Lucia Maria Franelich (webster) (Aunt Lucy)
Aunt Lucy was born October 6, 1864, and
died May 29, 1937. She must of had a very interesting
life: her father died when she was 4 years old, at 15 (1880) she was a servant
living with and doing general work for the John Hanlin family, a
saleslady at 21, a dressmaker at 26, and at 30 she married a wealthy
businessman.
John Hanlin was a tailor from Bavaria who had his shop at 18 Dauphin St. in 1888. His home was at the sw corner of Dauphin and Julia Streets (1349 Dauphin).
During the years 1885 - 1887, Aunt Lucy was a saleslady for W.J.McGuire and lived back with her mother and siblings at ss Bloodgood, 2w Joachim. In 1890, still living with her mother, she was a dressmaker at L. Hammel and Company.
She married Joseph Beauregard Webster November 1, 1894 (marriage license date), a wealthy business man, native of Whistler, AL., and longtime resident of Mobile; they had no children. JB Webster (Uncle Beaurie) was born December 25,1863, and died August 20,1935. A sample of their wealth is seen in her will. My aunt Bea told me there was much more to their wealth than reflected in this will because Uncle Beaurie gave away as much to his side of the family through his will when he died .
Notes to the will: Margaret M. Kroutter, care giver (there was a Charles Kroutter as pall bearer for Amelia, her niece); Martha Joseph, maid/servant; Elouise M Franelich, daughter of Henry Franelich and his first wife.
Some other pictures are: on her porch holding Laura Odelia and Amalie 2nd from left _ sitting _ with Laura Odelia (L) Blanche Ellis(R)and Beauregard _ with Blanche Ellis and Beauregard on fender _
Sometime after 1930 until 1935 my grandmother (Aunt Lucy's niece), Amalie Ellis, my grandfather, Clovis Ellis and their 4 children lived with Aunt Lucy and Uncle Beaurie at 211 Beauregard Street.
According to my grandmother and Dee Dee, she had many peculiar ways.There were many times that my grandmother complained to me about how fastidious Aunt Lucy was about cleanliness, food preparation and food storage; she sparingly set food out at meals. This was told to me my grandmother many years after aunt Lucy died, so it must have made a considerable impression on her.
Also, when her great-nephew, Amalie Ellis's son Gregory, died, September 28, 1935, (on his birthday at 8 years old) she allowed him to be buried at the foot of her husband's grave. Within two years she made my grandparents remove his body from that grave, resulting in my grandfather purchasing six gravesites for his family with Gregory being the first to be buried there. These six graves are 30 feet from aunt Lucy's in Pine Crest Cemetery.
James Beauregard Webster
(JB) (Uncle Beaurie) born December 25, 1863, Died
August 20, 1935 at his residence, 211 Beauregard St., Services
were at his residence and St. Patrick's church. He was buried in Pine
Crest cemetery. His parents were James and Catherine (Mullen) Webster:
James was born in Maine and Catherine was born in Ireland.
I know little about him except a few fond stories passed down. Uncle Beaurie owned the Bienville Brewery. He and his partner, John Venes, owned a saloon, named Independence Saloon, at 62 S. Royal St.
I was told he close the brewery because of Prohibition, which started 11 years early (1909) in Mobile, and started bottling soft drinks. Beauregard Webster owned three theaters: the Crown Theater at 266 (270) Dauphin St., it was opened in 1911 and seated 500, the name was later changed to Atlantis; the Empire (picture taken in 1920) at 214 Dauphin St. by Bienville Square, Edwina Franelich worked there and so did her mother, Luella (Turner) Franelich. Luella worked there from 1922 to 1927, after her husband, Edward Joseph died; the Crescent Theater built at the turn of the Century for live performances at 208 Dauphin St., it was renamed Century Theater and then renamed back to Crescent Theater. My aunt Bea told me the first two were for movies and the third for live entertainment.
My mother was a favorite
of Uncle Beaurie, and as a child he would take her for rides in
his car. When he went
fishing, usually on Dog River, he would always take a sandwich and then give it to my mother as
if to say her sandwich went even though she couldn't. In this picture my
grandmother is behind the wheel, Beauregard, my mother (Blanche Cecelia)
and Aunt Lucy on the side. My grandmother
must have been with him on one occasion as she related how he would
speed across the Dog River bridge blowing his horn and yelling at the
bridge tender "Ira, Ira, Ira"—I guess that was his name. He was a
gregarious person to say the least.
This picture, taken by William E. Wilson, was of Webster driving
his
car and towing a decorated trailer, probably in the 1905 Floral Parade.
This picture, taken by William E. Wilson, was of the Bienville Brewery
in 1901. The brewery was to the left, the bottling plant was to the
right and far right was the office.
Lucy (Lucia) Maria Franelich Webster is buried next to her husband in Pine Crest Cemetery, close to the Ellis family section.
