William Francois Andrews and the Mystery on the Library - Part 1

 

As many times as I have climbed the steps at the Defiance Public Library, I have never noticed the carving of the 8 in the mortar to the right of the front steps until eagle-eyed DCGS member, Mary Scranton, pointed it out.  Then she preceded to vigorously research the stone mason possibly behind this mark - William F. Andrews, Citizen of Defiance, Veteran, Mason, Hotel Owner, and Father to quite a large family. Most of what follows in this blog about Andrews is the result of her research.

Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada,/ on August 18, 1846, William Francois Andrews ventured into the United States before the Civil War began.  A son of Israel Andrews, born in French Canada, and Mary Ann Blanchflower, born in Norfolk, England, William and his family came to the U.S. and settled in Michigan about 1858 when William was 12.

In the fall of 1861, when he had just turned 15, William enlisted into Company E, Ninth Michigan Volunteer Infantry.  The Defiance County History of 1883 revealed that he went to camp at Fort Wayne, Michigan.

"He then got a furlough home and about three days thereafter, while at home, broke out with smallpox and was then discharged on this account.  He reenlisted July 31, 1862, in Company C, Twenty-second Michigan Regiment, and was honorably discharged June 26,1865, at the close of the war.

He was at the siege of Chattanooga all through that campaign, till Sherman started for the sea..."

He re-enlisted at Port Huron, Michigan the second time when he was 18. William went on to serve at Chickamauga, Kennesaw Mountain, Atlanta, Jonesborough and Nashville before his muster out. Despite all his battles, he reported on the 1890 Veterans Census that he had no disabilities from his service.  

At some point after the war, he came to Defiance where he married Kate E. Hoover (Catherina Edwina) on March 27, 1867. She was the daughter of Emanuel and Susan Hoover, earlier settlers of the county. The Andrews were enumerated on the 1870 Federal Census here with just one child, Lilly, 6 months old, as an older child, Fanny Bell, born in 1869, had died.  William, 24, worked as a day laborer.

Holgate Place #7 was their home in 1880.  William had taken the occupation of stone mason by that time, and the family had increased, adding Peter, 7; Tacy, 5 and Leah, 4.  According to the 1883 History of Defiance County:

"Mr Andrews started out in 1867 and learned the stone mason's trade and followed this up by learning the brick-laying and stone-cutting, mastering each branch of the business, at which he continued till December 1882, when he went to Evansport and engaged temporarily in keeping hotel and restaurant."

The Defiance Democrat of January 31, 1884 noted: William F. Andrews, who had been running the Garber house at Evansport for some time, moved to Sherwood last week." 

Without the 1890 census, there was difficulty in following the Andrews family moves, but the Defiance Democrat did advertise a sale of property on August 4, 1894, in Defiance, specifically Lot 150 in East Defiance.

"Taken at the suit of Mary J. Elkins against William F. Andrews, Kate E. Andrews vs. Rollin H. Gleason and George Young.  Appraised at $700."  Defiance Democrat, July 19, 1894

 By 1900, things seemed to have righted themselves, as the family now had a mortgage on a home at 203 Main Street in Defiance. William, 55, was back to work as a brick mason; Kate, 48, was caring for the seven children still at home; and Kate's mother, Mary, a widow, had moved in. Talk of a new library for Defiance will begin soon, an enterprise that just might be what William needs for steady work.