Today we share the third in the three part series on a Galion resident who had a significant role at an important time in American history. In this first installment, we look at that moment in time.
The first two parts can be read here and here.
In 1866, a little over a year after the end of the Civil War and the President’s death, the Fralicks decided to move east. They chose a smaller community with a busy rail presence, including a large Erie operation.
They chose Galion.
The Fralicks had two children; Frank, a son, who married a Galion girl, and Ada, a daughter who passed away in her teens. Elias and Harriet took the position of ward over a young girl, Julia Johnston, who married Edwin H. Laughbaum.
Within a few years, the Fralicks built their dream house — a frame, two-story Italianate-style residence which still stands on the southeast corner of South Union and West Atwood Streets (a block west of the Rich Gas Station, pictured here).
The Fralick House is in a remarkable state of preservation, with original trim. It was also built by and home to friends of Abraham and Mary Lincoln.
Elias retired in 1903 and died in 1912. Stories abound of his charmed life; in the 1880s, for instance, a tame dove followed his engine from Marion to Richwood (16 miles) one afternoon, and also accompanied the train returning the following day. It was said that “…at times he could almost touch the dove from the window.”
Elias survived a head-on collision near Dayton in 1895. The Fralicks lie buried in Fairview Cemetery. It’s very easy to find their grave; it is directly across the small road from the Veterans Monument and graves where Memorial Day services are held. On the opposite (south) corner are the grave markers of the Gill family.
Each Saturday, we share a post about local history. We call this series “Galion History Corner,” and we will be sharing not only stories about our shared heritage but also updates on history news here in southeast Crawford County.
This series is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Bernard M. Mansfield, whose “Your Historical Galion” was a fixture in weekend editions of the Galion Inquirer. Dr. Mansfield was a friend and family physician, and he inspired the current generation of Galion historians to continue his work.
