The "restored citizenship" act for William Kile referenced his service in the Civil War. I had copies of his brother Archibald's Civil War pension, but had never looked into William's military service. A further search indicated that his service was in the 37th Iowa--company B. William would have been in his early fifties when he enlisted.
Kile was living in Mercer County, Illinois, at the time of his enlistment. His brother Archibald served in the same unit as he did which was not a surprise as Archibald was nearly forty when he enlisted. Many of the men in company B of the 37th Iowa were older than the typical soldier, causing the unit to be referred to as the "Graybeard Regiment."
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| Pension card for William Kile; digital image from Fold3.com |
William Kile returned to Ohio sometime after the war. I am getting a copy of his Civil War pension to see if it contains any additional details on his early life. Since his brother and he served in the same unit, I'm hoping that there may be a reference to that in the file.
Stay tuned.
Stay tuned.
