When You Need Your Story Told...
Feature Story
What's In A Name?
What’s in a name? “Lingberg”, that’s mine, always has been. I can assure you there is nothing famous or special about it, but I do own it. Like all of you, I got it from my dad, Rich, he got it from his dad, Walter, and he got it from his, my great-grandfather, Olaf. It must be important, it’s on all of their gravestones. For Rich and Walter (dad and granddad) I was well acquainted with them. However, I knew very little about Olaf and nothing about his life before he and my great-grandmother, Brita, arrived in America from Gnarp, Sweden in 1868. Olaf’s gravestone was etched with “Lingberg Father Olaf”. The dates March 15, 1843 – July 17, 1933 are bit before my time. I’ve seen that gravestone every year for decades, usually around Memorial Day. There it is, “Lingberg” plain to see.
I don’t recall when I first began to wonder about the name’s origin. It is probably something that creeps into your sub-conscience and gradually seeps into the thinking part of one’s brain. You begin to wonder, where did it come from, how did it get here, who first used it?
It must be important since everyone in my family puts it on everything we consider to be important (birth certificates, drivers licenses, mortgages, credit cards, report cards, etc). Not the least of which is what we respond to when asked, “What’s your name?, “Lingberg”, of course. I assume you do likewise with yours.
I once asked my dad about its origin. He grew up on the Clay County homestead farm, I figured plenty of “Lingbergs” coming and going from there, surely someone would have let the cat out of the bag. He must have asked or overheard ‘something’ given our obsession its usage. His answer, “I guess it never came up.”
I have queried other living “Lingbergs”. Apparently that bit of knowledge is a better kept secret than that of the blend of 11 herbs and spices for Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Ultimately, my curiosity got the best of me, and I felt compelled to uncover the mystery of the origins of my namesake. Little did I know it would involve a journey of 10,000 miles, across two continents, over the ocean AND back. I got my answer and a lot more.
I will be sharing the story of what I discovered, Olaf & Brita: A Swedish/American Immigrant Story, at:
1. Sioux Valley Genealogical Society, Thursday, October 2 @ 7:00 pm at the Old Courthouse Museum, Sioux Falls, SD.
2. Dalesburg Lutheran Church, Sunday, October 5; 3:00 pm at the Dalesburg Lutheran Church in Hub City, SD.
3. Minnehaha County Historical Society’s History Talk at the Legends at Lake Lorraine in Sioux Falls, SD on Thursday, October 16 at 7:00 pm. You will want to get there about 6:00 to get a tour of the Legends’ beautiful facility and enjoy the exquisite buffet prepared by their chef especially for us.
Hope to see you there.
Client Testimonials
Telling good stories and delivering them to the marketplace is about all I do. I call it StoryTelling America.
There is a proverb that says, tell me a fact and I’ll learn, tell me a truth and I’ll believe, but tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.
I think everybody has a story worth telling and sharing one’s life experiences may be the most valuable asset a person can give…your successes, your failures and your accomplishments and your dreams..
Let me help you do just that.