----Source: GREENWOOD GLEANER (Greenwood, Wis.) 12/10/1914

Francis, William C. (13 NOV 1869 - 2 Dec 1914)

William Charles Francis was the eldest of a family of three children, He was born at Spring Valley, Wis., Nov. 13, 1869. From Spring Valley the family moved to Eau Claire, Wis., thence to a homestead one mile and a half west of Thorp, Clark County, Wis., his parents, Mr. and Mrs. D.S. Francis, being among the early pioneers of Clark County.

Sept. 26, 1900, he was united in marriage to Ora Adams of Thorp, Wis., to which union three children were born, Leona, Floyd and Neil. Three years ago the family moved from Thorp to a small farm west of this city, where they remained until the father’s sickness.

Mr. Francis was a man of character and always led a clean, honest and hard-working life as everyone that knew him will readily testify, and while he possessed but little of this world’s goods, he could lay claim to a good name of which his family relations and posterity can justly be proud. Though possessing only a common school education, he was a constant reader of the best books and magazines and was a great student of nature. During a life spent largely in the woods, he learned from nature much about plants and animals that most people learn only from books. He was a deep thinker and an interesting conversationalist. He was of a retiring disposition and made but few friends, but those he did make were lasting and will readily speak the praises of the manly qualities of the man.