The End

 It's the end of 2023 and the end of this blog. 

Together, we've taken a look at the Linns, Olofsons, Barquists, Rasks, and others to whom we are related. We have much to be thankful for in our ancestry.

Farmers: John Barquist who gave up his position as fire manager in Sweden to bring his family to the United States, purchased land and farmed successfully only to see his land taken away by the state of Iowa in a case that went to the US Supreme Court. Peter Linn and other farmers who were Litchfield tenants/sharecroppers. 

Helpers: Peter Linn and a neighbor hauling a large rock over 2 miles and 2 days to Dayton to serve as a memorial to the World War I veterans from the Dayton area. Doctors like Louise Blanche Linn, an early osteopathic MD. Relatives who cared for other relatives in their later years i.e. Veryl Olofson and his two sisters who took turns caring for their mother Olivia Rask Olofson.

Those with difficulties: Olof Olofson who was blind the last 40 years of his life. Kerstin Larsdotter, his mother, who was severely hard of hearing her entire life and whose twin sister died in Sweden of epilepsy. Olivia Rask Olofson who, in later years had dementia and paranoia about people trying to break into her house.

Religious leaders: John Linn who served as Bishop over 3 states and who started many churches in the Midwest. Peter Berg, husband to Julia Linn, who was also a well-respected minister.

Soldiers: Too many to list, going back to the early days of Sweden. Bertil Monsieur who, when Sweden was at war against Norway in 1719 got frostbitten feet so bad that he couldn't continue as a soldier.  Louis Linn who marched with Sherman and was badly wounded. Gustus Linn who was taken prisoner during the Civil War and spent over a year as a POW. Frank and Peter Linn who served in France in World War I. 

Those who were musical like Ivan Linn who performed on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour.

Ancestors who struggled with alcoholism and drug use.

Governors and advisors to the King in Sweden.

Those who lived to be over 100 and those who died way too young.

We are a family rich in history. And together, they have brought us to this point. I thank each for their contribution to our DNA, to our history, to our lives. And thank YOU for reading, for your questions, and for the new connections we have made.

I'm here anytime you have questions and want to email or call me. I'll still be working on our family history, scanning photos and documents, posting to my Ancestry.com tree.

Happy New Year! 

Diane

On our cruise August 2023

When They Came to Iowa and Wisconsin

Our ancestors were far from being the first European settlers in the United States. The first ancestor in my tree who came to the US was John Linn and his wife Brita Maja Eriksdotter in 1849. As we know, they settled in what was to become Webster County, Iowa. Next, in 1850, were my direct-line Olofsons. Olof Olsson and wife Kerstin Larsdotter, along with their 5 living children including my 2nd great grandfather Olof Olofson, came to Wisconsin in 1850.

We are not going to find Revolutionary War soldiers, become members of the Mayflower Society, or trace anyone to the early days where the East Coast was developed by European settlers, unless you have someone in another line of your family ancestry.

When I have read about those early settlements, the stories and the drawings show a very difficult life. But our ancestors, John Linn and Olof Olsson, found very primitive land in both Iowa and Wisconsin.

The link to the map of Iowa below from 1845, shows that only the Eastern third of the state had been settled at all. Where John, Gustus, and Peter Linn went up the Des Moines River or across from the Mississippi was unknown and unsettled territory. 

Iowa 1845 Map

Much of Wisconsin had been platted, especially those areas around Lake Michigan where settlements began. The map below shows what the Olssons would have found in 1850.

The total population for Iowa in the 1850 US Federal Census was 192,214. Iowa had become a state on December 28, 1846. See the following for details on ethnicities, county populations, churches, schools, and more in 1850.

Iowa 1850 Statistics

The total population for Wisconsin in the 1850 US Federal Census was 305,301. Wisconsin had become a state on May 29, 1848. See the following for details on ethnicities, county populations, slave population, churches, schools, and more in 1850.

Wisconsin 1850 Statistics

Much of the above is very interesting reading to see more about what our ancestors found when they made the long trip from Sweden to Iowa. Hope you enjoy reading this.

