Author Description

O. M. Linnell was born the 21st of April 1840 in Kupramåla Skattegård, Linneryd parish in Småland Sweden. His parents were Magnus Jonasson and Lisa Stina Jonasdotter, and in the Swedish patronymic tradition he would have been named Olof Magnusson. In 1852 his father decided to move the family to North America. Olof and his family were the first immigrants from Småland to arrive in Chisago Lake. In America, it was difficult to distinguish between all the Swedish Johnson-like names so to distinguish himself, he assumed the surname "Linnell" in honor of his home parish in Sweden. He was known as Olof Magny Linnell, or just O. M. Linnell. Travel to America was quite an adventure for boy of 12. His description of the family's journey from Kuppramåla to Chisago Lake is very similar to that of Vilhelm Moberg's fictional character Karl Oskar Nilsson and his emigration from neighboring Ljuder parish. In fact this may not be just coincidence as Åkerby Junction, the embarkation point for Karl Oskar's party is less than a mile from Kuppramåla.In America, O. M. Linnell lived the Swedish American immigrant experience to the fullest. He was present at the founding of the Chisago Lake Lutheran Church. When the Civil War broke out, he joined the army and fought in the Sioux Indian Uprising of 1862. After his discharge from the Army, he married and became a farmer, eventually moving to Grove City, Minnesota where he raised a large family. He was a respected citizen and was elected to several local offices as well as two terms in the Minnesota legislature.A few years before his death in 1930, Olof decided to write these memoirs of his life. They are one of only a few stories of the early Swedish Immigration to Chisago Lake written by one of the original participants. These memoirs are a valuable resource for the descendants of those early immigrants.