Finnestad Ancestry

Divorce records are difficult to obtain.   Few states have digitized that information, even if you know what state AND county someone filed for divorce.    Newspaper reports of a divorce are a source, but they aren't always published and even rarer they are digitized or microfilmed.     Here is the divorce record for Orville Ilin Olson and Margaret (Chapman) Olson.     This document is helpful as it does confirm the Olson's had 2 children as a result of their marriage.   At this point the only information family have provided is that Margaret and Orville had two girls, one named Margaret and the name of her sister is unknown. As is common with genealogical research, this document does have an error.     Orville's birthdate is correct, but his birthplace was Steward, Lee county, Illinois, not Minnesota.   The date of the divorce is February 18, 1972 and was processed in Seattle, King county, Washington....

Here is the death certificate for Orville Ilin Olson who passed away December 2, 1973 in Seattle, King County, Washington. Margaret J (Chapman) Carlson Olson, Orville's ex-wife provided information to the medical examiner.   Orville was buried at the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Seattle, Washington.    His plot does not have a marker.     The photo above is a view looking north.    The blue flag designates the plot in section 1 PA. The photo below is a view looking west. The photo below is a view looking northeast. The photo below is a view looking south. Here is a map of the cemetery with the plot marked with a star indicating the burial location in the event you wish to visit Orville's gravesite. Orville was born March 24, 1889 in Steward, Lee county, Illinois.    He married Ida Julia Govig in Cylinder, Iowa on January 10, 1911.   Several years following Ida's death in 1923, Orville married Ruth Rosemary (Horner) Wilson in C...

Here is a copy of the marriage certificate for the second marriage of Ole and Mari Finnestad's great grandson, Orville Ilin Olson.   Orville and Margaret (Carlson) married on June 21, 1949 in Chehalis, Lewis County, Washington. Orville was the son of Mary (Knutson) and Stephen Olson and the grandson of Elizabeth (Finnestad) and Ole Andreas Knutson. The marriage certificate indicates Orville was divorced, however, his first wife, Ida (Govig) had died February 7, 1923 in McIntosh, Polk County, Minnesota.   Neither the 1930 US Census or his World War II draft registration indicated he had remarried and I haven't stumbled upon any other information that would indicate Orville had remarried between 1923 and 1949.

Here is the World War II draft registration for Ole and Mari Finnestad's grandson, Orville Ilin Olson. This registration was completed April 25, 1942.   Orville had moved from Rochelle, Illinois to the state of Washington sometime after the 1930 US Census. Orville was the eldest child of Mary (Knutson) Olson and Stephen Olson. 

By 1920, Ole and Mari Finnestad's great grandson, Orville Olson and family had moved from Iowa to McIntosh, Polk County, Minnesota. The family members at that time included Orville, wife Ida (Govig), son Marvin and daughters Evelyn, Alma, Edith and Olivia. Orville was the son of Mary (Knutson) and Stephen Olson and the grandson of Elizabeth (Finnestad) and Ole Andreas Knutson.

Iowa had mid-decade census records, which can be helpful in locating lost ancestors that may have passed away before the US census was taken. The following Iowa census records from 1915 are individual cards with the family member's name, age, education, occupation, residence and parents place of birth, etc which is very helpful in obtaining details about the family. Ole and Mari Finnestad's eldest daughter Elizabeth had 10 children with husband Ole Andreas Knutson. I've been able to locate 9 of their 10 children; one was Mary (Maria) Berthea Knutson. Mary married Stephen Olson in Ogle County, Illinois on December 27, 1887. Mary and Stephen had 7 children, (as far as I know from the conflicting census records). Their eldest was Orville Olson. Orville Olson, born in Illinois before the Olson family left Ogle County, Illinois and moved to Iowa. . Orville's wife, Ida, born in Illinois, but married Orville while living in Iowa. Orville and Ida's first child, Marvin...