William Francis Luck was born in Campbell County, Virginia in 1801. His Father died when he was young. Even though his Baptist mother did her best to raise William properly, as he matured he became a wild and sinful young man.
On this day (September 2) in 1824, Luck married Elizabeth McGann and three years later the couple moved to Tennessee, just east of Nashville, into an area which had been settled and evangelized by strong Separate Baptists. By the grace of God, in the autumn of 1830 William was converted; he was baptized and joined the Pleasant Valley Church of Separate Baptists. Soon after this he felt a call to the ministry and was ordained to that service.
At the age of 56, William and his family moved to a site just north of St. Louis, Missouri. where he began to pastor and preach Christ. And then the war started. Bro. Luck was arrested and placed in the Gratiot Street Prison in St. Louis charged with nothing more than being a “Southern man.” Rather than being discouraged, he understood that it was God’s will that he serve the Lord even in the prison, so he continued his work of evangelism. After several months of confinement, he was released – to the joy of his family and church.
William Luck continued his service to Christ until his health failed him. After about a year and half o physical suffering, the Lord took His servant home on December 26, 1878.