Francis "Frank"" McGregor was born to Peter McGregor and Christine Ross on June 19, 1838, in Nottinghamshire, England. He was one of ten children and lived with his grandparents in the northern part of Scotland until he was 13 years old. In 1850, he moved with his family to the United States where they settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1862, Frank joined the Union Army to fight in the Civil War. He served for three years in the 83rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company E. Frank is credited with participating in eleven important battles and never being wounded. Throughout his service, he wrote detailed letters about the war to his immediate family and to Susan "Susie" Brown, a school teacher who later became his wife.
In 1865, Frank was in Galveston, Texas, where he received an honorable discharge from the Army. Afterwards, he returned home and established a career in business supplying seeds and plants to the retail trade. Eventually, Frank moved to Springfield, Ohio, where he and his brother, David, formed a partnership and established McGregor Brothers. They built a one hundred and twenty-five thousand square foot greenhouse and created a general floral shipping business, selling both wholesale and retail. On June 28, 1866, Frank married Susan Brown in Lockland Hamilton, Ohio. The two had seven children: Allan, Bertha, Grace, Harold, Helen, Olive, and Robert. During the latter part of their lives, Frank and his wife traveled extensively, visiting such countries as England, Belgium, Germany, Scotland, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and France. In addition to his business career, Frank also served on the board for park commissioners. Frank died in 1920 in Clark, Ohio.
From the description of Papers of Frank McGregor, 1862-1915. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 462157907
