William H. Bridenbaugh - Bishop Post, G. A. R.

William H. Bridenbaugh

When the 1860 census enumerator came around, he found William Bridenbaugh, 26, a carpenter, living in Brunersburg.  With him, were his wife Sarah (nee Black), 22, and young daughter, Janett.  He had real estate valued at $350 which was probably a little house in "the burg" and personal items worth $100.

When he was 29, he enlisted into the newly formed Company D, 100th Ohio Infantry, made up mostly of Defiance County men.  It was July of 1862, and the enlistment was for a three year term.  This group would, indeed, serve until the end of the war, mustering out on June 20, 1865, at Greensboro, North Carolina.

The unit was involved in some of the largest battles of the war in the South, including the Siege of Atlanta and the Carolinas.  When William reported to the 1890 census of veterans, he noted that he suffered from chronic diarrhea, vertigo, and headaches due to his time in the war. 

When William returned home, he continued in his occupation of carpenter, and he and Sarah added Henrietta, John and Nelly to their family by 1870.  A final son, George, was enumerated at age 8 in 1880.  The family stayed on in their Brunersburg location until sometime around 1900 when William, 64, and Sarah, 64, and daughter, Nettie, 38, moved to Defiance, Ward 2.

William H. Bridenbaugh died on November 7, 1901, and his obituary appeared in the Defiance Express on that same day:

Sarah lived on until 1910, and apparently she moved out of town either to Henrietta's in Nebraska or to John's in Massilon, Ohio, and was there when she died.  The only notice in the newspaper was this:

(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!)