Born in Woodstock, Ohio; Married Jennie Elizabeth Fulton 20 Mar 1866 in Urbana, Illinois; Died in Parsons, Kansas. Son of Christopher Cranston and Irene Ward Nott Cranston. He was the brother of Charles Edward Cranston – Doc’s father. Therefore, William Wallace Cranston was Doc’s uncle.
Nov 20, 1838 – Dec 7, 1907
Cranston was a Civil War Captain that served with Company A of the 66th regiment of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He fought in the battles at Chickamauga, Antietam, and Chancellorsville. On May 2, 1863 Sergeants Henry Heller, Thomas Thompson, William Cranston and Elisha Seaman voluntarily brought in a wounded Confederate officer from within the enemy’s lines and all the while receiving a constant rain of enemy fire. The rescued officer provided important information that was key to the battle plan, and all four men were awarded Medals of Honor for their heroic and timely actions. After the war, he moved to Parsons, Kansas. Cranston was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives from the 28th District in 1888.
He was one of the first recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor – an award he won while serving in the Civil War. Click HERE to see the citation.
Here is a copy of a letter he wrote to his sister shortly before his death.
He died in Kansas in 1907. Click HERE to see the gravesite.