The Lundgren Name

Charles Warner Lundgren (1882-1957) married my great aunt Lilly Sophy Olofson (1892-1979) at Ascension Lutheran Church in Boone, Iowa on March 1, 1911. Where did the Lundgren name come from? Because I've traced this family back several generations, we will see where the name came from, but the "why" might be more of a mystery.

We would normally think that the last name that was carried down generations would come from the father's surname. And normally, especially in more recent times, it did. Long ago in Sweden, the husband kept his last name and the wife kept her own last name and the children took a version of the husband's first name but added "-son" or "dotter" to it. But something else happened with the Lundgrens.

In the Lundgren tree, we go back from Charlie to Olof Lundgren (1845-1930) to Erick Lundgren (1818-1910) to Olof Ersson/Erickson (1787-1848). Ersson? So how did the name Lundgren come to be?

Olof Ersson was a laborer who married Sophia Lundgren, the daughter of a tailor, Johan Fredrick Lundgren and his wife Sophia Hammerstrom. It is unlikely that Johan's original/birth surname was Lundgren but rather was formalized because of military experience, perhaps from a location where his ancestors had lived (Lundgren = grove + branch), or to differentiate the family surname from others that were identical (too many Olofsons or Larssons in one area).

Whatever the reason, the Lundgren named was passed down for several generations to Johan Fredrick Lundgren and also to his 7 children, including Sophia Lundgren. When Sophia married Olof Ersson, the reason for her children and all other descendants to take the surname "Lundgren" is hard to know. 

Was it because Olof was simply a laborer with a very common surname and Sophia's father was a tailor with a more unique Swedish name? 

My friends and family, I have no idea! But what I do know, is that the Lundgren name did not come from the male surname line but from Sophia Lundgren and her ancestral line.

I know I've said this before, but this is one reason I love genealogy. There are often no simple answers. Research takes time and the ability to find and read/translate records. If the Lundgren name were closer to my direct line and not just through the husband of my great aunt, I'd definitely be working on the reason behind this change in the norm. 

We've had mysteries before in this blog. Maria Barquist Olofson. When did she die and where is she buried? The Reinquists/Linns who adopted a boy who was related to the famous Nobel family. Why did his parents leave Sweden, have 3 sons and give them up for adoption? So many mysteries in this great hobby.

We are definitely winding down on my blog as we have just 3 days left in the year. Do any of these mysteries intrigue you? I'm always happy to work with others on our mutual ancestry. 

PHOTOS OF MY GREAT AUNT LILY AND GREAT UNCLE CHARLIE LUNDGREN

The Hatmaker

We recently took a look at Barquist ancestors who worked in the forest and with making coal. The Barquists were on Maude Olofson Linn's part of the tree. Today, let's look at an ancestor on Peter Linn's tree who was a hatmaker. And not just ANY hatmaker, he was a MASTER hatmaker and worked for the King's Artillery.

Anders Fogelqvist, my 4th great grandfather, was born in Uppsala county in Sweden in 1744. He was married twice. His first marriage was to Anna Marie Lundeberger who was 14 years his senior. It appears that Anna Marie had some wealth when she, as a widow, married Anders in December 1775. Anders had moved into Anna Marie's home early in 1775, so there is speculation that Anna Marie was helping to fund Anders hatmaking business and introduced him to clients in her circle.

Anna Marie died in 1790, and, in 1791, Anders Fogelqvist married my 4th great grandmother, Lisa Lagerstrom who was 21 years younger than Anders. They had 4 children including my 3rd great grandmother, Margaretha Elizabet Fogelqvist.

From the marriage records and clerical surveys available in Uppsala County, Anders was already a MASTER hatmaker when he married Anna Marie Lundeberger and became a hatmaker for the King's Artillery during that time..

There's no way for me to determine what type of hats Anders made for the King's Artillery, but the attached article shows complete uniforms that were worn by the Artillery during that 1775-1800 timeframe.

