Benjamin Franklin O’Bryon was born around 1839 in Pennsylvania. He married Elizabeth Beck on June 24, 1858, and they had two children: Charles Godfrey, born on July 12, 1859; and Sarah Eliza, born on April 7, 1862. Their daughter died on March 28, 1864. They briefly lived in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, before settling in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. He worked as a farmer, and by 1860, he owned $100 of personal property.

 

O’Bryon enlisted in the Union army on August 22, 1862, and he mustered in as a sergeant in Company E of the 140^th Pennsylvania Infantry later that day. The regiment took part in the Battle of Chancellorsville, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the Overland Campaign. In April 1863, he denounced Peace Democrats as "traitors," and he prayed that Confederates would “give up the struggle in this unrighteous war for…there has been enough blood spilt to purge the Nation.” He was killed in action on May 31, 1864, in the Battle of Cold Harbor.

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