Francis Furman

Francis Furman
Born1816
Died1899
Resting placeMount Olivet Cemetery
NationalityAmerican
OccupationBusinessman
SpouseMary J. Gilliam
ChildrenCharles Furman
William G. Furman

Francis Furman (1816–1899) was an American businessman in Nashville, Tennessee.

Early life

Francis Furman was born in 1816.[1]

Career

Furman was a successful dry goods merchant in Nashville, Tennessee.[2] In 1850, he was a partner in a dry goods store with R. C. McNairy and George S. Whitman called McNairy, Furman & Co.[3] By 1861, at the outset of the American Civil War, Furman dissolved his business, Furman & Co., which he co-owned with George Searight, James M. Goodloe, and Andrew Campbetl.[4]

After the war, he was the co-owner of Furman, Green & Co., another drygoods store with Frank W. Green, until 1869, when they closed down the business.[5] That same year, he opened another business on Cedar Street, Furman & Co.[5] A year later, in 1870, he renamed it Furman & Co. Wholesale Dry Goods and Notions, and move it to Nashville's Public Square, where it existed until 1890.[2]

Personal life

Furman was married to Irish-born Mary J. Gilliam (1828-1900).[1][2] They resided on North Cherry Street in Nashville.[6] In 1859, they had a son, Charles Furman, who died as an infant.[6] His funeral was conducted by Alexander Little Page Green.[6] Their second son, William G. Furman, was born in 1856 and died in 1900.[7]

Death and legacy

Furman died in 1899.[1] He was buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville, where his tomb was designed by Danish-born sculptor Johannes Gelert (1852-1923).[1][8] It is the largest tomb in the cemetery.[9]

Furman Hall on the campus of Vanderbilt University

Furman Hall on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville is named in his honor.[2][10][11] It was the result of a US$100,000 donation by his widow after his death, even though he never attended the university.[2][11][12] Inside the building, there is a sculpture of Francis Furman.[2] From 1907 to 1967, it housed the Chemistry and Physics Department.[2][10][11] Since 1967, it has been home to the Humanities Department.[2][10][11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d FindAGrave: Francis Furman
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Lewis, Princine (Fall 2010). "The Thief, the Pocket Watch, and the Dry Goods Merchant". Vanderbilt Magazine. Nashville, Tennessee. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  3. ^ "R. C. McNairy". Republican Banner. Nashville, Tennessee. February 11, 1850. p. 3. Retrieved September 22, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ "Notice". Daily Nashville Patriot. December 17, 1861. p. 1. Retrieved September 22, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ a b "Dissolution". Nashville Union and American. August 10, 1869. p. 2. Retrieved September 22, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ a b c "DEATH NOTICES FROM THE NASHVILLE REPUBLICAN BANNER FOR 1859". The Nashville City Cemetery. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  7. ^ Findagrave: William G. Furman
  8. ^ Mount Olivet Cemetery tomb
  9. ^ Kreyling, Christine (August 9, 2007). "Six Feet Under: Nashville's cemeteries tell us as much about the living as they do about the dead". Nashville Scene. Nashville, Tennessee. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  10. ^ a b c "Nashville Public Library Digital Collections". Archived from the original on 2014-01-11. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  11. ^ a b c d Heard, Alexander G. (1995). Speaking of the University: Two Decades at Vanderbilt. Nashville, Tennessee: Vanderbilt University Press. p. 325. ISBN 0826512658.
  12. ^ McGraw, Robert A. (1978). The Vanderbilt Campus: A Pictorial History. Nashville, Tennessee: Vanderbilt University Press. p. 60. ISBN 9780585131832.

Furman Hall statue by Johannes Gelert