Jo Halvorsen Lillebo

   Other names for Jo were John Halvorsen Lillebo and Joseph Halvorsen Lillebo.

  Research Notes:

Jo / John Halvorsen Lillebo is my half 5th cousin 4 times removed. His paternal ancestors go back to his 5th great grandfather, Gjermund Halvorsen Hammersgaard from Hammersgaarden in Trysil parish. Gjermund Halvorsen Hammersgaard is my 8th great grandfather. Also see his father's page for relationship information.

Jo H Lillebo was one of 13 children born to Halvor Persen Lillebo. He was born at the søndre Lillebo farm in the northern part of Trysil parish, and to the south of lake Femund. Sometime after 1910, this area became a part of the Engerdal parish..

In 1892, he emigrated to the US. Eventually he settled in Lyons Twp, Minnenhaha Co, SD. This is the area that his brother Martin H Lillebo and his 2 sisters, Marit H Lillebo [married to Olaf Nordvie] and Johanne Kristina H Lillebo [married to John Halvorson] had also settled. However, Jo/John Lillebo and his family stayed in Minnehaha Co, while his siblings moved to the area north east of Forestburg, Alberta.

John married Mary Christiansen in 1898 in SD and are recorded in the 1900 US Census. They had 3 children, but likely the youngest boy died in or shortly after child birth. [1903].

John died in 1903. Mary remairred and her and the 2 boys moved to Lyman County in South Dakota. Her 2nd husband was Peter Swinsen. Jo/John Lillebo and Mary's 2 boys grew up on the farm in Hilmoe Twp, Lyman Co. Hilmer was married in 1926 to Susie Marie Strubbe and they had 8 children [5 males who continued with the Lillebo surname, and 3 females]. Edwin did not marry and continued to farm in the local area.

One Family Tree on Ancestry [Lillebo FT - see Hilmer's page] contains a number of posts for Hilmer Lillebo - a 2 page biography and a photo of his family. The first page of the bio contains some detail about his mother and brother moving to Lyman Co after the death of Jo Halvorsen Lillebo - he died in 1903.



notes by Rueben D Grue, 12 Aug 2025. All rights Reserved.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jo Halvorsen Lillebo, b 1868 ... aka, John H Lillebo

1900 US Census, Lyons Twp, Minnehaha Co, SD .... ED 0257, Sheet 3a; dw/fam 34; line 12
Joseph H Lillebo, age 32 b Feb ? 1868 in Norway; married 2 yrs em 1894
wife Mary, age 23 b Sep 1876 in SD; mother of 1 child 1 living
son Helmer M b Nov 1899 in SD
brother Martin, age 27 b Mar 1873 in Nor, single, em 1896
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7602/records/59885215

1910 US Census, Hilmoe Twp, Lyman Co, SD ... ED 0063; sheet 11A; dw/fam 17/18
Peter M Swensen, age 46 b in Nor; em 1897; farmer
wife Mary C, age 39 b in SD; mother of 5 children, 5 living; ; married 3 years [1907] ** note that Mary remarried ....
step son, Hilmer, age 11 b in SD
step son, Edwin, age 9 b in SD
dau Mime, age 2 b in SD
dau Hilmoe, age 9 mos b in SD
then, hired man ... Peter P Hilmoe, age 36, b in Nor; em 1882

https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7884/images/4449869_00834?usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&pId=173614938

Ancestry - Norway Emigration ... https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61757/records/643223
John H Lillebo age 24 fr Trysil [about 1/3 way down] .... 29 Apr 1892 traveling to New York

Norway - Engerdal Parish register, no. 1 /1881 - 1898, page 143, 1891
Jo Halvorsenr Lillebo, b 1868 ... to America .... he was in Roros
https://media.digitalarkivet.no/en/view/6057/143


US City Directories, Minnehaha Co, 1903, image 174
John Lillebo
Martin Lillebo both on Sec 16 of Lyons Twp PO? West Point
and then on the 1st sid of image 174 close to the bottom: John Halvorsen, sec 17 West Point

First Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls, SD .. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60722/records/2435115
image 241 ... marriage: 4 Sep 1898 line 9 Olaf Nordvie and Marit or Martin H Lllebo
also a link on Ancestry to marriage licence .... https://www.newspapers.com/image/229644554/?article=71a78b33-2ecc-49ef-b4a7-5ed8040114ff&xid=4637%20&terms=John_H._Lillebo

US Land ownership .... 1903 Lyons Twp, Minnehaha Co, SD... image 13

J. H. Lillebo, sec 12 ... John Halvorsen, sec 17 ... J E Elgaaen, sec 3

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Emrigation - 1892, 29 Apr 1892, Søndre Lillebo, Trysil, Hedmark, Norway. ¹⁰⁴⁵⁶ Jo Halvorsen Lillebo left Trysil parish and registered with Oslo politidistrikt to emigrate to North America, on 29 Apr 1892. He went on the ship Angelo, bound for New York. It appears that he was traveling by himself.

Jo married Mary Christensen on 4 Sep 1898 in Minnehaha Co, South Dakota, United States.¹⁰⁴⁵³ (Mary Christensen was born on 11 Sep 1876 in Lyons Twp, Minnehaha Co, South Dakota, United States, died on 23 Feb 1979 in Lyman County, South Dakota, United States and was buried in Presho Cemetery, Lyman County, South Dakota, United States.)