Francis Julius LeMoyne


Francis Julius LeMoyne was a 19th-century American medical doctor and philanthropist from Washington, Pennsylvania. Responsible for creating the first crematory in the United States, he was also an abolitionist, founder of Washington's first public library, co-founder of the Washington Female Seminary, and an instrumental benefactor to the LeMoyne Normal and Commercial School, to which he made a $20,000 donation in 1870.

Career

LeMoyne was the son of Nancy McCuly and John Julius LeMoyne.
He graduated from Washington College in 1815 and Jefferson Medical College in 1826 but first matriculated in 1821 as member of University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine's Class of 1825.
LeMoyne was active in the abolitionist movement in Pennsylvania, serving as a manager of the American Anti-Slavery Society from 1837 to 1840, and later as vice president of the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society. He was an agent of the Underground Railroad. His opposition to slavery led him to leave his New School Presbyterian church. LeMoyne was nominated for vice president in the 1840 United States presidential election by an abolitionist meeting at Warsaw, New York, but declined. He subsequently ran for governor of Pennsylvania on the Liberty Party ticket in 1841, 1845, and 1847, without success. He supported Gerrit Smith in the 1848 United States presidential election, but afterward joined the more moderate Free Soil Party. He joined the Republican Party following the collapse of the Free Soilers in 1854.

Death

On October 14, 1879 Julius LeMoyne died of Heart Attack at Washington, Pennsylvania, United States at the age 81. His body was cremated at LeMoyne Crematory.

Crematory

Deducing that decomposing bodies in local cemeteries were contaminating the water supplies and making the citizens sick, Dr. Lemoyne set out to build the first crematory in the United States. The crematory was finished in 1876 on his own land, perched atop a location known locally as Gallow's Hill. The first cremation took place on December 6, 1876. In 1901, after 41 more cremations were performed, the crematory was closed.
Today, the structure can be found in the same location off of South Main Street.

Lemoyne House

The LeMoyne house, built by father John Julius LeMoyne in 1812, was a stop on the Underground Railroad. It was Pennsylvania's first of six National Historic Landmarks of the Underground Railroad to be registered. It still stands today at 49 East Maiden Street, near the campus of Washington & Jefferson College, where it has been converted into a museum. The house also serves as the center of the Washington County Historical Society.

Marriage and Descendants

LeMoyne married Madeleine Romaine Bureau. Their descendants include:
  • John Valcoulon LeMoyne, U.S. Congressman, married the beautiful Julia Nancy Murray, daughter of Magnus Miller Murray, former Mayor of Pittsburgh and his wife Mary Wilkins, daughter of Quartermaster General John Wilkins Jr. Their children included:
  • *Francis Julius Lemoyne, who late in life married Mary I. Clark, daughter of George Dorsey Clark and Alice Ann Linthicum ; no issue.
  • *William M. Lemoyne, lawyer, married about 1890 to Gertrude M. McKennan ; no issue.
  • *Madeleine Romaine LeMoyne, married 21 Jul 1890 to Charles Ellis Ellicott and had issue:
  • **Charles Ellis Ellicott Jr., married Ann K. Murray and had issue:
  • ***Nancy Ellicott
  • ***Dr. Charles Ellis Ellicott III, married Marjorie Foote
  • ***Madeleine LeMoyne Ellicott, married Alan D. Chesney
  • **Dr. Valcoulon Le Moyne Ellicott, married Mary Purnell Gould, daughter of lawyer Clarendon Ivan Theodore Gould and Grace Purnell, and had issue:
  • ***John Valcoulon Le Moyne Ellicott, married Mary Lou Ulery
  • ***Jacqueline Ellicott
  • ***Clarendon "Don" Gould Ellicott
  • *Mary Ann LeMoyne, married George Dole Forrest and had issue:
  • **Julie Murray Forrest, on 25 Sep 1920 married banker Spottswood Page Nelson and had issue:
  • **Julie Murray Nelson, married Edward Monroe Williams and had issue.
  • **Spotswood Page Nelson
  • **Katharine Forrest Kendrick
  • *Louis Valcoulon LeMoyne, landscape architect, author
  • *Julia LeMoyne, who married William Brown McIlvaine and had issue.
  • *Katharine Le Moyne, married Janon Fisher and had issue:
  • **Janon Fisher Jr., married Margie James, daughter of lumber merchant Norman James, and had issue.
  • **Katharine Le Moyne Fisher Jr.
  • *Romaine LeMoyne, who married Austin McLanahan. They are ancestors of actress Julie Bowen.
  • Anne LeMoyne, married coal dealer Vachel Harding. Their children included:
  • *Charles Vachel Harding, married Belle Galbraith, then remarried in 1886 to Amanda Virginia Hupp by whom he had issue:
  • **Carolene H. Harding
  • **Madeleine S. Harding
  • *Madaline LeMoyne Harding
  • *Annie LeMoyne Harding
  • Romaine LeMoyne, married Nicholas King Wade. Their children included:
  • *Madeleine Romaine Wade, married investment broker Robert Warner Poindexter. Their children were:
  • **Robert Wade Poindexter, manufacturing chemist and plant breeder, on 5 Feb 1916 married Irene M. Mersereau and had issue.
  • **Romaine LeMoyne Poindexter, no issue.
  • *Susan Wade, married Ernest Pryce Mitchell, no issue.
  • *Julia Frances Wade, no issue.
  • *William Nicholas Wade M.D., married, no issue.
  • Jane LeMoyne, married about 1887 to Prof. James Snodgrass Simonton, elder brother of Ashbel Green Simonton. No issue.
  • Julius LeMoyne, President and Treasurer of the Washington County Fire Insurance Co., on 4 Mar 1862 he married Annie H. Kuhn, daughter of Adam Kuhn, a bank president, and his wife Priscilla Wheeler. Their six children include:
  • *Rose M. LeMoyne, who on 11 Oct 1902 married George M. Kelley M.D. No issue.
  • *Francis Julius LeMoyne, married on 7 June 1899 to Catharine Murray Guthrie, granddaughter of John Brandon Guthrie, former Mayor of Pittsburgh, and niece of George W. Guthrie, future Mayor of Pittsburgh and Ambassador to Japan. They had one daughter:
  • **Marcia LeMoyne
  • *Anna Kuhn LeMoyne, married financial clerk Joseph C. Baird. Their son was:
  • **John Julius Baird, musician, married Margaret and had issue.
  • *Mary LeMoyne
  • *Madelaine Romaine LeMoyne, who on 10 Jun 1915 married Thomas Rush Alexander Jr. No issue.
  • Dr. Francis "Frank" Julius LeMoyne Jr., Lucretia O. Lewis, daughter of Abraham Kirkpatrick "Kirk" Lewis and Mary Orth.
  • *Romaine LeMoyne married Dr. Frederic Tremaine "Josh" Billings
  • **Dr. Frederic Tremaine "Josh" Billings, Jr.
  • **Lucretia Billings Fisher
  • **Kirk LeMoyne "Lem" Billings
  • Madeleine LeMoyne, remained single until at the age of 63 on 2 Mar 1907 in California she married George W. Reed. No issue.
In episode 2 of season 8 of the genealogy television show Who_Do_You_Think_You_Are, a short biography is presented, and actress Julie Bowen is shown to be a direct descendant.