Helge Olson
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| Name at Enlist | Helge Olson |
| Birth Name | Helge Olsen Bergetangen |
| Lived | 8 Mar 1831 – 29 Jan 1905 |
| Birth Place | Bergetangen, Sigdal parish, Buskerud fylke |
| Birth Country | Norway |
| Resident of Muster-In | Manchester Township, Freeborn County, MN |
| Company at Enlistment | K |
| Rank at Enlistment | Private |
| Muster Date | 11 Feb 1862 |
| Death Location | Flom Township, Norman County, MN |
| Burial Location | East Wild Rice Lutheran Cemetery, Twin Valley, Norman County, MN |
| Mother | Gunhild Helgesdatter Mjosengeie |
| Father | Ola Knutsen Eidal |
| Immigration | 1852 |
| Spouse | Sigrid Gudbrandsdatter Hovseie |
| Spouse Lived | 1830-1914 |
| Married On | 19 Mar 1857 |
| Marriage Location | Little Iowa Norsk-Evangelisk Lutherske Menighed, Winneshiek County, IA |
Helge Olson was born on March 8, 1831 in Sigdal, Buskerud, Norway, to Ola Knutsen Eidal and Gunhild Helgesdatter Mjosengeie. He left Sigdal parish April 26, 1852 to come to America, first to Jefferson Prairie, WI, and from there to Ossian, Winneshiek County, IA. On March 19, 1857, he was married to Sigrid Gudbrandsdatter Hovseie (1830-1914) at Little Iowa Norsk-Evangelisk Lutherske Menighed, Winneshiek County, IA. Together, they had four children, including: Guri (1857), Gunnild (1862), and Else (1867). His family was living in Freeborn County by 1860.
He joined the WI 15th Infantry, Company K. The company called itself “Clausen’s Guards” in honor of the 15th’s first Chaplain, Claus L. Clausen. Most of the company was recruited from Scandinavian communities in MN and IA, with the rest from WI.
The army listed him as living in Manchester township, Freeborn County, MN and age 31. He enlisted for three years on December 23, 1861 in Freeborn County and mustered at Madison, WI on February 11, 1862 as a Private (Menig). While on board a steam boat near St. Louis, MO in April 1862, he contracted lung fever and rheumatism. He was left behind sick at Mississippi River Island No. 10 on June 11, 1862. He was moved to a general hospital near Cincinnati, OH on July 28, 1862. He was found to be unfit for service and was discharged on October 16, 1862.
In August 1866, Helge and Sigrid moved to Mantorville, Dodge County, MN. Helge died on January 29, 1905 at Flom. His wife Sigrid died on December 24, 1914 at Flom. They are buried in East Wild Rice Lutheran Cemetery, Twin Valley, Norman County, MN.
Sources: Series 1200: Records of Civil War Regiments, 1861-1900, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office, box 76-12; Regimental muster and descriptive rolls, 1861-1865, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office, vol.20, p.148; Det Femtende Regiment, Wisconsin Frivillige [The Fifteenth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers], Ole A. Buslett (Decorah, Iowa, 1894), p.637; Oberst Heg og hans gutter, Waldemar Ager, 1916, Fremad Pub. Co., Eau Claire, WI, p.319; Nordmaendene i Amerika, Martin Ulvestad, 1907, History Book Co., Minneapolis, MN, p.271; Rokke; “The Twin Valley Community Saga”, publ 1986; Rootsweb.com; article by Rob Erickson, Edina, Minnesota, published in “Flom & Area Townships 2002;” findagrave.com; Iowa, Select Marriages Index, FHL Film #1412084; 1885 MN Census, MNSC_35, Line 32; Sigdal parish register #I 6/1, born and baptised, p. 4, #I8, in- and out-migrated, p. 441, digitalarkivet.no.