Sven Johan Olofsson (1860 - 1933)
Did you know that...
the agricultural worker Olof Månsson (1811 - 1889) from Vislanda, Småland, Sweden, and his wife Ingejerd Månsdotter (1816 - 1888) from Torsås decided to emigrate to America?
The eldest son Peter and his wife Catharina had already emigrated on July 1, 1864, in the midst of the Civil War. Peter's correspondence with his parents probably made the decision to emigrate an easy one. Nothing could be worse than staying in poverty-stricken Sweden with constantly poor harvests.
The family packed their belongings and sold what could be sold, and in 1868 they set off for the USA and Vasa Township, Goodhue County, Minnesota. Olof was 57 years old and Ingejerd was 52 years old, which was considered old at that time.
The youngest child, Sven Johan Olofsson (1860 - 1933), was only 8 years old and would embark on a remarkable journey of life.
Sven Johan changed his name to Swan J. Turnblad and attended schools with many Swedish emigrants. After completing his high school education, he worked as a teacher and helped out on the family farm. In 1878, he moved to Minneapolis and found employment as a typesetter for Swedish-language newspapers. After some time in Minneapolis, he met Swedish immigrant Christina Nilsson (1861 - 1929). The couple got married in 1883, and the following year, their daughter Lillian Zenobia Turnblad (1884-1943) was born.
In 1887, Turnblad became the editor-in-chief of the Swedish-language newspaper "Svenska Amerikanska Posten." Under his leadership, the newspaper's circulation increased from 1,400 copies per issue in 1887 to 40,000 copies per issue in 1900. The success of Svenska Amerikanska Posten, along with his other investments, made Swan J. Turnblad a very wealthy man. In 1903, Swan Turnblad began building a mansion on Park Avenue in Minneapolis. The mansion had 33 rooms and was built in the Châteauesque style. The property spanned six city lots and cost 1.5 million dollars (equivalent to 48.9 million dollars in 2022) and took four years to complete. The family moved in in 1908, and it became their official residence. However, after 1915, they spent most of their time in an apartment across the street. After his wife's death in 1929, Swan and his daughter permanently moved to the apartment, turning their former home into a museum.
Swan also founded the American Institute for Swedish Art, Literature, and Science (later renamed the American Swedish Institute), which moved into the mansion. It became a place for preserving and exchanging Swedish traditions and culture. The American Swedish Institute still occupies the property and should be visited.
Swan J. Turnblad (Sven Johan Olofsson) passed away on May 17, 1933, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
