By Donald E. Bedwell
William
A. Orrill was born in
King & Queen Co. Virginia.
Some
sources show his birth as late as 1819 but most are in the range 1811
to 1813.
He was a farmer and moved to
Madison, Jefferson Co.
Indiana with his
relatives.
He
married Lucinda Jane Humphreys in Jefferson Co.
Indiana Sept. 8, 1831.
Lucinda
was
born in Garrard Co. Kentucky. July 14, 1812 and was the daughter of
Cornelius
Thomas Humphreys
&
Elizabeth
Brooks.
Service
records for William
shows that he worked as a mechanic and had dark eyes, gray hair, light
complexion and stood 6 feet two inches tall.
Census records show him as a
farmer and miller.
After the birth of one
daughter, Elizabeth K. in Jefferson
Co. Indiana in
1832, the family moved to Illinois where two daughters Lucinda H. born
1840 and
Henrietta A. born 1844 were born.
His
first son William H. (Harry) was born about 1846 in Illinois. William
and family then
moved to Iowa in 1847.
In 1848 they are found in
Locust Grove Township, Jefferson
Co. Iowa where
their second son Winfield Sylvester was born September 26, 1848.
In 1850 census they were in
Monroe Township, Mahaska Co.
Iowa, where
their third son and last child Adonbeck E. (Don), sometimes listed as
John E. on
some early records, was born May 19, 1850.
William
owned and operated
a mill just outside of New
Sharon Iowa.
When
the Civil War
started the Union Army took over the Mill and the town that grew up
around this
mill became known as Union Mills Iowa.
William
enrolled and joined for duty in Company H, 3rd
Regiment of the Iowa
Infantry on May 31, 1861 in Keokuk Iowa for a period of three years.
He is listed as absent on
furlough in the June-Oct. 1861
Muster Rolls.
The reason for this furlough must be due to the fact that his first
wife Lucinda
Jane died September 12th
1861.
Her
burial is in the Indianapolis Cemetery in Indianapolis, Monroe
Township, Mahaska
County, Iowa.
The
Nov-Dec Muster
Rolls William is sick in quarters in St. Louis Missouri.
Dec.1861 through Oct. 1962 he
is listed as present.
On April 6, 1862 William was
slightly wounded in the left
groin/hip at
Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee (Shilo).
He
was promoted to Sergeant 28 Dec. 1862, and it was noted Oct 1863 that
he was on
daily duty as Ordinance Sergeant.
The
Nov-Dec Muster Rolls shows that he was absent in Iowa Recruiting
Service on 21
Nov 1863 Special Order No. 263 General McPherson.
William reenlisted in
Davenport Iowa 27 Feb 1864 to serve
three years in
Company I, 2nd
Regiment.
William
is shown on detached duty in Louisville, Kentucky since 17 Aug 1864 by
order of
Secretary of War.
William
was
discharged on 4 Jan 1865 to receive a promotion to 1st
Lieutenant and
appointment to the 122nd
U.S.C.T. in Louisville.
William married Sophia E.
Green on 11 July 1865 in
Louisville (she was
previously married to Jacob Green, her maiden name is unknown and she
had a
daughter from this marriage by the name of Amanda Green). William
Mustered-out
the next day 12 July 1865.
William
then became a policeman in Louisville.
William
resided at 822 E. Jefferson in Louisville until his death on 23 June
1875.
William’s burial is
recorded as being in Eastern
Cemetery in
Louisville.
Sophia
filed for a
widow’s pension 17 July 1890 in Kentucky Application #437345
and Certificate
#372487.
Sophia
died 16 Apr
1922 and is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery, Chicago, Cook Co.
Illinois.