Lin was born in 1917 in Shangfung Village of Taya Township, Taichung County to an affluent farming family. His father Lin Chuan-fu was a major landlord and the first mayor of Shenkang Township during the Japanese era.
林之助，1917 年生於台中縣大雅鄉上楓村富農之家，父親林全福是大地主，也是日治時期神岡鄉第一任鄉長。