Elgin + Frederick Francis + Kewanee

[ACANNON99]

Hello. I live a couple towns from Elgin, Illinois, and worked in Elgin for 25 years. I have been collecting Elgin watches for years. And there is something I just can not figure out on my own - so I was hoping someone on this Board has the answer to this. At the very least, this is going to pique the interest of anyone that likes Elgins.

Are any of you familiar with Frederick Francis? If not, here's a link to information about him. https://kewanee-history.com/wp-cont...-Francis-and-Park-Clippings-and-Misc-64-P.pdf The website is very slow to load.

He was a very interesting man - as you can tell if you read through the information. He built a wonderful house in Kewanee, Illinois that is now belongs to the Park District.

If you read through the information - you will find that he worked for the Elgin National Watch Company, and he must have worked for them very early on. He graduated from the University of Illinois with an Engineering degree in 1878 - before the school was even named the University of Illinois - so he must have started working for the watch company around then. The information states that he left the Elgin National Watch Company after 11 years - and at some point asked them to stop sending him money from the royalties of his patents because he had enough money. Imagine that. Incredible.

Now here is what I can not find anywhere - and I have searched and searched. What in the world did he invent and/or have patents on? I am familiar with the names of most of the people involved early on with the watch company - but Frederick Francis doesn't come up anywhere.

Any of you know anything about him?

Curious minds want to know.

 

[musicguy]

I did a search for Frederick Francis and US patent
"Frederick Francis", us patent - Google Search
Some come up I believe


Rob

 

[ACANNON99]

I did a search for Frederick Francis and US patent
"Frederick Francis", us patent - Google Search
Some come up I believe


Rob

I've looked through all of those. And there are many Frederick Francis's out there - believe it or not. And none of those patents are for anything that has anything to do with watches, or machines that make watch parts, or people from Illinois.

 

[musicguy]

We do have a bunch of sleuths on the site if there is something
to be found I think they will. Hey Rick!


Rob

 

[richiec]

After reading some things about him, he was a strange duck. He apparently graduated from the Illinois Industrial University but did not receive his bachelors degree until 1914. His house is really odd but some of his innovations, like his hot water system, his fresh water system and his system of opening his doors were neat. He apparently did not hang out with a lot of people, makes me wonder how he ever found a wife. He apparently slept on hard boards, no mattress, sounds a lot like Edison. Nothing on his patents either.

 

[ACANNON99]

After reading some things about him, he was a strange duck. He apparently graduated from the Illinois Industrial University but did not receive his bachelors degree until 1914. His house is really odd but some of his innovations, like his hot water system, his fresh water system and his system of opening his doors were neat. He apparently did not hang out with a lot of people, makes me wonder how he ever found a wife. He apparently slept on hard boards, no mattress, sounds a lot like Edison. Nothing on his patents either.

He met his wife at the Elgin Watch Factory - she was a widow. Last name was CROWFOOT. She is buried in Elgin - Frederick, however, is not.

 

[Rick Hufnagel]

Looks like he worked at Elgin National Watch Co right out of school. It said 11 years. 1878-9 to 1889-90

Other than that, he's a ghost. Maybe someone else has heard of him.

I've gone over allot of material from the 1880s in the past including patent reports and have never seen his name. (That doesn't mean much, just saying)

Curious to see what turns up. Definitely a unique individual.

 

[richiec]

Frederick is buried in Pleasantview Cemetery, Kewanee, born 1856, died 1926 his wife, jennette, predeceased him in 1921. they were married about 31 years. The find a grave site had a photo of himself and his wife on his favorite form of transportation, the bicycle. He was listed as a farmer in the 1900 census, his father, Francis was also a farmer. He is listed as retired and no occupation in the 1910 and 1920 census's.

 

[vintageguy]

The July 10, 1963 article at p. 10 of the PDF says that he "is said to have invented the hair spring for the Elgin Company . . ."

 

[diveboy]

this is from the Watch Word January 1927

Fred F. Francis

The recent death of Fred F. Francis of Kewanee, Illinois, step-father of Jobmaster Albert J. Crowfoot of the Machine department, was learned with regret by his many friends in the factory, where he was at one time employed.
Mr. Francis, a man of unusual mechanical skill and ingenuity, was highly educated and was numbered among the first graduates from the University of Illinois. As near as can be learned he was a member of the 1877 graduating club. A clock designed and built by him is said to be still keeping time at the University.
Mr. Francis was a lifelong resident of the vicinity of Kewanee, having been born seventy-one years ago in the little log cabin on the Francis homestead, near the county line. Besides his step-son of this city, the deceased is survived by two half brothers. W. F. Francis of Kewanee, Illinois and Waldo Francis of Downers Grove, and a half-sister, Mrs. Gladys Galbrith or Berkeley, California.

