The Family of William T. Corbin - First Child of James and Cynthia (Casteel) Corbin

I wish this were going to be a happy story, but it is not.   William T. Corbin was shot and killed in the Great War of the Rebellion, better known as the Civil War.

William T. Corbin was born February 11, 1839 in Lake County, Indiana the son of James and Cynthia (Casteel) Corbin.   William moved to Texas with his parents in the late 1840s and then to West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri.

William was married to Emily Hulbert in 1860 at West Liberty, Missouri.  To this union, one son, James William Corbin was born on June 11, 1862.   The family moved to Clark County, Missouri where they were farming when James was born.

I am grateful for the use of this photograph to  Susan Frazer Scott, a Todd relative in Colorado.    Emily (Hulbert) Corbin is seated in the middle.   On her left are James William, Annie and Merit Corbin.   On Emily's right are Lee, Phoebe (Montgomery) and Tura Todd.   Lee and Phoebe (Montgomery) Todd were also the parents of Reva (Todd) Dixon who was very helpful to the author.

William T. Corbin volunteered for the Union Army in the 7th Regiment of Missouri Calvary for three years.  The enlistment date was March 18, 1862.  William was an ambulance driver and died mysteriously on September 2, 1864 near Pine Bluff, Arkansas.   Official papers list no cause of death.  Emily Corbin moved to Lemmonville (shown as Lemons on some maps) Putnam County, Missouri just to the south of West Liberty.   They she occupied an 80 acre farm until her death on April 29, 1904.

This is a map of Putnam County, Missouri showing towns with Corbin and Todd Connections. 

A son, Merit William Corbin, was born on December 26, 1888 to James and Annie (Miller) Corbin.   Merit's grandmother, Emily Corbin, and his mother Annie Corbin lived on the farm until their deaths.

This is a copy of the marriage license for James William and Annie (Miller) Corbin.  Click on any image to make it full-sized on your screen.


Merit was married to Edith Fightmaster on August 7, 1910 and they were members of the Bethany Church.   One son, William Clark Corbin was born to this union on December 15, 1917 and died at birth.   Merit Corbin died on July 11, 1934.   Edith (Fightmaster) Corbin was still alive in 1980 when the author last visited Unionville, MO.

In 1977, I visited the site of the Emily Corbin farm with Mrs. Reva (Todd) Dixon, a Todd relative.  Emily Corbin raised Mrs. Dixon's mother, Phoebe Montgomery and Mrs. Dixon has many fond memories of the Corbins.   She said a sweeter woman never lived than Emily (Hulbert) Corbin.  There are no direct descendants of this family living.

The second child, Griffin Corbin, died a week after birth.  So I'll next be blogging about the third child of James and Cynthia Ann (Casteel) Corbin:   Nathaniel Corbin.

Happy Trails!