Freestone County, Texas Biographies Biography of Will Abram DeFrance & Family By John H. DeFrance Freestone County History Book, Vol. 1, page 341-342 Will Abram DeFrance, of French descent was born at Port Bibson, Miss. in 1853. Little is known of his early life. Will came to Texas by way of the Chisholm Trail on a cattle drive. He settled in Fairfield in 1887. He was a tall slender-built man with jet black hair and dark blue eyes. He was a good neighbor and would help folks any way he could. On March 13, 1888, he married Lillie Hall Evans of Freestone County. Their sons were John Abram Defrance, born in the Antioch Community, Sept. 16, 1889 and Parke Waldon Defrance Sr., born at the Robertson Place near Pilot Knob, April 18, 1891. Will Abram, at age 39 died with pneumonia, and is buried at Antioch 1892. This left his wife and sons to continue a hard and rugged life. Their mother Lillie, died at age 35 in 1904 and her sister Tommie T. Evans was left to raise her sons. John attended school at Antioch and Pilot Knob and was the fastest boy on foot at school. At 11 John worked for the community building fence, picking cotton, working in the fields to help support the family. John, at age 18 married Mary M. Moore, daughter of Rezin Bowie Moore May 3, 1908. John was a rancher, farmer and laborer. This couple were parents of 8 children who are all of Fairfield, Texas. These children are...(paraphrase of article) 1) Lillian, born 1909, mar. J.D. Kirgan 1849 2) Johnnie Rezin, born 1912, married Mary Chappel 1935 He then married Edna Mae Howard in 1961 3) Roy, born 1914, mar. Mamie Lucille Metzar 1936 4) Mattie Beatrice, born 1917, mar. J.P. Emmons in 1943 1) Rosemary, born 1944 who married Charles W. Phillips, 2) Martha Jane, born 1952, who married Larry D. Thompson 5) Jack Franklin, born 1920, married Sarah Stoffels 1945 They have 10 children: 1) Billy Franklin, born 1947, mar. Norma D. Vaughn in 1971 2) Shirley Catherine, born 1949 and died 1959 3) Margaret Marie, born 1950, married Dale E. White 1970 4) John Henry, born 1953, mar. Helen E Hendrix 1977 5) Thomas Lee, born 1954 6) Ronald Joseph, born 1955 7) Patricia Ann, born 1957 8) Kenneth Roy, born 1958 9) Mark Stanley, born 1961 10) Norma Jean, born 1964 6) James Thomas, born 1922, died 1929 7) Will Abram, born 1925 and died 1927 8) Doris Alma, born 1927 .....John Abram was a life long resident of the county. He died May 22, 1969, and is buried at Antioch Cemetery. His wife is still living at their homestead east of Fairfield, Texas. May 18, 1978.