Joseph R. Ashmead was born on December 1, 1833, in Princeton, Indiana, to Hosea and Rachael Ashmead. His father probably died before 1850. He grew up and attended school in Pakota, Indiana.

 

He enlisted in the Union army on October 30, 1861, and he mustered in as a corporal in Company E of the 42^nd Indiana Infantry. The regiment took part in the Battle of Perryville, the Battle of Stones River, the Battle of Chickamauga, the Atlanta campaign, the March to the Sea, and the Carolinas campaign. He was promoted to 2^nd lieutenant on November 17, 1862, then to 1^st lieutenant on July 2, 1863, and finally to captain on July 1, 1864. He mustered out on July 21, 1865.

 

He married Ellen Hollis on October 12, 1864, and they had at least four children: Fannie, born around 1866; John, born around 1868; Elmer, born around 1871; and Maria, born around 1873. They lived in Columbia, Indiana, and he worked as a farmer. By 1870, he owned $6,000 of real estate and $4,000 of personal property. They moved to Harrison, Indiana, in the late 1800s. He applied for a federal pension in November 1899 and eventually secured one. He died of “La Grippe” in Terre Haute, Indiana, on February 14, 1908.

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