Francis J. Painter was born on 11 Jan. 1841 in West Chester, Pa., the fourth son of Samuel and Anne Vickers Painter. Francis, or Frank as he was known, was appointed Acting Assistant Paymaster with the U.S. Navy on 17 Feb. 1863, and was initially assigned to the gunboat Owasco. He saw action off the coast of North Carolina and then was ordered to service on the USS Estrella in the blockade of Texas and New Orleans. After the close of the war, he served on the USS Tuscarora and the USS Jamestown where he sailed to various ports in South America and to Alaska as part of the Pacific Squadron. On 23 July 1866, he was made Assistant Paymaster and eventually was brevetted Lieutenant Commander by an act of Congress. He retired from service in 1869 as a result of disabilities sustained from yellow fever and pneumonia. The yellow fever occurred in May 1863 when on the Estrella. He contracted pneumonia in 1869 when serving on the USS Jamestown. After his naval service, he traveled and spent five years in Europe. He continued his travels for the remainder of his life. He was in Atlantic City at the time of his death on 4 June 1910, and his body was returned to West Chester were he was interred with other family members at Oaklands Cemetery. Fellow members of McCall Post No. 31 G.A.R. attended his funeral.
From the description of Francis J. Painter papers, 1863-1869. (Chester County Historical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 648762188
