Finnestad Ancestry

Here is the 1940 US Census for Edith (Knutson) Ludwig daughter of Elizabeth (Finnestad) and Ole Andreas (Andrew) Knutson and the granddaughter of Mari Iversdatter Nordskår and Ole Olson Finnestad. Lines 6 - 7 list Edith, living in the city of Rochelle, Flagg township, Ogle county, Illinois with daughter Elizabeth.     Employment information is not provided for Edith.  Edith's husband, Charles Ludwig was serving a sentence in the Illinois State Penitentiary at Lockport, Will county, Illinois, known as Stateville Correctional Center.    There were some infamous inmates that served time at Statesville, from John Wayne Gacy to Leopold and Loeb.      Apparently the section of US route 66 that ran past the prison was changed to Illinois state highway 53 sometime after 1940. Charles is listed on line 77 of the census.    Charles was arrested and charged for arson and admitted to setting several tavern fires acc...

With a thank you to Beverly Skog* for providing the funeral service card for Ole and Mari Finnestad's granddaughter, Edith Olivia (Knutson) Ludwig, I was able to obtain a copy of her obituary from the Flagg Rochelle public library. Here is the obituary from the February 19, 1969 edition of The Rochelle News. Edith was the youngest (as far as I know) child of Elizabeth (Finnestad) and Ole Andreas (Andrew) Knutson.    I was hoping the obituary would mention her siblings as I still have not been able to locate the missing 10th child of Elizabeth and Ole Knutson. *The great great granddaughter of Ole and Mari Finnestad.

Continuing with Elizabeth Knutson's branch of the Finnestad family........ Edith Knutson was (as far as I know) the youngest daughter of Elizabeth (Finnestad) and Ole Andreas Knutson. Edith was born in November 1886 and died in 1969. She is buried at the Lawnridge Cemetery in Rochelle, Illinois. Note the year 1888 on the marker. This is an example of how grave markers are not always a reliable source of information. Either an error by the company that made the marker, or the individual involved opted to let the world know they were younger than their actual age. Or perhaps family members never really know their real age. Below is the marker for Edith's husband, Charles Ludwig. Edith Olivia Knutson and Charles Edward Ludwig married sometime in 1920. Edith was the granddaughter of Ole and Mari Finnestad.