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William Bixler – Buried at Enders – Was He Really a Veteran?
Posted By Norman Gasbarro on August 27, 2018
William Bixler, sometimes found in the records as William S. Bixler or William H. Bixler, was born in 1839, in Jackson Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, the son of John Bixler (1811-1863) and Sarah Catherine [Straw] Bixler (1812-1896). At his grave, which is located at Fairview Cemetery, Enders, Dauphin County, there is a G.A.R. star-flag holder. There is no mention on the stone that he was a Civil War veteran.
William Bixler died in 1881 as noted on the grave marker. It was mentioned here in a prior blog post, that he was listed in the Halifax Bicentennal Book as a Civil War veteran who was buried at Enders, but no regiment or company was given.
According to information available on Steve Maczuga’s Database, the only person of that name who served in a Pennsylvania regiment was the William Bixler who was mustered into service on 19 July 1864 in Company B of the 196th Pennsylvania Infantry and served as a Private through his muster our on 17 November 1864.
That same William Bixler, is represented on a Pennsylvania Veterans’ File Card from the Pennsylvania Archives:
According to the Registers of Pennsylvania Volunteers from the Pennsylvania Archives, the William S. Bixler who served in this regiment/company, was 18 years old at the time of his enlistment at Philadelphia, making the year of birth more like 1846 than the year on the grave marker at Enders.
Click on document to enlarge.
No pension record has been located for a William Bixler who served in the 196th Pennsylvania Infantry or in any Regular Army regiment. This is unusual, because even though the William Bixler buried at Enders died in 1881, his widow, the former Catharine A. McColly, did not die until 1927 – and to make matters worse, there were at least five known minor children in 1881 who would have been eligible for benefits as well!
While it possible that this veteran who served in the 196th Pennsylvania Infantry is the same as the man buried at Enders, until a direct piece of information can connect the two, the Enders William Bixler can only be considered a “maybe” as a veteran.
Readers with suggestions are welcome to submit them for discussion.
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