Francis’s parents were natives of Virginia who after stops in Kentucky and Johnson County Illinois ended up settling in Gallatin County before 1830. It was here that Francis was born April 23, 1831. His father James outlived Francis’s mother (Anna McGowen), who died at the age of 45, by 20 years and then remarried. Francis ended up with eleven brothers and sisters. After his mother’s death, he struck out on his own at the age of 11 ½ and went to work on his brother’s farm in Gallatin County. On January 26, 1855 he married Paulina Lafferty and the following year gave birth to a son James William Westbrook whom they called Willie.
In January 1857, at the age of 26 he moved to Marion. On the following July he rented a building off of Samuel Dunaway at 116 E. Main St. on the corner and opened a general store. At that time, there were but three dealers in town even though Marion was only 18 years old. They were Goodall & Pulley, J. T. Goddard and Joseph Huffstutter. He rented off Dunaway for two years and then in 1859 bought the corner lot on the 900 block of the public square (south side of the square, east corner of S. Market St.). When he bought the lot there was only a small frame building standing there and this is where he started selling his goods on the square.
In the 1860 census, F.M. is now 29, wife Paulina 30 and they have their son Willie 4 and a son Willis F. who was born in 1859. Also, in the home is M.W. Lafferty 24 year old female teacher. This is presumably his wife’s sister. There is also an unknown 13 year old female named Mary Mathis who, like the sister-in-law claims Indiana as their place of birth. Francis lists himself as a merchant with $3,200 in real estate and a personal estate of $7,650. Interestingly, when Francis filled out his Civil War registration in 1863, he claimed to have been born in Tennessee which doesn’t align with all other data found on him claiming Illinois.
By the 1870 census, Francis and his wife now have an additional child Bella (Daisy B.) who is 3 years old plus both of their sons Willie 14 and Willis 11. Francis claims his occupation to be tobacconist and also claims a real estate value of $4,000 and personal estate of only $300. There are two people living with them. Mary Macy a 16 year old female, likely a servant, and a boarder by the name of James Grider who was a constable. At this time, no addresses were ever given on census records. In 1860. they did however live in the Marion School District which was known to be a two mile long, one mile wide strip centered on the square. In the 1870 census they are in Range 3 which puts them in East Marion (Ward 3).
On June 4th 1875, the counties second court house situated in the southeast corner of the square right next to the Westbrook building caught fire and was destroyed. At the time, Westbrook’s lot right next to the courthouse still only had a wooden frame building serving as a store and another wooden building used as a warehouse. Everything in that block suffered heavy damage including Westbrook’s.
After the 1875 fire and the rebuilding that followed, another fire occurred on March 31, 1898 and Westbrook suffered another loss of $20,000 worth of smoke damaged goods and what could have been total destruction had it not been for passersby, an able bucket brigade and a metal ceiling he had installed in the new building. Insurance covered most of the loss and he rebounded. In this time his business included a bustling advertising firm. The 1880 census lets us know that his sons Willie and Willis are clerks in his store during this time and daughter Daisy is now 13.
Westbrook owned at least one tobacco barn in the 1880’s and 1890’s. The F.M. Westbrook tobacco barn was located on South Liberty Street and employed between 25 and 30 men.
In 1890, Mr. Westbrook built a handsome residence at 107 E. Marion St. on the southeast corner of Marion and Buchanan streets. In 1904, it was described as “embowered in handsome sugar maple trees, almost too dense to get a snap shot for the Souvenir book” and is one of the best in town.
On February 2, 1899 yet another fire managed to clean the block out. Heavy losses were incurred by Westbrook and all other surrounding businesses and organizations including the Egyptian Press. His losses this time were larger and even though he carried insurance he still came out $5,000 in the hole. He then built a two story brick building, which he finished in 1900 which he operated as a dry goods house. It was called the New York store, and stood on the south side of the square, east corner of South Market St. The name and style of the company was F. M. Westbrook and Company, with his son, Willis F. Westbrook, as the company. (This building is viewable in shot taken from atop the court house looking south in 1904.) The 1900 census reflects that Francis is now 69 and his wife is 70. They have a servant living with them named Florence Philips 19.
Their first child, James “Willie” Westbrook, passed away on March 24, 1907 in Spokane, Washington. His body was returned here on a special train for burial.
On April 20th 1910 when the census was taken Francis was 79 and his wife was 80. At some time in this year after the census was taken Francis died. He was a Republican in politics, and a member of many years standing of the M. E. church (likely the one on S. Market since he lived on Marion Street).
His wife followed him in 1912, then his son Willis F. in 1914, and then his last son James William (Willie) in 1917. All of them are buried in a family plot in the Old Rose Hill cemetery. Daisy B. Mitchell lived until March 18, 1942 and died in Los Angeles, California.
Notes on his children in 1904 : James W. Westbrook, in business in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Willis F. Westbrook, his partner in Marion with wife Nellie lived at 306 S. Madison St., and a daughter, Mrs. Daisy B. Mitchell, the wife of C. E. Mitchell, a merchant of Oklahoma City.
(Photos and some content from 1905 Souvenir Book, WCHS; 1860 thru 1910 census records; civil war registration records;Marion fire reports and Marion City Cemetery database. Compiled by Sam Lattuca on 12/25/2012)