James K. Andrews - Bishop Post, G.A.R.

Photo taken from Ancestry Public Tree

GAR Photo

James K. Andrews, born January 23, 1847, spent all of his years in Defiance County.  Born to parents, Jeremiah and Electa, he grew up living in Defiance, although his father was a farmer and probably farmed ground nearby.

A month after he turned seventeen, James, sometimes called "Jack," enlisted in Company G, 38th Ohio Infantry.  It was 1864 and the company was sent to meet up with General Sherman in his campaign for Atlanta.  After capturing Atlanta, the 38th went with him into the Carolina campaign where they witnessed the surrender of Confederate general Joe Johnston.





They were then sent for the Grand Review in Washington on May 24, 1865.  The war was over!  Jack and his company boarded the B & O Railroad to travel as far as Parkersburg and then hopped on a steamer up the Ohio River.  They mustered out at Louisville on July 12, 1865.  For James K. Andrews, it was a service of almost 1 1/2 years.

After the war, Jack married Amanda Wiler.  In the 1870 census, they were enumerated as living with her parents, John and Elizabeth.  James, 23, and Amanda, 19, had one child, Franklin, 10 months.  Jack helped with the farming.

The couple went on to have nine children and they farmed many years.  Andrews served faithfully as a deacon of the First Baptist Church and was active in the activities of the Bishop Post.  In 1901, the family lived at 826 Jefferson Street, but in their later years, they moved to 930 Wilhelm Street.

In 1923, a report of their 55th wedding anniversary, also provided a few of his Civil War experiences:

James K. Andrews died on September 28, 1927.  His funeral was held at his home on Wilhelm Street and later at the First Baptist Church with all his grandsons as pallbearers - Gerald, Mylan and Irvin Andrews, Jacob Kinner and Ed. Morris - and his granddaughters as flower carriers - Dorothy, Mildred, Catherine and Thesal Andrews.

Crescent-News, September 28, 1927

Riverside Cemetery - www.findagrave.com

(This is part of a series on Civil War veterans of Defiance County who were part of the G.A.R., Bishop Post, that headquartered in the city.  Formed in 1879, the post was named after a local man, Captain William Bishop, Company D, 100th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Army who died as a result of wounds received in battle.  The veterans' photos are part of a composite photo of members that has survived.  If you have other information or corrections to add to the soldiers' stories, please add to the comments!)