John Bryan Sasser was born in Fayette County, Tennessee on August 29, 1840, the second of three children of William and Sarah Sasser. A widow, Sarah married William Sasser in 1837, and had three sons by her first marriage - William, David, and Thomas Stevens. In the 1850's the family moved to Tippah County, Mississippi. When the Civil War broke out, John, David, and Thomas enlisted in Company I, 11th Illinois Cavalry, U. S. and then temporarily assigned to the 1st AL Cav. US. John served throughout the war and was honorably discharged at Memphis, Tennessee in June 1865.
John returned home, fell in love with a neighbor girl, Mary A. Shannon, and was married on January 19, 1869. Mary's father did not approve of his daughter marrying a Yankee, so the young couple headed west to Kansas that same year, settling in Chautauqua County, Kansas. There they had six children, five of whom died under the age of four. Mary died from complications of childbirth on January 24, 1880, leaving John a widower with the newborn infant, Olie, and four year old Dave. Heartbroken and discouraged, John took Dave and went west to Washington and Oregon for a year. Upon coming back to Kansas he married Harriett Emerson on October 5, 1882. A widow, she had two young daughters, Annie and Viola. They raised stock and Dave recalled staying all alone out on the prairie for three or four days at a time tending the herd, a lonely and somewhat scary experience for a seven year old.
(Submitted by Rita Antle, as referenced in Ancestry.com) Please advise if you have additions or corrections.
Service records compiled by Glenda Todd and used with her permission. This and other information about the history of the First and the men who fought with the unit
can be found in her book, First Alabama Cavalry, USA: Homage to Patriotism.