Fannie and William English built this house circa 1850s.
William English was born November 13, 1809 at Lee’s Lick, Harrison County, Kentucky. He married Fannie L. Summers in December 1831. She was born October 17, 1812 to William J. Summers, Jr. and Elizabeth Bell in Fleming County, Kentucky. November 1832 William and Fannie moved from Kentucky and settled on a farm near Frankford, Missouri. William and Fannie moved to Louisiana about 1844 where they raised a family and lived the remainder of their lives. Their children were; William W. (1837 – ?), Anne Eliza (1838-1915) wife of Robert Rice, Elizabeth Jane (1839-1888), James H. (1842 -?), Adaline (1844- ?) wife of Curry, and Scott Farber (1848-1933).
William was one of the founder’s of Louisiana’s Public Library. William was a sought after bricklayer in Louisiana. For the period 1850 to 1875 he was a bricklayer for two of the most prominent contractors in Louisiana. He was responsible for the brickwork in every Baird and Ruggles and Conrad Smith building. English completed the brickwork for Pike County’s two most famous public buildings with Conrad Smith acting as general contractor. The 1854 Watson Seminary, which was Pike County’s first free school and the 1866 Pike County Courthouse. It was believed this team is also responsible for the construction of the Edward G. McQuie mansion at 405 North Third Street and the Conrad Smith House at 720 South Carolina Street in Louisiana, Missouri.
The following are excerpts from William’s obituary which appeared in the August 13, 1880 Louisiana Press Journal:
“Another of Louisiana’s oldest and most respected citizens has been gathered to his fathers by that relentless gardener of humanity whose name is death. Mr. English or Squire as he was familiarly known…….His honorable, upright life had always commanded for him the high esteem and respect of all with whom he came in contact. The entire community mourn his loss and extend to his bereaved family their heartfelt sympathy in this their hour of sadness. Mr. English was not a Churchman, although he cherished a very high regard for the Church and Her service. …… In conversation with the writer of this a few short weeks before his death, he said that he fully realized he was very near his journey’s end, and that in contemplating God he could only think of boundless Love, and infinite Goodness.”
The house was built in the 1850s and underwent a major improvement in 1869 when a two story front was put up at the cost of about $2,500. The English family resided in 303 North Third for over fifty years, through at least 1911.
