Henry Fry was born in North Carolina circa 1782. His father, Henry Fry Sr., entered a land grant on August 6th, 1778, for 200 acres on the west side of Abbotts Creek in what was then Rowan County, North Carolina. This area is near the current town of Southmont and Henry Sr.'s land encompassed what is now High Rock Marina & Campground.
This Henry Fry Jr. is not the same man as Henry H. Fry who was the son of Heinrich Frey & Elizabeth Morris of Germanton, North Carolina. Several descendants of Henry Fry Sr. of Abbotts Creek are participants in the Frey Surname Project at FamilyTreeDNA. They are not a match to the participants who are descended from the Freys of Germanton & the Town Fork Settlement of Wachovia before that. Y-DNA says that Henry Fry Sr. of Abbotts Creek is instead related to Johannes Frey who immigrated with his wife Johaneva & son Nicholas aboard the Ship Britannia in 1731.
On September 20th, 1803, Henry Jr. purchased 256½ acres on Abbotts Creek from William Elston. This was part of the 500-acre tract originally granted to Conrad Corneliason, who was a neighbor of Henry Sr. when he registered his land grant indicating that Henry Jr.'s land would've shared a property line with his father's.
The next year, on June 13th, 1804, Henry Jr. was married, in Rowan County, to Mary Smith, daughter of Leonard Smith, also a neighbor of Henry Sr. When Mary's father wrote his Will in Rowan County on June 1st, 1818, it included the children of Mary Fry, deceased. Papers from his probate dated May 17th, 1820, specified 5 Fry children, Nancy, Leonard, Jacob, David & Mary, indicating that these were the children of Henry & Mary still living in 1820.
According to census records & gravestones, these 5 children were born between May 1st, 1805, and February 11th, 1812. Henry Jr.'s next child, Rebecca, was born March 15th, 1815. This means that Henry Jr. married his second wife, Allie Briggs, sometime between early 1812 and late 1814. Henry & Allie had 9 children that lived long enough to be documented first in the 1850 census and then later in probate records; Rebecca Fry Payne, Elizabeth Fry Deadman, Belinda Fry Cooksey, Ann Fry Harris, John Wilson Fry, James Fry, Benjamin Smith Fry, Sarah Jane Fry, and Salena Fry Ballinger.
Henry Sr. and his sons Henry Jr., James & Nathan are all still found in Rowan County on the 1810 census. The 3 sons are all old enough to be listed as heads of their own households.
Henry Jr., James & Nathan are still found as heads of households in Rowan County on the 1820 census, but not Henry Sr., and there are no adult males in any of their households old enough to be Henry Sr. On August 22nd, 1821, papers were filed in the probate of Leonard Smith replacing Henry Fry Sr. as Guardian of the Fry children, suggesting that he had passed away or become unable, for some reason, to fulfill his duties. The new Guardianship papers named Richard Briggs, Philip Briggs & Nathan Riley, husband of Sarah Briggs. These Briggs would've been cousins of Henry Jr.'s second wife, Allie, but Richard Briggs & Philip Briggs were also brothers-in-law of Henry Jr., married to his sisters, Prudence & Mary, respectively.
About this time, Henry Jr. & his brother James began selling land on Abbotts Creek. On August 25th of 1821, Henry Jr. & Allie sold to William Warford 250 acres of the original 500 acres granted to Conrad Cornelison. On September 16th, 1822, James Fry sold 112 acres to Jacob Stoner. The parcel shared a property line with David Smith, brother of Henry Jr.'s first wife.
According to a Carthage Courier article, Henry Jr. came to Smith County, Tennessee, a few years later in a wagon train.
In mid-summer of 1825, Henry pulled his wagon on Dry Fork Creek and secured land where the log structure of the original house still stands. He lived at this place for three or four years and then purchased what is now the Bob Oakley Farm.
And, indeed, this Woodson Cemetery where Henry Jr. & Allie are buried is on the land of the present-day Bob Oakley farm.
In a land transaction dated November 2nd, 1827, Henry Jr. sold the land he purchased just before his first marriage.
Henry Fry of the County of Davidson the State of North Carolina sold to James Bailey a tract of land situated in the County of Davidson on the west side of Abbots Creek joining the land of Philip Briggs which was Formerly Henry Fry's Dec'd and Samuel Wafford… containing 249 acres… the said land being a tract that William Elston conveyed to Henry Fry.