In the unique house where Mr. Francis lived and died were numerous evidences of his mechanical skill. Every piece of brick, glass, stone and wood in the construction was his own work, and the house fittings were all clever devices planned and made by
him. Rich carvings from both wood and stone lined the interior and a hand--carved monument to the memory of his wife had just been completed.

The photograph of the interior of the conservatory. shown herewith, shows Mr. Francis standing beside a memorial which he erected to his devoted wife, who died some five years ago and which is also the work of his own hands. The base is made of pink Carrara marble in the form of a fish bowl, with a miniature stone arch bridge
over it, and standing on four granite columns or feet. The columns supporting the statue are of Mexican onyx and the figure of the child is in white marble.
The whole assembly supports a giant century plant which had been in Mr Francis possession for over twenty-five years, and which has blossomed but once, a short time before Mrs. Francis died. It makes a most fitting apex and seems to belong to the beautiful glass dome which it occupies.
Many employes. of Father Time's family will remember Mr. Francis while he was employed in the Machine department. He taught mechanical drawing and geometry to many of his shopmates and among his pupils were the late Mr. McDonough of the punch and die Job, Curtis A. Smith, foreman of the Machine department, Frank Hewitt, Richard Dow of the Drafting department, and A. J. Crowfoot of the Machine department. His many friends and acquaintances will learn with regret the passing on of one who had lived a long and most useful life.
Funeral services were held at Davenport, la., where the body was cremated, on December 24.

There is an article in the NAWCC Bulletin December 1992 "The Authentic Restoration of an 1878 Tower Clock" by Michael Dorneich & Bruce Hannon which goes into detail about Fred Francis, his time at the university and the clock he designed and built. This article mentions that he had a patent on a model steam engine that he traded to the university, so there should be at least one patent in his name.

I haven't been able to find anything further yet into his designs while he was at Elgin.

 

[diveboy]

I"m glad I'm not the only one puzzled by Fred Francis, his been on my research radar for a few years.

 

[ACANNON99]

The July 10, 1963 article at p. 10 of the PDF says that he "is said to have invented the hair spring for the Elgin Company . . ."

The earliest he could have been working for Elgin was 1878 - and the company, by that time, had been in business since 1864, and making watches since 1867. And I think even those earliest watches had hair springs. So - maybe he came up with something better than whatever it was they originally had? But, I've never figured out what it could have been - and can find no records at all. I've even searched "Fred" instead of "Frederick" and "Frances" instead of "Francis" - and nothing comes up. And whatever he invented - it set him up for the rest of his life - because he never worked after he left the Elgin Watch Company.

 

[vintageguy]

The earliest he could have been working for Elgin was 1878 - and the company, by that time, had been in business since 1864, and making watches since 1867. And I think even those earliest watches had hair springs. So - maybe he came up with something better than whatever it was they originally had? But, I've never figured out what it could have been - and can find no records at all. I've even searched "Fred" instead of "Frederick" and "Frances" instead of "Francis" - and nothing comes up. And whatever he invented - it set him up for the rest of his life - because he never worked after he left the Elgin Watch Company.

There are several other references to him inventing the hair spring or a "hair spring movement." Run a search for "hair" in the PDF. Warning: Your nose has to be about 3 inches from your computer screen to see the references. There is also one reference to his actual hair and beard.

 

[diveboy]

Elgin Daily Courier 26th October 1889 Page 4

 

[diveboy]

Elgin Every Saturday 22nd Decemeber 1888 Page 7

maybe it wasn't just a watch patent that provided for him ?

 

[vintageguy]

"One day, the mailman noted that the flag on Fred’s mailbox was not raised. This concerned him as Fred had mentioned if the flag was ever down when he came to deliver the mail, there may be an emergency. When the mailman approached the home he was greeted with a terrible sight. Fred was on the floor, dead from a self inflicted gunshot wound. He had been in serious physical pain from illness and quite simply, he was done. He decided to end the pain and go to be with the one person who truly understood him–his beloved Jeannie."

