Francis Marion Ashley was fifteen years old when he came, with his parents, to Lincoln, Illinois. He was born in Greenville, OH on Nov 23, 1842. His parents were Joel Loami Ashley and Mary Ann Martin Ashley, who were also natives of Greenville, Ohio.

Francis had four brothers, William, Elisha, John, and Thomas. They were raised on a farm in Lincoln. Francis lived at home until the age of nineteen, when he enlisted, on the 12th of August 1862, as a member of Company F, one hundred and sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. The regiment was attached to the Army of the West at Vicksburg, and he participated in all of the engagements of the regiment until mustered out on July 14, 1865.

On the 10th of December 1863 he was married to Elizabeth Covington, who was born near Lincoln on Nov 12 1845. She was the daughter of James and Mary (Stahl) Covington. James Covington was a native of Maryland, and died in Illinois at the age of 77 when Elizabeth was still a child. Mary Stahl was a native of Union Co. Pennsylvania and became a resident of Illinois in 1816. The Stahl family were among the first settlers in Illinois. James Covington was Mary's second husband. Mary had seven children from her first marriage, and two from her second. Elizabeth's brother was named Joseph. Mary died in 1870 at the age of 68.

In 1869 the Francis Ashleys became residents of Neosha, KS on a US Govt claim. They lived there for 10 years before moving to Pottawattamie Co., Iowa, where they farmed for some time before moving to the town of Macedonia. After opening a general store, Francis continued as a merchant until his death on March 29, 1900.

Francis and Elizabeth had nine children, Nellie, Mary Alice, Rose, Emma, Lillian, Edgar, Fred, Bess, and Ralph.

Francis was a member of the Grand Army Post at Macedonia IA, the Odd Fellows Lodge, and the Ruby Lodge, No.415 AF & M. He was a member of the Christian Church. He was a descendant of William White, a Mayflower Pact signer, through his father Joel, his grandfather, Elisha, and great grandfather William Ashley, who was a Revolutionary War Captain.

Submitted by: Reta Barker

This page is "Francis Ashley" on the Logan County, Illinois, ILGenWeb site. The address of this page is http://logan.illinoisgenweb.org/bios/ashleyfrancis.htm.