William and Martha Oliver

William Oliver was born January 10, 1838 in Columbus, Ohio, of Scotch English parentage. When he was very young his parents moved to Indiana. His father died when he was three years old, leaving his mother with a large family of small children to raise. William Oliver was a self-educated man. He attended school wherever and whenever he could. As soon as he was old enough he took up the profession of school teaching, working at other occupations during vacations. When the Civil War broke out he volunteered and served as a private. Returning home on a furlough he married Martha Ann Kelly, August 23, 1862. After five days he bid his young bride good-bye and returned to the battlefield where he remained until the end of the war, serving principally under the command of General Grant and General Sherman, and was with Sherman on his famous march through Georgia to the sea. At the end of the war he was mustered out as a Lieutenant, with honors.

When soldiers were on the march they lived off the land, taking whatever they found from plantations and fields along the way. So it happened near the end of that famous march that a still was found hidden away in the woods with several barrels of corn liquor, and the men didn't hesitate to make use of it. That night while they were celebrating their good fortune, one of the men carelessly discharged his rifle and shot Lieutenant Oliver in the leg! Instead of marching victoriously to the end with his company as he had planned, the Lieutenant had to ride in the supply wagon that last day. That gunshot wound caused Oliver to limp the rest of his life.

Martha Ann Kelly was born December 20, 1844 in Richmond, Virginia, of Scotch-Irish and English parentage. Her parents were of the wealthier class of Virginians, especially her mother's family, the Vaughns and the Wythes, who were leading men in the state, and friends of Robert E. Lee. The Vaughns can trace their lineage back to the Revolutionary War and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Following the Civil War, William and Martha Oliver, moved to Howard Lake, Wright Co., Minnesota. Their eldest daughter, Arminta Oliver, was born there June 25, 1866. There were 9 children born to Martha and William Oliver, seven girls and two boys:

This page was first created on December 16, 2001, and was last revised on December 16, 2001. If you have comments, corrections or additional information or pictures you would like to contribute, feel free to contact Dave Nims.