Anders died at age 56 of tuberculosis on 30 March 1800. His widow Lisa married another hatmaker, Nils Holstrom, in 1801 and had 3 more children with him before he died in 1805. Lisa lived until 1821.

Military Uniforms

Andrew Linn Letter to his son Peter

After I posted the letter that Peter Linn wrote home just before the end of World War I, my older brother showed me the following letter that Andrew Linn wrote to his son Peter during the same time. Andrew's letter was sent to Peter on 21 April 1919, Frank Linn's birthday.

A couple of things stand out to me: 

• The letter is 4 pages long. It's full of details and is very newsy about what has been going on locally. 
• Andrew, while born in the United States, would not have attended school on a regular basis, having to help on his father's farm. Yet, his grammar and spelling are quite good. His handwriting is very clear. The only problem is that Andrew doesn't seem to know when to stop and when to start a new sentence. 
• Andrew mentions Maude, Peter's girlfriend, showing his approval for this "good girl".
• He seems worried but hopeful about Peter's return from the war. With both of his sons serving, it must have been difficult for Andrew to keep his farm afloat during that time.

Enjoy seeing Andrew's handwriting and the details of his letter to Peter in France.

Andrew ends with his reminder to Pete to take care of himself and return safely home soon. 

"With love from us all to you, From Father"

Isn't that a sweet, caring side of Andrew that we hadn't seen before? I've been told that Andrew was a large, sweet man; and this letter clearly shows that side of him.

The Kolare and Foresters in the Family

Many of our ancestors were farmers. But we have learned about a few who had other careers or had careers in addition to farming. Fredric Smedbom was a teacher; Olaus Fredricsson was a juryman; and Louise Linn was an osteopathic doctor.

Back several generations in Sweden, our Barquist line includes people who also had other occupations. John Barquist, my 3rd great grandfather (1807-1878), was born in Amot, Gavleborg Sweden, married Marget Pehrsdotter, and had 6 children including my 2nd great grandmother Maria Barquist Olofson. One might have thought that John was a farmer in Sweden since that is the occupation he chose when he and his family immigrated to the United States. But let's take a look at the following:

When laws were passed in Sweden making it next to impossible for the common people/farmers/iron ore workers to own property, there were just two choices to be made. File for bankruptcy and lose the property and home to the foundry owner OR they could sell everything and go to America. From "The People of the Red Barns" Elsa Lagevik, 1996, page 37, "The sudden increase of emigration from Ockelbo parish 1855 and several years following lies certainly in time with those judgments which were handed down during the years of 1854 and 1855. As an example, the former forest ranger Johan Bergqvist who was affected by the law was chosen as firemaster at the Parish meeting in Amot 3 May 1857. At the correction to the minutes on the 17th of the same month, this election was changed as Bergqvist was going to emigrate to America."

According to the Swedish American Genealogist, Vol. VI, June 1986, #2, page 68, (ISSN 0275-9314) Jan Berqvist, former forestor, was born in Amot 24 December 1807, son of Jan Bergqvist, laborer, and Maja Jonsdotter. He was married to Margta Pehrsdotter, born in Amot 13 September 1810, daughter of Pehr Jonsson, farmer, and Margta Andersdotter. They had the following children all born in Amot: Jan, born 13 Feb. 1836; Andres Gustaf, born 6 June 1840; Maja Helena, born 28 September 1842; Peter Olof, born 14 September 1845; Lars Erik, born 22 May 1848; and Anna Margareta, born 6 April 1857.

You can see that John Barquist was a forest ranger and later was selected to be the firemaster for Amot. These positions are similar to what you might see today. The area around Amot parish was forested, requiring men to be on the lookout for fires. In addition, this area also produced coal that was piled into mounds in the forest, requiring men who would stay in the woods for weeks, making sure that the coal being made out of burning wood did not become a large fire.*

When we visited Sweden a few years ago, we were taken to one of these areas where a very crude thatched "building" held two straw beds. Between them on the wall were taxidermized animals. The foresters slept in these buildings for weeks, watching for any fires that might start in the forest or in the coal piles.

