My Genealogy Hound

Francis Braddock MacGregor (deceased), formerly a manufacturer and land owner on a large scale, veteran of the Civil war, was born at Highland, W. Va., July 24, 1845. His parents, who were natives of Scotland, had eight children: John, Sarah, Florence, Francis B., Susana, James F., Joseph P. and William Alexander, all deceased, except James F. and William Alexander, the last named being in the plaining mill business in Mt. Vernon. Francis Braddock was left an orphan at the early age of eight years, and went to live with his grandparents at Marietta, Ohio, where he received a public school education. At the age of sixteen years he enlisted in Company B, Seventy-seventh Ohio regiment, and served four years in the Civil war, attaining the rank of sergeant. He was in many important battles, was taken prisoner once, but never wounded. He was discharged at the close of the war with an excellent record. He came to Posey county, Indiana, and purchased a farm near Mt. Vernon. A year later he engaged in the saw milling and grain threshing business, and in 1873 returned to Cairo, W. Va. Here he followed mercantile pursuits until November, 1876, when he returned to Posey county and took up his residence at Farmersville, and resumed the saw milling business. In 1880 he and his brother, William A., bought a farm of 1,000 acres on the Wabash river, clearing this farm and sawing up the timber. In 1883 he removed to Mt. Vernon and March 1, 1884, purchased a one-half interest in the saw mill and stave factory owned by Ford & Vandergrift, retaining Ford as a partner and later having a chain of mills in Mississippi and buying large tracts of timbered land in that State. He founded the town of Ritchie, Miss., and was a successful promoter on a large scale, accumulating quite a fortune. He was a liberal donor to charity. Mr. MacGregor was a Republican in politics, and his fraternal affiliations were with the Knights Templar Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias and the Elks. He belonged to the Presbyterian church. He served four years as a member of the city council from the second ward and being public-spirited and progressive he was instrumental in having the streets of Mt. Vernon paved. In 1880, he, with Mr. Ford, his partner, installed the electric lighting system. Mr. MacGregor died at Ritchie, Miss., November 24, 1906, and his remains were brought to Mt. Vernon for burial. On January 21, 1869, occurred the marriage of Francis Braddock MacGregor and Miss Louise Catherine Monroe, daughter of Edwin and Miranda (North) Monroe. She was born June 7, 1850, in Mt. Vernon, Ind. Her father was born in New York in 1815, his parents being natives of Scotland. He came to Mt. Vernon at the age of sixteen and was a brick mason. He later bought a farm four miles north of town and farmed for forty-seven years prior to his death, which occurred January 31, 1899. He was married July 15, 1840, and had thirteen children as follows: Julia A., Darius North, Mary Jane, Charles P., Louise Catherine, Nathaniel Stewart, Alvin Hovey, Emily, William, Ira Hackett, James Madison, Edwin Sherman and Derusha Ella. Mr. and Mrs. MacGregor had three children: Olive, born October 11, 1869, married Frank M. Smith, June 27, 1894, had one child, Francis McGregor, born April 5, 1900, and lost her husband January 6, 1900; Inez, born October 1, 1872; Charles Monroe, born June 2, 1876, graduate of Purdue University, at Lafayette, Ind., now an electrician of Mt. Vernon. Charles Married Miss Mabel Clair Highman, on November 27, 1907, and they have one child, Sarah Catherine, born December 2, 1908.