Francis Richard Bone was born in 1841 in the Parish of St. Mewan , Cornwall, England. He always listed his birth date as the 31st of August. The Bone family Bible gives this date but his birth registration obtained from the General Register Office at Somerset House in London, now located at The Family Records Centre, lists the 7th of August. This certificate states he was the son of Robert and Mary Bone, formerly Richard.
At the time the 1841 Census was taken, 7 June, Francis had not yet been born. His father, mother and siblings are listed as living at Pothole Mill, Parish of St. Mewan. His father's occupation was that of an agriculture laborer. For those unfamiliar with this area, Pothole Mill is just across the parish line from St. Stephen In Brannel. On this map link it would be located just about where the blue number 97 is located. While looking at this map look to the left for the farm Ventonwyn, which is very near the field 'Bones Hill Close'.
Francis came to the United States sometime in the 1860s and settled in Cambria County PA, either directly or via Canada.
In 1863 Francis was presented a devotional book from his sister Louisa Bone [Hugo]. This small book is about 2 and 1/4 inches wide and about 3 inches high. Evidently this devotional was given to Scott Bone, then to his daughter Gladys Bone Martin, and then to her daughter Patricia Martin Keener Zellner. In July, 2006 Pat presented this devotional to Louise Bone Farmer, daughter of Scott's brother Arthur.
Click on the various items of this devotional for an image of this precious family heirloom: Front cover; spine area; inside front cover, believed to be the actual writting of Louisa Bone Hugo; next page, perhaps written as orignial words began to fade; Title page; Contents page; general view; and close-up of a devotional page. It is unknown if this was presented to Francis before he left Cornwall, or upon his arriving in North America.
