(1) Name: James FRYE
—————————————————————————————————————————————
Birth: circa 1750 Frederick County, Virginia
Death: after September 1, 1821 Age: 71
Father: Abraham FRYE (-1807)
Mother: Agnes Ann YOUNG

Misc. Notes
Daniel Boone and James Fry(e)
While the encounters between the Boones and John, Jacob and William Fry(e) are a matter of historical record, a connection with James is only circumstantial at best. While it is quite possible that James may have met Boone face to face, there is slim chance of ever proving it at this point. Despite that lack of physical evidence, Boone undoubtedly had a great impact on him.

James Fry(e) was born in Frederick County, Virginia sometime around 1750, and moved with his parents, Abraham and Agnes-Ann (Young) to southwestern Pennsylvania somewhere between 1769 and 1772 (see Journal, Aug. 1993). He was a resident there when Washington County was created in 1781, having paid taxes that year on 200 acres, two horses, four cattle and four sheep (PA Archives Series 3, V22, p 731). He was apparently living near the farms of his parents and two brothers in Fallowfield Township. He was married to Nancy Spears, daughter of Henry and Regina (Froman) Spears, and although the date is not certain, it must have been Just prior to 1775. It might be noted that Henry Spears and Paul Froman migrated to western Pennsylvania from Frederick County, Virginia as well, and it is quite possible that they and the Kellar, Crist and Frye families may have migrated together. Nancy was born apparently in Virginia on March 17, 1759 (Spear-Fry Cemetery, Bourbon County, Kentucky).

In 1784, immediately following the end of the Revolutionary War, James served as a Private 4th Class in the Washington County, Pennsylvania militia in an Indian Spy Company under Lt. Thomas Crook. Two years later, James was involved in a controversy with the U.S. government, and on April 27, his home and improvements were burned on land settled contrary to regulations set forth by the U. S. Congress. He had, at this point, been located some thirty miles downstream (southwest) of Pittsburgh on the Virginia side of the Ohio River adjacent to the present state of Ohio. This was probably in what is now Ohio County, West Virginia, and although the specifics are not known, it is speculated that he may have built a cabin or shelter across the river, perhaps grazing cattle, thus defying a treaty with the Indians. Also involved in the controversy, was John Kellar. Perhaps we can look at this in more detail at another time.

James Fry(e)'s arrival into central Kentucky is thought to have been sometime between mid-1787 and early 1788. At any rate, he is not on the list of taxpayers for 1787, but is the following year. This is also true of the party that appears to have migrated with him. In all probability, James and Nancy migrated to Kentucky along with Henry and Elizabeth Ewalt, and Jacob and Elizabeth Spears. (Elizabeth Frye Kellar Ewalt was a sister to James, and Jacob Spears was a brother of Nancy, James' wife. Thus these three families were closely related.) If they arrived late in the summer of 1787, they may easily have missed the tax assessments for that year, for the Virginia legislature had passed a law in October of 1786 decreeing that tax collecting operations in the Kentucky counties were to begin on March 10 of the following year. Although greatly scattered out over a large area, with such a small number of residents then living in Bourbon County, it would seem reasonable that those in the Fry(e) party may have arrived late enough that year to have missed the taxation process for 1787. Furthermore, various legal records, including tax lists, for Washington County Pennsylvania, give witness that Jacob Spears and Henry Ewalt were in Washington County in 1786, but show no evidence of their presence the following year. In addition, James Jr. is said to have been born in Kentucky in 1787. This information comes from the research of Robert Excell Fry of Pike County, Missouri, who did a very scholarly research through court house records etc., back in the 1920s. He is a descendant of James Fry Jr. Unfortunately, his source is at this point. Nevertheless, James Jr.'s brother Abraham was born there the following May (1788).

In an article written by Josephine H. Ewalt, the following notation is written concerning her great-great- grandfather, Henry Ewalt:

"When he was mustered out (from service during the Revolution) and returned to Western Pennsylvania, he found that his neighbor had been killed in the War and had left a young son and widow, she (being) Elizabeth Frye Keller.* In 1782, Henry married the young widow. Two little Ewalt girls and an Ewalt boy came along in due time. And now Henry had to take a look at the economic future.

