George C. Culler ^{1 2 3}

  General Notes:

Suicided By Hanging, Son of Richland County Farmer Ends His Life At Home In Galion, Sunday.

George Culler, aged 32 years, a former Richland County young man, son of Mr. and Mrs. Melancthon Culler, of Lucas, committed suicide by hanging himself from a rafter in his barn at Galion Sunday morning. Culler had been a fireman on the Erie Railroad for the past four years and was well known among the railroad men of this division. He is survived by his wife and three small children. A short time ago he purchased a nice home on East Walnut Street in Galion, going into debt to make the purchase, and it seems that for several weeks he had been depressed on account of financial troubles. This depression resulted in a state of dementia and several days ago the man threatened self destruction. His wife had been watching him as closely as possible in the hope of being able to frustrate an attempt at suicide and on Saturday had taken a revolver away from him. The family retired at the usual hour Saturday evening but on awakening at about 3 o'clock Sunday morning Mrs. Culler missed her husband and immediately suspected that he might have taken advantage of the opportunity afforded by her being asleep, to carry out the threats he had made that he would end his own life. Thoroughly frightened she made a search of all of the rooms of the house but failed to find him. She then aroused a neighbor who joined her in the search and who on going towards the barn discovered that the door was standing open. Going into the barn, the dim light of approaching day disclosed a shadowy form swinging from a rafter and a hasty investigation left no doubt that life had been extinct for some time.

Culler had tied a rope securely to one of the rafters and after placing a noose, arranged with a slip-knot, around his neck, he jumped from the manger upon which he stood while preparing for death. The drop was only about two feet and was insufficient to break the man's neck so he slowly strangled to death, the expression on his face when found, indicating that he had suffered terrible agony. Wendel Helfrich, justice of the peace, acted in the absence of the coroner and conducted an inquest. The parents of the young man went to Galion Sunday to remain until after the funeral which will probably be conducted Tuesday.

(Source: Mansfield News, Mansfield, Ohio, 15 Jun 1908)

Information researched by Richard Paul Culler of Carrollton, Ohio.
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  Noted events in his life were:

• He appeared on the 1880 US Census in Monroe Township, Richland County, OH on June 1880. ²

Sheet 125D, District 210, Roll 1061
Monroe Township, Richland County, Ohio, United States
George C. Culler..Son..4..OH
(Living with parents.)

NOTE - If his birth date was in 1877, then his age should have been 2 or 3 instead of 4.
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• He was buried after 14 June 1908 in the Odd Fellows in Lucas, OH.

Find A Grave Memorial #67760610
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• His obituary was published in the Mansfield News on 24 June 1908 in Mansfield, OH.

³ The funeral services over the remains of George Culler, whose death occurred at Galion Sunday morning were held at the Lutheran Church Tuesday afternoon. The attendance was very large, a great number being unable to gain admittance to the church, thus evidencing the esteem in which the man was held by those who knew him.

(Source: Mansfield News, Mansfield, Ohio, 24 Jun 1908)
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George married Eudora Belle Lemon, daughter of John Robert Lemon and Alice Winters, on 2 January 1901 in , Richland County, OH.¹ (Eudora Belle Lemon was born on 25 November 1880 in Mifflin Township, Ashland County, OH,^{1 4 5} died in October 1965 in Galion, OH ⁵ and was buried in October 1965 in Galion, OH ⁵.)