Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-08-07
FAMILY OF Fighters.

Family of Fighters.
-ls F it came within the
ISW line of its inquiries, +"
S&ls l said w. G. Meyer, OF
~ l,IA st. Clairsville, W.
kNh VIC ~ Va, "the census
lMY merator for
eIlSyH 8 Moundsville, near
MLVIl where 1 live, must
~ ~ have found about as
sWGM|e wonderful a domes-
zs.J,zss tic history as any
=, FOR will run against elsewhere
,?s so,ntry. l refer to family by
fns .v Of Brandon. The father Of
ps ;anilv, Charles Brandon, died
' Sa was SO years old, but his
Gu .d nt child was less than a year
lA5 Ne died just as the Civil War
!, ont from q broken heart, his
X having refused to live with him
lancer nc and brought suit for divorce
D ~+7 him. He had at that time
w., living children, and had
y married three times.
uis first vito bore him two chill
n'' His second wife died after bear
him eighteen. At the age Of rs he
.r , sarah Barker, she being Is,
II tbe Youngest Of sixteen children.
lived with twenty-one years, bear
HIM fifteen children, and then left
taking her year-old baby with
and sued for a divorce on the
nnls of incompatibility of temper.
nlop was still hale and hearty, but
assertion of his wife broke him
m and he died within q month af-
he left him.
vbep his third wife married him the
p,t Of his twenty children by his
preyious wives was 30, and the en-
twenty lived under the paternal
The Young wife reared all of the
(ptv that were young enough to
rearing, besides caring for the
zen of her own, the Oldest of whom
but twenty when she left their
her. The family of thirty-tive kept
ether for many years after their
hers death, and if the patriarchal
plon had lived few months longer
would have seen seventeen of his
enlist in the Union army. It is a
stion if in this or any other country
nstaace can be found where one
ily ever before contributed seven
.o4s to their counyrys service.
We were two Charles and two Johns
ng these brothers. The names of
other thirteen were: Simeon, Ev-
Peter, Josephus, Hiram, James,
Buren,, Jacob, Abraham, Alexan-
David, Andrew and Ruse. Besides
i, three of Charles Brandon's sons
ell in the Mexican war. The sew
|ya brothers were all in Ohio and
ana regiments. Two of them, one
be Johns and one of the Charles,
sons of the third Mrs. Brandon.
were both taken prisoners at the
e of Chickamaugua and placed in
ssso:ville Prison. John died in
sison. Charles was there twenty
onths when he escaped. All the
the sons were children of the
wife. They were in every i'm
lat battle OF the war, and all lived
ct home when the war was over
Fyt Peter, who was killed at Shiloh.
le.e boys all come OF good fighting
Il, for their father was famous
PAN fighter himself. a veteran of the
Of 1912 and the Mexican war.
en Western Pennsylvania was the
Ptier, and the Indian fighter was
most important and indispensable
Fon in the settlements, Charles
ndon according to all tradition,
one of the best and most daring of
The active foes OF the red men. His
Der was killed by Indians when
atles was only 3 years old. He
self was made prisoner and lived
the Indians twelve years, hating
M more the longer he was with
m. At the age of Is he escaped,
after learning his mother tongue,
bit all his time, until they were
zen away to more remote settle
hts, in hunting and killing Indians.
fe was 81 years Of age when the
OF 1912 broke out, and he was one
he first to join the American army,
was in it when peace was de.
Ee4. He was "a when he enlisted
he Mexican war.
he third wife of this virile old
lter is living at Moundsville, hale
hearty at the age OF 81. She is
SIX feet high and as straight as
arrow. OF her thirty-tive children
step-children she knows positively
HE whereabouts of but fifteen. The
are scattered about the country
dead. The thirty-fiye children
be a1i sons.