Ole H. Nelson
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| Name at Enlist | Ole H. Nelson |
| Birth Name | |
| Other Names | Nielson |
| Lived | 19 Nov 1840 – 15 Mar 1927 |
| Birth Place | Hegna in Nore, Numedal |
| Birth Country | Norway |
| Resident of Muster-In | Decorah, Winneshiek County, IA |
| Company at Enlistment | F |
| Rank at Enlistment | Private |
| Muster Date | 29 Dec 1861 |
| Death Location | Marion, Clayton County, IA |
| Mother | Margit Evensdatter Saeter |
| Mother Lived | -1884 |
| Father | Nils Anderson |
| Father Lived | -1886 |
| Immigration | 27 Jul 1861 |
| Spouse | Julia Gunderfinger |
| Spouse Lived | 1830- |
| Married On | April 1871 |
Ole H. Nelson was born on November 19, 1840 on a cotter’s farm Hegna in Nore, Numedal, Norway. He was the son of Nils Anderson of Skjønnepladsen of Nore, and Margit Evensdatter Saeter of Nes, Hallingdal. Ole’s siblings included Jaren, Andrews, Even, Nels, and Emma. He immigrated in 1861. He arrived in Quebec, Canada first and then relocated to Chicago, IL before finally reaching IA on July 27, 1861.
Nelson 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 Nelson as living in Decorah, Winneshiek County, IA, age 21, and unmarried. He enlisted for three years on December 20, 1861 at Decorah, and mustered at Madison, WI on December 29, 1861 as a Private (Menig). Nelson was wounded at Stones River, TN, and sent to hospital in Nashville on December 31, 1862. He was moved to Madison and discharged from there for disability due to his wounds on December 2, 1863. Later he enlisted for one hundred days with I Company of the IL 143rd Infantry as a Corporal (Korporal). He was discharged on December 8, 1864 at Mattoon, IL.
After the war, he returned to Clayton County, IA. He worked on a farm for two years and then relocated to MN. He had a homestead and lived there for six years before returning again to Clayton County. He bought a forty-acre farm and lived there for 22 years. In April 1871, he married Julia Gundelfinger. She was the daughter of Ole and Ingebor Anderson. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1868. In 1880, they were still living in Marion, Clayton County, IA. It is unclear whether they had any children. In addition to working as a farmer, he served as the township assessor, was a member of the local Lutheran Church, and a Republican.
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], Ole A. Buslett (Decorah, Iowa, 1894), p.512; Oberst Heg og hans gutter, Waldemar Ager, 1916, Fremad Pub. Co., Eau Claire, WI, p.196, photo, p.307; List of Ex-Soldiers, Sailors and Marines, living in Iowa, William L Alexander, Des Moines, IA, 1886, p.705; Gunder History and Heritage, Gunder Community Club, c. 2000, sect. 6, p.4; Civil War Pension Index, Roll #T288_346; Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, p.59; 1880 Census, Roll: 333, Family History Film: 1254333, Page: 449A, Enumeration District: 140, Image: 0541; Portrait and Biographical Record of Dubuque, Jones and Clayton Counties (Iowa, 1894), p.415-416.