Notes Concerning Jesse Leach France
By DeWayne Loomis France, His Son
January 4, 1979

Jesse Leach France was born in Cincinnati. Ohio on Oct. 8, 1862. He resided with his parents William and Isabella France in Cincinnati and when they moved to Philadelphia, PA, Jesse attended public school there. In 1876 Jesse moved with his parents to St. Louis, Missouri. His grandfather and grandmother, Col. Richard and Leah France were living in St. Louis and died there in 1878 and 1880, respectively.

While in St. Louis, Jesse attended high school and an art school in that city. In 1881, Jesse, then 19 years old, left St. Louis and moved to New York, NY where he studied art until 1884. After 1884 Jesse made a trip to Paris, France and studied art at the Julian Academy. He admired the work of Mesdag, a celebrated Dutch painter, and therefore went to Holland to paint on several occasions. While in Holland he took many photographs of the area, particularly fishing boats and the buildings.

While in Paris Jesse met Eurilda Loomis who was studying art and portrait painting. When they returned to America, they were married in Pittsburgh, PA in 1888. They returned to study art in Paris. Their first son, DeWayne Loomis France was born in Paris on Feb. 18, 1891. When DeWayne was six months old, his parents and he returned to the US and lived just over two years in Lexington, KY at the Highland Stock Farm. Then they moved to New York city and stayed a little over two years. When DeWayne was five years old, they moved to Montreal, Canada and then in 1901 moved to Buffalo, NY.  Jesse and Eurilda built a summer home in 1902 in Scarboro, Maine which was ultimately inherited by their second son, William Louis France.

Jesse was a professional artist all of his life, painting landscapes and marine subjects. He lived in New York, NY until 1924 when he moved to Waterbury, CT to reside with his son DeWayne and his family until his death on March 26, 1935. He was buried in Greenwood cemetery (Lot 20474)  in Brooklyn, NY. That plot was bought by Jesse’s mother Isabella France in 1872. Those family members interred there and their dates of death are as follows:
Louis France, Jesse’s older brother,1872; Isabella France, Jesse’s mother, 1874; William France, Jesse’s half brother, 1924; Jesse France, 1935; and Albert France, Jesse’s younger brother, 1947.