John Barquist's father, Jan Bergqvist (1779-1850), was my 4th great-grandfather. Jan was a charcoal maker aka Kolare. He made charcoal out of the wood in the forest. He would cut the trees, burn the wood, and watch to make sure the fire did not get out of hand. His death record states that he died of a chest infection and severe cough. (Caused by coal???)

And Jan Bergqvist's father (1750-1801) was a dagaarl, a day laborer working with coal.

Foresters and Kolares were jobs held by at least 3 generations of the Barquist family. Just another look at how our ancestors made a living generations ago in Sweden.

* On a basic level, charcoal was produced by burning any type of wood in a low oxygen environment. Doing so removes water and other volatile elements, allowing the finished product, the charcoal, to burn at high temperatures with very little smoke.

How to make charcoal

Lloyd Linn

Lloyd Linn was my first cousin, twice removed, son of John August Linn and grandson of Gus and Catharina Linn.

During World War I, Lloyd entered service at Camp Dodge and later was stationed at Camp Funston at Ft. Riley, Manhattan, KS, in the 164th Depot Brigade. The role of depot brigades was to receive and organize recruits, provide them with uniforms, equipment and initial military training, and then send them to France to fight on the front lines. The depot brigades also received soldiers returning home at the end of the war and completed their out processing and discharges.

While he never served in active combat, Lloyd's assignment was of note for two reasons.

First, he was at Camp Funston in 1918, which was the epicenter of the pandemic influenza outbreak that killed so many recruits. Soldiers often came to the camp already infected, and the disease spread. But compared to some other bases, Camp Funston had just 239 confirmed cases per 1,000 soldiers. Lloyd likely did not contract the influenza or had a very mild case, and so was spared this very serious disease.

Second, his Brigade posed in 1918 for a picture that became a famous poster housed at the National Archives. It is said that 10,000 men of the 164th Depot Brigade, Camp Funston, near Fort Riley, Kansas, posed on the polo field, in formation of the Living Service Flag.

Does this story and photo remind you have the one taken at Camp Dodge, in which Peter and Frank Linn posed for the Statue of Liberty photo?

I've also found a letter written by Lloyd Linn that was published in the newspaper about his service.

Lloyd Linn died in 1964 and is buried in the Linn Cemetery. He never married.

Camp Funston

We Were Told to Leave

This generation of relatives that I'm in has done well. As a group, I'd say we have outdone what our parents were able to do. We can be proud of our accomplishments, our careers, our families. Most of us married, with children, and some with grandchildren. Our lives are certainly different from those of the 5 Linn brothers who had their start on a Litchfield property, in a house built in the late 1800's that couldn't withstand the elements, that didn't have running water or electricity, that was up a 1/2 mile lane, in Iowa where the snow and winds could be deadly.

We've all heard, I'm sure, about their long, long walks to school. How deep WAS the snow? It depends on who's telling the story! All but Stanley finished high school, something that wasn't always common in the 1940's and 50's. Three of the 5 Linn brothers served in the military. At least one of the 5 owned his own business. All 5 started by working on the family farm with Peter.

When my family moved to the Litchfield property, my older brother was the only child. But all four of us lived on that farm, my brother and I attending Dayton Elementary School until we moved in 1957. On October 4, 1956, we received a letter to vacate the property by February 28, 1957. This letter, shown below, was written by the farm service that managed some of the Litchfield properties. 

I don't know the reason for this action by Litchfield, but it could have been because they had plans for the property to be sold or farmed by someone else; the property as used by my family may have been losing money for too long; or other reasons. Regardless, we had to be gone by February 28, 1957.

The Farm Sale was conducted on a blistery, cold day, January 29, 1957, and was not well attended. On February 14, 1957, my brother and I were picked up from school and the six of us drove to our new home in Des Moines. I remember the ride because I read all of the valentine cards that my classmates had given me at our Valentine's Day party that day.

