Francis W. Brooks
Born: March 6th, 1820
Died: April 1st, 1869
Obituary
We announced yesterday morning that Mr. Brooks was at the point of death. A little before noon on Wednesday, while superintending some work on his grounds south of the city about one mile, he was prostrated with an attack of congestion of the brain. He was once conveyed to his house in an insensible condition, and he remained wholly unconscious until half past seven o’clock Thursday morning, when he expired.
The deceased was born in the state of New York, on the 6th of March, 1820, and was therefore a few days over forty-nine years old at the time of his death. At the age of three or four years, he removed to Canada, and became a member of the family of JC Peasley, his uncle, and grandfather of JC Peasley, the present cashier of the bank of which Mr. Brooks was President. In 1840, he came to Burlington, where he has ever since resided, with the exception of an absence of four years in California, from 1848 to 1852. During all this time, he has been actively engaged in business, a part of the time merchandising, but chiefly as a banker. By close attention to business, he accumulated a large fortune and is supposed to have left an estate of over half a million dollars. He leaves a wife and eight children ranging in ages from eighteen to two years. His mother also survives him, being a member of his family at the time of his death. He left three brothers, one of whom resided in Kansas, one in California, and one in Missouri. He also had two sisters, who are residents of Kansas. He also had two sisters who reside in Kansas.
Mr. Brooks has ever sustained the reputation of an upright citizen, strictly honorable in all his dealings. Prominently identified with the business of Burlington for nearly thirty years, his death will cause a vacancy hard to fill. He had, within the past year, erected one of the finest residences in the West, at a cost of about $60,000, and had occupied it with his family but a few days, being called away at a time when it was but natural that he should most desire to live.
His funeral will take place at his late residence at 2 o'clock Sunday afternoon.