This section of Rowan County where the Frys owned land became Davidson County in 1822, so this is the same area of Abbotts Creek where Henry Sr. was first granted land in 1778. This indicates, though, that Henry Jr. was still a resident of North Carolina in 1827, so either the Carthage Courier was incorrect in stating that the wagon train came to Tennessee in 1825 or the person drafting this indenture was not aware that Henry Jr. had relocated.
The Carthage Courier article also says that Henry Jr. built a log structure on this same property where he is now buried for use as a school and that the first classes took place there around 1828.
By March of 1830, Henry & Allie had been members of the Brush Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Smith County. At that time, they were dismissed by letter and can then be found on the 1830 census in Wayne County, Illinois. In April of 1831, Henry Jr., Allie & several members of their family were listed as charter members of the Horse Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Sangamon County, Illinois.
By April of 1832, Henry & Allie were back in Smith County and were received back at the Brush Creek Primitive Baptist Church.
Henry is still found in Smith County on the 1840 census, listed near the parents of several of his children's spouses. We know that Henry Jr. was, by that point, living on this land where he is now buried because his neighbor, William A. Lancaster, can also be found buried in this cemetery, along with John Woodson & his wife Malinda Bradley, who were the children of other neighbors Obadiah Woodson & Benjamin Bradley.
In July of 1847, Henry relinquished his position as clerk of the Brush Creek Primitive Baptist Church suggesting that the family may be intending to travel again. They are not found anywhere on the 1850 census, although many of Henry's adult children are still found in Smith County.
Henry & Allie are back in Smith County by the 1860 census and they can be found listed next to Henry's older son David and the children of Henry & Allie's daughter Elizabeth.
The transcription of the Brush Creek Primitive Baptist Church records that appears on the Smith County RootsWeb site states that Henry died on September 1st of 1862. Recollections of descendants mentioned in the book The Fry's of Smith County say that Henry was still alive in the fall of 1864 & the Carthage Courier article states that he died in 1867.
Henry's estate was probated in Smith County after Allie's death, beginning in 1871. Among the many children mentioned are the same 5 that were originally listed in Leonard Smith's probate in Rowan County years earlier. Also mentioned are his children's spouses and many grandchildren.
Belinda Cooksey - daughter
James Cooksey - son-in-law
Salena E. Ballinger - daughter
Harris B. Ballinger - son-in-law
Benjamin Smith Frye - son
Elizabeth Dedman - daughter
John Deadman - son-in-law
Ann Harris, dec'd bef 7 Feb 1873 - daughter
John L. Harris - son-in-law
John Wilson Fry - son
James E. Fry - son
Leonard Fry, Bates Co., Missouri - son
David Fry - son
Nancy Lancaster, Ellis Co., Texas - daughter
Dabney Lancaster, Ellis Co., Texas - son-in-law
James B. Kyle - grandchild
Sarah Jane Fry - daughter
H.B. Kyle - grandchild
Rebecca Payne, Sangamon Co., Illinois - daughter
Benjamin Payne, Sangamon Co., Illinois - son-in-law
Jacob Fry, dec'd bef 31 Dec 1873 - son
Jacob S. Fry, Williamson Co., Illinois - grandchild
Mary Odum, Williamson Co., Illinois - grandchild
Moses Odum, Williamson Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
Elizabeth Miller, Saline Co., Illinois - grandchild
Charles Miller, Saline Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
Martha Shanks, Saline Co., Illinois - grandchild
Absolom Shanks, Saline Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
Mary Davidson, dec'd bef 26 Mar 1874 - daughter
Micajah Davidson, Effingham Co., Illinois - son-in-law
James T. Davidson, Effingham Co., Illinois - grandchild
Henry Davidson, Effingham Co., Illinois - grandchild
Aley Williams, Sangamon Co., Illinois - grandchild
Stephen W. Williams, Sangamon Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
Patsy Fortney, Effingham Co., Illinois - grandchild
Samuel Fortney, Effingham Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
John Davidson, Effingham Co., Illinois - grandchild
Francis Edwards, dec'd bef 22 Oct 1874 - grandchild
Nancy Leonard, dec'd bef 22 Oct 1874 - grandchild
Mary Hardsock, dec'd bef 22 Oct 1874 - grandchild
Henry F. Fry, Jasper Co., Illinois - grandchild
This Henry Fry Jr. is not the same man as Henry H. Fry who was the son of Heinrich Frey & Elizabeth Morris of Germanton, North Carolina. Several descendants of Henry Fry Sr. of Abbotts Creek are participants in the Frey Surname Project at FamilyTreeDNA. They are not a match to the participants who are descended from the Freys of Germanton & the Town Fork Settlement of Wachovia before that. Y-DNA says that Henry Fry Sr. of Abbotts Creek is instead related to Johannes Frey who immigrated with his wife Johaneva & son Nicholas aboard the Ship Britannia in 1731.
