Francis - William T.
WILLIAM T. FRANCIS
Source: FAMILY HISTORIES MONTGOMERY COUNTY, INDIANA. Paducah, KY: Turner Publishing Company, 1988.
William T. Francis was born Nov. 7, 1841 in Bedford, In. He was the son of Thomas J. and Elizabeth Francis, born in 1814, died July 3, 1894 in Crawfordsville, and is buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery. W.T. Francis grew up near Bedford, Indiana on his parents farm. He received a common education and was raised in the Baptist Church.
When the Civil War started, William T. enlisted as a musician in Co. K, 14th Regiment In Infantry on June 7, 1861 in Monroe Co., In. He transferred to Co. L., 6th U.S. Cavalry on Oct. 22, 1862. He served until the end of the war. He spent seven months as a prisoner of war and was interred in Libby Prison in Richmond, Va. After the war ended, he returned to Bedford where he bacame a blacksmith. He later moved to Bloomington, In. In the early 1870's, the Francis family left Monroe Co. and moved to Crawfordsville, In. William opened a blacksmith shop on Lafayette Avenue. He became a well-known mechanic and gunsmith. When he retired, he became custodian of the county courthouse and later custodian of the Crawfordsville Country Club. On Nov. 20, 1879, William T. was united in marriage to Hester S. Collins in Crawfordsville. She was the daughter of James Collins of Montgomery Co., In.
William T. was a long-time member of McPherson Post #7 G.A.R. in Crawfordsville where he served several terms as vice post commander. In 1914, William and Hester Francis moved to St. Cloud, Florida. They were later joined in St. Cloud by their son, Fred, and his wife Iva. William T. died of Bright's disease May 13, 1915 in St. Cloud, Florida. His body was returned to Crawfordsville, where he was buried with full G.A.R. honors in Oak Hill Cemetery. The death date of Hester Collins Francis is unknown.
The children of William T. and Hester Collins Francis were: 1. Grace B., married Edgar C. Bean Nov. 12, 1899. They resided in Crawfordsville. 2. Jess, died at the age of 9 months. 3 Bessie, married Henry Charters. They resided in Wheeler, Mi. 4. Fred, married Iva M. Hamilton. They resided in St. Cloud, Fl.
SUBMITTED BY ANDREW KEITH HOUK, JR.
The website management appreciates all the contributions provided for use here. Citation: The Indiana GenWeb Project, Copyright ©1997-2016 & Beyond... Montgomery County Website http://www.ingenweb.org/inmontgomery/