Post-Civil War photograph of Olivia Ray, daughter of John and Roxanna Ray; Olivia was born on May 22, 1855, and was six years old when the Battle of Wilson’s Creek was fought on her family’s farm on August 10, 1861. Olivia and her siblings took refuge in the cellar of their house during the battle. The Ray House was used as a Southern field hospital during and after the battle.

The Ray family home still stands in its original location at the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, Republic, Missouri.

Olivia (“Ollie”) married James Dryden in December 1872, then J.J. Bruton after Dryden’s death. She died on April 7, 1936, in Ozark, Christian County, Missouri, at the age of 80.

Carte-de-Visite by W.H. Morhiser, Springfield, Mo.

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 01755-NN