William Champion Whitaker was the fourth child and oldest son of Benjamin Franklin. He was born on February 9, 1836 in Nacogdoches Texas. He was educated there and worked along side his father until the age of 20 when he married Elizabeth Frances Wade on October 23, 1856. She was the daughter of Irvin Green Wade and Barbara Stephens Wade and was born on March 15, 1839 in Hinds County Mississippi where she grew up. The Wades lived in various parts of Mississippi and Georgia until the early to mid 1850s when, evidently, brothers Wade, Irvin and Henry moved their families to Nacogdoches, Texas. Born almost a decade after Elizabeth, her cousin Melissa married William’s brother, Madison.

William and Elizabeth had three, maybe four children. There seems to be some confusion as there is an Emily Ann born “approximately 1865” and an Amanda Dora born March 15, 1865; This is an error or they lost an infant girl. There were two other children, Benjamin Warren and Hester Ann, with Hester being the older of the two.

On March 10, 1862, just as the Civil War was building and knowing that it would eventually move into the State of Texas, William enlisted in the Confederate Army. He was assigned to Capt. F. Voight’s Company B, in the 12th Texas Volunteer Infantry Regiment commanded by Colonel Overton Young, for a period of three years.

According to the Civil War records William served just barely one year. He served this time “west of the Mississippi” where he became ill with dysentery and then the measles followed by a severe bout of pneumonia from which he never recovered. Papers state he was granted an
“Army of the Confederate Army Certificate of Disability for Discharge” on March 3, 1963.
“W. C. Whitaker, a private of Captain F. Voight’s Company B of the (8th) O. Young’s Regiment of Confederate Infantry, was enlisted by Capt. H. H. White of the (17th) Taylor Regiment, Cavalry dismounted, at Nacogdoches Texas on the 10th day of March 1862 to serve three years. He was born in Nacogdoches Co. in the State of Texas, is twenty seven years of age, six feet high, fair complexioned, dark eyes, dark hair and by occupation when enlisted, a farmer. During the last two months said soldier has been unfit for duty sixty days.
Station Camp near Pine Bluff Ark.
Date March the 2nd 1863
Signed J. Voight
Captain Commanding Company”

“I certify that I have carefully examined the said W. C. Whitaker of Capt. F. Voight’s Company and find him unable to perform the duties of a soldier because of ‘hepatization’ of the right lung following an attack of pneumonia. Said soldier also had an attach of measles in May last followed by diarrhea which has continued up to the present time and believing that he will not be fit for duty in a reasonable length of time I would recommend that he be discharged.
Signed J.R. Beauchamp, Surgeon.”

From reading these records, since he joined in March and became ill in May of the same year, never fully recovering, I would assume that he never saw any action. Although he was not wounded while in the Civil War, it was nevertheless the cause of his death because he never really recovered and died on July 14, 1865. He is buried in the Friendship Cemetery near Douglass, Texas. His grave is erroneously marked as it says he was Captain W. C. Whitaker. There was a Captain W. C. Whitaker in the Civil War but I believe he was from Ohio. Our William did attain the rank of Corporal.

Following his death Elizabeth remained unmarried until June 27, 1871 when she married John Sitton. She remained in Nacogdoches Co. the remainder of her life and died on March 8, 1913. She is buried in Friendship Cemetery next to her husband John Sitton.