Richard Ridgely Dashiell was born on August 18, 1816, in Maryland. He earned his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1837. He settled in Nashville, Tennessee, soon afterward and earned a living as a doctor. He married a woman named Eliza, and they had at least four children: Emily, born around 1846; Anna, born around 1853; Richard, born around 1855; and Alex, born around 1858. By 1850, he owned $1,800 of real estate. A decade later, he owned $10,000 of real estate and $6,000 of personal property.

 

In May 1861, he received a commission as a surgeon in the 6^th Tennessee Infantry. He moved to Jackson, Tennessee, after the war and resumed his work as a doctor. By 1870, he owned $5,000 of real estate and $1,500 of personal property. In January 1886, he received an appointment as a local postmaster. By 1900, he was living in his daughter Emily’s household in Lexington, Tennessee. He died there on May 17, 1907.

SOURCES