My Genealogy Hound

FRANCIS BACON. Whoever labors to secure the development of his country, striving to bring out its latent resources; who is devoted to the general welfare of the people; who seeks to promote the cause of justice and morality, and to advance our civilization through commercial, manufacturing, professional or educational channels, becomes a public benefactor, and is entitled to special mention on the pages of history.

Such are the character and record of Francis Bacon, who has been identified with the business interests of Waterloo for many years. In May, 1882, he assisted in founding what is now known as the Waterloo Wagon Company, Limited, and he has held the position of President from the time of its organization until the present. The company is one of the most important firms in the village, and is well known throughout the entire state. The plant is a large one, the machinery being operated by two boilers and an engine of eighty-horse power. Steady employment is given to two hundred men, and the products of the factory consist of carriages, sleighs and light vehicles of every style.

In the town of Waterloo, Seneca County, N. Y., Francis Bacon was born March 18, 1836. The family of which he is a member has been represented in this locality since the early days, his grandfather, Asa Bacon, a native of Massachusetts, having settled in Seneca County as early as 1787. His father, Joel W., was born in Pittsfield, Mass., and at the age of nine years came to Seneca County with his parents, settling on Lot No. 81, in the township of Junius, in 1800. For a short time he attended the district schools of this locality, and later, for three years, he was a student in the French Convent at Montreal, Canada.

On completing his literary education, Joel W. Bacon began the study of law in the office of the late Judge Miller, of Auburn, N. Y., with whom he remained until his admission to the Bar, in 1818. Opening an office in Waterloo, he soon gained a lucrative practice and a high rank in the legal fraternity. Politically he was in early life a Whig, but upon the disintegration of that party he allied himself with the Republicans. No resident of Waterloo was more interested in its welfare than he, and it was his pleasure to hold the highest offices within the gift of his fellow-citizens. Among the important industries of the place with which he was connected may be mentioned the Waterloo Woolen Mills. He passed away, after a busy and useful career, in the village of Phelps, N. Y., November 7, 1876.

The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Emma Billings, and was born in Poquetanuck, Conn., in 1802. Her father, Benjamin, was a lineal descendant of William Billings, a native of England, who came to America and settled in Boston in 1600, becoming one of the very earliest settlers of that city. The youthful years of our subject were passed on a farm in the town of Waterloo, where he attended the district schools. Later he was a student in Waterloo Academy. On completing his literary studies, he took a course in civil-engineering, and for a time was with an engineering corps that had been organized in Seneca County. During the Civil War he was a member of the engineering corps of the United States army, and served in that capacity for four years, ranking as First Lieutenant of the United States Engineers. He was present in all the engagements of the Army of the Potomac from 1862 until the close of the war at Appomattox.

At the close of the Rebellion, Mr. Bacon returned to Waterloo, but his health had been so greatly undermined by his army experiences that for four years thereafter he was unable to engage actively in business. As soon as he had regained his strength sufficiently to permit him to resume work, he became a member of the firm of Fancher & Bacon, a connection that continued for six years. He then purchased his partner’s interest and carried on the concern for four years, after which he sold out. For the five following years he was variously engaged.

In the organization of the Spencer Iron Works Mr. Bacon took an active part, and at the same time he assisted in the establishment of the Seneca County Agricultural Society, which was made a stock company. He took an active part in organizing what is now the Waterloo Wagon Company, Limited, of which he has been the only President. In 1884, in company with A. G. and W. L. Mercer, he organized and built the Waterloo Water Works, and later, in partnership with a number of gentlemen, he built the Waterloo electric-light plant, of which company he is President. In addition to these enterprises, he assisted in starting the Waterloo piano factory, which is a branch of the Waterloo Organ Company, and of it he is serving as Director. He is also a Director of the First National Bank.

For the past forty years Mr. Bacon has been a communicant of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and for a number of years he has acted as Vestryman. His first Presidential ballot was cast for Abraham Lincoln, and from that time to the present he has been prominently identified with the Republican party. He is filling the position of Trustee of the Waterloo Library and Historical Society. His first marriage, which took place in 1866, united him with Eliza S. Bascom, who at her death left two children, Nora W., and Benjamin B., who is a student at Hobart College, Geneva, N. Y. His second marriage, which was solemnized in 1890, was to Miss Mary P. Magee, an accomplished and amiable lady, and a native of Waterloo. They occupy a substantial and elegantly furnished home, in which they hospitably entertain their many friends.