Civil War Soldiers Record Database

Torger Larson was born Torgeir Larsen Rothe (also spelled Rothie) in Deerfield, Dane County, WI on December 19, 1844. His parents were Lars Torgerson Rothie and Ingeborg Molster. 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 Deerfield, Dane County, WI, age 19, a farmer, and unmarried. He had blue eyes, dark hair, light complexion, and stood 5’10”. Larson was enlisted for three years on February 9, 1864, at Madison, WI, and mustered there on February 16, 1864 as a Private (Menig). He joined Company H on March 31, 1864. He was then wounded at New Hope Church, GA on May 27, 1864, and sent to hospital. Larson was sent to another hospital in Keokuk, IA on June 22, 1864. Larson was temporarily assigned to the WI 24th Infantry, then transferred to I Company of the WI 13th on June 10, 1865, but according to records in the War Department, he had already been mustered out at Davenport, IA, on May 20, 1865.

After the war, he returned to Wisconsin. He married Martha Stevens about 1869. Together, they had nine children, including: Isabell (1870), Lewis (1871), Anne (1874), Dinah (1877), Julia Caroline (1879), Almont S. (1882); Vinnie T. (1884), and William (1887). Anne and the older children were born in Wisconsin, while Dinah and the younger children were born in Minnesota. So, the family relocated to Minnesota between 1874 and 1877. By 1880, they were living in Dexter, Mower County, MN. In 1910, they lived in Ellington, Dodge County, MN. In 1920, they lived in Hayfield, Dodge County, MN. Torger worked as a farmer. He died on September 6, 1921 and is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Hayfield. His wife died on November 1, 1926 and is also buried in Fairview.

Sources: Series 1200: Records of Civil War Regiments, 1861-1900, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office, box 76-13; Regimental muster and descriptive rolls, 1861-1865, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office, vol.18, p.178; vol.20, p.118; Det Femtende Regiment, Wisconsin Frivillige [The Fifteenth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers], Ole A. Buslett (Decorah, Iowa, 1894), p.566 photo; Oberst Heg og hans gutter, Waldemar Ager, 1916, Fremad Pub. Co., Eau Claire, WI, p.222 photo, p.256 photo, p.310; The Military History of Wisconsin in the War for the Union, Edwin B. Quiner, 1866, Clarke & Co., Chicago, p.629; Lars Gjertveit, Bodo, Norway; Nordmaendene i Amerika, Martin Ulvestad, 1907, History Book Co., Minneapolis, MN, p.305, 325, 326; Civil War Pension Index, Roll #T288_274; 1880 Census, Roll: 626, Family History Film: 1254626, Page: 509B, Enumeration District: 165, Image: 0748; 1900 Census, Roll: 777, Page: 3B, Enumeration District: 0086, FHL microfilm: 1240777; 1910 Census, Roll: T624_695, Page: 1B, Enumeration District: 0007, FHL microfilm: 1374708; 1920 Census, Roll: T625_827, Page: 4A, Enumeration District: 7, Image: 462; findagrave.com; Montana County Marriages, p.256.