William Little Gerrish was born on August 31, 1841, in Portland, Maine, to Oliver and Sarah Gerrish. His father was a jeweler who owned $5,000 of real estate by 1850. He grew up and attended school in Portland, Maine, and by 1860, he was working as a teacher.
He enlisted in the Union army in 1864, and he mustered in as a sergeant in the 5th Maine Infantry. In October 1864, he was promoted to 2nd lieutenant in Company A of the 19th Maine Infantry. He died of “congestion of [the] brain” near Petersburg, Virginia, on February 11, 1865.
Image: William L. Gerrish (courtesy Maine State Archives)