My Namesake...

This is my namesake, Mandie Johnson. He was my mom's maternal Grandfather. Hi name was actually Carl Emmanuel Johnson. The neighborhood Swedes in Swedish called him "Manne" -the common nickname for anyone called Emmanuel. Most Swedish men went by their middle name. The non-Swedish, English-speaking people, thought they heard a "d" when people called him "Manne,"--hence Mandie was born so. He Americanize it and started spelling it with a "d."

I think it's so very cool that my parents named me after him. My mom regrets not spelling my name MANDIE. She thought Mandy would be easier for me, and others. He was gone, long before I was born, but I'm proud to have his name live on through me. This may explain why my Swedish heritage is so important to me.