NEWBY William 1825 - Yes, date unknown

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• Birth	29 Apr 1825	Smith County, Tennessee
  Gender	Male
  Died	Yes, date unknown
  Person ID	I1313	Wheeler
  Last Modified	12 Aug 2010

  
  

  Father	NEWBY John,   b. 14 Nov 1798, Smith County, Tennessee ,   d. 25 May 1843, Mill Shoals, White County, Illinois
  Mother	SIMPSON Rebecca,   b. 20 Nov 1802, Henry County, Virginia ,   d. 20 Sep 1900, Mill Shoals, White County, Illinois
  Married	1820	Tennessee
  Family ID	F2182	Group Sheet

  
  

  Family	FILES Feriby,   b. 29 Feb 1832, Illinois ,   d. 17 Oct 1909, White County, Illinois
  Married	25 Oct 1849	White County, Illinois   [1, 2]
  Children	1. NEWBY Marietta,   b. 30 Jun 1851, Mill Shoals, White County, Illinois ,   d. 30 Aug 1919, Seneca, Union County, New Mexico   2. NEWBY John Wesley,   b. 1 Jul 1853, Mill Shoals, White County, Illinois ,   d. 14 Apr 1933, Illinois   3. NEWBY William F.,   b. 26 Jun 1855, Illinois ,   d. Yes, date unknown   4. NEWBY Francis Marion,   b. 17 Oct 1857, Mill Shoals, White County, Illinois ,   d. 1920   5. NEWBY Hezekiah,   b. 26 Mar 1859, White County, Illinois ,   d. 6 Mar 1922, Illinois   6. NEWBY Rebecca Dorothy,   b. 7 May 1861, Mill Shoals, White County, Illinois ,   d. 18 Aug 1885, Mill Shoals, White County, Illinois
  Last Modified	16 Sep 2000
  Family ID	F427	Group Sheet

  
  

• Event Map		Event Birth - 29 Apr 1825 - Smith County, Tennessee Married - 25 Oct 1849 - White County, Illinois  = Link to Google Maps   = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos		William Newby This photo is taken from a report by NARA regarding "The William Newby Case and the Legacy of the Civil War," the story of an "extraordinary Civil War pension fraud controversy. The case concerned a man, claiming to be a soldier named William Newby of the 40th Illinois Infantry Regiment, who allegedly had died at the Battle of Shiloh, but who returned home almost 30 years after his reported death." See http://www.archives.gov/publications/record/1998/01/from-the-regions.html - Symposium: "Chicago and the Midwest in the Civil War Era" - A Partnership, by Peter W. Bunce.
  		William Newby and His Comrades of the 40th Illinois Infantry Volunteers Photo taken in Springfield, Illinois on 15 July 1893, used by permission. See The Yesterdays of Hamilton County, Illinois
  		William Newby and family members Standing L-R: Andrew Tullis, John Wagley Hill, Monroe Files, John Files, John Newby, unidentified woman, Marietta Newby, James Files, Eliza Files, Marion Files. Seated L-R: Hezekiah Newby, Mary Tullis, William Newby, Rebecca Simpson Newby, Fereby Files Newby holding John Hill Kennann, Francis Marion Newby, Martha Greathouse Newby, Presley Newby.

  
  

• Notes

  «b»William Newby«/b», a private of the 40«sup»th«/sup» Illinois Infantry, who was wounded at the battle of Shiloh, April 6, 1862, and was supposed to have been killed and buried at that celebrated battle. Newby was restored to his family in April 1891, after 30 years wandering from poorhouse to poorhouse, in the North and the South. During the Sixth Annual Reunion of the Army and Sailors Association at McLeansboro, Illinois, William Newby was a great attraction, many coming just to see the man who had been supposed dead for 29 years. The following ex-solders who were in Andersonville prison during the war met and recognized Newby as one of the prisoners of that pen: Henry Stewart, of Martin Store; Rev. H. Hutchcraft of Mt. Vernon, Ill.; James A Johnson of Macedonia, and Sealsbury Brown of Six Mile P. O., Wayne County, Illinois. During the 29 years wandering of William Newby, his homestead of 200 acres was divided and sold under a decree of the White County Circuit Court, and his children, two girls and four boys, received the benefit of the partition. It was then decided that he should apply for a discharge from the Army and seek a pension as well as all the back pay that was due him. However, when William Newby went to Springfield to advance his claim he was taken into custody and placed in jail. The charge that was lodged against him was that he was attempting to obtain a pension fraudulently. The attorneys believed him not to be William Newby but Daniel Benton. An indictment was returned against Daniel Benton and a date for the trial was set. On Monday, July 9, 1983, the witnesses in the William Newby case went to Springfield. A. M. Wilson, H. Goodrich, J. H. Upchurch, Moses Robinson, Ed Banes, C. A. Day and several others went from here, and it is estimated that 400 went from White County. Also on Monday, a Deputy U. S. Marshal passed through this city with 35 witnesses from Tennessee. The trial began on July 11, 1893. Mrs. Rebecca Newby, the mother of Wm. Newby, blind, equally enfeebled and her head white with snow of age, was helped to the witness stand. She was 95 years old but evidently understood all the questions put to her and answered them intelligently. She could not see the defendant, but she had talked with him and knew he was her son, for he recalled many incidents of his boyhood. Among others who identified him were a brother, a sister and several other relatives. Newby, however, was convicted despite all this testimony and was sentenced by Judge Allen to two years in the penitentiary at Chester. A plea for a new trial was denied. Shortly after his release from prison Newby left this part of the country and wandered to the region of Andersonville Prison where he died and was buried in a potters field. [3]




• Sources

  [S229] Files Family Tree, Melanie Moore Dodson, (http://www.cdlr.tamu.edu/mmdhome/files/files1.htm, accessed 19 Jan 2000). [S505] Illinois, White County, Marriage Book, White County, Illinois, (Illinois Statewide Marriage Index 1763-1900, accessed at http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/cgi-bin/archives/marriage.s on 21 March 2001), Vol. 3 (Reliability: 3). [S1219] William Newby, John R. Knight, (From Goshen Trails, April 1966; p. 3, accessed at http://www.carolyar.com/Illinois/Bios/Newby.htm on 10 Sep 2007).