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Now for part two of the strangeness I have called home for the last forty (something) years. This edition of Troy Taylor’s “Weird Illinois” takes us to the town of Kewanee and th…

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[4thdimension]

Great posts and what an interesting fellow and story!-Cort

 

[Brad Maisto]

“ACannon99”
Do you know if the parks department still opens this house up in the summer months?
Have you been through this house and I would be curious to know the address of this home?
Thanks, Brad Maisto, former Elgin resident, KY Floral #44 Secretary

 

[John Cote]

“ACannon99”
Do you know if the parks department still opens this house up in the summer months?
Have you been through this house and I would be curious to know the address of this home?
Thanks, Brad Maisto, former Elgin resident, KY Floral #44 Secretary

Brad,

I know nothing about the archives of the Elgin National Watch Company. I think you may. If I were in a position to do so, I would try to find in the Elgin accounting books if there is record of ongoing payments to this interesting man. If he invented...say...a machine or process for the making of hairsprings, I would think the company perhaps might have bought the process from him in exchange for either a huge one time or substantial ongoing payments.

 

[ACANNON99]

“ACannon99”
Do you know if the parks department still opens this house up in the summer months?
Have you been through this house and I would be curious to know the address of this home?
Thanks, Brad Maisto, former Elgin resident, KY Floral #44 Secretary

Well...During COVID god knows what is happening. However - his house is owned by the Kewanee Park District and is open for tours. He left his house and property to the city of Kewanee when he died. I have not been through the house - yet. It is on my radar for a road trip. The address - not sure of the exact address - but it is in FRANCIS PARK in Kewanee - so shouldn't be too difficult to find.

 

[179]

Brad, Woodland Palace N 900th Kewanee Il. 61433. Just north of U.S. 34 north east of town.

 

[PatH]

“ACannon99”
Do you know if the parks department still opens this house up in the summer months?
Have you been through this house and I would be curious to know the address of this home?
Thanks, Brad Maisto, former Elgin resident, KY Floral #44 Secretary

Until you can visit in person, here's a 10 minute YouTube tour. Very interesting person.

 

[diveboy]

in the pdf in the first post, if you sift through it, there's two references to what he designed for Elgin

1. hairspring
2. mainspring machine

also in the PDF is the maths he did around circle X, if I was a betting man, considering his maths skills and engineering skills, I'm more incline to go with the mainspring machine as opposed to hairspring, this is pure speculation and knowledge that initially National Watch / Elgin were not making their own mainsprings for some time.

The watch words don't start until 1921, this leaves two sources for the time he was at Elgin
1. Every Saturday
2. The Lady Elgin

Both of these publications covered staff and going ons at the factory in the 1880s.

 

[John Cote]

Until you can visit in person, here's a 10 minute YouTube tour. Very interesting person.

I think this video does a pretty good job of filling in the blanks. Thanks.

 

[PatH]

Just ran across this article from the July-August Illinois Heritage magazine. The author states that Francis invented a device to install the mainspring in watch mechanisms. This reduced the breakage rate of mainspring installation and produced significant cost savings. Fred was compensated for this and other contributions. There are no footnotes, so not sure where the author's information was obtained. (As an aside....I haven't read all of the information in the OP link, so it may be included there.)

https://kewanee-history.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Fred-Francis-Illinois-Heritage-Magazine-2016.pdf

 

[diveboy]

just an update from a new article written about Fred Francis

" After graduating from the university, Francis had been employed by the Elgin Watch Company for years, and there was evidence of that in the house. "We've seen some the mechanical drawings and plates made by him [at the watch company] and . . . [t]hey are as perfect and delicate as any copper plate you ever saw." But Francis retired after he had made enough to live on for the rest of his life. "

Dean Karau on Kewanee history: A new perspective of Fred Francis and his famous park

Neville may have been most impressed by Francis as a “deep student and thinker

www.starcourier.com

 

[PatH]

just an update from a new article written about Fred Francis

" After graduating from the university, Francis had been employed by the Elgin Watch Company for years, and there was evidence of that in the house. "We've seen some the mechanical drawings and plates made by him [at the watch company] and . . . [t]hey are as perfect and delicate as any copper plate you ever saw." But Francis retired after he had made enough to live on for the rest of his life. "

Dean Karau on Kewanee history: A new perspective of Fred Francis and his famous park

Neville may have been most impressed by Francis as a “deep student and thinker

www.starcourier.com

Thank you for sharing this article, diveboy. I have been thinking about a program for our local group on "random things I have learned along the way" and was planning to share a bit about Fred Francis. This article reinforces my feeling that Fred's story is deserving of greater prominence. Horological history is filled with individuals whose genius, resilience and perseverance should not be disregarded. Some day, I hope to visit his home to see some of his inventions.