The Other Froehlich House

Henry Froehlich's Portrait in Seven Hills City Hall.

Jacob J. Froehlich came from Germany sometime between 1837 and 1839 and settled in Independence Township in the area now know as Seven Hills. He was not yet twenty years old.  After working on the construction of the canal, he was able to bring his parents to the area from Germany. His father was also named Jacob.

Jacob and his wife Sophie built a home at 7049 Broadview Road, and although the Jacob Froehlich and John Froehlich families were neighbors and shared the same last name, there is no evidence they were related. Jacob Froehlich donated the land that became the Froehlich cemetery and both families are buried there.

During the Civil War, the Jacob Froehlich home was a stop on the Underground Railroad.  The previous stop was the Tavern at Richfield.

Jacob and Sophie had a son, Henry, who was born on March 10, 1848. When Henry was only 14, he enlisted as a musician in the Union Army during the Civil War. He became the youngest soldier in the 107th Ohio Volunteer Infantry when he was made a private. He served under General Karl Schurz in the Army of the Potomac and he fought in the Battle of Gettysburg.

After the war Henry moved to Independence, Missouri, where he conducted his own music classes. He was also the leader of a band. The band performed throughout the state, even though fearful encounters with unfriendly Indians were common during the two years he traveled with the band.

Henry returned to Cuyahoga County in 1870. He established the Froehlich General Store, where he sold hardware and general necessities. You could also send and receive mail or arrange for a funeral. He married Eliza Huhn, the daughter of Charles Huhn, his partner in the hardware and funeral business. The Froehlich General Store was at the corner of Pearl Road and Krather Avenue in Old Brooklyn. Later it moved to the corner that became the site of the Broadview Theater.

Henry became active in civic affairs, serving as the first postmaster of South Brooklyn. He was a member of the Village Council and President of the South Brooklyn Board of Education.

Independence Township was divided into Garfield Heights, Valley View, and the Village of Independence, leaving only the farthest western portion as a township.  Independence placed a levy on the ballot that was supported by the residents of the township. Henry Froehlich had represented the Broadview residents and had worked for the passage of the levy. When most of the money generated by the levy was used to improve the public square in Independence, Henry and the residents along Broadview Road started the movement to break away from Independence. The Cuyahoga County Commissioners granted the request on September 1, 1926 and Seven Hills became a village on February 26, 1927.

Henry Froehlich was the first mayor of Seven Hills. Although he served as mayor only eight months in 1927 and 1928, his administration laid the groundwork for Seven Hills government and its management.

When Henry's wife Eliza died, he married her sister Barbara. He lived in the home his father had built on Broadview Road until his death on March 21, 1930. He is buried along with his wives in Brookmere Cemetery located near Pearl and Broadview Road.

This information was found in OLD BROOKLYN An Historic Narrative, Kathryn Gasior Wilmer, Historian and Editor, Commercial Press, Kent, Ohio 1979 and SEVEN HILLS PAST AND PRESENT, prepared by the students and staff of Hillside Junior High School, 1980, and an update of the Froehlich family history by Karen Froehlich Arman.

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