We landed at our new home, a two-bedroom bungalow in a working-class neighborhood. The house was owned by Peter and Maude Linn. I really don't know the circumstances for why we couldn't or didn't rent something on our own, but nevertheless, we became renters for our grandparents who lived just a few blocks away. My father didn't have a secure job lined up (differing stories about what happened there), but he worked odd jobs and my mother went to work at Katz Drugstore. We started school, just two blocks away, and came home to a babysitter. Life was certainly different in this big city.

Since this isn't MY story, I'll stop at the circumstances of our leaving the farm and our arrival in Des Moines. 

The above letter, though, was clearly telling us that we had to leave the farm.

The Murder of Farmer Olof Ericksson of Ygsbo in 1717

Olof Ericksson is my 7th great grandfather on Maude Edith Olofson's side. Several years ago in Salt Lake City, I decided to do more research on Olof as I wanted to understand why he died at such an early age: 29. Of course, many diseases and accidents in the early 1700's could kill the young as well as the old, but still, it was something to tie up on my tree. With help from the professional researchers for Sweden in the library, we found Olof Ericksson's death record, and that started some real searching! It turns out that my 7th great grandfather Olof Ericksson was MURDERED!

Olof Ericksson was born on an Ygsbo farm in Farila Parish, Gavleborg County on August 6, 1688.On November 15, 1713, Olof married Kerstin Persdotter, born on September 21, 1688. Kerstin was the daughter of the local innkeeper. This couple lived in Fone, Farila Parish and had a son, my 6th great grandfather, Eric Olsson.

When my husband and I went to Sweden several years ago, we made arrangements to meet with a woman who was very familiar with the Farila Parish area. This part of Sweden is very rural, very forested, with few major roads or signs. We were thankful for her help. I had given her names and locations of the individuals I was interested in knowing more about so we might visit a home or a church they would have attended. But she went so much further. She found the transcript for the trial of the man who murdered Olof Eriksson. She roughly translated it to me as we enjoyed a cup of coffee and I tried my best to remember my shorthand. Below is the story taken from that trial:

THE MURDER OF THE FARMER OLOF ERIKSSON OF YGSBO IN 1717

 

In the year 1717 the 23^rd of February, they had a trial in Farila, Hogdahl and Ljusdal. Those sitting in judgment were Michell Olsson of Storbyn; Olof Jonsson of Ygsbo; Olof Gudmundsson of Hafra (plus 6 men from Ljusdal and 2 from Hogdahl = 11 men).

On the 25^th of February 1717, the Judge Hans Aberg gave a description of what happened. He said a killing had been made at the inn in Storbyn Farila on the 13^th of January the same year. The soldier Olof Hook punched the farmer Olof Eriksson who was about to drive him to Jarsvo. He punched him so much that he died from the damage. By cause of that, the court would like to hear what happened because Olof Eriksson’s family and witnesses wanted to know what happened. There came the father-in-law Per Mansson with his wife as well as the widow Cherstin Persdotter how the battle had begun when her deceased husband on the same evening was waiting with his horse for the soldier.

The soldier had first punched Olof Eriksson two times on his head with a sword out on the lawn just because Olof Eriksson did not take off his hat when the soldier came out of his house. After that, he had yelled at Olof Eriksson so much that no words can describe it. After a while, he did get friendly and offered Olof Eriksson to go into the house for a drink.

The punches that Olof Eriksson got had changed him so much, but a little later he would walk to Jarvso to get the horse that the soldier had borrowed. But Olof Eriksson fell down 4-5 steps from the gravel road northeast of the church into a puddle. The puddle was from the snow that had melted from the suddenly hot weather. Olof Eriksson lay there all night until another farmer named Anders Olsson came and dragged him away. He gave notice to Per Mansson to take him home but at 7 p.m. Olof Eriksson’s life ended.

Another witness Lars Mansson is a church bell ringer. He did not swear on the bible but said that Hook hit Olof Eriksson on the arm, not his head because he did not take off his hat and asked after the innkeeper. Olof Eriksson got two punches on the head and one on the shoulder (the left side). Olof Eriksson and Lars Mansson followed a servant into the house. What passed after that he couldn’t say because Olof Eriksson soon left.

