Referenced in the family
William Newton French
b. 1857
Life
Records & Research
William Newton French was born 23 October 1857, the eldest child of Joseph French (1823-1900) and his second wife Grace Catherine Beever (1836/1837-1911), of Clay/Wyoming Township, Jones County, Iowa. Identity is strongly multi-anchored: a direct fetch of Joseph French's FindAGrave memorial (ID 70321941) confirms 'William Newton French 1857–1940' as a child of Joseph (b.1823) and Grace Catherine Beever (1837-1911, m.1857), with the matching sibling set. William died in 1940 and is buried in Wyoming Cemetery, Jones County, Iowa, near his father (Joseph: Lot 27, Block 12). The reported marriage to Mary Agnes Orr (1860-1953) was DOWNGRADED to 'likely' (truncated biography + single tree; the cited memorial does NOT contain the 'married Agnes Orr' phrase). The reported daughter Elta Agnes (b.1892) was DOWNGRADED to 'unconfirmed' (single user tree). The residence finding was DOWNGRADED to 'likely' (family location documented, but adult William's residence not directly recorded beyond his burial).
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William Newton French's birth date of 23 October 1857 matches the family report exactly, and his 1857 birth and 1940 death are independently corroborated: his father Joseph French's FindAGrave memorial (ID 70321941) lists 'William Newton French 1857–1940' as a child, and a search result records birth 23 Oct 1857.
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William Newton French died in 1940 and is buried in Wyoming Cemetery, Wyoming, Jones County, Iowa. His death year (1940) is confirmed via his father's FindAGrave memorial ('William Newton French 1857–1940'); his father Joseph French is buried in the same cemetery at Lot 27, Block 12. A FindAGrave search result gives the precise death date 15 December 1940 and plot Lot 28, Block 12, but these day-level/plot details were not verified on a captured individual memorial.
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William Newton French is confirmed as the son of Joseph French (1823-1900) and his second wife Grace Catherine Beever (1837-1911, married 1857). Joseph French's FindAGrave memorial (ID 70321941), verified directly, lists William Newton French (1857-1940) as a child alongside full siblings Mary Joanna, James Myron, Sarah Jane, and Arminda Annabel, plus half-sisters Charlotte and Angeline from Joseph's first marriage. The memorial biography states Joseph married 'Gracie C. Beaver' in 1856 and 'their children are William…', identifying William as the eldest child of the second marriage.
Not yet confirmed — probable matches and family lore, shown for research. Treat with caution.
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William Newton French is reported to have married Mary Agnes Orr (born 1860; died 1953, Wyoming, Jones County, Iowa). This rests on a Jones County biographical sketch and a Geni family tree, not a primary marriage record. NOTE: the FindAGrave-hosted biography of Joseph French is truncated at 'their children are William…' and does NOT contain the phrase 'William N. who married Agnes Orr'; that fuller text was not captured in a cited source. The known facts list no spouse, so this remains attested but unproven. likely
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William Newton French and Mary Agnes (Orr) French are reported to have had children including a daughter Elta Agnes (French) Wooder, born 20 February 1892 in Wyoming, Jones County, Iowa. This rests on a single user-submitted family tree and is not independently corroborated. unconfirmed
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William Newton French's family settled in Clay/Wyoming Township, Jones County, Iowa, after migrating Pennsylvania to Ohio to Iowa; per his father Joseph French's biography, Joseph farmed in Clay Township (Sec. 21, P.O. Canton) and is buried in Wyoming, Jones County. William's burial in Wyoming Cemetery places him in the same area. That William himself resided in Wyoming Township as an adult is a reasonable inference from the family location and his burial, but is not directly documented in a residence/census record in the cited sources. likely
likely mother's birth year: report “Grace Catherine Beever born 1836 (per known facts)” vs. found “FindAGrave records spouse 'Grace Catherine Beever French 1837–1911' on Joseph French's memorial (ID 70321941), and the biography notes the marriage in 1856/1857”. One-year difference (1836 vs 1837) in the mother's birth year; death year 1911 agrees. Minor, common discrepancy in derived records. Does not affect identification of William.
Open questions (7)
- Marriage to Mary Agnes Orr was DOWNGRADED from 'confirmed' to 'likely': the FindAGrave-hosted Joseph French biography is truncated at 'their children are William…' and does NOT itself contain 'William N. who married Agnes Orr' (verified by direct fetch on 2026-06-16). The marriage is attested only by a Geni tree and a not-captured fuller biographical sketch; no primary marriage record was located.
- Daughter Elta Agnes (French) Wooder was DOWNGRADED from 'likely' to 'unconfirmed': supported by only a single user-submitted Geni tree with no independent corroboration.
- Residence finding was DOWNGRADED from 'confirmed' to 'likely': sources document the family's (Joseph's) location in Clay/Wyoming Township, but no census/residence record directly places adult William there beyond his burial in Wyoming Cemetery.
- William Newton French's exact birthplace is not directly stated on records consulted; given the family's documented residence in Clay Township, Jones County, by 1854-1856 it is almost certainly Jones County, Iowa, but a census or birth record should confirm.
- A dedicated FindAGrave individual memorial page/ID for William Newton French was not captured; his 1857 birth and 1940 death years are confirmed via his father's memorial (ID 70321941), but the precise death date (15 Dec 1940) and plot (Lot 28, Block 12) come only from an uncaptured search-result snippet and should be verified against the individual memorial.
- Full list and birth dates of William and Mary Agnes (Orr) French's children beyond Elta Agnes (b. 1892) were not enumerated from cited sources.
- A full transcription of the History of Jones County, Iowa biographical sketch of Joseph French would corroborate the sibling list, the Orr marriage, and William's later life.
Sources consulted (5)
- Joseph French (1823-1900) Find a Grave Memorial (ID 70321941), Wyoming Cemetery, Jones County, Iowa — biography and family members list (fetched and verified 2026-06-16; confirms child William Newton French 1857–1940, spouse Grace Catherine Beever French 1837–1911 m.1857, and sibling set) · findagrave
- FindAGrave memorial search returning William Newton French, 23 Oct 1857 – 15 Dec 1940, Wyoming Cemetery, Jones County, Iowa (Lot 28, blk 12) — individual memorial not captured · findagrave
- Mary Agnes French (Orr) (1860–1953) — Geni profile (named as wife of William Newton French) · tree
- Elta Agnes Wooder (1892–1969) — Geni profile (daughter; parents listed as William N French and Mary A Orr) · tree
- Web search results referencing a History of Jones County, Iowa biographical sketch of Joseph French and child William N. French who married Agnes Orr (full text not captured) · other
Ancestry
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