Introduction

Biography

Olof was the son of Ol­af Ols­son and Brit­ta Jons­dot­tor, and hus­band of An­na Li­sa John­son.

He stu­died or­gan in Väs­tergöt­land, and at­tend­ed Fjell­stedt’s Mis­sion Ins­ti­tute in Upp­sa­la; the Mis­sion In­sti­tute in Leipz­ig, Ger­ma­ny; and Upp­sa­la Uni­ver­si­ty.

Ordained in 1863, he served in Karl­stad for six years, then emi­grat­ed to Am­er­ica in 1869.

He lived in the Smok­ey Hill Ri­ver val­ley of Mc­Pher­son Coun­ty, Kansas, pas­tored in Linds­borg, and for a while served in the Kan­sas state le­gis­la­ture.

In 1877, he went to Au­gus­ta­na Col­lege, Rock Is­land, Il­li­nois, as a pro­fess­or of theo­lo­gy. Re­sign­ing in 1888 due to ill health and his wife’s death, he tra­veled for a while in Am­er­ica and abroad.

He then served a pas­tor­ate in Wood­hull, Il­li­nois (1889), then be­came pre­si­dent of Au­gus­ta­na Col­lege and Theo­lo­gic­al Se­mi­na­ry (1891–1900).

He al­so helped ed­it the an­nu­al year­book Kors­ba­ner­et, and the 1901 Hym­nal, the Au­gus­ta­na Syn­od’s first hym­nal in Eng­lish.