Family History

The younger Anna was born on October 21, 1843 in Norway and came to the United States as a young lady. In September of 1871 she married John H. Thompson of Lisbon, Illinois. John was born in Norway, but immigrated to the United States in 1860. In 1862 he joined the Union Army and served until the end of the Civil War. After the war he returned to Kendall County and engaged in farming. While they lived in Kendall Country, the Thompsons had three children: Hans, Severine, and Oliver. In 1876, the family moved to Ford County, where four more sons (Anton, Ole, Henry, and Martin) were born. Both Severine and Martin Thompson died as young children. Hans Thompson married Anna Tweet. Although they had no children of their own, Hans and Anna did raise a niece, Rachel Tweet. Oliver Thompson married Sarah Thorsen and had four children. Anton Thompson married Sarah Chally; they had one son--Lewis Thompson. Ole Thompson married Olive Matilda Osmundson and had two children - Alma and Arnold. Henry Thompson married Enger Grunsted; they had three children: Joseph, Marvin, and Edwin Thompson. Ole and Henry Thompson moved their families to Iowa. Henry was a farmer and Ole was a school teacher. The other boys remained in Ford County, Illinois.