William COPPIN, Jr. was born about 1841 in Haldimand Township, Northumberland County, Upper Canada. He was my 2nd great-granduncle (granduncle of my grandmother, Luella Williams Fish).

His parents were William and Emma COPPIN, both of who were born in Cornwall, England, and who came to Canada about 1841 with their daughter, Sarah.

William Jr. enlisted with the 113th Regiment, "K" Company, Infantry, Ohio, as a Private in the Union Army on the 24th of December, 1863, age 22. He died six months later on June 27, 1864, at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, in Georgia, USA.

His niece, Emma Jane Winter, daughter of his sister Sarah and husband Eliel WINTER, was born in 1859 in Upper Canada. In 1877, thirteen years after her uncle’s death in the U.S. Civil War, Emma Jane married Isham Lyman Williams III, the son of an African-American man who had come to Canada in the 1830’s, and who was a neighbour of the Coppin family since the 1850’s. Many of her descendants still live in the area and throughout Canada.

The reasons why William enlisted may never be known, but I feel that in respect for his memory, it was necessary to post this biography. The search to find out more about his life, short as it was, is still ongoing. My grandmother was very proud of her family heritage, and it is thanks to her, 25 years after her death, that the picture of William Coppin, Jr. with attached information was located.

Sharon Neely
E-Mail: seneely_99@yahoo.com

*** Click on Photo for Full Size ***

References:

Re: (Back of photo of William Coppin, Jr. in possession of his great-niece, at the time of her death in 1975) “William Coppin, Jr. in Civil War uniform - Died June 27, 1864 at Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia”

http://hometown.aol.com/dlharvey/1864bat.htm - "Civil War Battles of 1864 - CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY AND RECORD Of Every Engagement Between the Troops of the Union and the Confederacy in the American Civil War During the year of 1864 Collated and Compiled from the Official Records of the War Department" - confirms date of Kennesaw Mountain battle.

http://data.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=hdssoldiers&gs=&f1=coppin&f2=william&f6=&f12=&f7=&DatabaseID=3737&databasename=hdssoldiers&server=data&searchengine=sse.dll&type=F&submit423=Search - Confirms:
William Coppin
Enlist Date 24 December 1863
Enlist Place Unknown
Enlist Rank Private
Enlist Age 22

Served Ohio Enlisted K Co. 113th Inf Reg. OH
Killed at Kennesaw Mountain, GA on 27 June 1864
Source: Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio
Abbreviation: OHRoster
Published by on 1886

I would be very interested in any other Biographies, names or any other information on Canadians in the Civil War or the 2nd Mich. Vol. Inf. I can be contacted at mich2inf@lycosmail.com

If you know of any other British North Americans (Canadians) please advise me.

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