Charles Oleson
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| Name at Enlist | Charles Oleson |
| Birth Name | Carelius Olsen Sæta |
| Other Names | Karilius, Karelius, Carelius; Charles Olson |
| Lived | 18 May 1837 – 30 Apr 1927 |
| Birth Place | Sæta, Grue parish, Hedmark fylke |
| Birth Country | Norway |
| Resident of Muster-In | Verona, Dane County, WI |
| Company at Enlistment | K |
| Rank at Enlistment | Private |
| Muster Date | 28 Jan 1864 |
| Death Location | Madison, Dane County, WI |
| Burial Location | Forest Hill Cemetery, Madison, Dane County, WI |
| Mother | Marie Olsdatter |
| Father | Ole Halvorsen |
| Immigration | Left on 24 May 1862 |
| Spouse | Olea Ammundsdatter Tjuren |
| Spouse Lived | 9 Jul 1841- 2 Jun 1933 |
| Married On | 30 Apr 1862 |
| Marriage Location | Grue, Hedmark, Norway |
Charles Oleson was born “Carelius Olsen” on May 18, 1837 at Grue, Hedmark, Norway. His parents were Ole Halvorsen and Marie Olsdatter Sæta. On April 30, 1862, he married Olea Ammundsdatter. They left Norway for America shortly thereafter on May 24, 1862.
Oleson 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 Verona, Dane County, WI and age 26. He enlisted for three years on January 11, 1864 at Madison, WI, and mustered there on January 28, 1864 as a Private (Menig). He joined Company K at Strawberry Plains, VA on March 31, 1864. Oleson was wounded in his left leg at New Hope Church, GA on May 27, 1864, and sent to hospital. He was later moved to Madison, WI and assigned to the Veteran Reserve Corps on December 20, 1864. He mustered out at Davenport, IA on September 18, 1865.
After the war, he returned to Madison, WI. He and his wife had 12 children, including: Anna (1864), Herbert (1868), Oskar (1871), Martin (1873), Ellen (1875-1969), Herman (1878-84), Thomas (1879), Agnes (1881-84), and Otto (1884-91). The couple remained in Madison until their deaths. Charles worked as a laborer and as a janitor at the State Capitol Building. They are both buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison. Charles died on April 30, 1927 and Olea on June 2, 1933. Their children, Otto, Herman, Agnes, and Ellen are also listed on the same headstone.
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.20, p.148; Det Femtende Regiment, Wisconsin Frivillige [The Fifteenth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers], Ole A. Buslett (Decorah, Iowa, 1894), p.636 photo; Oberst Heg og hans gutter, Waldemar Ager, 1916, Fremad Pub. Co., Eau Claire, WI, p.220, photo, p.319; Unidentified newspaper obituary; Nordmaendene i Amerika, Martin Ulvestad, 1907, History Book Co., Minneapolis, MN, p.315; “Pensioners on the Roll as of January 1, 1883 (living in Wisconsin)”, Park Genealogical Books, Roseville, Minnesota pub. 1998; Civil War Pension Index, Roll #T288_355; Grue parish register #7, born and baptised, pp. 56, 88, #9, in- and out-migrated, p. 348, digitalarkivet.no; findagrave.com; 1880 Census, Roll: 1421, Family History Film: 1255421, Page: 130C, Enumeration District: 075; 1900 Census, Roll: 1783, Page: 1A, Enumeration District: 0048, FHL microfilm: 1241783; 1910 Census, Roll: T624_1708, Page: 3B, Enumeration District: 0057, FHL microfilm: 1375721; 1920 Census, Roll: T625_1981, Page: 7A, Enumeration District: 42, Image: 483.