Robert William Proctor was born on 12 Dec 1835 in Marlboro, South Carolina, USA a child of Jesse Proctor and Lucretia Hayes.

When he was 39, he married Sarah Ellen Miles, daughter of Thomas Miles and Rebecca Ann Cox, about 1850.

“On April 9, 1861, at age of 26, R.W. Proctor enlisted in the Confederate Army with the 2nd South Carolina Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company E (Camden Volunteers). His commanding officers at the time of his initial mustering in were Colonel Joseph Brevard Kershaw and Captain John Doby Kennedy. This unit was mustered into state service on April 9, 1861 and departed for Richmond on April 24, 1861. It was the first out-of-state one year regiment to come to Virginia’s defense. The 2nd South Carolina participated in more battles than any other regiment on either side. It is one of the few units that was established before the bombardment of Fort Sumter and existed until several weeks after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. It established itself as one of the elite shock troop units of Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, serving under Lt. General James Longstreet’s corps. Some of the more notable battles they participated in were 1st and 2nd Battle of Manassas/Bull Run, VA, Antietam/Sharpsburg, MD, Fredericksburg, VA, Chancellorsville, VA, Gettysburg, PA, Chickamauga, GA, The Wilderness, VA and Cold Harbor, VA. Despite suffering two injuries during the war: a serious gunshot wound to the knee at The Battle of Fredericksburg on Dec. 13, 1862 and a minie ball wound to the wrist at The Battle of The Wilderness on May 6, 1864. Bob received his parole from the federal government in Greensboro, NC on May 2, 1865. It should be noted that only 213 soldiers, out of over 1475 soldiers that served in the SC 2nd Infantry were paroled. The rest had died, deserted, or were unfit for duty and discharged/furloughed. He returned to his native homeland of South Carolina where him and Sarah had 6 more children, bringing the total number to nine (7 girls and 2 boys). On the 1880 Census he listed his occupation as a laborer and Sarah “kept house.” Despite the hard times and difficulties incurred because of the Civil War years and reconstruction, R.W. Proctor lived quite a long and productive life. Records show he received a pension in 1902 living in the community of Blythewood, SC” – as documented at FindAGrave.com

He died on 11 Aug 1920 in Kershaw, South Carolina, USA and was buried in Elgin, Kershaw, South Carolina, USA.