Oliver Orrell's Unknown Grave

It took many years, but I finally figured out where Oliver Orrell is buried.

Oliver was born around 1837 in Indiana, and then served in the 82nd Indiana Volunteers in the Civil War. He enlisted in August of 1862 and was only in the service a few months before he died in November. With the help of someone else researching, they had some more details about his death:

So I knew that he died of Typhoid in a field hospital in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I assumed that he was buried there in Kentucky. Well, turns out I was right. He was buried there initially, but then was re-interred in the Nashville National Cemetery. This cemetery was established in 1867. Then in 1869 they published a list of names of the interred and where they came from. Here is a caption from the introduction of the document:

The total number of dead interred in the cemetery is sixteen thousand four hundred and eighty-six, of which twelve thousand four hundred and eighty-seven are known, and three thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine unknown. Of white soldiers there are fourteen thousand five hundred and seventy-seven, and of colored one thousand nine hun­ dred and nine. The number of regiments represented is seven hundred and thirty, and of States and independent organizations thirty-one.

The bodies interred in this cemetery have been gathered from an extensive region of country, along the Cumberland River from Carthage on the east to Clarksville on the west; from the line of the Louisville and Nashville and Northwestern railroad to the Tennessee River at John­ sonville; from the Edgefield and Kentucky and the Memphis branch of the Louisville and Nashville railroad; from Bowling Green to Clarksville; from the Nashville and Chattanooga railroad to Lavergne; and from all intermediate and adjacent country; from the Nashville battle-field, and many of the skirmish grounds in Southern Kentucky, comprising those originally collected and buried at Tompkinsville.

So in that honor roll listing I was able to find Oliver. The top image has the categories, but you can find Oliver [Orill] on the lower page.

Unfortunately, he is listed with an unknown headstone, and we do know know which of the unknown headstones is his. But now at least we know which cemetery he is officially in.

Oliver Orrell dies of typhoid fever...149 years ago

I think having someone in the family that served in the Civil War is pretty cool, but unfortunately his service was not very long. Not even 3 months after enlisting in the Union Army, Oliver Orrell died of Typhoid Fever. Pretty much the only battle that his regiment was involved in before he died was The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills. I was digging around on Ancestry.com and found his record info from the war:

American Civil War Soldiers Record info
Name: Oliver Orill,
Residence: Tripton, Indiana
Enlistment Date: 30 August 1862
Distinguished Service: DISTINGUISHED SERVICE
Side Served: Union
State Served: Indiana
Unit Numbers: 638 638
Service Record: Enlisted as a Private on 30 August 1862
Enlisted in Company E, 82nd Infantry Regiment Indiana on 30 August 1862.
Died Company E, 82nd Infantry Regiment Indiana on 19 November 1862 in Bowling Green, KY

Another person doing research on the Orrell family has a transcription of a letter that talks about the death of Oliver, as it relates to his widow who was filling to receive his pension.


I would really like to find his grave. The researcher who has the above transcription has also tried to find his grave. He told me that the National Cemetery Association told him that Oliver was most likely buried in Bowling Green, KY with a wooden cross. The cross probably rotted away and then he may have been moved to a national cemetery and buried as an unknown soldier. That's a lot of probablies and maybes. If I knew where to begin I might be able to follow the trail, but right now I haven't been able to figure out which cemetery he was originally buried in.