John L. Johnson
Database Record Change Request
| Name at Enlist | John L. Johnson |
| Birth Name | Joachim Larsen Føllingstad |
| Lived | 12 Feb 1839 – 13 Sep 1910 |
| Birth Place | Vardal parish, Oppland fylke |
| Birth Country | Norway |
| Resident of Muster-In | Columbia County, WI |
| Company at Enlistment | H |
| Rank at Enlistment | Second Lieutenant |
| Muster Date | 17 Jan 1862 |
| Burial Location | Hillsboro Cemetery #1, Hillsboro, Traill County, ND |
| Immigration | 1851 |
| Spouse | Jensine Ingebretsdatter Gjesme |
| Spouse Lived | 4 Jan 1842-24 Aug 1910 |
| Married On | 2 Jan 1862 |
| Marriage Location | Madison, Dane County, WI |
Joachim Larsen was born in Vardal parish, Oppland, Norway on February 12, 1839 and emigrated with his parents and siblings from Ringsaker, Hedmark fylke in 1851.
As John L. Johnson he joined the WI 15th Infantry, Company H. The men of the company called themselves “Heg’s Rifles” in honor of the 15th commander, Colonel Hans C. Heg. They were also known as the “Voss Company” because of a large number of them who were from the Voss region of Norway. The army listed him as living in Columbia County, WI, age 23, and married. Johnson was commissioned Second Lieutenant (Løytnant) on February 5, 1862, with rank from January 17, 1862. Johnson mustered at Madison, WI, on February 13, 1862. He resigned due to illness at Mississippi River Island No. 10 on May 15, 1862, per special order number 60 from General Halleck. He returned home and, after regaining his heath, joined Company H of the WI 23rd Infantry, but again resigned due to ill health.
After his war service, he moved to Goodhue County, MN, Eau Claire County, WI, and, finally, to Traill County, ND. He was a businessman, worked as a lather, and held several offices including Justice of the Peace and Judge of Probate Court. John and Jensine had two children: Mathias I (?-?) and Anette Lovise (1865-?). He died in September 13, 1910 and is buried in Hillsboro Cemetery #1, Hillsboro, Traill County, ND.
Sources: Series 1200: Records of Civil War Regiments, 1861-1900, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office, box 76-10; Regimental muster and descriptive rolls, 1861-1865, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office, vol. 20, p. 112; Det Femtende Regiment, Wisconsin Frivillige [The Fifteenth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers], Ole A. Buslett , 1894, B. Anundsen, Decorah, IA, p. 552; Nordmaendene i Amerika, Martin Ulvestad, 1907, History Book Co., Minneapolis, MN, p. 257; Oberst Heg og hans gutter, Waldemar Ager, 1916, Fremad Pub. Co., Eau Claire, WI, p. 308; The Military History of Wisconsin in the War for the Union, Edwin B. Quiner, 1866, Clarke & Co., Chicago, p. 613; 1890 Veterans and Widows Census, North Dakota, No. 123, roll 59; findagrave.com; 1880 Census, Roll: 1425, Family History Film: 1255425, Page: 425A, Enumeration District: 132; 1900 Census, Roll: 1233, Page: 9B, Enumeration District: 0190, FHL microfilm: 1241233, ancestry.com; digitalarkivet.no; https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89072939572&view=1up&seq=276; “Norwegian Immigrants 1850 and later”, database, NAGCNL, #24912.