#55107 William Barnhart Daubenspeck ( Elizabeth Barnhart • Daniel Barnhart◊ • Johann Wilhelm "William" Bernhardt◊ • Casper Bernhardt◊ )

William was born 11 Sep 1838 in Parker Twp., Butler Co., Pennsylvania. He died 13 Dec 1862 in Frederick, Virginia from an artillery shell.

In 1862, David George Barnhart, son of William A. & Mary Ann (Daubenspeck) Barnhart, was drafted for service in the Civil War. With a family of two children and another on the way, he paid the $300 option to have a replacement. His cousin, William, volunteered to go in his place. On his first big battle, at Fredericksburg, Virginia, he was struck by an artillery shell and killed.

After this event, David changed his middle name to William, using that for the rest of his life. [Barnhart/Warter] notes that William and David were first cousins. This can be somewhat confusing in a reference about the Barnharts, since the two men are third cousins once removed through that lineage. However, on the Daubenspeck side, they were first cousins, William's father and David's mother being siblings.

Note that [Barnhart/Warter] variously lists this battle as Fredericksburg, Virginia and Frederick, Virginia and Fredericksburg, Maryland. Based upon the date, I have placed it at Fredericksburg, Virginia. The Battle of Monocacy at Frederick, Maryland was in 1864.

This information was found in the family bible and also recounted to Howard Barnhart by Abraham, William's brother, who was at the battle.

Howard D. Barnhart & Janet K. Warter, The History of Casper Bernhardt and His Descendants, revision by Warter, (unpublished, 1998). Ref. as [Barnhart/Warter].

Line Generation: 6

Relationship: First Cousins Three Times Removed through Daniel Barnhart◊