"He had brothers older than he. The English primogeniture laws still prevailed in the Colonies during this pre- Constitutional period. Henry was most certainly not going to inherit the Bedford County land. So he decided to try his fortunes in the newly opened Kentucky County of Virginia. A flat boat down the Allegheny and into the Ohio to the landing place at Limestone (now Maysville) carried Henry and his family to the land of opportunity. The step-son, Abraham Keller. thus came to Kentucky and was the progenitor of many Kellers in this county." (From "Henry Ewalt and the House He Built").

Indeed, the party must have followed the Old Buffalo Trail, for it crosses Cooper's Run almost immediately behind the tract the Fry(e)s were to settle on. There to the north side of the Old Buffalo Trail, the Spears, Fry(e)s and Ewalts were to settle on adjacent tracts almost within shouting distance of each other. To the south side had been Cooper's Fort, built a dozen years before by John Cooper who was the first in the area to clear land and raise a corn crop, from which he sold seed to migrating settlers until Indians killed him. In between Cooper's Fort and the newcomer's tracts, ran Cooper's Run Creek.

The decade of the 1780s had seen numerous incidents between Indians and the few who dared to encroach upon their hunting grounds there in Bourbon County. These reached a peak in 1788 with the Shanks Massacre along Cooper's Run, a very short distance from where the Spears, Fry(e)s, and Ewalts had chosen to settle. "A small band of Indians had attacked the frontier house, and set it aflame to force out the victims, mainly the widow Shanks and her children. They terrorized the family, killing five, and kidnapping a girl whom they later scalped. The Indians stole some of the horses, and retreated.

Neighbors pursued them and killed two of the Indians)" (Everman, p 4). It is likely that James Fry(e), Jacob Spears and Henry Ewalt were among the neighbors that pursued the Indians. Everman mentions that Jacob Spears was one of the prominent officers of the militia in those early years (p 16). As for James, he is listed as a lieutenant in the Bourbon County Militia as of July 29, 1789, and by November 5th of the following year, has risen to the rank of captain. Although the Indian threat abated, settlers remained cautious, as Indians continued to raid along the overland routes.

*Her first husband, Jacob Kellar, died in 1781. She remarried very soon afterward, and their first child was born in 1782.

**John Keller stated in a deposition dated 1806 that he came in the year 1776 with a party including Patrick Jordan, Reuben Wats (Waits), James Thompson, John Irvin and others. He made an entry for his brother, Jacob Keller. He stated that Abraham Keller was the son of Jacob Keller, deceased" (Ardery, p 12). This Jacob Keller (Kellar) is Elizabeth Frye's first husband.

For the new arrivals, this location may have made more sense in 1787/88 than it perhaps would a decade later. In 1787, there was no town of Paris. Indeed, one of the first structures there was Duncan Tavern, built in 1788. Yet a short distance from our settlers at Cooper's Run, was the Johnson Inn, located strategically along the Buffalo Trail. Built also in the 1780s, it was a favorite stopping place for travelers in their journey between Limestone and Lexington. While the area was chosen as the county seat for the newly formed Bourbon County (1786), court was held at first in the homes of prominent settlers (John Kiser's home on Cooper's Run was chosen that year). It must have seemed in 1787/88 that a community might well spring up near where they had settled. This would change with the selection in 1789 of Hopewell (Paris) by the Virginia legislature to be the county seat (see Jacob Fry).

Our party of settlers undoubtedly lived in rude shelters at first, as attested to by Josephine Ewalt:
"In 1788, Henry bought 200 acres of land North of Cooper's Run for the amazing sum of 110 pounds sterling (about $1.50 an acre). On that land, he built first a small temporary house, while he and his neighbors cleared the land of the thick virgin forest so that they could plant crops. They finally built the ‘big house,’ the two story frame front part of today's structure with stone chimneys at each end."

While there is some controversy as to exactly when the structure was built, it is estimated that construction occurred during the early to mid-1790s. It still stands today at what is appropriately known as Ewalt's Crossroads. Of it, Everman states, "This Revolutionary War veteran possessed one of the most elegant homes with paneled walls (ash and walnut) and molded ceilings, and decorated with exquisite hand carvings" (p 19).

