Nicolas Franelich
Papa Nick was the
last son of
Thomas and
Odelia Franelich. He
was born November 28,1866, and died 8:55PM, May 24,1941, (age 74) after
being in impaired health for some time. He Married
Laura Elizabeth Turner
Franelich (Mama Laura) September 23, 1896 (marriage license date). Papa Nick and Mama Laura were living at 959
Springhill Ave. when he died.
His Birth name spelling was "Nicolas";
however, at some time the spelling changed to Nicholas.
Papa Nick was recognized in his obituary as "that well known grocery man." Funeral services were at St. Joseph's Catholic church. He is buried in Magnolia cemetery in Square 15, lot 50, se corner & center east 1/2. (Funeral list_(1)_(2)_(3)_(4)_(5)_(6)_(7)) This Picture may have been taken in my grandmother's front yard at 851 Springhill Ave. (based on the familiar Crape Myrtle, the grass area between the sidewalk and street, walkway and what is across the street).
Nicolas and Laura Franelich's children:
Still born daughter July 28,1897
Edward H. Franelich born
born March 1899, Died 1967
Amalie Marie Franelich
born October 6,1900, Died December 27,1994
Still born son March 3,1905
Laura Odelia Franelich born
August 29,1906, Died January 29,1992.
Papa Nick's
large
store at 150 Beauregard Street was at a premium location. It was just west from the
M&O Railroad Terminal (110 Beauregard St.) and surrounded by houses
in a popular neighborhood (The Orange Grove).
This is a picture of the Terminal
in 1901. His store could have been a lot of people's first stop
after a long train trip. He served beer from his
Terminal
Saloon, which was attached and part of
the building.
He used a small pail with a circular handle for delivering beer. My grandmother said she sometimes made deliveries of this five-cent pail of beer. She kept this pail for the rest of her life, and always used it when she went to the oyster house to get oysters. She would ask for extra oyster liquor for stew and had the oysters and liquor dished into the pail instead of the regular packaging.
Although his brother-in-law, Beauregard Webster, owned the Bienville Brewery in Mobile, the advertised Gerst Beer came from Nashville, TN. Reading the signs on the store leads you to believe this was a man with many hats. In his store he had two phones; each connected to their respective company. Mobile had two phone companies without interconnection: the Home Phone Company and Bell. With his dual system he could answer his customers' calls regardless of the company they used.
In the 1900 Census Papa Nick reported his father, Thomas Franelich, was born in Austria and his mother, Odelia Franelich, was born in Maine. This same census also showed he rented his home at 450 St. Joseph St. and was a "grocer." The 1910 Census reports he and his family owned and lived at 415 St. Joseph, and was a retail grocery as an occupation. In this census he reported his mother from Maine and his father from Hallein, Austria.
I believe Nicholas' family had plenty of money. Just his portion was a free house on March 7, 1900. Papa Nick's family transferred and gave him a property on Bloodgood Street: a parcel in square 285 of the Orange Grove tract, bound by Bloodgood Street on the north, lot number ten on the east, lot number twelve on the south, lot number eight on the west. According to Mobile County records, he bought no less than fourteen lots in the Orange Grove Tract as investments between the years 1902 and 1906—seemingly paying cash for each one.
Nicholas was a clerk living with his mother and siblings at the Southwest corner of Conception and Madison Streets in 1882. On a trip visiting "old Mobile" in 2015 my wife and I stayed at a Bed and Breakfast on St. Emanuel Street just south of Fort Conde. I took these pictures of the B&B and two other houses on St. Emanuel and Monroe Streets. Nicholas would have seen these same houses on his walks from his Conception and Madison streets' house (they were just a couple of blocks north).
Nicolas was a clerk for W.J. McGuire living at the ss Bloodgood, 2w Joachim St. address with his mother and siblings in 1884 and 1885. He was at this same address but a clerk for Mobile Stationary Company in 1887, '88,(probably '89, I didn't find any records for that year) '90, '91 and '92. The system of addressing houses must have changed in 1892 because his address then was 253 Bloodgood, which is the same location.