On September 20th, 1803, Henry Jr. purchased 256½ acres on Abbotts Creek from William Elston. This was part of the 500-acre tract originally granted to Conrad Corneliason, who was a neighbor of Henry Sr. when he registered his land grant indicating that Henry Jr.'s land would've shared a property line with his father's.
The next year, on June 13th, 1804, Henry Jr. was married, in Rowan County, to Mary Smith, daughter of Leonard Smith, also a neighbor of Henry Sr. When Mary's father wrote his Will in Rowan County on June 1st, 1818, it included the children of Mary Fry, deceased. Papers from his probate dated May 17th, 1820, specified 5 Fry children, Nancy, Leonard, Jacob, David & Mary, indicating that these were the children of Henry & Mary still living in 1820.
According to census records & gravestones, these 5 children were born between May 1st, 1805, and February 11th, 1812. Henry Jr.'s next child, Rebecca, was born March 15th, 1815. This means that Henry Jr. married his second wife, Allie Briggs, sometime between early 1812 and late 1814. Henry & Allie had 9 children that lived long enough to be documented first in the 1850 census and then later in probate records; Rebecca Fry Payne, Elizabeth Fry Deadman, Belinda Fry Cooksey, Ann Fry Harris, John Wilson Fry, James Fry, Benjamin Smith Fry, Sarah Jane Fry, and Salena Fry Ballinger.
Henry Sr. and his sons Henry Jr., James & Nathan are all still found in Rowan County on the 1810 census. The 3 sons are all old enough to be listed as heads of their own households.
Henry Jr., James & Nathan are still found as heads of households in Rowan County on the 1820 census, but not Henry Sr., and there are no adult males in any of their households old enough to be Henry Sr. On August 22nd, 1821, papers were filed in the probate of Leonard Smith replacing Henry Fry Sr. as Guardian of the Fry children, suggesting that he had passed away or become unable, for some reason, to fulfill his duties. The new Guardianship papers named Richard Briggs, Philip Briggs & Nathan Riley, husband of Sarah Briggs. These Briggs would've been cousins of Henry Jr.'s second wife, Allie, but Richard Briggs & Philip Briggs were also brothers-in-law of Henry Jr., married to his sisters, Prudence & Mary, respectively.
About this time, Henry Jr. & his brother James began selling land on Abbotts Creek. On August 25th of 1821, Henry Jr. & Allie sold to William Warford 250 acres of the original 500 acres granted to Conrad Cornelison. On September 16th, 1822, James Fry sold 112 acres to Jacob Stoner. The parcel shared a property line with David Smith, brother of Henry Jr.'s first wife.
According to a Carthage Courier article, Henry Jr. came to Smith County, Tennessee, a few years later in a wagon train.
In mid-summer of 1825, Henry pulled his wagon on Dry Fork Creek and secured land where the log structure of the original house still stands. He lived at this place for three or four years and then purchased what is now the Bob Oakley Farm.
And, indeed, this Woodson Cemetery where Henry Jr. & Allie are buried is on the land of the present-day Bob Oakley farm.
In a land transaction dated November 2nd, 1827, Henry Jr. sold the land he purchased just before his first marriage.
Henry Fry of the County of Davidson the State of North Carolina sold to James Bailey a tract of land situated in the County of Davidson on the west side of Abbots Creek joining the land of Philip Briggs which was Formerly Henry Fry's Dec'd and Samuel Wafford… containing 249 acres… the said land being a tract that William Elston conveyed to Henry Fry.
