George Alexander Will was born on Dec 9, 1842 in Somerset County, PA to Hiram and Keziah (Meese) Will. By age 16, he was working in his father's sawmill, but the summer of 1862 brought a call for more troops by President Lincoln. George and his brother Charles both joined Co. F 142nd PA Infantry. 
A big THANK YOU to Heather Heikkila for a wealth of information on the Will family!
Pvt. Will was wounded in the ankle at the Battle of Fredericksburg on Dec 13, 1862 and was in the hospital for six months. After he was discharged from the hospital, he was transferred to Company D, 18th Regiment Veteran Reserve Corps on August 15, 1863. He was then discharged by General Order on June 29, 1865
After the end of the war, the Will family moved to Dixon, Lee County, IL. George stayed there farming with his father and brother until 1871 when he moved to Saunders County, NE. According to Past and Present of Saunders County Nebraska, Vol II , "He homesteaded eighty acres, to which he subsequently added a similar tract by buying railroad land and for forty-six years he concentrated his energies upon the operation of his farm, being assisted by his sons when they became old enough. As the years passed his capital increased and in 1907, feeling that he had accumulated a competence, he retired from active life." George was also an active member of the Bob McCook G.A.R. Post in Ashland, NE.
Will was married on July 1, 1869 in El Paso, IL to Frances Kurr, a native of Dixon, IL. The couple had four children, three of whom lived to adulthood.
George A. Will passed away in 1921 and is was laid to rest beside his wife in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Lancaster County, NE.
A big THANK YOU to Heather Heikkila for a wealth of information on the Will family!
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