Dayton Metro Library and Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, Inc. are partnering to have an Ohio Historical Marker placed in honor of Daytonian Lelia I. Francis. Erecting a historical marker is contingent on a review and approval process. DML and the Fair Housing Center are asking community members to contribute artifacts and primary sources about Mrs. Francis.
Materials can be brought to DML’s Dayton Room, where Karen D. Brame, Information Services Librarian – Africana Archives Emphasis, Special Collections, will scan items for the review process.
To provide an accurate representation of Mrs. Francis’s contributions to Dayton, the requested artifacts and primary sources include:
- Business records: cards, ledgers, letterheads, or promotional materials from her real estate firm or Unity State Bank
- Photographs: family, office, activism photos
- Awards/certificates: Kentucky State University diplomas, real estate licenses, or community service awards named in her honor
- Oral histories: recorded interviews with people who knew and/or worked with Mrs. Francis
- Newspaper clippings/articles: secondary sources, particularly items from 1940-1970, which provide valuable context and a contemporary view of her impact
Items brought into DML will be professionally scanned, attributed, and promptly returned to their owner. To meet directly with Karen D. Brame, contact DML to schedule an appointment. Patrons who prefer to scan their items independently but are unfamiliar with the equipment may request a tutorial.
Mrs. Francis was the daughter of a former slave and grew up in Kentucky. She graduated from Kentucky State University and taught in rural schools. In 1943, she and her husband moved to the Dayton area, where she became the first African American realtor in Ohio, and the second in the U.S. She was also a founding member of Unity State Bank, Dayton’s first Black-owned bank and first minority bank in Ohio, according to a 2024 Dayton Daily News article.
The approval of a historical marker would celebrate Mrs. Francis’s accomplishments and honor her hard work and dedication to Dayton. If approved, the marker would be placed at 505 Riverside Drive, Dayton, 45404.
Additional information about Mrs. Francis is available here. For more information or to discuss submitting materials, email kdbrame@DaytonMetroLibrary.org or call the Library’s Ask Me Line at 937.463.2665.