This section of Rowan County where the Frys owned land became Davidson County in 1822, so this is the same area of Abbotts Creek where Henry Sr. was first granted land in 1778. This indicates, though, that Henry Jr. was still a resident of North Carolina in 1827, so either the Carthage Courier was incorrect in stating that the wagon train came to Tennessee in 1825 or the person drafting this indenture was not aware that Henry Jr. had relocated.
The Carthage Courier article also says that Henry Jr. built a log structure on this same property where he is now buried for use as a school and that the first classes took place there around 1828.
By March of 1830, Henry & Allie had been members of the Brush Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Smith County. At that time, they were dismissed by letter and can then be found on the 1830 census in Wayne County, Illinois. In April of 1831, Henry Jr., Allie & several members of their family were listed as charter members of the Horse Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Sangamon County, Illinois.
By April of 1832, Henry & Allie were back in Smith County and were received back at the Brush Creek Primitive Baptist Church.
Henry is still found in Smith County on the 1840 census, listed near the parents of several of his children's spouses. We know that Henry Jr. was, by that point, living on this land where he is now buried because his neighbor, William A. Lancaster, can also be found buried in this cemetery, along with John Woodson & his wife Malinda Bradley, who were the children of other neighbors Obadiah Woodson & Benjamin Bradley.
In July of 1847, Henry relinquished his position as clerk of the Brush Creek Primitive Baptist Church suggesting that the family may be intending to travel again. They are not found anywhere on the 1850 census, although many of Henry's adult children are still found in Smith County.
Henry & Allie are back in Smith County by the 1860 census and they can be found listed next to Henry's older son David and the children of Henry & Allie's daughter Elizabeth.
The transcription of the Brush Creek Primitive Baptist Church records that appears on the Smith County RootsWeb site states that Henry died on September 1st of 1862. Recollections of descendants mentioned in the book The Fry's of Smith County say that Henry was still alive in the fall of 1864 & the Carthage Courier article states that he died in 1867.
Henry's estate was probated in Smith County after Allie's death, beginning in 1871. Among the many children mentioned are the same 5 that were originally listed in Leonard Smith's probate in Rowan County years earlier. Also mentioned are his children's spouses and many grandchildren.
Belinda Cooksey - daughter
James Cooksey - son-in-law
Salena E. Ballinger - daughter
Harris B. Ballinger - son-in-law
Benjamin Smith Frye - son
Elizabeth Dedman - daughter
John Deadman - son-in-law
Ann Harris, dec'd bef 7 Feb 1873 - daughter
John L. Harris - son-in-law
John Wilson Fry - son
James E. Fry - son
Leonard Fry, Bates Co., Missouri - son
David Fry - son
Nancy Lancaster, Ellis Co., Texas - daughter
Dabney Lancaster, Ellis Co., Texas - son-in-law
James B. Kyle - grandchild
Sarah Jane Fry - daughter
H.B. Kyle - grandchild
Rebecca Payne, Sangamon Co., Illinois - daughter
Benjamin Payne, Sangamon Co., Illinois - son-in-law
Jacob Fry, dec'd bef 31 Dec 1873 - son
Jacob S. Fry, Williamson Co., Illinois - grandchild
Mary Odum, Williamson Co., Illinois - grandchild
Moses Odum, Williamson Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
Elizabeth Miller, Saline Co., Illinois - grandchild
Charles Miller, Saline Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
Martha Shanks, Saline Co., Illinois - grandchild
Absolom Shanks, Saline Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
Mary Davidson, dec'd bef 26 Mar 1874 - daughter
Micajah Davidson, Effingham Co., Illinois - son-in-law
James T. Davidson, Effingham Co., Illinois - grandchild
Henry Davidson, Effingham Co., Illinois - grandchild
Aley Williams, Sangamon Co., Illinois - grandchild
Stephen W. Williams, Sangamon Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
Patsy Fortney, Effingham Co., Illinois - grandchild
Samuel Fortney, Effingham Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
John Davidson, Effingham Co., Illinois - grandchild
Francis Edwards, dec'd bef 22 Oct 1874 - grandchild
Nancy Leonard, dec'd bef 22 Oct 1874 - grandchild
Mary Hardsock, dec'd bef 22 Oct 1874 - grandchild
Henry F. Fry, Jasper Co., Illinois - grandchild
Henry Fry was born in North Carolina circa 1782. His father, Henry Fry Sr., entered a land grant on August 6th, 1778, for 200 acres on the west side of Abbotts Creek in what was then Rowan County, North Carolina. This area is near the current town of Southmont and Henry Sr.'s land encompassed what is now High Rock Marina & Campground.
