CENTRE LINES

The FRY Family

This column is part of a feature series which focuses on a different Centre County family each week. Five new columns will be released each month unless some technical difficulty enters the picture.

This column's focus is on FRY. An effort has been made to identify all persons carrying that name in the 1890 U.S. Census, using the Centre County business directory which was formed from a preliminary review of that census before the larger set of 1890 U.S. Census records was destroyed by fire. (Sadly, the postal directory does not typically provide the ages of females, but it's the best record we've got).

No books in the Pennsylvania Room of the Centre County Library in Bellefonte apparently deal in part with the Fry family.

There are 8 first-name entries for Fry in John Blair Linn's History of Centre and Clinton County (1883). In addition, there are several mentions of the name in Beers' Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania (1898).

And, now, your ancestors' Fry neighbors in 1890:

BENNER Township:

Solomon W., 46, laborer--Bellefonte Catharine J. Mary E. Philip B. 14 John M. 10 Flora E. Harriet E.

FERGUSON Township:

John W., 23, laborer--Pine Grove Mills Mary A.--Pine Grove Mills Robert B., 29, painter--Pine Grove Mills Margaret M. Walter E. 1 William H., 47, farmer--Pine Grove Mills Rebecca C. Sallie E. Conrad M. 16 Mabel L. William H. 11 Hugh L. 5 Albert F. 1

HARRIS Township:

Herman F., 54, farmer--Boalsburg Sarah J. George F. 14 Nora L. William W. 20 Herman H. 17 Sarah A. Effie E. Alice L. Wilford A. Dorsey Margaret--Boalsburg

HUSTON Township:

Mattock, 48, retired--Julian Elizabeth Catharine Edward 16 George 14 Mary James 7 Aaron 2

SNOW SHOE Township:

George M. Frye, 19--Moshannon Amanda L. Lexon R. Corella C.