Perhaps during this same time, Jacob Spears began construction on his house, "Stone Castle". It is featured in the book, Historic Architecture of Bourbon County, Kentucky, which states, "The house was built for Jacob Spears shortly after his arrival in Bourbon County in 1787 or 1788. It has the characteristics of the work of builder John Metcalfe, who had travelled to Kentucky from Virginia with a group under the guidance of Simon Kenton in the same year" (Langsam, p 38). Whether the Spears, Fry(e) and Ewalt party came in from Limestone with this group may never be known. Yet it is interesting that attempts were made at such an early point to establish the trappings of civilization, though the conditions upon their arrival were far from that.

While the Spears home was perhaps, chiefly the work of John Metcalfe, undoubtedly Jacob's sons and slaves helped with the labor. It features a spiral staircase and cherry paneling in the front room, and is considered a county historical landmark today. Jacob Spears was to make his money in the distillery business, one of 128 listed in the Bourbon County Census of 1810. Across the lane on the Fry(e) side, the Spears built a warehouse for their distillery operation, and this also still stands. While James undoubtedly dabbled in the same business at times, he was certainly never to become the successful entrepreneur that the Spears were. It is likely that much of his labor was put into farming, although Langsam tells of James' son Abraham, "Fry was an early settler in this area, and operated a distillery on his farm. His son, I. N. (Isaac Newton) Fry, continued to occupy the farm, and his name appeared on both the 1861 and 1877 maps" (p 39).

As for James Fry(e), he was to purchase his 200 acres from the Jacob Spears tract on July 20, 1790. Unfortunately, his home no longer survives as do the other two. Undoubtedly their first structure was also a crude cabin, but as was the case with the others, this was replaced by a more permanent home. However, unlike the others, we have no surviving clues as to when it may have been built. The fact that it was brick, has led some to question the possibility of an early date. Yet Ardery notes that, "More permanent buildings of brick began to replace those of log by 1796" (p 7). This may come as a surprise, but Langsam says much the same. Since James didn't seem to prosper on the scale of his neighbors, we may surmise that his was probably the last of the three to be built. Nor did it share the elegance of the others. Even the fact that the Fry(e) homestead was called "Musk Rat Valley" fails to compare with the more sophisticated "Stone Castle" of the Spears estate. This is the same estate that James willed to his son Abraham in September of 1809. The fact is that other than in the 1810 census, we hear very little about James during the next decade, although we know that Nancy continued to live there at the homestead with her son until her death in 1839 (Mar. 25).

James may have been in and out of the county during this, period as he was in February of 1804 when he and Jacob Spears brought litigation against one Abner Reeves over a debt (Common Pleas Ct., Knox Co. Indiana Territory Minutes 1800-1806, p 171). He probably set up the original distillery on his farm - the one his son Abraham operated (Langsam). Perhaps this was the reason for his less than settled life style. Although we have no record as to how much he produced, or how he disposed of his stock, his nephew Solomon Spears (Jacob's son) floated barrels by boat down to New Orleans, and then walked back home up the Natchez Trace, making the trip 13 times during that early period (Everman, p 37). Although James' age may have prevented a trip of that magnitude (to New Orleans), his business dealings may still explain his apparent absences. He certainly seems to have possessed a restless spirit. Ultimately however, it may have been Daniel Boone that ignited his desire to move on into Missouri.
In 1799 Boone had become discouraged enough with his debts and failed business dealings, that he left for Missouri, although he is said to have given the following reason officially, "Too many people. Too crowded! Too crowded! I want more elbow-room" (Steele, p 393). Nearing his 65th birthday in 1799, Boone set out for the Femme Osage District of Spanish-owned Missouri. As Boone made the trip on foot, crowds gathered all along the way to see this famous hunter. Within a year, Spanish officials appointed him magistrate of the district. whose duty was to keep law and order, and occasionally judge law cases. Though possessing no legal experience, he, nevertheless, gained a reputation for wisdom and fairness. When the territory passed from Spanish into French and then American hands in 1803, Boone again lost most of his land claims, since they had been registered with Spanish officials. Finally, in 1814, a year after the death of his wife Rebecca, a small portion of his claims were restored to him by the U. S. Congress in appreciation for his role in the opening of these two frontiers. 'As a result, Boone became financially able to return in 1817 to Kentucky to pay off debts. Some of the earliest records in Bourbon County concern suits against Boone and Simon Kenton for not "paying their debts promptly". Boone was, in fact, quite conscientious despite the losses he had repeatedly suffered regarding land claims.