This Henry Fry Jr. is not the same man as Henry H. Fry who was the son of Heinrich Frey & Elizabeth Morris of Germanton, North Carolina. Several descendants of Henry Fry Sr. of Abbotts Creek are participants in the Frey Surname Project at FamilyTreeDNA. They are not a match to the participants who are descended from the Freys of Germanton & the Town Fork Settlement of Wachovia before that. Y-DNA says that Henry Fry Sr. of Abbotts Creek is instead related to Johannes Frey who immigrated with his wife Johaneva & son Nicholas aboard the Ship Britannia in 1731.
On September 20th, 1803, Henry Jr. purchased 256½ acres on Abbotts Creek from William Elston. This was part of the 500-acre tract originally granted to Conrad Corneliason, who was a neighbor of Henry Sr. when he registered his land grant indicating that Henry Jr.'s land would've shared a property line with his father's.
The next year, on June 13th, 1804, Henry Jr. was married, in Rowan County, to Mary Smith, daughter of Leonard Smith, also a neighbor of Henry Sr. When Mary's father wrote his Will in Rowan County on June 1st, 1818, it included the children of Mary Fry, deceased. Papers from his probate dated May 17th, 1820, specified 5 Fry children, Nancy, Leonard, Jacob, David & Mary, indicating that these were the children of Henry & Mary still living in 1820.
According to census records & gravestones, these 5 children were born between May 1st, 1805, and February 11th, 1812. Henry Jr.'s next child, Rebecca, was born March 15th, 1815. This means that Henry Jr. married his second wife, Allie Briggs, sometime between early 1812 and late 1814. Henry & Allie had 9 children that lived long enough to be documented first in the 1850 census and then later in probate records; Rebecca Fry Payne, Elizabeth Fry Deadman, Belinda Fry Cooksey, Ann Fry Harris, John Wilson Fry, James Fry, Benjamin Smith Fry, Sarah Jane Fry, and Salena Fry Ballinger.
Henry Sr. and his sons Henry Jr., James & Nathan are all still found in Rowan County on the 1810 census. The 3 sons are all old enough to be listed as heads of their own households.
Henry Jr., James & Nathan are still found as heads of households in Rowan County on the 1820 census, but not Henry Sr., and there are no adult males in any of their households old enough to be Henry Sr. On August 22nd, 1821, papers were filed in the probate of Leonard Smith replacing Henry Fry Sr. as Guardian of the Fry children, suggesting that he had passed away or become unable, for some reason, to fulfill his duties. The new Guardianship papers named Richard Briggs, Philip Briggs & Nathan Riley, husband of Sarah Briggs. These Briggs would've been cousins of Henry Jr.'s second wife, Allie, but Richard Briggs & Philip Briggs were also brothers-in-law of Henry Jr., married to his sisters, Prudence & Mary, respectively.
About this time, Henry Jr. & his brother James began selling land on Abbotts Creek. On August 25th of 1821, Henry Jr. & Allie sold to William Warford 250 acres of the original 500 acres granted to Conrad Cornelison. On September 16th, 1822, James Fry sold 112 acres to Jacob Stoner. The parcel shared a property line with David Smith, brother of Henry Jr.'s first wife.
According to a Carthage Courier article, Henry Jr. came to Smith County, Tennessee, a few years later in a wagon train.
In mid-summer of 1825, Henry pulled his wagon on Dry Fork Creek and secured land where the log structure of the original house still stands. He lived at this place for three or four years and then purchased what is now the Bob Oakley Farm.
And, indeed, this Woodson Cemetery where Henry Jr. & Allie are buried is on the land of the present-day Bob Oakley farm.
In a land transaction dated November 2nd, 1827, Henry Jr. sold the land he purchased just before his first marriage.
Henry Fry of the County of Davidson the State of North Carolina sold to James Bailey a tract of land situated in the County of Davidson on the west side of Abbots Creek joining the land of Philip Briggs which was Formerly Henry Fry's Dec'd and Samuel Wafford… containing 249 acres… the said land being a tract that William Elston conveyed to Henry Fry.
