Biographical Sketch of Casper Snyder FRANCIS (1893); Chester County, PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by John Morris . *********************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: Printing this file within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** Source: "Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Chester County, Pennsyl- vania, comprising a historical sketch of the county," by Samuel T. Wiley and edited by Winfield Scott Garner, Gresham Publishing Company, Philadel- phia, PA, 1893, pp. 376-9. "CASPER S. FRANCIS, who is entitled to the honor of giving to Spring City its name, and who is prominent among the successful and progressive busi- ness men of Chester county, is a son of Joseph and Susannah (Snyder) Francis, and was born in East Pikeland township, Chester county, Pennsyl- vania, August 31, 1811. The Francis family is of Swedish lineage, and was one of the early settled families of Montgomery county, where Thomas Francis, the grandfather of this sketch, was born and reared and who afterward removed to Chester county. His son, Joseph Francis (father) was born in Montgomery county, and resided in East Pikeland township, Chester county, where he died at about fifty-three years of age. He was a prosper- ous farmer, and old-line whig in politics, and a consistent member of the Reformed church. He married Susannah Snyder, who was born in 1789, and died in 1845, aged fifty-six years. She was a daughter of Casper Snyder, a successful farmer and miller of East Pikeland township, who was a brigade inspector during the war of 1812. Mr. and Mrs. Francis reared a family of seven children, six sons and one daughter: Thomas, a farmer and shoemaker by trade; Casper S., the subject of this sketch; Arnold, who resides in East Vincent township; Joseph, of Coventry township; John, a resident of Kimberton; Henry; and Mary Ann, who married Alexander Hoffman, and is now dead. Henry Francis, the youngest son, was born March 21, 1820, received a common school education, and learned the trade of wheelwright, at which he worked for some time, after which he was successfully engaged in mill- ing with C. S. Francis at Spring City. "Casper Snyder Francis was reared on the farm, received his education in the common schools, and then learned the trades of carpenter and mill- wright, which he followed for six years. At the end of that time, in 1837, he purchased a farm and a grist and saw mill on Stony run, in East Vincent township, which he ran until 1860, when he came to Spring City, then Springville, and formed a partnership with David G. Wells of that place and Samuel Smith of Philadelphia, under the firm name of Smith, Francis & Wells. They erected and operated a stove foundry until 1865, when Mr. Francis withdrew from the firm, and embarked, in 1866, in the stove foundry business at Royer's Ford, as a member of the firm of Francis, Buckwalter & Co., which continued up to 1878, in which year Mr. Francis sold his interest to his partners, John Sheeler, J. A. Buckwalter, Henry Buckwalter and Henry Francis. He was then engaged in various business enterprises until 1886, when he and others started the Spring City Bloom Iron works, which they operated for six years, of which company he was president from its organization. He then sold his interest in the plant to Willis Grant Rogers, a grandson of Mr. Francis. Since then Mr. Francis has been engaged in looking after his various interests in different business enterprises. "On September 20, 1836, Mr. Francis married Maria Finkbinder, daughter of Jacob Finkbinder, who was born November 15, 1813. They have two children: Susannah, born February 26, 1838, and wife of James Rogers, a foundryman of Limerick, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, (this extensive plant has recently been moved to Pottstown, where a large trade is being carried on); and Martha, who was born April 23, 1844, and married R. D. Evans, of East Pikeland township, now in the employ of the Phoenixville Iron Company. "Casper S. Francis has been a whig and republican in politics, and is a member of Spring City Reformed church, of which he served as a deacon and elder until a few years ago, when he resigned on account of impaired hear- ing. Since coming to Spring City he has been prominently identified with nearly every important enterprise of that thriving town. He served as the second burgess of the place, and was mainly instrumental in having the name of the postoffice and borough of Springville changed to that of Spring City. In 1872 he procured the charter of the National bank of Spring City, of which he was president for fourteen years. He was also interested in the Phoenixville National bank, of which he was a director for ten years, and only retired from his prominent position in the bank on account of his impaired hearing. Mr. Francis has also served his borough frequently as school director and treasurer, and in many other ways conducive to its progress and prosperity. As a citizen he has always enjoyed the highest respect of his fellow-townsmen, and as a man stands high on account of his honesty and integrity. "C. S. Francis was among the first to agitate the subject of securing a railroad branch into Spring City. He was among the first persons to consult with the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company to urge the propriety of extending the Frazer branch up to Spring City, which proposition was more than accepted, by the construction of the Schuylkill Valley division through Spring City. He was also employed as assistant in adjusting damages to property holders along the line from Phoenixville to Parker Ford."