517 Cooper was built in the late 1840s. During the Civil War, it was the home of the Francine family, which consisted of a husband, a wife, and four children. Two of these children, Louis and Albert Francine, fought in the Civil War, and both at the Battle of Gettysburg, the war’s largest and most renowned battle, where nearly 200,000 men fought, and approximately 50,000 were injured, killed, or went missing. Unfortunately, the dead included one of the Francine brothers.

The elder brother, Louis Francine, initially entered the army in 1861 as a captain in the 71st Pennsylvania Regiment. The 71st Pennsylvania Regiment is famously known as the “1st California Regiment,” as it was initially raised to help California meet its enlistment quota. Louis later joined the 7th New Jersey regiment, and eventually became the regiment’s colonel. He led the regiment at the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863 and later at Gettysburg that July. On the second day of the battle, his regiment was ordered to reinforce a New Jersey artillery battery at a location called Peach Orchard. Unfortunately, the Confederates pushed this position back, and in the subsequent fight, Louis received a mortal wound. He survived for two weeks before dying at home on Cooper Street. By the end of the battle, his regiment also suffered heavy casualties. Of 331 men, 24 were killed, 77 were wounded, and 13 went missing—a total of 114. For their valiant service, a monument now stands on the battlefield at the site where Louis fell, and he was also posthumously promoted to Brigadier General for his gallantry.

Louis’s younger brother, Albert, joined an emergency company of soldiers raised to stop Lee’s incursion into Pennsylvania at Gettysburg as a private. Albert survived and was mustered out of service the following month.