This section of Rowan County where the Frys owned land became Davidson County in 1822, so this is the same area of Abbotts Creek where Henry Sr. was first granted land in 1778. This indicates, though, that Henry Jr. was still a resident of North Carolina in 1827, so either the Carthage Courier was incorrect in stating that the wagon train came to Tennessee in 1825 or the person drafting this indenture was not aware that Henry Jr. had relocated.
The Carthage Courier article also says that Henry Jr. built a log structure on this same property where he is now buried for use as a school and that the first classes took place there around 1828.
By March of 1830, Henry & Allie had been members of the Brush Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Smith County. At that time, they were dismissed by letter and can then be found on the 1830 census in Wayne County, Illinois. In April of 1831, Henry Jr., Allie & several members of their family were listed as charter members of the Horse Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Sangamon County, Illinois.
By April of 1832, Henry & Allie were back in Smith County and were received back at the Brush Creek Primitive Baptist Church.
Henry is still found in Smith County on the 1840 census, listed near the parents of several of his children's spouses. We know that Henry Jr. was, by that point, living on this land where he is now buried because his neighbor, William A. Lancaster, can also be found buried in this cemetery, along with John Woodson & his wife Malinda Bradley, who were the children of other neighbors Obadiah Woodson & Benjamin Bradley.
In July of 1847, Henry relinquished his position as clerk of the Brush Creek Primitive Baptist Church suggesting that the family may be intending to travel again. They are not found anywhere on the 1850 census, although many of Henry's adult children are still found in Smith County.
Henry & Allie are back in Smith County by the 1860 census and they can be found listed next to Henry's older son David and the children of Henry & Allie's daughter Elizabeth.
The transcription of the Brush Creek Primitive Baptist Church records that appears on the Smith County RootsWeb site states that Henry died on September 1st of 1862. Recollections of descendants mentioned in the book The Fry's of Smith County say that Henry was still alive in the fall of 1864 & the Carthage Courier article states that he died in 1867.
Henry's estate was probated in Smith County after Allie's death, beginning in 1871. Among the many children mentioned are the same 5 that were originally listed in Leonard Smith's probate in Rowan County years earlier. Also mentioned are his children's spouses and many grandchildren.
Belinda Cooksey - daughter
James Cooksey - son-in-law
Salena E. Ballinger - daughter
Harris B. Ballinger - son-in-law
Benjamin Smith Frye - son
Elizabeth Dedman - daughter
John Deadman - son-in-law
Ann Harris, dec'd bef 7 Feb 1873 - daughter
John L. Harris - son-in-law
John Wilson Fry - son
James E. Fry - son
Leonard Fry, Bates Co., Missouri - son
David Fry - son
Nancy Lancaster, Ellis Co., Texas - daughter
Dabney Lancaster, Ellis Co., Texas - son-in-law
James B. Kyle - grandchild
Sarah Jane Fry - daughter
H.B. Kyle - grandchild
Rebecca Payne, Sangamon Co., Illinois - daughter
Benjamin Payne, Sangamon Co., Illinois - son-in-law
Jacob Fry, dec'd bef 31 Dec 1873 - son
Jacob S. Fry, Williamson Co., Illinois - grandchild
Mary Odum, Williamson Co., Illinois - grandchild
Moses Odum, Williamson Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
Elizabeth Miller, Saline Co., Illinois - grandchild
Charles Miller, Saline Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
Martha Shanks, Saline Co., Illinois - grandchild
Absolom Shanks, Saline Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
Mary Davidson, dec'd bef 26 Mar 1874 - daughter
Micajah Davidson, Effingham Co., Illinois - son-in-law
James T. Davidson, Effingham Co., Illinois - grandchild
Henry Davidson, Effingham Co., Illinois - grandchild
Aley Williams, Sangamon Co., Illinois - grandchild
Stephen W. Williams, Sangamon Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
Patsy Fortney, Effingham Co., Illinois - grandchild
Samuel Fortney, Effingham Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
John Davidson, Effingham Co., Illinois - grandchild
Francis Edwards, dec'd bef 22 Oct 1874 - grandchild
Nancy Leonard, dec'd bef 22 Oct 1874 - grandchild
Mary Hardsock, dec'd bef 22 Oct 1874 - grandchild
Henry F. Fry, Jasper Co., Illinois - grandchild
This Henry Fry Jr. is not the same man as Henry H. Fry who was the son of Heinrich Frey & Elizabeth Morris of Germanton, North Carolina. Several descendants of Henry Fry Sr. of Abbotts Creek are participants in the Frey Surname Project at FamilyTreeDNA. They are not a match to the participants who are descended from the Freys of Germanton & the Town Fork Settlement of Wachovia before that. Y-DNA says that Henry Fry Sr. of Abbotts Creek is instead related to Johannes Frey who immigrated with his wife Johaneva & son Nicholas aboard the Ship Britannia in 1731.
