2 
LINNAEUS 
out. Samuel Linnaeus, in 1778, shortly after his 
famous brother’s death, wrote that the tree stood 
between Jonsboda and Hvittaryds parish, close to the 
southern boundary of Smaland. The twigs which 
fell from it, considered dangerous to remove, were 
heaped on the roots, which they nourished and kept 
fresh. By 1823 it had perished, but its relics over¬ 
spread a great heap of stones in the cultivated ground. 
Nils Linnaeus (1674-1748), after being educated 
at home, proceeded with his cousins Tiliander to the 
provincial school at Vaxjo, finally journeying to the 
University of Lund. Possessing only one daler eight 
ore in silver coinage (about two shillings in value), 
his poverty soon forced him to seek a tutor’s place in 
Denmark, but he afterwards returned to a similar 
position in the province of Skane (Scania). At mid¬ 
summer in 1703 he came home, hoping to obtain 
ordination; this he did not obtain, but instead, 
received a licence to preach, and in October of that 
year he was sent by Bishop Olof Cavallius to assist 
Samuel Brodersonius, Rector of Stenbrohult parish, 
in the county of Kronoberg, province of Smaland, 
succeeding in 1704 to ordination. A few weeks 
later he was licensed to become Comminister or 
perpetual curate in the parish. In little more than 
twelve months he married his Rector’s eldest 
daughter, Christina Brodersonia, on the 6th March, 
1706, and eleven days later, the young married 
couple removed to the official residence at South 
Rashult, where, on the 13th May, 1707, Old Style 
[23rd New Style], their eldest son was born, and 
christened Carl, on the 19th of the same month. 
The date of the birth has been disputed owing to 
the peculiar state of the Swedish calendar in the early 
part of the eighteenth century. In 1696 King 
Carl XI., wishing to bring the calendar into accord 
with most European countries, ordered the omission 
of the 29th February in every leap-year until 1744; 
1700 being a common year in the Gregorian reckon- 
