Jacob Nelson
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| Name at Enlist | Jacob Nelson |
| Birth Name | |
| Lived | 12 Nov 1822 – 22 Jun 1907 |
| Birth Country | Norway |
| Resident of Muster-In | Bad Ax (Vernon) County, WI |
| Company at Enlistment | D |
| Rank at Enlistment | Private |
| Muster Date | 15 Nov 1861 |
| Death Location | Colman, Moody County, SD |
| Burial Location | Colman Cemetery, Colman, Moody County, SD |
| Immigration | ca. 1851 |
| Spouse | Caroline Christianson |
| Spouse Lived | 7 Apr 1823- 22 Mar 1911 |
| Married On | ca. 1849 |
| Marriage Location | Norway |
Jacob Nelson was born on November 12, 1822 in Norway. He married Caroline Christianson circa 1849. They immigrated to the U.S. circa 1851. In 1860, they were living in Viroqua, Bad Ax (now Vernon) County, WI. They had at least nine children- Maria (1849), Betsey (1851), Ole (1854), Tonetta (1856), Caroline (1859), Marshall (1863), Edward (1866), Magnus (1867), and Nellie (1870).
Nelson joined the WI 15th Infantry, Company D. The men of the company called themselves the “Norway Wolf Hunters.” They were also known as the “Waupun Company” because so many of its members were from Waupun.
The army listed Nelson as living in Bad Ax County, WI, age 39, and married. He enlisted for three years on October 16, 1861 at Bad Ax County, and mustered at Madison, WI on November 15, 1861 as a Private (Menig). Nelson became unfit for service and was discharged for disability at Murfreesboro, TN on August 14, 1863.
After the war, he returned to Viroqua. He worked as a farmer. By 1880, the family had relocated to Dayton, Lincoln County, Dakota Territory (now SD). In 1900, he and his wife were living in Colman, Moody County, SD. Nelson died on June 22, 1907 and is buried in Colman Cemetery, Colman, SD. His wife died on March 22, 1911 and is buried in the same cemetery.
Sources: Series 1200: Records of Civil War Regiments, 1861-1900, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office, boxes 76-6, 78-3; Det Femtende Regiment, Wisconsin Frivillige [The Fifteenth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers], Ole A. Buslett (Decorah, A 1894), p.452; Oberst Heg og hans gutter, Waldemar Ager, 1916, Fremad Pub. Co., Eau Claire, WI, p.302; Civil War Pension Index, Roll #T288_346; findagrave.com; 1860 Census, Roll: M653_1399, Page: 407, Image: 415, Family History Library Film: 805399; 1870 Census, Roll: M593_1738, Page: 488B, Image: 412, Family History Library Film: 553237; 1880 Census, Roll: 113, Family History Film: 1254113, Page: 406C, Enumeration District: 019, Image: 0534; 1900 Census, Roll: 1553; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 0271; FHL microfilm: 1241553.