On September 20th, 1803, Henry Jr. purchased 256½ acres on Abbotts Creek from William Elston. This was part of the 500-acre tract originally granted to Conrad Corneliason, who was a neighbor of Henry Sr. when he registered his land grant indicating that Henry Jr.'s land would've shared a property line with his father's.
The next year, on June 13th, 1804, Henry Jr. was married, in Rowan County, to Mary Smith, daughter of Leonard Smith, also a neighbor of Henry Sr. When Mary's father wrote his Will in Rowan County on June 1st, 1818, it included the children of Mary Fry, deceased. Papers from his probate dated May 17th, 1820, specified 5 Fry children, Nancy, Leonard, Jacob, David & Mary, indicating that these were the children of Henry & Mary still living in 1820.
According to census records & gravestones, these 5 children were born between May 1st, 1805, and February 11th, 1812. Henry Jr.'s next child, Rebecca, was born March 15th, 1815. This means that Henry Jr. married his second wife, Allie Briggs, sometime between early 1812 and late 1814. Henry & Allie had 9 children that lived long enough to be documented first in the 1850 census and then later in probate records; Rebecca Fry Payne, Elizabeth Fry Deadman, Belinda Fry Cooksey, Ann Fry Harris, John Wilson Fry, James Fry, Benjamin Smith Fry, Sarah Jane Fry, and Salena Fry Ballinger.
Henry Sr. and his sons Henry Jr., James & Nathan are all still found in Rowan County on the 1810 census. The 3 sons are all old enough to be listed as heads of their own households.
Henry Jr., James & Nathan are still found as heads of households in Rowan County on the 1820 census, but not Henry Sr., and there are no adult males in any of their households old enough to be Henry Sr. On August 22nd, 1821, papers were filed in the probate of Leonard Smith replacing Henry Fry Sr. as Guardian of the Fry children, suggesting that he had passed away or become unable, for some reason, to fulfill his duties. The new Guardianship papers named Richard Briggs, Philip Briggs & Nathan Riley, husband of Sarah Briggs. These Briggs would've been cousins of Henry Jr.'s second wife, Allie, but Richard Briggs & Philip Briggs were also brothers-in-law of Henry Jr., married to his sisters, Prudence & Mary, respectively.
About this time, Henry Jr. & his brother James began selling land on Abbotts Creek. On August 25th of 1821, Henry Jr. & Allie sold to William Warford 250 acres of the original 500 acres granted to Conrad Cornelison. On September 16th, 1822, James Fry sold 112 acres to Jacob Stoner. The parcel shared a property line with David Smith, brother of Henry Jr.'s first wife.
According to a Carthage Courier article, Henry Jr. came to Smith County, Tennessee, a few years later in a wagon train.
In mid-summer of 1825, Henry pulled his wagon on Dry Fork Creek and secured land where the log structure of the original house still stands. He lived at this place for three or four years and then purchased what is now the Bob Oakley Farm.
And, indeed, this Woodson Cemetery where Henry Jr. & Allie are buried is on the land of the present-day Bob Oakley farm.
In a land transaction dated November 2nd, 1827, Henry Jr. sold the land he purchased just before his first marriage.
Henry Fry of the County of Davidson the State of North Carolina sold to James Bailey a tract of land situated in the County of Davidson on the west side of Abbots Creek joining the land of Philip Briggs which was Formerly Henry Fry's Dec'd and Samuel Wafford… containing 249 acres… the said land being a tract that William Elston conveyed to Henry Fry.
