- Jan 1 Charles Renouvier, French philosopher, born in Montpellier, France (d. 1903)
- Jan 8 George Webb Morell, American Major General (Union Army), born in Cooperstown, New York (d. 1883)
- Jan 8 Lawrence Pike Graham, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Amelia County, Virginia (d. 1905)
- Jan 9 William Jackson of Masham, English composer and organist, born in Masham, Yorkshire (d. 1866)
- Jan 10 Alexander Brydie Dyer, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Richmond, Virginia (d. 1874)
- Jan 10 Thomas Williams, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Albany, New York (d. 1862)
John A. Macdonald (1815-1891)
Jan 11 Canadian politician and businessman (1st Prime Minister of Canada 1867-73, 1878-91), born in Glasgow, Scotland [1]
- Jan 13 William Henry French, American Major General (Union Army), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1881)
- Jan 15 Henry Morris Naglee, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1886)
- Jan 16 Adolph Trube, German organist, teacher and composer, born in Waldenburg, Kingdom of Saxony (d. 1857)
- Jan 16 Henry Wagner "Old Brains" Halleck, American expert in military studies and Major General (Union Army), born in Oneida County, New York (d. 1872)
- Jan 18 Constantin von Tischendorf, German biblical scholar (d. 1874)
- Jan 18 James Chesnut Jr, American politician and Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Camden, South Carolina (d. 1885)
- Jan 18 Richard Yates, American Governor of Illinois (1861-65) and Senator who supported the Union, born in Warsaw, Kentucky (d. 1873)
- Jan 21 Horace Wells, American dentist (pioneered use of medical anesthesia), born in Hartford, Vermont (d. 1848)
- Jan 21 John Bingham, American lawyer, politician (US Representative from Ohio (R), 1865-73), and diplomat (US Ambassador to Japan, 1873-85), born in Mercer, Pennsylvania (d. 1900)
- Jan 22 Ferdinand Christian Wilhelm Praeger, Dutch-British pianist, composer, composer, and writer (Wagner As I Knew Him), born in Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony (d. 1891)
- Jan 28 Andrew Jackson Hamilton, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Huntsville, Alabama (d. 1875)
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
80-89
Over 90