Stephen French, Esq. (23 May 1844 – 1929) was an American educator, lawyer and Civil War veteran. He was known for being captured by the Confederate army during the American

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, imprisoned at Andersonville prisoner-of-war camp, having escaped captivity for five days in the forests of Georgia, and being re-captured and re-imprisoned at Andersonville. His personal account, titled "Recollections of Five Days in the Forest of Georgia 1864. Escape from Andersonville Prison. Recapture and Final Release" was published in '' The National Tribune'' as a serial in 1926 under the title "Experiences of a Prisoner in Dixieland."

Early life

Stephen French was born on 23 May 1844 in Marion County, Illinois, the son of Joseph Hartman French and Susannah Lemon Purcell. Stephen had four brothers and six sisters.

Civil War service & captivity-escape-recapture at Andersonville Prison Camp

Stephen passed his boyhood at home until the second year of the Civil War when he enlisted in the 111th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He served in the army until the close of the war, spending the last nine months of the time as a prisoner in Andersonville. In company with three other soldiers, he attempted an escape but was captured and returned. He wrote his narrative in 1887 under the title ''"Recollections of Five Days in the Forest of Georgia 1864. Escape from Andersonville Prison. Recapture and Final Release"'' and his account was published serially in The National Tribune of Washington, D.C. in 1926 under the title ''"Experiences of a Prisoner in Dixieland."''

Post-war, marriage & family

Following the end of the Civil War, Stephen French took up residence in Greenville, Illinois. There, he was an active member of the Odd Fellows,

Good Templars The International Organisation of Good Templars (IOGT; founded as the Independent Order of Good Templars), whose international body is known as Movendi International, is a fraternal organization which is part of the temperance movement, promotin ...

and of a debating club composed of the youngest business and professional men. Upon leaving Greenville in the 1870s, he began teaching, for several years serving the principal of the Converse School in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

. Later, he took up the practice of law. He returned to Greenville to marry Margaret Alice Phillips (1846-1929) on 4 December 1873, a graduate of Almira College (now

Greenville University Greenville University is a private university in Greenville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the Free Methodist Church. Established as Greenville College in 1892, the institution was renamed Greenville University in 2017. History In 1855, Stephe ...

) and a granddaughter of

Zachariah Connell Zachariah Connell (1741–1813) was a Revolutionary War soldier and the founder of Connellsville, Pennsylvania, United States. Birth and early life Born near Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia in 1741, the son of James Connell (son of Thom ...

, founder of Connellsville, Pennsylvania. Margaret was the daughter of John Wesley Phillips (and granddaughter of

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

Capt. John Phillips), and Margaret Rice Connell (1808-1895) (a daughter of Margaret Wallace and

(1741-1815), Revolutionary War soldier and founder of Connellsville, Pennsylvania). Stephen and Margaret had three daughters: # Margaret Elizabeth "Eva Grace" (French) Lawrance (29 Jul 1879Death Certificate, State of California (County of San Diego), Margaret Eva Lawrance (Lawrence) (dated 1 Jan 1945) - 1 Jan 1945), who graduated from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

in 1903; m. on 25 Dec 1913Marriage Certificate, State of California (County of San Diego), Margaret French & Harry A. Lawrance (dated 25 Dec 1913) Harry Augustus Lawrance (b. 7 May 1887,Death Certificate, State of California (County of San Diego), Harry A. Lawrance (dated 16 April 1917) d. 16 Apr 1917) # Lillian Ruth French (1877-1967, died unmarried), who attended the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...

# Eleanor Alice French (1874-1971, died unmarried), who attended the

and Pomona College (Claremont, CA)Pomona College Alumni Association (record of attendance on file with Pomona College Alumni Association) In 1887, Stephen and Margaret moved to San Diego, California. During their long residence in San Diego, French was keenly interested in church work. He taught in the Sunday school, and for almost forty years was a member of the official board of the First Methodist Episcopal Church. He was a loyal supporter of the temperance cause, in full sympathy with his wife's notable work in the W.C.T.U.

Death

Stephen French was struck by a car outside his home in San Diego, California, and succumbed to his injuries on 2 January 1929 (age 84). His wife, Margaret, died on 16 October 1929 in San Diego from pneumonia. Stephen and Margaret French are interred at Mt. Hope Cemetery, San Diego, California.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:French, Stephen Illinois lawyers Educators from Illinois People of Illinois in the American Civil War 1844 births 1929 deaths 19th-century American lawyers