William Buchanan Edmondson1,2

b. 7 May 1839, d. 31 August 1866
FatherJohn Lowry Glenn Edmondson2,3 b. 14 Feb 1813, d. 1 Mar 1865 or 7 Mar 1865
MotherMargaret Jane Beaty Buchanan2,3 b. 28 Jan 1818 or 28 Jan 1819, d. 27 Aug 1895
Birth7 May 1839 William Buchanan Edmondson was born on 7 May 1839 in Washington County, Virginia.2 
Marriage13 Dec 1860 He married Jane Sharp Caldwell, daughter of John S. Caldwell and Margaret McConkey, on 13 Dec 1860 in Washington County.3 
Military On July 24th, 1861 William enlisted in Company H of the 37th Virginia Infantry, under Capt. Robert E. Grant. He initially served as the company's 2nd lieutenant but by the spring of 1862 he had been promoted to first lieutenant. William was wounded in May 1863 and spent time in a hospital at Richmond and then at Emory and Henry College near his home in Washington County.

Company muster rolls indicate he commanded the company from early May to late August 1864. However on Sept. 22, 1864 he was wounded and captured by Union forces during the Battle of Fisher's Hill. He then spent time at several Union Hospitals where he was treated for wounds in both thighs and anchylosis of the left knee. He was also held for a brief period at Ft. Delaware.4 [a Union prison in the Delaware River] 
  William's two younger brothers, Mathew and Samuel, also served with the 37th Virginia Infantry. Both men were taken prisoner on May 12, 1864 during the fighting at Spotsylvania Courthouse and both men spent the following year at Ft. Delaware. 
  William returned home following the end of the war but one suspects he never fully recovered from his wounds or perhaps from one of the many illnesses associated with the war. William barely lived to see the birth of his second child on July 18, 1866. 
Death31 Aug 1866 William died on 31 Aug 1866 in Washington County, Virginia, at age 27.2 

Family

Jane Sharp Caldwell b. 25 Apr 1836, d. 12 Aug 1893
Children
ChartsDescendants of John Buchanan and Ann Ryburn
Last Edited4 Sep 2013

Citations

  1. [S6] Thomas Colley, Washington Co. VA Marriages 1853-1880, p. 102. "William Buchanan Edmondson, 22y, sgl, b. & resid Washington Co., VA, farmer, s/o John & Margaret Edmondson AND Jane Sharp Cauldwell, 24y, sgl, b. & resid WCV, d/o John S. & Margaret Cauldwell; 13 Dec. 1860.
  2. [S1275] Letter, Mary Craig Caldwell Rhea to Wm E. "Buck" Buchanan, March 1994. Mrs. Rhea abstacted this information from an old Edmondson Bible which is in her possession.
  3. [S6] Thomas Colley, Washington Co. VA Marriages 1853-1880, p. 102. "William Buchanan Edmondson, 22y, sgl, b. & resid Washington Co., VA, farmer, s/o John & Margaret Edmondson AND Jane Sharp Cauldwell, 24y, sgl, b. & resid WCV, d/o John S. & Margaret Cauldwell; 13 Dec. 1860."
  4. [S958] James L. Douthat, Civil War Records of Washington Co., Virginia, p. 14.
  5. [S2334] Paul Edmondson, "Ramblingroots-main page," e-mail to D. Powell, 22 Sept. 2009. Mr. Edmondson provided a copy of Edmondson family data believed to have been sent by Minnie Groseclose Holmes (d/o Margaret Edmondson Groseclose) to her cousin, Harold Edmondson (s/o William B. Buchanan, Jr.).
  6. [S163] Martha Caldwell household, 1880 U.S. Cens., Washington Co., VA, pop. sched., Holston District, ED 100, p. 50B (original script), dwelling 430, family 430. Sept. 2009. Household includes: Martha Caldwell, 63, wid; Charles C., 21, son, farm laborer; Sarah M., 23, dau; Marion, 19, son, farm laborer; Elizabeth L., 41, dau; Jane S. Edmondson, 42, dau-in-law, wid; Margaret E. Edmondson, 16, dau; Wm B. Edmondson, 13, son, farm laborer; all b. VA, all parents b. VA.