On the same date also a village trustee named Michell Olsson of Storbyn and Jon Michelsson of Ygsbo followed Olof Eriksson and Lars Mansson into the house and they had walked away after the fighting was over.

Then another person (who was a fighter) stated that he, in the beginning of the fight on the yard, was sitting in his house. When he heard Olof Eriksson yell “don’t beat me, Sergeant,” he told the driver of the horse to calm down because no one can hurt you when I’m here. But Olof Eriksson ran away to hide. The driver yelled after Olof Eriksson and when he came back, the fighter reminded Hook that Olof Eriksson was the son-in-law of the innkeeper. They shook hands and Hook and Olof Eriksson went into the house to have a drink of newly made liquor. He didn’t know what quantity was consumed by Olof Eriksson.

A question was asked to the driver: “did you see that the sergeant had his sword?” The driver said the sword was hanging from Hook’s belt. He never saw the sergeant touch the farmer because they were three feet away from each other when the driver came out. In the cabin they became friends once again. No fighting happened inside and the driver didn’t ever hear the dead person complain.

Another soldier Jon Jonsson Friskop did see that Hook on January 13 hit Olof Eriksson and pulled his hair and punched with something. The farmer fell but not so hard it would be a deadly impact.

A maid, Jolin Swensdotter, said that she came out just as Olof Eriksson got up from having been hit but he stepped up and she couldn’t tell if he had been harmed.

Par Mansson’s daughter, Carin Parsdotter, could only say that the newly made liquor was less than 6 spoonsful.

Sergeant Lieberhof had been in the cabin and had been taking orders from Hook and he didn’t know anything about the fight.

Driver Petter Norman said the same that he never heard Olof Eriksson complain when he was with him in the cabin. Nor could he tell Hook and Olof Eriksson were enemies.

Hereby Sheriff Pehr Lundman said the same as three persons in the cabin; they had not gone out.

Military Officer Olof Falen told that on January 14 he had been with Liebenhof and Norman and had seen Olof Eriksson. They had checked on his condition because there had been some rumor about Olof Eriksson. But they don’t see any damage (bruises on the body). Only the back of his head had a bump. They didn’t think this was a great damage to Olof Eriksson.

Military doctor trainee David Vogt wrote a paper after examining Olof Eriksson’s body dated 17 January with the following: Olof Eriksson’s dead body was blue and brown over his whole back and his right buttocks had a big scar and his head was swollen. Head was shaved and had been cleaned. You could see a small opening and a split lip. But Vogt was not present in the courtroom.

Farmer Anders Olsson said on 14 January a little after breakfast half past eight he had taken Olof Eriksson from the puddle no more than ¼ meter deep and took him inside and then sent for his father-in-law, Per Mansson, who saw him in this shape and asked two questions of him but Olof Eriksson could only say “God was.” Anders Olsson witnessed also that Olof Eriksson’s head wasn’t in the water because it was lying on gathered ice and placed his head on the ice.

On a question no one could get a real explanation on how Olof Eriksson fell into the puddle and for that sake they were eager to learn if anyone had met him on the road during that time.

Then Per Mansson gave information that the wife of Anders Halfars, Carin Persdotter, heard or had seen Olof Eriksson say he was getting his horse on January 13 at Jarvso. Carin said that Sheriff Lundman drove Hook out of town to Jarvso when Olof Eriksson went to get his horse. Carin Persdotter was sent for and she stated that Olof Eriksson said he had been beaten by Hook and would have lasting damage but she couldn’t explore what that was because Olof Eriksson left to Jarvso to get his horse. She also said that Olof Eriksson was not drunk.

Sheriff Lundman questioned that he and Hook rode away from the inn first. From these men, it was difficult to have them swear on the bible because they didn’t know if they had to swear and be honest about another military man. Hook ran away with the Sargent after the murder. The purpose for his escape was said to be a mission for the Sargent. It also seems odd that there has been no information about his escape until January 18 when the news traveled to Jarvso.

