Joel K. Bitgood was born on July 16, 1840, in Voluntown, Connecticut, to Elisha and Betsey Bitgood. His father was a farmer who owned $1,800 of real estate and $500 of personal property by 1860. He grew up and attended school in Voluntown, and by 1860, he was also working as a farmer.

 

He enlisted in the Union army on November 27, 1861, and he mustered in as a private in Company G of the 12^th Connecticut Infantry on December 3. He contracted malaria during the war, but he eventually recovered and rejoined the regiment. The regiment took part in the siege of Port Hudson, and he was wounded during the siege. As one writer noted, the “bullet was probed for, but the surgeon was unable to remove it, owing to its being deeply imbedded in the bone.” He developed erysipelas, and for the rest of his life, he was unable to “close his hand firmly.” He remained in the hospital until October 1864, and he was discharged on December 2, 1864.

 

He returned to Voluntown after leaving the army, and he married Margaret Tabor. They had at least four children: Sarah, born around 1870; Gracie, born around 1875; Roscoe, born around 1878; and Joseph, born around 1881. He worked in a sawmill, and by 1870, he owned $500 of real estate and $200 of personal property. He died in Voluntown on November 17, 1904.

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