William Oakes was born in March 1823 in Virginia, probably Pittsylvania County, the son of John and Elizabeth (Bardin) Oakes. In the 1830s the family moved to upper middle Tennessee, settling in Overton and Fentress Counties. Around 1843 William married Malinda Wright, the daughter of Joshua and Sarah (Lamar) Wright.

In 1854 the family emigrated from Tennessee to Benton County, Arkansas, and settled in Osage Township where William followed agricultural pursuits. On September 15, 1859 William’s wife Malinda died during childbirth at the age of 39. About 1860 he married secondly to Amanda Nichols, the daughter of Walter Nichols.

During the Civil War the State of Arkansas cast her lot with the Confederacy and seceded from the Union on May 6, 1861. While the majority of Benton County residents supported secession, many others remained loyal to the Union. Being a loyal citizen of the United States in Benton County could be uncomfortable at minimum, and dangerous at most. Many such residents legitimately feared for their lives. On New Year’s Day 1863, the Oakes, Nichols and a number of other Unionist families secured a Federal escort of Missouri Militia and fled north as refugees into pro-Union Missouri. They settled in Henry County where they remained until after the war.

On August 10, 1862, at the age of nearly 40 years, William Oakes was enrolled as a Private in Company H of the 60th Enrolled Missouri Militia at Calhoun, Missouri. He was ordered into active service on June 23, 1863 and performed duty in the District of Central Missouri. On August 4, 1863 Private Oakes transferred into Company G of the 5th Provisional Enrolled Missouri Militia. This regiment was engaged as follows: in operations against the Confederate guerrilla leader William Quantrill and his Kansas raid from August 20 to 28, 1863; at Big Creek, near Pleasant Hill, Missouri, on August 22; near Hopewell, Missouri on August 25-26; in operations against Col. Joseph Shelby’s “Great Raid” from September 22-October 26; at Johnstown, Missouri on October 16; and in Cedar County, Missouri on October 17th. Private Oakes was honorably discharged on November 27, 1863.

The Oakes remained in Missouri until the spring of 1866 when they moved back to Benton County, Arkansas. In 1868 William Oakes’ Union loyalties were further confirmed when he named a son Abraham Lincoln Oakes.

After the war William returned to his quiet life as a farmer in Osage Township. Although an 1895 law qualified him for a Federal pension, no evidence has been found that he ever applied for one. William Oakes died on August 22, 1898 at the age of 75 years and was laid to rest beside his first wife in the Oakes Cemetery.

His second wife Amanda (Nichols) Oakes survived William until June 24, 1902 at the age of 66 and was buried in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

During William’s exile in Missouri, his son Alexander Oakes served as a Union Private in Company F of the 1st Arkansas Cavalry.