Little Willie French, "A Jewel in Heaven"

"Little Willie" was the son of James and Maria M. French. He died on July l7, 1866 at the age of 9 months and 15 days. There is an inscription at the base of the tombstone of Willie French. While I was unable to decipher the first line, the second line of the inscription reads: "the jewels in Heaven." This may be an allusion to the poem entitled "An Infant's Epitaph," by Rev. S.F. Smith which concludes with:

And the lost ones of earth be thy jewels in heaven.

Willie French would have been a brother to the prominent Sandusky businessman, James M. French, who left a generous gift to Oberlin College in his estate.