Hans volunteered to go to the Civil War in place of his brother Johannes because he had a family. His company was known as the Decorah Guards until mustered into the service. Then they assumed the name of Company D, Third Regiment of Iowa Volunteers. This was the first Company of men in Winneshiek Co. to enlist in defense of the stars and stripes. The average age of the 85 men was 22 years, 8 months and 22 days.

The Company left Decorah for Keokuk on 28 May 1861 and was mustered into the United States service 10 Jun 1861. The date of departure from Decorah was a memorable scene for those who came to the Court House Square to bid the boys a last farewell. A beautiful flag had been made by the ladies. After presentation of the flag, each soldier received a Bible or a Testament. A scene such as this had never occurred before and it was solemn, impressive and trying. The company left for Keokuk and soon after was transported to active service in Missouri.

Hans died at the Battle of Shiloh at Pittsburgh Landing, TN on 6 Apr 1862 serving under General Ulysses Grant. “Steenson, Hans H. Age 24. Residence Winneshiek Co., nativity Norway. Enlisted May 20, 1861. Mustered June 8, 1861. Killed in action April 6,1862. Shilo, Tenn."

Hans was not married. Jim Stinson, St. Joseph, MN, a great-grandson of Hans’s brother Sjur, has the Norwegian chest Hans brought from Norway. In Martin Ulvestad’s Normandene i Amerika 1913: "Stinson, Siver and Hans emigrated from Bergen Co., took part in Civil War. The first named’s son, Steen Stinson, was a farmer by Cresco, IA. The grandson, Henry S, was a County Recorder for Winneshiek, Co.lA." (Siver was not in the Civil War: rest is correct).

Haugen, Clayton and Helen (Jerman)

(Clayton S. Haugen)

On 7 May 1919 another Norwegian was born in Decorah, IA. I am proud to be the 4th child of Gustav and Olena Haugen who were married 15 Jun 1909. There were 3 Haugen brothers of our ancestry who left Norway to make their home in this country. Two of these brothers arrived here in 1855: Gjermund Olson Hjellehaugen, who was born in Vestre Slidre on the Hjelle farm in 1824, and a younger brother, Torstein, born in 1830 in Vestre Slidre. They arrived in IA in the summer of 1855 and Gjermund established a home on the south line of Decorah Twp. where I live today just north of Freeport. Torstein settled 8 miles farther west in Madison Twp. Another brother Ole Olson emigrated to America in 1865. These brothers, who went by the name of Olson Hjellehaugen in Norway, shortened their name to Haugen when they settled in America. Haugen means a hill or knoll. Sometime after Gjermund died in 1886 the farm in Springfield Twp. was taken over by a son Eivind, my grandfather, who married Margreth Syverson in 1881. They had 5 children: Gustav E.(b. 21 Nov 1881-d. 9 Jun 1943); Gjermund E. (b.7 May 1883-d.1935); Mabel Amanda (b. 15 May 1885-d. 6 Jan 1954); Elmer Theodore (b. 4 Jul 1887-d. 22 Jan 1905); Nels E. (b. 5 Sep 1889-d. 4 Jan 1956).

My mother's parents were John O. Anderson and Maria Peterson who were married 15 Oct 1882. The ancestors of both were natives of Norway. They had another daughter, Clara, who married Julian Kjos, a farmer of Madison Twp.

My older sister Margaret was born 22 Nov 1912 and passed away 12 Aug 1986. She married Paul Hansen 14 May 1938. They had two children: Chris Jorgen and Jane (b. 2 Feb 1948). Paul passed away 14 Jul 1964.

My brother Merle was born 31 Jan 1915 and passed away 19 Apr 1963. He married Dorothy Hansmier on 23 Mar 1937. They had a daughter, Rosalyn Kay.

My sister, Gladys, was born 10 Jan 1917. She married Dr. Robert Wolcott on 8 Mar 1946. They have 2 children: Deborah and Robert Floyd.

When I was a senior in high school my drama teacher, Helen Adams Bodensteiner, cast me in a play opposite Helen Jerman. Little did I know that she would become my wife. We were married 6 May 1941 in a Lutheran Church in Bethany, MO. Incidentally, Helen’s paternal grandmother’s maiden name was Haugen also, and her parents came from Laerdahl, Norway.

On 12 Dec 1942,1 began my service in the U.S. Air Force in Des Moines, IA. I was stationed in San Antonio, TX when our son, Jan Clayton, was born. My first glimpse of our son was when I had leave to return home for my father’s burial in June of that year. From San Antonio I was transferred to MacDill Field at Tampa, FL and Helen and Jan came there to live with me for almost 2 years.

Gust E. Haugen, 1909

One day after the war with Japan was over I received my orders to report for overseas duty. On my way to Japan, my daughter Beth Helen, was born. I served 6 months at a former Japanese pilot training school and was sent back to the States to the Separation Center at Fort Leavenworth, KS and discharged 22 Feb 1946. Then I re