Uvabo-Karin was the only daughter of the wealthy farmer Jon Jonsson of Uvabo farm. Her father became even more wealthy as he, unlike most, refused to sell his forrests to the wood industry. Karin's mother died in childbirth, and her father dressed her in boy's clothes and had her perform tasks usually reserved to males. At the age five, she led the horses during wood transports. Uvabo-Karin belongs to the local legends of folklore, and are the subject of many stories.