Ole P. Olson
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| Name at Enlist | Ole P. Olson |
| Birth Name | Ole Olsen Sigstadstøe |
| Other Names | Oleson |
| Lived | 24 May 1840 – 1928 |
| Birth Place | Sigstadstøe, Kvam, Nordre Fron, Oppland fylke |
| Birth Country | Norway |
| Resident of Muster-In | Coon Prairie, Bad Ax (Vernon) County, WI |
| Company at Enlistment | B |
| Rank at Enlistment | Private |
| Muster Date | 16 Nov 1861 |
| Cause of Death | Stroke |
| Death Location | New Richland, Waseca County, MN |
| Burial Location | Le Sueur River Lutheran Cemetery, New Richland, Waseca County, MN |
| Mother | Lisbet Olsdatter |
| Father | Ole Pedersen |
| Immigration | 1857 |
| Spouse | Mathia |
| Spouse Lived | 1845- 1880 |
| 2nd Spouse | Gunel |
| 2nd Spouse Lived | 1856- 1901 |
| 3rd Spouse | Louise H. Brogar |
| 3rd Spouse Lived | 1866- 1950 |
| 3rd Marriage Date | 25 Nov 1908 |
| 3rd Marriage Location | Le Sueur River Congregation, New Richland, Waseca County, MN |
Ole P. Olson was born at Sigstadstøe, Kvam parish in Fron, Oppland, Norway in 1840. He left the parish April 9, 1857, with his widowed mother to come to America. He joined the WI 15th Infantry, Company B. The men of the company called themselves the “Wergeland Guards” in honor of Henrik Wergeland, the famous Norwegian writer and poet.
The army listed him as living in Coon Prairie, Bad Ax (Vernon) County, WI, age 22, and unmarried. He enlisted for three years on September 23, 1861 at La Crosse, WI, and mustered November 16, 1861 at Madison, WI as a Private (Menig). Olson became a Sergeant on December 18, 1862. On January 12, 1863, he was commissioned Second Lieutenant (Løytnant) at Murfreesboro, TN, with rank from November 1, 1862. He suffered injuries to his feet and became unfit for service. He was discharged on June 22, 1863.
After the war, Olson relocated to New Richland, Waseca County, MN. He married three times: Mathia (1845-1880), Gunel (1856-1901), and Louise H. Brogar (1866-1950). The third marriage to Louise took place on November 25, 1908 in Le Sueur River Congregation, New Richland. He had several children, including: John (1866-1883), Marie (1877), Stina (1879), Johnny (1885), Olaf (1890), Georgie (1892-1899), Walter (1898-1923), and Louis.
Olson died of a stroke in 1928. He is buried in Le Sueur River Lutheran Cemetery, New Richland. His personal headstone records his military service in B Company. The family headstone lists his name, his three wives, and the children that died before him- John, Georgie, and Walter.
Sources: Series 1200: Records of Civil War Regiments, 1861-1900, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office, box 76-2,4; Regimental muster and descriptive rolls, 1861-1865, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office, vol.20, p.28,34; Det Femtende Regiment, Wisconsin Frivillige [The Fifteenth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers], Ole A. Buslett (Decorah, Iowa, 1894), p.375; Oberst Heg og hans gutter, Waldemar Ager, 1916, Fremad Pub. Co., Eau Claire, WI, p.268, photo; Lars Gjertveit, Bodo, Norway; Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865, Vol I & II, Compiled under direction of the Adjutant General, Madison, WI, 1886, p.809; Blaine Hedberg, NAGC&NL; 1890 Veterans Schedules; MN 1895 Census, V290_102, Line 34; 1920 Census, Roll: T625_866, Page: 6A, Enumeration District: 171, Image: 151; findagrave.com; Waseca Herald, 1928, p.12; U.S. Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records; Fron parish register #4, born and baptised, p, 13, Nord-Fron parish register #1, out-migrated, p. 436, digitalarkivet.no.