Ole B. Olson
Database Record Change Request
| Name at Enlist | Ole B. Olson |
| Birth Name | |
| Other Names | Ole Berge Olsen |
| Lived | ca. 1840 – 29 Aug 1878 |
| Birth Country | Norway |
| Resident of Muster-In | Manitowoc, Manitowoc County, WI |
| Company at Enlistment | F |
| Rank at Enlistment | Private |
| Muster Date | 12 Dec 1861 |
| Death Location | Manitowoc County, Wisconsin |
| Burial Location | Gjerpen Cemetery, Madsen, Manitowoc County, WI |
| Spouse | Anne |
| Spouse Lived | ca. 1836- |
Ole Berge Olson was born about 1840 in Norway. He joined the WI 15th Infantry, Company F. The men of the company called themselves “KK’s Protectors” in honor of the 15th’s first Lieutenant Colonel, Kiler K. Jones. “F” was also known as the Valdres Company because a large number of its members hailed from the Valdres region of Norway.
The army listed Olson as living in Manitowoc, WI, age 21, and unmarried. He enlisted for three years on October 25, 1861 at Manitowoc, and mustered at Madison, WI on December 12, 1861 as a Private (Menig). Olson was sick in Chattanooga, TN on November 28, 1863 and sick on September 21, 1864. He mustered out with his Company on January 13, 1865 at Chattanooga. He was named Brevet (honorary) Second Lieutenant (Løytnant) on April 4, 1867 with rank from April 7, 1862. Olson was entered on the Roll of Honor for the Second Brigade, 1st Division, 20th Army Corp. He was given the rank of Lieutenant (Løytnant) in recognition of bravery displayed while on guard duty when the armored “Carondolet” passed through the blockage at Mississippi River Island No. 10.
After the war, Olson married Anne. Together, they had at least two children; Ann (1867) and Emma (1869) and lived in Manitowoc Rapids, Manitowoc County, WI. He worked as a farmer. He died on August 29, 1878 and is buried in the Gjerpen Cemetery in Madsen, Manitowoc County.
Sources: Series 1200: Records of Civil War Regiments, 1861-1900, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office box 76-8; Regimental muster and descriptive rolls, 1861-1865, Wisconsin; Adjutant General’s Office, vol.20, p.90; Det Femtende Regiment, Wisconsin Frivillige [The Fifteenth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers] by Ole A. Buslett (Decorah, Iowa, 1894), p.514; Nordmaendene i Amerika, Martin Ulvestad, 1907, History Book Co., Minneapolis, MN, p.258; Oberst Heg og hans gutter, Waldemar Ager, 1916, Fremad Pub. Co., Eau Claire, WI, p.307; findagrave.com; U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles; 1870 Census, Roll: M593_1723, Page: 254B, Image: 512, Family History Library Film: 553222.