Julius E. Francis came to Buffalo in 1835 from Connecticut and ran a successful drug store business
for nearly 35 years, mostly at 268 Main Street. The photo above is of his store at 16 South Division St.
Beginning in 1865, with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Francis became absorbed in
preserving and promoting the martyred President's memory. He collected much Civil War and Lincoln
memorabilia, but determined that there must be a national observance of Lincoln's birthday, February 12.
A bachelor, he declared that this cause was "my wife and my life." At his own expense, Francis held
the first of seven annual observances of Lincoln's birthday. Each year until his death in 1881, he rented
a hall, arranged the speakers, poets, music, essayists, and invited the public to attend free of charge and
honor Abraham Lincoln
.
His
two attempts to persuade Congress to establish a national Lincoln's Birthday holiday failed
and he died in 1881, having founded the Buffalo Lincoln's Birthday Association which continued the work.
In his will, he made the
Association heirs to his house and lot at 145 East Eagle Street, and six $1,000 bonds.
In 1901, the
Association contracted with New York sculptor, Charles H. Niehaus, to create a statue of Lincoln
that would grace the new Buffalo Historical Society in September, 1902. Their Francis legacy had grown
to $10,000 ($221,556 in 2005 dollars), of which they spent $6,000 for the 1,200 pound bronze statue. At least one copy
of this
statue exists, in a park in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The chair is a copy of Lincoln's "chair of state,"
stored at the Smithsonian.
The original location of the statue was in a portion of the new Historical Society building
named, "The Lincoln Room." That room also contained the Francis Lincoln memorabilia
collection. In the early 1930's, the statue was moved outdoors in front of the South Portico
of the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, where is remains today.
Lincoln's Birthday was never designated as a national holiday (unlike George Washington's),
but was approved as a legal holiday in a number of states. Today, most people assume
incorrectly that President's Day nationally honors both Washington and Lincoln.
2006 is the 132nd year during which observances have been made in Buffalo for Lincoln's birthday.
The ceremonies are carried on in Julius Francis' memory, also, for having the passion
and the vision to celebrate one of the greatest American Presidents.
Note: participants in the above 2006 ceremonies included:
Chaplain Philos G. Cook of the 94th New York
Volunteers, personified by Civil War Roundtable leader Benedict R. Maryniak, providing the invocation.
Re-enactors in period costume were members of the 155th New York Volunteers, Army of the Potomac
and of the 22nd Battalion Virginia Volunteers, Army of Northern Virginia. Also in Civil War-era garb were
representatives from the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic, Henrietta York Circle #91;
Ladies Auxiliary, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War; Philos G. Cook Camp #223, Sons of Union
Veterans (SUV); John B. Weber Camp, SUV; and The Buffalo Guards Camp, SUV.
