William Prior
William Prior was born on April 19, 1841, in England to Richard and Helen Prior. He eventually immigrated to America and settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He enlisted in the Union army, and he mustered in as a private in Company H of the 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry on August 10, 1861. The regiment took part in the Seven Days’ Battles and the Battle of Antietam. He was wounded in the right leg at Antietam on September 17, 1862, and surgeons amputated it soon afterward. He mustered out on January 11, 1863.
He returned to Philadelphia after leaving the army, and he earned a living as a telegraph operator. He applied for a federal pension in March 1863 and eventually secured one. He married a woman named Sarah, and their daughter Nellie was born around 1868. He died in Pitman, New Jersey, on August 12, 1909.
DATABASE CONTENT
| (4921) | Prior, William | 1841-04-19 | 1909-08-12 |
- Conflict Side: Union
- Role: Soldier
- Rank in: Private
- Rank out: Private
- Rank highest: Private
- Gender: Male
- Race: White
Documents - Records: 3
Places - Records: 3
Regiments - Records: 1
- (942) [enlisted] [H] ~ 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry
SOURCES
1870 and 1880 United States Federal Censuses, available from Ancestry.com; Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865, available from Ancestry.com; Civil War Pensions Index, 1861-1900, available from Fold3.com; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1803-1915, available from Ancestry.com; Howard O. Sprogle, The Philadelphia Police, Past and Present (Philadelphia, PA: n.p., 1887)
