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Alto Township, Lee County, Illinois - Finnestad, Vallem, Hall families

When I began this blog a couple of years ago, I had posted the 1900 Alto Township plat map for Lee County, Illinois, along with my guess as to where our ancestors resided. Long after that post, I had discovered that Rachel Vallem was Ole and Mari Finnestad's daughter.

Here is an updated map, along with my best guesstimate as to where the families were living in 1900, based upon the plat map and the 1900 US Federal census records.



Included on this map are the home sites for Ole Sr and family, Ole Jr and family, Rachel Vallem and family, Peter Vallem and family*, Isabel Hall and family* along with the location of the Finnestad school (also known as the Carlson school #135).


As you can see from the map, many family members lived rather close to one another, even after they married and started their own families.


*Based upon the census records, it seems possible that Peter and sister Isabel were renting a house and sharing with their respective families.

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