 40) at 1111 Union Street in Boone. She is listed as a dancing instructor with her own studio. Her husband was a brakeman for the railroad. No children listed.

Just another proud moment in our Linn history. Thanks, Ivan, for sharing your talents with all of us.

Linns From A to Z

Once again, I'm just poking around my ancestral tree, looking for an interesting ancestor or someone I'd like to know more about. While looking through all of the Linns in my genealogy program, I counted 141 with the surname LINN. And this 141 doesn't count those who married into the family and took the Linn name.

There are 3 with the first name Mary; 3 with the name Maria; 4 Donalds; and the winner is John with 7. My list of Linns starts with my cousin Alan and ends with my 2nd cousin, twice removed, Zona Linn. Since Zona is an unusual name, I decided to take a closer look at her.

Zona was born in Minnesota on 28 April 1902 to Louis S. Linn and his wife Florence Stafford, their second child. Shortly after Zona's birth, her mother Florence died. Louis remarried in 1910 to Anna Brockman, who brought 3 more children to the marriage.

The name Louis S. Linn may mean nothing to us, but Louis' parents should sound familiar. Louis' father was Lewis Linn, the stepson of John Linn. Lewis took the last name Linn when John married his mother Sarah Svensdotter. Lewis enlisted in 1863 to fight in the Civil War. He joined the regiment at Athens, Alabama, where he remained for six weeks and then started with Sherman in his memorable march to the sea. He was in two engagements with Sherman in the Carolina campaign. He was later transferred to the 7th Iowa Infantry. He was twice wounded in engagements, and this permanently disabled him. He was mustered out of the service about July 1865 with a most creditable military record.

While Lewis Linn is not a direct ancestor, his wife certainly is. Kerstin Olofsdotter is my 3rd great aunt and sister to my 2nd great grandfather, Olof Olofson.

Back to Zona. In 1920, at the age of 17, Zona married Delbert Rouch, age 25, in Michigan. This marriage, however, didn't stand the test of time as they divorced sometime before the 1930 census. The divorce probably happened before 1925 as I find Delbert Rouch, a carpenter, living by himself in his home state of Indiana. And, in 1930, I find Zona, divorced, working as a telephone operator and living by herself in Minnesota. 

In 1933, Zona marries Thomas Tomek, an orchestra musician of Bohemian descent, who was 7 years Zona's junior. I would venture a guess that Thomas played in a Czech group that played polkas around the Midwest. For a time, they lived in Chicago which had a large number of Czech/Bohemian families.

While it doesn't appear that any children were born to this couple, they had a long marriage until Thomas died in 1987 in Minnesota. Zona passed in 1992. Both are buried at Saints Cyril and Methodius Catholic Cemetery, Taunton, Lyon County, Minnesota.

So, like most of us, Zona Linn lived a normal, but fairly unremarkable life. Still, I'm happy to share her with you and keep her name alive.

Zona and her brother Lyle were from Louis S. Linn and Florence Stafford Linn's marriage.