Finnestad Ancestry

Mabel (Finnestad) Bell, daughter of Carrie (Derdall) and Rasmus Finnestad and granddaughter of Mari (Iversdatter) and Ole Finnestad was living in Fenton township, Kossuth county, Iowa when the 1915 Iowa census was taken.    Here is the census card for husband Edward Bell.  Here is the census card for their son Ronald Bell. Here is the census card for their daughter Vivian Bell.

In 1915, the mid-decade, Iowa census did not list family members on a single sheet, but rather an index card so you have to do some hunting to locate members of the household and other relatives. Here is the 1915 census for Ole and Mari Finnestad's great granddaughter, Lillie (Johnson) Wright. The census record for Lillie's husband, Frank Wright. The census record for Ole and Mari Finnestad's great great granddaughter, Evelyn Wright, daughter of Lillie and Frank. And the 1915 census for Ole and Mari's great grandson, Truman Johnson. (Lillie's brother) They were all still living in Cylinder, Iowa when this census was taken. Lillie and Truman were the children of Andrea (Lizzie) Elizabeth (Knutson) and Lambert Johnson, the grandchildren 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...