Having said he would never return to Kentucky, Boone mellowed in his latter years. Like a returning hero, wherever he went, people turned out to get a glimpse of him, as "...aging companions came to see him and brought their children and grandchildren so that in years to come they could say that they had once shaken the hand of Daniel Boone" (The Long Hunter; Elliott, p 199). Boone reportedly reached home with but 50¢ left.

Could it be that James was one of those that sought out Boone's attention? Did he listen to Boone's accounts of Missouri? Perhaps! Perhaps not! Yet sometime in his late 60s, James began planning for his final adventure - into Missouri. Yet even more remarkable, Boone returned home that year to prepare for his final hunting trip - this time west to Kansas and the Dakotas, following the Platte River to the Rockies, and spending the winter season trapping in the Yellowstone region. But what made this so remarkable was that Boone was well past his eightieth birthday. Back in Missouri, he was sought out in 1819 by the American artist Chester Harding who is thought to have made the only portrait of Boone painted from life. And Finally, on September 26, 1820 at the age of 86, Boone died while visiting the home of his son Nathan.

According to research done by Robert Excell Fry, James and some of his family came to Pike County Missouri in the spring of 1819. He noted that James Jr. was in Kentucky early in 1819 but not in 1820. In addition, of James Sr.'s other children, Jacob, Benjamin, and possibly Nancy also went out to Missouri. However, there is no evidence that their mother Nancy ever went west. This has left family researchers with some glaring questions. Nancy would have been 60 at the time, but still younger than her husband. When James willed his farm to his son Abraham, Nancy continued to live there with him, and was there when she was named on a summons on October 4, 1820 that she was an heir to part of the estate of Solomon Spears, deceased. In fact, she died there twenty years later on March 25, 1839, and was buried in the Spears-Fry Cemetery behind the Jacob Spears mansion in Bourbon County. Why did she not join her husband in Missouri? He appears to have been in Missouri for possibly two and a half years before his death in Pike County, where he made out and recorded his last will on September 1, 1821. In this he gave his son Jacob "all my lands in this county... ," (as well as) "my mulatto woman, named Matilda and her child named Lewis, together with all my other estate both real and personal...." He acknowledged that his other children had already received their inheritance and would receive no more. Had James and Nancy been estranged (receipts do exist that show she did send money to Missouri territory), or did she plan to join him after living quarters had been adequately prepared? To this and other questions we may never have an answer. Yet James, like Boone, had lost a considerable sum of money in a land sale deal, and had few personal effects at the time of his death. (See Journal July 1992.) Whether James ever personally met Boone we'll probably never know. Yet Boone's influence on the restless spirit of James Fry(e) certainly seems strong to say the least. (A great deal more can be said of James Fry(e) -a fascinating man we plan to feature again.)

