Finnestad Ancestry

Iverdena and Axel Thompson's third child, Robert was born April 28, 1916 in Chicago, Illinois. Here is the Cook County birth certificate.

The second child born to Dena (Vallem) and Axel Thompson was LaVern, on July 15, 1913 in Chicago, Illinois. Here is a copy of the Cook County birth certificate.  Note the first name is "Baby" Thompson.   Occasionally I've run into  a birth record where the parents had not yet named their child so the county has usually left it blank.  This is the first name I've encountered "baby", which is pretty obvious. Page 1 of the birth register (entry #21633).    Page 2 of the birth register (33rd line).

Ole and Mari Finnestad's great grandson, Axel DeLos Thompson was born in Chicago on June 7, 1912 to Iverdena (Vallem) and Axel Thompson. Axel was the first born child to Iverdena (or Dena) and Axel.    Here is his birth certificate from Cook County, Illinois. The birth register (page 1) below lists Axel as entry #17708. Here is page 2 of the Cook County birth register.    Axel's parents, are on the 8th line. Axel was the grandson of Rachel (Finnestad) and Lewis Vallem.

Here is the grave marker for Ole and Mari Finnestad's grandson, Peter Vallem and his first wife, Lena Josephine Travland. Peter was the eldest son of Rachel (Finnestad) and Lewis Vallem. Here is an additional marker for Lena. Lena was born March 24, 1878 and died March 1, 1911. Here is a secondary marker for Peter Vallem.    Peter was born September 17, 1873 and died October 27, 1931. Peter and Lena were laid to rest at the Union Cemetery in Lee County, Illinois.

The granddaughter-in-law of Ole and Mari Finnestad, Lena (Travland) Vallem died on March 1, 1911 due to complications following an appendectomy. Lena was the first wife of Peter John Vallem, the eldest son of Rachel (Finnestad) and Lewis Vallem. Lena was also the niece of Iverdine (Finnestad) and Lewis Travland. (Iverdine was one of Rachel's older sisters.)

On the August 23 and 24, 2010 entries, I provided documentation that the Finnestad family had used the name Oleson (Olson/Olsen) after arriving in America and had not yet adopted the last name Finnestad, based upon the farm Ole had owned in Norway. Below is another example.    Ole and Mari Finnestad's daughter, Rachel had used the last name "Olsen" when she was married in 1872 to Lewis Vallem in Ogle County, Illinois. After moving to the United States from Norway, it was some time during the 1880's  that the family had started to use the name "Finnestad".

Continuing the 3rd entry of uncertainty, here is the ship's register of passengers for the S S Main that left Bremen, Germany and arrived in New York City on July 30, 1880. The 1900 US Census indicated that Ole and Mari Finnestad's daughter Elizabeth arrived in the United States in 1880.   The 1910 US Census indicated the year was 1879.   The 1930 US Census indicated the year of immigration was 1881.     The immigration documents completed by Elizabeth's husband did not indicate the year. Basically, you work with the cards you are dealt.     Though I believe I'm on the right track. I believe entries #943 - #947 (below) is the family of Andreas and Elizabeth Knutson who left from Norway, via Bremen to New York City. Ole Andreas Knutson was born July 23, 1839.   He would have been 41 on the date of arrival, though he would have been 40 at the date the ship left Bremen, which matches the age listed on the register. Elizabeth (F...