William Henry Trimmer was born on September 7, 1835 in Maidstone, Kent, England to William Willis Trimmer and Frances Williams. For whatever reason, Trimmer immigrated to America in 1855 and found himself in Apalachicola, Franklin County, Florida in 1861. There he enlisted on March 27, 1861 and mustered into the 1st Florida Infantry Regiment in April of the same year. One year later, his enlistment was up while he was serving in Montgomery, Alabama. He reenlisted and was sent to Richmond, VA in April 1862 as a hospital clerk.
Five weeks later he was involved in the Battle of Seven Pines on May 31, 1862 caring for the 6,100 casualties. By October 1862, he was transferred to Selma, Alabama to assist in the construction of the famous Confederate ironclad CSS Tennessee. The ship was launched in February 1863 and captured in the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864. He was later detailed to Lake City, Florida to serve on a court martial. When the legal matters were completed he was transferred to Milton's Light Artillery made up of Dunham's Company "A" and Henry E. Abell's Company "B." Abell's Battery is the same unit as Pensacola's Famous Delity Powell Kelly buried in St. Michael's Cemetery. Trimmer was assigned as the company's Quartermaster Sergeant responsible for all supplies and munitions. Both companies were stationed on the Florida Atlantic, and Gulf Central Railroad when Union troops suddenly attacked them on February 12, 1864 without warning just west of Jacksonville. The unit lost five cannon in the fight along with Trimmer and 17 men taken prisoner along with their battle flag. The POW's were marched to Jacksonville as the Battle of Olustee raged eight days later near Lake City. From Jacksonville, they were sent to the Hilton Head Prison Camp and then later to Governors Island, New York. His last stop on the POW trail was Ft. Delaware on the Atlantic Coast of Delaware. From there he was paroled on May 20, 1865.
He made his way to Molino, Florida, formerly known as Durant's Bluff, which was built around the saw mill and grist mill of Thomas Cooper. Cooper had first come to Molino with Andrew Jackson and returned to settle. Sergeant Trimmer would follow after the Civil War and apparently became a successful citizen of the river town. He was appointed Postmaster of Molino in 1893 and again in 1898. Such an appointment usually inferred a distinguished place in the community. He was also known by the Pensacola Journal as evidenced by the article of September 8, 1908, which stated, "W. H. TRIMMER – 74 YEARS OLD – “Old Man” Remembers the Journal on Happy Occasion. The Journal is just in receipt of the following self-explanatory letter from its old friend. Wm. H. Trimmer of Molino, Florida." Trimmer had written, "I take the liberty of sending to the editor of the daily Journal upon this the 74th year of my birth, the little present of wine, trusting that you will drink to the continued health of the old man. God Almighty was indeed richly blessed me, with the most perfect health and I pray daily to be spared to see the completion of the Panama Canal and Pensacola’s population 50,000. Respectfully, Wm. H. Trimmer.........Also ear of corn sent by W. B. Miller a worthy citizen, as a curiosity grown in his field and gathered a day or two ago."
The Journal wrote in return, "Trimmer, Neither the wine nor the ear of corn has yet arrived, but the Journal begs to thank its old friend for his remembrance and to express the hope that he may not only live to see the Panama Canal completed and Pensacola’s population 50,000, but that his now more than three score and ten years may be lengthened until he reaches the centenary of a long and useful life." Sergeant Trimmer passed away on June 4, 1919 in Molino and was buried in the Vaughn Cemetery, (formerly the Cooper Cemetery).
1st Sergeant William Henry Trimer
Company 'B", 1st Florida Confederate Infantry Regiment
Lone grave of Sergeant William Henry Trimmer
Ironclad CSS Tennessee
Former Fort Delaware Prisoner of War Camp, Delaware
William Henry Trimmer, Notary Public in Molino, 1912