This section of Rowan County where the Frys owned land became Davidson County in 1822, so this is the same area of Abbotts Creek where Henry Sr. was first granted land in 1778. This indicates, though, that Henry Jr. was still a resident of North Carolina in 1827, so either the Carthage Courier was incorrect in stating that the wagon train came to Tennessee in 1825 or the person drafting this indenture was not aware that Henry Jr. had relocated.
The Carthage Courier article also says that Henry Jr. built a log structure on this same property where he is now buried for use as a school and that the first classes took place there around 1828.
By March of 1830, Henry & Allie had been members of the Brush Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Smith County. At that time, they were dismissed by letter and can then be found on the 1830 census in Wayne County, Illinois. In April of 1831, Henry Jr., Allie & several members of their family were listed as charter members of the Horse Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Sangamon County, Illinois.
By April of 1832, Henry & Allie were back in Smith County and were received back at the Brush Creek Primitive Baptist Church.
Henry is still found in Smith County on the 1840 census, listed near the parents of several of his children's spouses. We know that Henry Jr. was, by that point, living on this land where he is now buried because his neighbor, William A. Lancaster, can also be found buried in this cemetery, along with John Woodson & his wife Malinda Bradley, who were the children of other neighbors Obadiah Woodson & Benjamin Bradley.
In July of 1847, Henry relinquished his position as clerk of the Brush Creek Primitive Baptist Church suggesting that the family may be intending to travel again. They are not found anywhere on the 1850 census, although many of Henry's adult children are still found in Smith County.
Henry & Allie are back in Smith County by the 1860 census and they can be found listed next to Henry's older son David and the children of Henry & Allie's daughter Elizabeth.
The transcription of the Brush Creek Primitive Baptist Church records that appears on the Smith County RootsWeb site states that Henry died on September 1st of 1862. Recollections of descendants mentioned in the book The Fry's of Smith County say that Henry was still alive in the fall of 1864 & the Carthage Courier article states that he died in 1867.
Henry's estate was probated in Smith County after Allie's death, beginning in 1871. Among the many children mentioned are the same 5 that were originally listed in Leonard Smith's probate in Rowan County years earlier. Also mentioned are his children's spouses and many grandchildren.
Belinda Cooksey - daughter
James Cooksey - son-in-law
Salena E. Ballinger - daughter
Harris B. Ballinger - son-in-law
Benjamin Smith Frye - son
Elizabeth Dedman - daughter
John Deadman - son-in-law
Ann Harris, dec'd bef 7 Feb 1873 - daughter
John L. Harris - son-in-law
John Wilson Fry - son
James E. Fry - son
Leonard Fry, Bates Co., Missouri - son
David Fry - son
Nancy Lancaster, Ellis Co., Texas - daughter
Dabney Lancaster, Ellis Co., Texas - son-in-law
James B. Kyle - grandchild
Sarah Jane Fry - daughter
H.B. Kyle - grandchild
Rebecca Payne, Sangamon Co., Illinois - daughter
Benjamin Payne, Sangamon Co., Illinois - son-in-law
Jacob Fry, dec'd bef 31 Dec 1873 - son
Jacob S. Fry, Williamson Co., Illinois - grandchild
Mary Odum, Williamson Co., Illinois - grandchild
Moses Odum, Williamson Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
Elizabeth Miller, Saline Co., Illinois - grandchild
Charles Miller, Saline Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
Martha Shanks, Saline Co., Illinois - grandchild
Absolom Shanks, Saline Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
Mary Davidson, dec'd bef 26 Mar 1874 - daughter
Micajah Davidson, Effingham Co., Illinois - son-in-law
James T. Davidson, Effingham Co., Illinois - grandchild
Henry Davidson, Effingham Co., Illinois - grandchild
Aley Williams, Sangamon Co., Illinois - grandchild
Stephen W. Williams, Sangamon Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
Patsy Fortney, Effingham Co., Illinois - grandchild
Samuel Fortney, Effingham Co., Illinois - granddaughter's husband
John Davidson, Effingham Co., Illinois - grandchild
Francis Edwards, dec'd bef 22 Oct 1874 - grandchild
Nancy Leonard, dec'd bef 22 Oct 1874 - grandchild
Mary Hardsock, dec'd bef 22 Oct 1874 - grandchild
Henry F. Fry, Jasper Co., Illinois - grandchild
Family Members
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Records on Ancestry
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