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William Abel 

Co I 53rd ILL VOL INF
Private


53rd Illinois Infantry
Regiment History

William Abel served with Company I of the 53rd Illinois Volunteer Infantry, enrolling at Ottawa, Illinois, LaSalle county, on January 4, 1864, and being mustered out at the end of the war on July 22, 1865.

William was born on April 27, 1837, the fifth of nine children born to his parents, Ira H. and Almira (Hine) Abel, in Litchfield County, Connecticut. William lived in Connecticut only a short time, as the family picked up and moved across the country, first to Ohio by 1840, then, by 1848, to Michigan. Sometime between 1851 and 1860, William's parents moved the family back to Illinois. Twenty-two year old William was still living at home in 1860, probably helping his father on the family farm.

When the call to arms came for men to enlist to fight the battle for the Union side of the Civil War, William enlisted, enrolling at Ottawa, Illinois, LaSalle County. Below is a listing of activity of the 53rd during which William served:

On or about the 21st of July 1864, before Atlanta, GA, Willaim received an injury to his left ankle and was sent to Marriette Hospital. From there he was transferred to Chattanooga, then Nashville Tennessee. He was then put on a steamer and went down the Cumberland River and up the Ohio river. This being about January 1865, and the weather cold and he being exposed to the cold, Willaim caught cold and contracted cataarh which resulted in deafness of both ears. He was sent to Camp Dennison Hospital near Cincinnati, Ohio, about the 15th of January, 1865, where he received treatment for catarrh and a cold in his head. From the time of his injury to ankle he was away from his command and comrades and was among strangers all this time. Since that William had been partially deaf which plagued him the rest of his life. From affidavits given by friends for military pension, it was stated that he was indeed hard of hearing most of his life since his service, which grew increasing worse with time. This deafness made it difficult for him to understand ordinary conversations, to the point that others had to virtually yell at him to make him understand. During this time, at the beginning of his hearing problems, William also was experiencing heart trouble.

William and his family moved around quite a bit according to records found. His military record states he lived in Illinois from 1865 to 1877, and near Emporia, Kansas from 1877 to 1881. Since 1881 until the time of his death, he had lived in Colfax, Boone, Nance, and Dodge Counties in Nebraska.

William stood at five foot, eight inches tall, with a fair complexion, gray eyes, and dark hair, and was a farmer by occupation.

William married Mary Rebecca Hutton, on September 5, 1865, just two months after being mustered out of service. They married in LaSalle County, Illinois, by the Reverend Martin K. Whittley. He and Mary had three sons. Twins, Albert and Wilbur Abel were born in Ottawa, on April 12, 1867, but little Wilbur died about two weeks after their birth. On November 12, 1869, youngest son Charles W. was born, also in Ottawa.

William Abel died in Fullerton, Nance County, Nebraska on January 25, 1920.

Records found so far on William's son Charles indicate that Charles was a physician in Fullerton, Nance County, Nebraska. He married an Anna L. (nee unknown). Charles and Anna had at least two children. Daughter Alva S. was born September 6, 1893, and son William was born March 4, 1896. In 1900, according to the Nebraska Census, William and Mary lived with Charles and his family, in Fullerton.