Willam Brown
My great, great, great, great grandfather
Prisoner of War
William Brown was born July 4, 1839 to Robert and Hannah Brown in Darke County, Ohio. He and his parents were among the early pioneers of the township. They lived for a number of years on a farm east of Versailles on what was called school lands. In 1861 ,when the Civil War broke out, he enlisted in the 40th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and fought through the entire war. He was in Sherman's army. He was captured at Kennessaw mountain and spent 10 months and 8 days in Andersonville prison in Georgia. This was one of the worst Confederate prison camps during the war. He was discharged in 1865 in Washington City. After the war, he was a member of Larimer Post 445 of Versailles until he died.
Family Life
When William returned from the war, he married Sarah Hole Mendenhall on June 16, 1865. They lived and worked on the family farm. The couple had 10 children. Their names were Asher, Mary, Henry, Frank, Milton, Charles, William Orlando, Joseph, Bertha, and an infant who died. Four of his children died before he did. His wife, Sarah, passed away on June 18,1907. He lived on the farm until he retired. He lived with his son Charles until he died on October 18,1926 at the age of 87 years, 3 months and 14 days. He left behind 6 sons, 25 grandchildren, 6 step-grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren.
Where he fits in history?
William Brown was a part of one of the most important periods in history, the Civil War. He served the Union well in the Ohio infantry. He fought in the war from 1861-1865 this was during the entire war. He was a part of making history in this nation.