William Edmundson Friend of Friendsville, MD (The gun maker)

William Edmundson Friend was the sixth son of Joseph Friend and Sarah Green Friend. William would learn the trade as Blacksmith and gun making from his father Joseph Friend and would pass this legacy of metal working to several of his sons. William Edmundson Friend married Susanna (Susannah) Elizabeth Nusz in Monongalia County, VA., June 5, 1831. William and Susanna lived and died in the Friendsville area. Together with their ten children, William and Susanna would have a decided impact on the Friendsville area. William joined the Union Army at the age of 55, serving in Company D of the 3rd Regiment Potomac Home Brigade, Maryland Infantry with two of his sons (Winfield Scott Friend and Benjamin Franklin Friend) as well as a son in law (Francis A. Friend). Francis Marion Friend and William E Friend Jr., two more of William’s sons, would also serve in the Union Army during the war. William and Susanna passed away and were Burial in the Steele Cemetery in Friendsville, MD along with five of their children.
We have attempted to outline the recorded history of William Edmundson Friend and his family. Personal histories, letters, photographs, lands deed, wills, military records and US Census records have been included in this text. It is our goal to preserve the family history of William Edmundson Friend before it is lost to time. As with our previous books on the Friend family, we have spent countless hours reconstructing this family history from multiple recorded sources. Although thoroughly checked, there may be unintentional errors, for which we truly apologize. We openly encourage additionally information and corrections to this text.