In 1897 Papa Nick lived and operated as a grocer and liquor dealer at 100 Beauregard St. (the new M&O Terminal, completed in 1907, addressed 110 Beauregard St. probably encompassed his 100 Beauregard building - the old M&O Terminal was on Royal St. between Beauregard (Hunt St. earlier) and lipscomb Streets). He was living in his rented home at 450 St. Joseph St. (se corner of St. Joseph and Beauregard St.) in 1899 and 1900 while still operating his Grocery and Liquor business at 100 Beauregard St. Papa Nick must have liked the railroad proximity because his 100 Beauregard St. business was across the street from the old M&O Terminal.
He expanded his business to include groceries, produce, feed, and liquor dealer in 1901 when he acquired the large store at 150 Beauregard St. His family lived upstairs, my grandmother said they also operated a boarding house upstairs. He hosted his niece's (Amelia Franelich McDuffie) wedding reception here in 1906. This location was listed as his home until the 1910 census when he lived at 415 St. Joseph Street. He expanded his business in 1908 by opening a billiards and pool business at 151 Beauregard St., which he continued to operate through, at least, 1918.
There is no information about his large store at 150 Beauregard after 1909. And that year he provided his customers with an advertising calendar plate. I was told he lost his store when the City of Mobile expanded the streets in that area, but Alabama going dry, by state law in 1909, could have been an alternative reason his store and saloon closed. The location where the store was is now in the street left of the Terminal surrounded by concrete.
There were only two State Senators to vote against this dry law and the only one, Senator Hamburger, to speak against it represented Mobile. Alabama was dry (1909-1911) until the law was repealed only to be reenacted in 1915 and extend for the duration of Federal Prohibition. Mobilians loved to drink, judging from many reports indicating Mon Luis Island was the best place in the nation to bring alcohol in. The Mobile county sheriff and 5 deputies were arrested by federal agents in 1923, and the Chief of Police in Mobile, P.J. O'Shaughnessy, took the first train to New Orleans stating he needed a drink only to be brought back to face charges
The two family members, Beauregard Webster and Papa Nick, being in the alcohol trade before the dry laws, obeyed the law. On my grandfather's side, well, that was a different story. Once around 1973 when I was staying with my grandmother, Amalie Ellis at 851 Springhill Ave., she asked me to replace a couple of rotten boards on her front porch. When I crawled under the porch to inspect the damage, about twenty feet in, I came across a pile of empty jars. I brought a couple out and asked my grandmother about them and she casually said "Oh, Bert (her brother-in-law) used to bring shinny from Pensacola and sell it in Mobile, this is where he stored it." Since this was after prohibition, Uncle Bert was probably just running some untaxed, homemade booze.
Nicholas kept the billiards and pool at 151 Beauregard St. until at least 1918. 1910 and 1911 show he had opened another grocery store at 2 Dauphin St., general merchandise at 417 St. Joseph and living at 417 1/2 St. Joseph Street. I found a receipt from "Ingle customer ledger shipped to N. Franelich", dated 1913. Apparently he had a problem with another store at one time. See this 1900 Picture of the lower end of Dauphin St. where Papa Nick's store would have been at the end by Water street. Another picture in 1917 of the NE corner of Dauphin and Royal Streets. To the left is the St. Andrews Hotel and farther left is the Battle House Hotel.
There was another grocery store, "Michael Lyons Grocery Co." located on N Commerce St. by St. Francis just next to the old Cotton Exchange that burned down in 1917. That location would put it at N. Franelich grocery store or next door. I don't have any dates which would clarify the seemingly overwhelming grocery store competition on the block. The Cotton exchange moved down St. Francis St., across from Bienville Sq. and remained open until 1942. Afterwards it was the GM&O Railroad Building. (Where My parents met—they both worked for the GM&O RR.)
1912 and 1913 show his grocery at 417 St. Joseph Street and home at 419 St. Joseph Street. In 1914 he had his grocery store at 417 St. Joseph Street and his home was at 413 St. Joseph Street. 1915 shows 417 & 419 grocery and home. 1916 shows grocery and home is 417 St. Joseph Street. 1918 shows grocery at 417 and home is 413 St. Joseph Street. 1920 shows grocery and home is 417 St. Joseph Street.
Around 1922 Nicholas left the retail grocery business and started a furniture repair and upholstering business while living at 415 St. Joseph Street. 1924 has him as owner of "Modern Repair" at 415 St. Joseph Street. 1927 finds him living at 959 Springhill Ave. still operating his furniture repair business, "Modern Repair." In 1930 he was living at 959, and is listed as an "Inspector" in the city directory, other records show "Foreman" (for) "City of Mobile."