Francais Perry Pierpont, born on February 23, 1840 at Fairmont, was one of the most brilliant young men the state has produced. But his career was cut short before he had quite reached his twenty-ninth milestone; and he was the first young man of Ritchie County to write his name in state history. Born a student, he rapidly rose to distinction. First performed the service of office boy for the clerk of the court here and in Pleasants County: then studied law and was admitted to the bar at a very youthful age; and when the call came, 1862, for volunteers in the army, he went to Wheeling, where he recruited the Twelfth Virginia Infantry from the counties of the Northern Pan handle, and entered the regiment as adjutant. He was soon promoted to the rank of major, and was offered the colonency, but declined in favor of a brother officer. Shortly after the birth of West Virginia, he was called from the field by the appointment, of Governor A. I. Boreman, to the office of adjutant-general of the new state; and it was Francais Perry Pierpont, of Ritchie County, who prepared the Adjutant-Generals Report of the Soldiers of the Civil War, which has been so invaluable to these veterans in obtaining pensions from the government. His services here at an end, he entered Harvard University and was graduated in law having taken the course a year sooner than was required by putting all his spare time, even his vacation season. He then returned to Harrisville and began to practice law but ill health began to prey upon him. In November 1868 he started to Florida, with a Wheeling family by the name of Hornbrook, but by the time they had reached New Orleans, the sun of his young life was hanging low in the western horizon and six days later, on January 7, 1869, death had ended his promising career. They brought the remains back to Harrisville, and laid them in the cemetery overlooking the town, where he spent his childhood. And here today lies the dust of one of the outstanding young men that any county has given to the state.

* * Francais Perry Pierpont was the son of Zackquill M. Pierpont and Martha Vandervort. He was the grandson of Francais H. Pierpont and Harriet Weaver. This would have made him Gov. Francais H. Pierpont's nephew.