Samuel A. Francis

Although I have never been in Washington County, I feel that the story of Sam and Louise Francis should be included in the history being written. They were my great-grandparents, and there are many gaps in my research of their lives, but I'm still searching. Sam Francis was born in Alabama in 1822, and Louise Waynick in North Carolina in 1829. They were married in Iowa in 1849. Upon the organization of Nebraska as a territory, numerous speculators believed they saw in the new country the chance to grow rich by starting cities there. One of the groups organized under the name of the Nebraska Colonization Company, who stockholders numbered fifty. Early in the spring of 1855 many of the colonist, including the Francises left Quincy, Illinois on a small steamboat, the "Mary Cole," and on the first of May they landed and laid claims to land to be known as Fontanelle. It was agreed among the members of the colony to give to the first child born in the new town a lot. The first child was born to Mr. and Mrs, Samuel A. Francis on the night of October 2, 1855, and was named Matti Frances. John T. Bell wrote of Sam Francis "I shall always hold in pleasant remembrance this good man and his wife--known to the children of the Bell Family as 'Uncle Sam' and 'Aunt Louise'. More kind hearted people never lived. "Uncle Sam" was a veteran of the Mexican War and Civil War. He was a famous hunter and we children were always interested in his stories on that line. He had a fine horse named "Rock" and on one occasion he ran down a wolf riding old "Rock as he galloped along over the prairies he unbuckled one of the stirrup straps and when he overtook the wolf he killed it by beating it over the head with the stirrup." Another account states "The settlers found the first winter of 1855-56 mild and agreeable, so when the cold blizzard, deep snow winter of 1856-57 came, it found the majority ill-prepared. Most of the settlers lost their stock. Food was scarce, but wild game plentiful. Mr. Samuel Francis would take his horse and gun and hunt along the river. The settlers say he might have been seen many times that winter coming into the village with two deer tied to his horse's tail trailing in the snow. By this means, he saved many of the colonists from starvation." Their daughter Mattie, married Robert Irons Skiles, and they had six children, Hattie, John W., Samuel, Jessie, Mattie and Rodney. Rodney was born in August of 1822 and Mattie died in October of 1822. In October 1883 Samuel and Louise Francis adopted the four oldest children of Robert and Mattie Skiles and they took the name of Francis. Rodney was adopted by his father's mother and an uncle, Connelia and Ernest Skiles, and took the name of Ernest Rodney Skiles. Ernest Rodney Skiles was my father. Samuel died September 21, 1899 and Louise died August 2, 1918. Submitted by Mrs. Nancy Skiles Quartanano.

Source: Washington County Nebraska History 1980, pages 170-171. The Washington County Historical Association. Taylor Publishing Company, Dallas, Texas, 1980.