Civil War Database

This extensive database contains information on the lives and service of Civil War soldiers who were born in Norway.

The data was compiled from research conducted between 1997 and 2003 by Jerry Rosholt, a journalist and later producer for NBC Nightly News. In addition to the database, Rosholt served as guest historian a major exhibition on Norwegians in the Civil War at Vesterheim and authored a companion volume. Ole Goes to War: Men from Norway Who Fought in America’s Civil War, by Jerry Rosholt, is available through Vesterheim’s Museum Store.

Please see the “Soldiers’ Names” tab for more information about rural Norwegian naming customs and the name changes that often occurred after emigration to the United States. Send additions or edits to the database to info@vesterheim.org.