Francis Semple, Esq. was married three times. Francis had at least four children with his first wife whom he married before 1831. The children's name were: Alexander Hamilton, Eliza, Francis Henderson "Frank" and William H. Semple. After his first wife died, Francis married Margaret H. (Gill) Semple on May 25, 1847 in Lee County, Iowa. She died before 1850. On March 30, 1853, Francis married his third wife, a widow, Georgina Myatt Semple (1821-1889). He was also the stepfather of Georgina's son, James F. Myatt.

Fort Madison Weekly, August 11, 1875:

Francis Semple was born in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania near the "blue Juanitta" on the 27th day of June 1807. His grandfather was a native of Ireland and his grandmother was a native of Scotland. His parents were natives of Pennsylvania. He was the second son, the family consisting of seven children - 5 sons and 2 daughters. The two latter now residing in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. A brother, James, residing in Walla Walla, Washington territory, formerly a resident of Lee County, Iowa. And a brother, Ira, now in Indiana. And two brothers, Hamilton and William, now dead.

He raised a family of four children. The eldest, Alexander H., is now dead. Eliza H. intermarried with Thompson Paxton and is now residing in Nehemha County, Nebraska. William H., who was a member of Captain Adam's Co. E, 19th Infantry Iowa, died of disease in St. Louis, Missouri on January 14, 1863. And F. H. a rising young lawyer now residing in Fort Madison.

The deceased learned a trade, that of stone mason and bricklayer, when a boy, and afterwards, studied law with his brother, Hamilton Semple, and was admitted to the bar in the Court of Commmon Pleas of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, on the 8th day of June 1841.