Therefore, the court by the cause of Hook’s being gone, rested the case. Notes: Olaus Hook escaped and then came back and was condemned to death but is in prison in Gefleborg. During the War against Norway, Hook was there and was one of a few survivors (most froze to death returning from Norway). 1717-1718 when 3000 men froze. He came to Jarvso and died in 1724.

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Olof Eriksson was buried in the front of the church. He left a widow and son. The home that they had lived in was moved many years later from Ygsbo to Fone and is a Swedish Heritage Site, showing the architecture of the time.

We were given a tour of the home, a home that was in our family several centuries ago and today is a Heritage Site. Below are a few photos we took while there.

It was a large house for the time with two floors and an attached "garage" for animals.  While this is a very sad ending to a young man's life, I'm thankful that he and his wife had one son to carry on this family down to Maude Olofson...and me.

Odds and Ends

Many little things to cover in these last few weeks. Today, I wanted to discuss the War Ration Books that our grandparents were issued and used during World War II. I have one of Maude Olofson Linn's books and two of my other grandparents' ration books.

Briefly, the War Ration books were used throughout World War II to limit the goods that Americans could buy, diverting those products to the war effort. I've learned that FOUR different ration books were issued: Book 1 May 1942; Book 2 January 1943; Book 3 October 1943; and Book 4 July 1943. 

These books, issued by the Government through Ration Boards, were valuable to the owner. It was the only way in which certain goods could be bought. Rules were clear: The book had to have the owner's signature, kept in a safe place, could not be transferred on penalty of a fine or prison. 

Below is a scan of Maude's War Ration Book Four, front and back

:

The front shows Maude's signature and the number of her ration book as 555594. The back gives some stern warnings about buying goods. At the bottom is an important message: "When you have used your ration, salvage the TIN CANS and WASTE FATS. They are needed to make munitions for our fighting men. Cooperate with your local Salvage Committee."

The colors don't show on the inside of Maude's Ration Book. But there were green and blue stamps used for canned goods, baby foods, and dry goods. Most of her blue stamps were gone, and half of her green ones were used. In addition, there were red stamps to be used for meat. Grandma had used all but 9 of her red stamps. In addition, there were a couple of pages of black stamps that had barely been used. They were designated as Spare stamps for future additions.

Sorry for how dark these photos are. Brown, thin paper with black printing. I hope that, if you enlarge them on your computer, you can read them.

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Peter Linn filed for a raise in his pension on March 18, 1931, and had to answer specific questions about his family history, medical history, military history, and work history. Below is a scan of this form with Peter's signature.

Peter first describes his family: Maude, 3 children at that time, father living, brother and sister in good health. Next, Peter indicates that he had measles, mumps, chicken pox in his childhood and was treated for ulcers and bleeding ulcers several times. He describes having influenza and yellow jaundice and was hospitalized for it. He denies having any venereal disease and describes his work on the farm, both with his father and then on his own.

Because this is Peter's first-hand account of his history, it should be fairly accurate with dates, people, and hospitalizations.

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The original of the following photo is in one of my uncle's possession, but I'm happy to share my photocopy with you. It shows Peter Linn in his World War I uniform and the words "United We Stand". Above are the words "World's Great War for Democracy" and below "Private Peter Edward Linn, Company E, 349th Infantry, 88th Division, American Expeditionary Forces Over Seas" and finally, "Liberty and Justice".

I'm open to tackling any individuals who are related to us, tracing and researching as best I can in our short time left. Please comment or send me a message with any questions you have or people you'd like to know better.

Every Family

In this blog, I've posted about some of our brave and famous ancestors, those who helped others throughout their lives, religious leaders, soldiers, and farmers. With each of these people, we have learned about their strengths. But what about our ancestors who had difficulties, whose lives didn't quite go as they had hoped or planned? What about ancestors who lived before certain diseases or mental illnesses were known and diagnosed and treated? There is no family without members who struggle, financially, socially, educationally, physically or mentally. 