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
"All Who Are Not Cowards Follow Me!" Pamphlet, Pub. by Kentucky Dept. of Parks, Frankfurt, KY, 1993.
Andery, Mrs. William Breckenridge. Historical Scrapbook. Bourbon County, KY: Produced by Bourbon Co. Sesquicentennial Commission, Inc. 1939.
Blanton, Alice Rogers Clay. Historical Map of Bourbon County, KY. 1934.
Bourbon County Taxpayers, 1787-1799. Miami Beach, FL: T.L.C. Genealogy, 1992.
Brookes-Smith, Joan E. Master Index, Virginia Surveys and Grants 1774-1791. Frankfurt, KY: Kentucky--Historical Society, 1976.
Bryan, William S. and Rose, Robert. Pioneer Families of Missouri. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1984.
Carpenter, Stephen J. "Roster of 'First Kentucky Ancestors' - Adam Carpenter" Kentucky Ancestors. Kentucky Historical Society, Vol. 24 #2, 1988: p 121.
Cavan, Seamus. Daniel Boone and the Opening of the Ohio Country. New York: Chelsea House-Publishers, 1991.
Clift, G. Glenn. The History of Maysville and Mason County Vol I. Lexington, KY: Transylvania Printing Co., 1936.
Cook, Michael L. Fayette County Historical Records Vol. I. Evansville, IN: Cook Publications, 1985.
Cook, Michael L. Fincastle and Kentucky Counties, Virginia - Kentucky Records and History Vol. I. Evansville, IN: Cook Publications, 1987.
Cook, Michael L. Kentucky Pioneer Genealogy and Records Vol. 11 (1). Hartford, Ky: Cook and McDowell Pub., Jan. 1980. p 18.
Elliott, Lawrence. The Long Hunter. A New Life of Daniel Boone. New York: Readers Digest Press, 1976.
Everman, H. E. The History of Bourbon County 1785 - 1865. Paris, KY: Bourbon Press, 1977.
Ewalt, Josephine Hedges. "Henry Ewalt and the House He Built." Bourbon County KY: An
unpublished work, 1986.
Fackler, Colvin M. Early Days In Danville. Louisville: The Standard Printing Co., 1941.
Fothergill, Augusta B. and Nangle, John M. Virginia Taxpayers 1782-1787. Self Published, 1940.
Frye, Archie S. Personal conversations. Georgetown, KY, 1995-96.
Gilbert, Bil. God Gave Us This Country. New York: Atheneum, 1989.
Harding, Margery H. George Rogers Clark and His Men - Military Records 1778 -
1784. Frankfurt: The Kentucky Historical Society, 1981.
"Highway Marker Placed in Memory of John Fry Who Served in the American Revolution." Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine. Washington D.C.: December 1966. p 886.
Hughes, Nicky. "Battle of Blue Licks." The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Ed. John Kleber. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 1992.
Jillson, Willard Rouse. The Kentucky Land Grants Vol I. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1971.
Langsam, Walter E. and Johnson, William G. Historic Architecture of Bourbon County, Kentucky. Bourbon County: The Kentucky Heritage Council, 1985.
Nickell, Joseph. "Daniel Boone." The - Kentucky Encyclopedia. Ed. John Kleber. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 1992.
Norris, J. E. History of the Lower Shenandoah Valley. Chicago, IL: A. Warner and Co., Publishers, 1890.
Pennsylvania Archives. Series 3, Vol. 22. Ed. Egle, William Henry. Harrisburg, PA: William Stanley Ray - State Printer, 1897.
Rockenfield, Sarah Ridge. Our Boone Families, Daniel Boone's Kinfolks. Evansville, IN: Whipporwill Publications, 1987.
Rone, Sr., Wendell H. An Historical Atlas of Kentucky and her Counties. Mayfield, KY: Mayfield Printing Co., 1965.
Selby, John E. The Revolution in Virginia 1775-1783. Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1988.
Spraker, Hazel Atterbury. The Boone Family. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1982.
Steele, William 0. "Daniel Boone." World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 2 Chicago, IL: Scott Fetzer Co., 1976.
Thwaites, R. G. Kellogg, L. P. "Dunmore's War (1774)." Dictionary of American History. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1940.
Zumwalt, Solomon. "Biagrapha of Adam Zumwalt." Missouri Historical Review Ed. Brownlee, Richard S. Columbia,, MO., April, 1954. pp 252-257+.


Spouses
—————————————————————————————————————————————
1: Nancy SPEARS
Birth: March 17, 1759
Death: March 25, 1839 Age: 80
Father: Henry SPEARS (-1773)
Mother: Regina FROMAN
Marriage: before 1775
Children: Isaac Newton
James
Jacob
Benjamin
Nancy
Abraham

(2) Name: Marvin Emmett FRYE
—————————————————————————————————————————————
Birth: December 29, 1912 Bourbon County, Kentucky
Death: November 1981 Age: 68
Father: Willam FRYE
Mother: Bertha Clay BUCHANAN

Misc. Notes
From ( date) The Frye Family Association Journal:

THE FRYES OF BOURBON COUNTY, KENTUCKY

(Although Marvin E. Frye passed away in November of 1981, his wife Margaret has graciously supplied us with a record of his wartime service. The following comments are her's along with some excerpts from a letter Marvin sent home at the end of the war. Incidentally, Margaret was our Featured Frye in our Aug.'96 issue.)

