Finnestad Ancestry

In 1950, Oliver Finnestad, wife Mary (Kurth) and daughter Alice Leota Finnestad were living in Creston, Ogle county, Illinois. The family is listed on lines 28 - 30.    Oliver was employed as a carpenter, Mary worked for a coat factory 'running a sewing machine' and Leota was a stenographer for a locomotive company. The other 8 children of Oliver and Mary had married and were living elsewhere.    Oliver was the son of Carline (Quitno) and Ole Finnestad and the grandson of Mari (Iversdatter Nord-Skaar) and Ole Finnestad Sr.

On January 3, 1917, the Oliver Finnestad family had to flee their home due to a fire that destroyed the house they were renting, as reported by The Ashton Gazette on the front page of their January 4, 1917 edition. Oliver Finnestad was the son of of Caroline (Jonsdatter Quitno) and Ole (Olson) Finnestad Jr. and the granddaughter of  Mari (Iversdatter Nord-Skaar) and Ole (Olson) Finnestad Sr.    Oliver's wife, Mary (Kurth) and her parents, Amelia (Witzel) and Christian Kurth were also at the home at the time of the fire. Of the 9 children born to Mary and Oliver Finnestad, only 4 had been born by this time, Burdette, Kenneth, Harland and Oliver Jr who had escaped the fire.

Here is a copy of my great grandfather Oliver Finnestad's birth certificate*. Oliver was the second child born to Ole Jr and Caroline Finnestad. He was born October 28, 1887 in Lee County, Illinois. Oliver's mother, Caroline requested this on January 18, 1944. *Ole and Mari Finnestad's great great granddaughter, Joan Bays provided the document.

Another war, another draft registration. My great grandfather Oliver Finnestad registered for the draft on April 27, 1942, about 5 months after the United States had entered the war. The interesting thing about this type of document is that it gives a personal description that you don't always get from a black and white photo: blue eyes, gray hair and his height was 5'8" and weighed 155 pounds. These types of documents also help provide something of a resume; I had not known that Oliver worked at the Creston Creamery.

The above photo is Oliver Finnestad, my great grandfather. According to Joan Bay's description on the back of the photo, Oliver was 16 at the time of the photo, which was probably taken in 1904. (He was born October 28, 1887). Oliver is the son of Ole Jr and Caroline Finnestad and grandson of Ole Sr and Mari Finnestad.

Here is the baptism record from Calvary Lutheran Church in Lee, Illinois for Oliver Finnestad, (2nd from the top) and Clara Olette, (7th from the bottom) son and daughter of Ole and Caroline Finnestad. They are the grandchildren of Ole and Mari Finnestad Sr. Oliver was born October 28, 1887 and baptized July 1, 1888. In attendance were parents, Ole and Caroline, Ole's brothers, Bert and Rasmus Finnestad, Ivar Skaar (which may be a relative of Mari Finnestad - Ole's mother), Nellie Quitno, (I believe this is Caroline's sister-in-law), and Caroline (last name difficult to read). Clara Olette was born April 5, 1889 and baptized June 23, 1889. In attendance were parents, Ole and Caroline and Sam Quitno (Carrie's brother) 4 others that I am unable to read clearly, nor do I know their relationship to Ole and Caroline, and Nellie Quitno (Caroline's sister-in-law).