Finnestad Ancestry

A few weeks ago I posted documentation of the first (that I have located) of our ancestors to move to North America. Iverdine and Rakkel's big adventure. I finally located the original documents regarding Iverdine and Rakkel's (Rachel is the Americanized version of Rakkel) trip to North America from Norway. Above, Iverdine is listed just below Peder Pedersen Nordskaar and wife Suzanne and above children Peder Pedersen Finnestad and Iverdine Finnestad. Below, Rakkel is listed just above Marthe Iversatter Nordskaar. I am guessing that the Pedersen/Nordskaar family are the aunt and uncle of Iverdine and Rakkel. From a previous post, Ole and Mari wedding record I discovered Nord-Skaar was the farm where Mari had lived and was also included in several other documents. It only stands to reason that two young Finnestad girls were accompanied with relatives on their journey to North America. I also note there was one other family, Knud, wife Inger and their 4 children from the F...

  The 1890 US Federal Census was destroyed in a fire, so the location and members of the household are unknown, however, here is the 1900 Census for Rachel Vallem. I had posted this particular census last year, but at that time I did not realize Rachel was Ole Sr's daughter. Rachel was widowed by 1900 and lived with son Ole, daughters, Linnie, Ella, Dena, and son Elmer in Alto Township, Lee County, Illinois. They lived on the same road as Rachel's father and mother Ole Sr and Mari Finnestad, sister's Sarah and Mary, and further down on the same road, brother Ole Finnestad Jr and his family.

Here is a copy of the 1880 US Census. Ole and Marie's daughter, Rachel lived with her husband Louis Vallem, sons Louis and Ole and daughter Ellen in Dement Township. Dement township is located in Ogle County, just north of Alto Township in Lee Illinois where Ole and Marie Finnestad would eventually reside. My grandparents, Kenneth and Lillian Finnestad would eventually move to Creston in Dement township.

Of Ole and Mari's children I was able to track down, I have been unable to locate the whereabouts of Ole and Mari Finnestad's daughter, Mary for the 1910 US Federal Census. I imagine getting 100% accuracy of all US residents is quite a difficult task. She does pop up in 1920 which I will post at a later date. Bert and family were already living in Saskatchewan by 1910. Maria, as I had stated in a previous post, had died at the age of 3 in Norway. The twins, Iverdine and Bertha, along with Rakel I have been unable to trace and do not know whether they left Norway, following their siblings and parents.