George Washington Fry (1797 - 1867)

Born 21 Feb 1797 in Shenandoah County, Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Barbara Ann (Smelcer) Fry — married 7 Jan 1819 in Greene County Tennessee

Descendants

Died 3 Aug 1867 at age 70 in Sylvan Wisconsin

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Biography

Arriving in Richland County Wisconsin with an ox-drawn wagon in 1865 were George W. and Barbara (Smelcer) Fry. Along with their children and their families, friends and others related by marriage, they had made the long trip from Clinton County, Indiana. Their son-in-law, Jacob Fry, had acted as the wagonmaster. Although George was 69 years of age, and Barbara 63 years of age, when they left their home in Indiana, they wanted to be with their families and chose to make the long hard trip rather than remain behind. George Washington Fry was born to John and Elizabeth Fry in 1796 in Shenandoah County, Virginia. He was the eldest of 10 children. In 1802, he moved with his parents to Greene County, Tennessee, where he grew to manhood. Barbara Ann (Smelcer) Fry was born Aug 2, 1802, in Greene County, Tennessee, to Adam Smelcer and Mary (Kretzinger) Smelcer. George and Barbara were married in Greene County, Tennessee, on Jan. 7, 1819. Ancestors of this couple came to the United States from Germany during the Reformation and were part of the huge "Pennsylvania Dutch" group settling in Pennsylvania and Virginia. They were mostly farmers and demanded a good deal of "elbow room". Hence, when an area seemed to get too crowded, they began to search for new territory. George and Barbara apparently inherited some of this pioneer spirit, as they left their home in Greene County, Tennessee, in 1848 and moved to Clinton County, Indiana, where many relatives had already gone. They raised their family of 12 children there, and when these children decided to find new territory, loaded up their wagons and went along. George and Barbara settled in Sylvan Township. George died on Aug. 3, 1867, and Barbara died Aug. 6 1887. Both are buried in the old Goodhope Cemetery, formerly known as the Bender Cemetery, near where they had lived. Their children were as follows: John, Adam, Mary (Myers), William, Phillip, Susannah (Turner) (Griffin), Solomon James, Delilah Catharine (Fry), Isaac, Elizabeth and Samuel. Many descendants of this couple live in Richland County and surrounding counties.

• George Washington Fry and Barbara Smelcer (originally on Rootsweb): https://web.archive.org/web/20150916084901/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kuykendall2fry/barbara_smelcer.htm
• Rootsweb, Fry Family Chart (with permission): https://web.archive.org/web/20150920045516/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kuykendall2fry/index.htm#INTRODUCTION

Sources

• Find A Grave: Memorial #77287784 George Washington Fry
• Tennessee marriage certificate dated January 7, 1819