William Trousdale served in the Creek
Indian War, the War of 1812 under Andrew Jackson at Pensacola and New
Orleans, the Seminole War of 1836 in Florida, and later was made a
brigadier general in the United States Army for his gallantry in the
Mexican War. He was one of a very few who served in the four wars of
the
first half of the nineteenth century. He was known as "The War
Horse of Sumner County."
As a young man, William Trousale studied law and was admitted to the
bar in 1820. He established a sucessful law practice and was
known throughout Middle Tennessee. In 1835 he became a member of
the Tennessee State Senate and was elected Governor of Tennessee in
1849.
He later served as United States Minister to Brazil from 1853 to
1856 during the Franklin Pierce administration.
Governor Trousdale died at home in 1872, and his wife, Mary Ann Bugg Trousdale, continued to live there until her death a decade later. The home passed to their son, Julius. Julius, a lawyer, was a veteran of the Confederate Army and later speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives.
Governor Trousdale's elder son, Charles, accompanied his father as an aide when Governor Trousdale was appointed minister to Brazil. Charles became a lawyer and while serving in the Confederate States Army, he lost a leg at the Battle of Chickamauga.
Both Julius and his only living child, Mary, died in 1899. In 1900, his widow, Annie Berry Trousdale, deeded the home to the Clark Chapter #13 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy® in his memory and to the memory of all veterans.
Click for Descendants of William Trousdale and
Mary Bugg Trousdale
photos of Annie Berry & Julius Trousdale photos of Mary Bugg Trousdale & grand daughter Mary
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