History: John French

John French was born in about 1845 in Maine. He was married to Charlotte (“Lottie”) French. French brewed in Lewiston from some time around 1873 to 1878, out of 56 Blake Street. Before going into brewing, French was a shoemaker by trade. After 1878, French is listed as a constable in the city directory.

French’s brewing business would most likely have been near the First Baptist Church of Lewiston. Image from Sanford, Everts, & Co.’s Atlas of Androscoggin County, ME. 1873. Courtesy of AncestryLibrary.com

 

 

Sources:

Will Anderson, The Great State of Maine Beer Book (Portland: Anderson & Sons’ Publishing Co., 1996), 12.

Lewiston City Directory, 1872, 1874-75, 1878.

U.S. Census, 1870