William R. Bedsaul was born on September 23, 1833 in then, Grayson County, Virginia. He was the first child and oldest son of Isaac Frazier Bedsaul and Jane "Jennie" Davis. The Bedsaul family migrated to Virginia from the Piedmont area of North Carolina in the 1770s, and were of Quaker faith. His parents were buried in the Old Quaker Cemetery, in present day Carroll County, Virginia. In the early 1850s, William Bedsaul married Frances Lucinda Roberts, daughter of Patrick Fountain Roberts and Margaret Moore. They made their home near the farm where William grew up and started a family.

As Isaac and Jane Bedsaul's children grew into young adults, there were growing conflicts occurring between the North and the South, which eventually led to the American Civil War. William Bedsaul along with his brother, Elisha decided to joined the Confederate Army six weeks after their younger brother Alexander Bedsaul had enlisted.

On May 15, 1862, William enlisted at Wytheville, Virginia as a Private (Age 28) and was assigned to Company F of the 29th Virginia Infantry Regiment. Later in 1862, William was promoted to the rank of Corporal, and was ultimately promoted to Full Sergeant in 1864. William was present for all muster rolls through December of 1864. William R. Bedsaul, suffered from Rheumatism, and contracted Measles while in the Civil War. He served over a span of four years in the 29th Virginia Infantry and remained until Lee's surrender.

William's other brother, Elisha Bedsaul, traveled with him to Wytheville and also enlisted, but he was assigned to Company G of the 63rd Virginia Infantry Regiment. Elisha was 27 years old, and the family was undoubtedly devastated when death came to Elisha fighting for the Confederacy, on March 12, 1864, in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 29.

Other known relatives serving in the Civil War included Byram Bedsaul, William's paternal first cousin who enlisted at Wytheville, Virginia and was also assigned to Company F of the 29th Virginia Infantry Regiment; while another first cousin, Peter Bedsaul, enlisted at Camp Jackson, near Wytheville and was assigned to Company E of the 45th Virginia Infantry Regiment.

After the war, William traded his rifle for a pitchfork and went back to farming, just like his younger brother Alexander, although it was much more difficult for William, given his disability. As William and Lucinda rebuilt their farm from years of neglect due to the war, they also continued to grow their family. To this union, the following children were born:

Surphine Jane Bedsaul Carpenter
George Washington Bedsaul
Christopher Columbus Bedsaul
Priscilla Bedsaul (died young) not listed below
Alexander Thomas Bedsaul
Malinda Frances Bedsaul
Jeremiah M. Bedsaul
Charles Edward Bedsaul
Patrick Reece Bedsaul
Isaac Frazier Bedsaul
David Crockett Bedsaul
Infant Female Bedsaul not listed below
Infant Male Bedsaul not listed below
James Wiley Bedsaul

At the date of application for his Pension, he was 74 years old. William declared, "I was in the service from the beginning of the War until the surrender, and was totally disabled from earning a livelihood." He lived just 11 months more, and died on March 17, 1909. He was buried in the Old Cemetery at Oakland United Methodist Church in Pipers Gap, Carroll County, Virginia.

Source:

The majority of the information used above was researched and contributed by Barbara New Lagasse (47166243).