William Pollock

William Pollock was born in 1841, probably in New York and probably the son of J. (b. 1810) and M. (b. 1816).

In 1850 there was a 25-year-old farmer named William Pollock, born in Ohio, living with and/or working for the Walter Beckwith family in Jefferson, Cass County, Michigan. It is probable that this was the same William Pollock living in Raisin, Lenawee County, Michigan in 1845, and/ in Penn, Cass County 1860. Alternatively, in 1850 there was a 15-year-old William Pollock, born in New York and attending school with his siblings and living with his father Robert in Grand Blanc, Genesee County, Michigan

J. and M. were both born in New York and were presumably married there. J. brought his family to Michigan sometime before 1855 and by 1860 William was working as a farm hand, and attending school with two of his younger siblings and living on the family farm in Wheatfield, Ingham County.

William was 20 years old and probably living in Ingham County, Michigan, when he enlisted in Company G on May 10, 1861. (Company G, formerly the “Williams’ Rifles,” was made up predominantly of men from the Lansing area.)

He was reported as a pioneer from August of 1862 through October and he apparently deserted from the field at Fredericksburg, Virginia, on December 13, 1862. Samuel Matthews of Company G, who was also from the Wheatfield area before the war, apparently knew Pollock. He wrote home that “‘Polk’ Pollock slinked out of the ranks when we filed into line of battle and run to the rear and we have not [heard] from him since. I do not think he will stop until he gets to Michigan so you may look for him.”

There is no further record and no pension seems to be available.

William may have settled in Hastings, Barry County where a “William Pollock” died on October 3, 1897, in Hastings and was buried on October 4 in Riverside cemetery, Hastings: block A-west, “free ground,” lot no. 6, grave northeast 1/4-2.