Tuscola County MI Archives Biographies.....Singleton, William 1824 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 6, 2007, 10:43 pm Author: Chapman Bros. (1892) WILLIAM SINGLETON. A resident of Wells Township, Tuscola County, the gentleman whose biographical sketch we here take pleasure in presenting, was born in England, December 6, 1824. He is a son of Richard and Eliza Singleton. The father was born in England in 1776. He lived to be eighty-six years of age and throughout life was never farther than twenty miles away from his birthplace. He was a carpenter by trade but during the latter part of his life he purchased a farm of thirty acres and devoted himself to the cultivation of that tract. His wife's maiden name was Eliza Best and she was the mother of twelve children. Of these eight are still living. They are by name, William, Moses, Eliza, Ann, Emily, Thomas, Stephen and Elizabeth. The family of which our subject is one was brought up under the teachings of the Church of England, his parents both being members of that body. He began life for himself at the age of fourteen years. At that age he was employed in the cod fisheries to go to Newfoundland, but on his arrival there found things so distasteful that he ran away and shipped for New York. From that time he was engaged as a sailor for eight years and touched at most of the large ports of the world; nor was his experience exempt from adventures, for at one time the ship upon which he sailed was burned at sea, and after five days spent on the open sea in a small boat he with the rest of the crew was picked up by a French vessel, but they were not rescued until they had suffered the agony of hunger, for they had been nearly four days without food or water. After this he was once more wrecked on the ocean coming from Australia and reached shore with seventeen others by rope, the rest of the crew being lost. The original of our sketch has the honor of having been one of the noble crew who went under Commander Penny on an Arctic expedition, in search of Sir John Franklin. They spent a winter in the land of ice and snow, where the days and nights extended over months. In 1858 our subject left the sea and located in Ohio on a farm. On the breaking out of the war he enlisted in Company F, Third Ohio Cavalry, remaining in the war until its close and being mustered out at Camp Denison. He fought in the battles of Shiloh, Stone River, Chickamauga, Knoxville and Atlanta and also took part in Wilson's raid through Alabama and Georgia. During his military career he was wounded three times, twice received a ball and once was wounded by a sabre stroke across the head. He was also taken prisoner in the Tennessee Mountains, but after three days escaped. He is a member of Post No. 143, G. A. R., at Caro. William Singleton was united in marriage in 1853, with Ellen Morgan, a daughter of John and Elizabeth Morgan, all natives of Wales. Our subject and his wife have been the parents of nine children, four of whom yet live—William R., Elizabeth, Jane and George. Our subject came to Tuscola County in 1870, and first located in Wells Township and there built the first house for many miles around. He was one of the early pioneers in that portion of the country and was obliged to cut roads to his place. He located on one hundred and sixty acres of Government land in Wells Township in which he now lives. Although Mr. Singleton has had very little chance to acquire an education, he is intelligent and well posted on all topics of the day. He is also an insatiate reader. At one time he was Justice of the Peace for four years. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Portrait and Biographical Record of Genesee, Lapeer and Tuscola Counties, Michigan, Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, Together with Biographies of all the Governors of the State, and of the Presidents of the United States Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/tuscola/bios/singleto476gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mifiles/ File size: 4.4 Kb