Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1891
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 969
AAMA M. EYRANDO

Aama M. FYRANDO, a merchant at the Village of Magnolia, together with interesting facts concerning his parents, will form the subject matter of this notice.

He was born at Mt. Pleasant, Utah, July 26, 1865, and when nine months old, his parents started with ox-teams for Omaha, Neb., reaching that point in the in the spring of 1866, and remained there until the spring of 1869, when they removed to Blair, Neb., where they resided until the spring of 1874, and then came to Magnolia. Here our subject remained with his parents until the spring of 1887, when he went into the general merchandise business, in partnership with J. F. Mintun, the firm being known as J. F. Mintun & Co. In March 1889 our subject's father bought Mr. Mintun's share in the business, when the style of the firm was changed to M. FYRANDO & Son, and so stands to this time, his father having died November 22, 1890.

Politically, our subject is identified with the Neutral party, although naturally a Democrat. He belongs to the Latter-Day Saints' Church, and is president of the Magnolia branch. He united with the church July 26, 1874, and was ordained an EIder December 8, 1888, and chosen District Secretary the same day; December 15, 1888, he was chosen President of the Magnolia branch.

Magnus A. FYRANDO, the father of our subjects, was born in, or near, Malmo, Sweden, September 28, 1836, and remained in his native country until 1857, when he, with a company of emigrants, sailed for America, having Utah for their objective point. Upon landing in New York harbor they came direct to Omaha, Neb., from which point they made an ox-team, overland trip to Utah, arriving in the "Promised Land" in the spring of 1859, and remained there until 1866, when they returned to Omaha, by ox-train, and remained there until 1869, and in 1874 came to Magnolia. He embraced the religion of the Latter-Day Saints in Sweden, when only sixteen years of age, and was ordained an Eider at the age of seventeen. He suffered persecution in Sweden on account of his religious belief, in some instances being whipped and imprisoned, and even to the day of his death there were marks upon his body received from these persecutions in Sweden when he was yet a youth. He received the Gospel according to this Faith without hearing of or knowing anything about the practice of polygamy, and knew nothing about it until he got to Salt Lake City; and he always denounced the same. He made several attempts to leave there, was branded as an apostate and had his oxen and wagons taken from him, to prevent him from escaping from under the tyrannical rule of Brigham Young. Finally, after seven years, he and his family escaped, under the protection of armed friends.

In 1866 at Omaha, he was baptized into the Reorganized Church. In 1876 he was sent to Sweden as a missionary, continuing until 1878, and was then sent as a missionary to Utah, where he remained one year. At the time he came back from Utah in 1866, he and his family were penniless and without proper clothing. He was a tailor by trade, and worked at this for some time in Omaha, Blair and Magnolia and also at Weeping Water, Neb.

The mother of our subject, Elsie (OLESEN) FYRANDO, was born at Malmo, Sweden, December 8, 1826, and remained there until the date of her marriage, in 1857. She is now living in Magnolia. She and her husband were the parents of seven children, five of whom are deceased.

Josephine E., our subject's sister, was born on the Sweet Water River, Utah, August 29, 1859, while her parents were en route for Salt Lake City. She was married December 16, 1879, to D. B. CHAMBERS, now living in Magnolia. One son, Magnus, has been born to them.

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