How do we account for the struggles ancestors had? Do we try to label them with information we can gather? Do we assume that the family stories were true without trying to understand the "why"?

I admit that I struggle with this when I look deeply into my family. I've heard stories about ancestors that have been passed down as true. I've certainly witnessed family members who have/had difficulties. I've read accounts of ancestors who committed suicide, were alcoholics or drug users, spent time in mental institutions, who suffered from PTSD and more. Stories of ancestors who cheated on their spouse, lied to family members, who became so enraged about an issue that they were estranged for years.

Yes, our family is no different from anyone else's.

Christina Anderson was born in Sweden on September 20, 1845; together with her parents and siblings, she came to America and settled in Hamilton County. She met and married Anders Gustaf (A.G.) Barquist and had 6 children. After the death of her father, Christina's mother came to live with them; and when she died on March 12, 1903, Christina became despondent. She drowned herself in a pond less than a month later on April 7, 1903. Details and obituaries can be found on my December 2, 2018, post.

There is no doubt that alcohol as played a part in our family dynamics. Reports, stories, and first-hand knowledge shows us that, once again, our family is not immune from this horrendous problem. On February 18, 2018, I posted a story about my great-grandfather, Andrew Linn and his struggle and treatment for alcoholism at the Keeley Institute. He and Elin Andersson Linn already had their 3 children, Peter, Frank, and Elsie when he sought help.

I've heard many stories about my great-grandmother, Olivia Rask Olofson. Do we believe them? Two stories are first-hand accounts told to me. Olivia died in 1943 and so people like Veryl Olofson and her other grandchildren knew her well. In Olivia's later years, she believed someone was trying to gas her. She kept rags under her door to "keep the gas out". Veryl's dad Vernie was asked to check all around the house every time he visited her. According to Veryl, "Grandma was having a problem, mostly at night, as she thought people were "milling around" her home. She would have dad go outside and check all around. No sign of anything. He talked with her neighbors and they didn't know of any trouble. Dad discussed this many times with his sisters, as it became more frequent, about 1935 they decided that they would take turns in keeping her in their homes. Dad sold her house in 1936 for $600. No state, Fed aid or nursing home existed then. Her mental and physical condition continued to deteriorate". There is a second story about her chasing one of her grandsons around the table with a knife threatening to cut his tongue out if he didn't sit down for dinner. 

I'd like to add one more story that doesn't come from this side of my family, but from my mom's side. My second great-grandmother, Maria (Stanek) Julius was born in 1831 in Bohemia, met and married Antonin Julius, and had 7 children, and settled in Wisconsin and later Chicago. When her husband died shortly after the Great Chicago Fire, Maria's mental health declined. She came to Iowa to live with one of her daughters and to be closer to several of her children. At one point, she attacked her daughter with a knife. It was then, in 1892, that she was placed in the Insane Asylum in Independence, Iowa. In 1896, she was transferred to the Webster County Poor Farm that also had a wing for the insane. Her intake records show that she was threatening, walked the halls at night, yelling. Her death record states that, in 1913, she died of senile dementia. 

When you read the above examples, what comes to mind? Mental illness? Depression? Loneliness in old age? Alzheimer's?  How would we know? Most of these events happened in the late 1800's or early 1900's before mental illnesses had names or were researched, and certainly there was no treatment other than to lock someone up or have family members take turns living with the difficult person before passing them on to another relative.

Some people are just difficult. I'd say that my grandmother, Maude Olofson Linn, was a difficult woman. Great cook, talented piano player, avid crocheter. But you didn't want to get on her bad side.  I'll leave it at that.

Undoubtedly, there are forms of mental illness in our family, just like there is cancer and heart disease and alcoholism. We are a family just like other families with the same difficulties and challenges of every other family.

I'm proud to have told the stories of many of our ancestors during the past 3 years, stories that generally showed the brighter side. But I wanted to acknowledge, as I move to the end of the blog in December, that mental issues, suicide, dementia and Alzheimer's and more are also a part of us.