Marvin Emmett Frye was born on December 29, 1912 to William and Bertha Clay Buchanan Frye in Bourbon County. During the time Marvin was growing up, his father worked on the railroad. "Marvin Frye entered U.S. Army service June 3, 1942 after working at Sun Shipyards in Chester, Pennsylvania for several months. Prior to that he had worked at the Charlestown Powder Plant in Charlestown, Indiana. Throughout his youth he worked at a clothing store in Paris, Kentucky which was owned and operated by Jack Cohan. A watchmaker's business was also conducted by Mr. Cohan. It was through observation of the active and apparently profitable business of the watchmaker, that Marvin was inspired after returning from service to learn the trade of watchmaking. This education was sponsored by the G. I. Bill."

Margaret was living at home at the time the war broke out - working in a department store in Paris. News of Pearl Harbor "just seemed mind-boggling that anything like that would happen." She recalls soldiers moving through Paris during the cold weather of that winter, and admits to being practically in tears at seeing them having to stand at attention in the cold as they passed through town.

"Upon induction at Cincinnati, Marvin was sent to Camp Croft, Spartanburg, South Carolina for basic training. (Service papers indicate he had blue eyes, brown hair, was 5' 5" tall and 160 pounds. His serial number was 35 457 191. - Ed.) As an athletic, outdoor type who liked competition, he excelled in many of the rigorous challenges placed before the trainees. When one of the taller fellow soldiers seemed to be winning a race that ended with a crawl through long, corrugated pipes, Marvin assured himself the win by diving completely through. He acted on impulse, later realizing that a slight miscalculation could have meant severe injury. He began friendships here that lasted through the war.

"After basic training, the 342 Regiment was sent to Camp Kilmer, New Brunswick, New Jersey. Marvin was originally in the infantry, but long marches with flat feet caused him to be transferred into an engineering regiment. Marvin was placed in the Engineer's Division and learned to operate heavy equipment. From Camp Kilmer, the unit was sent (Jan. 5, 1943) to the European theater of operations. The trip overseas was one of anxiety and discomfort. The enemy was destroying as many ships as possible, and each one sunk was a great loss of life. Marvin slept on deck many nights rather than in quarters below the water line. The first base (after arriving on Jan. 13) was near Bournemouth, England where many months were spent awaiting orders to join fighting units across the channel. That winter spent in England brought a chilling, penetrating cold as the troops slept in tents on cots.

"The 342nd Division landed on Normandy beach five days after D-Day, and after a rough and wet exit from the troop and supply ship, found much evidence of the soldiers that amved five days earlier and the combat that had ensued. The winter of 1944 in Normandy was a bitter one, and the 342nd Engineers spent time rebuilding bridges and roads - and dodging V-1 and V-2 bombs. These bombs were fired by the Germans, and they buzzed and demoralized the opposition. Marvin said that the favorite time for the enemy to send them was at meal time., thus making a meal an occasion for 'nerves' rather than of satisfaction. They were most effective at that time as 'you never knew if you would live to finish that meal'.

"Points of operation were Luxembourg, and in France: LeHavre, Deauville, Rouen, Cherbourg, Paris, Reims, and Lyon. He was also in Namur, Liege, Brussels and Antwerp, Belgium." Among the battles and campaigns that Marvin witnessed was Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes and the Rhineland. Margaret recafls hearing him tell of the hedgerows in France, the cold of the Bulge where occasionally body parts could be seen, the large flights of American and British planes heading for bombing missions, and occasionally running across a buddy in the field.

"Marvin became a driver for a Major, among other duties, and often found himself in Paris, France awaiting the orders to drive him back to camp after a trip into the city. During that time he was able to enjoy many sites in the city of Paris, and often found names of former friends from Paris, Kentucky on register books.

"Marvin's memories of his service years were filled with varied experiences, both good and bad. One of Marvin's deprivations while abroad was the absence of good milk which he enjoyed so much. Orders to servicemen were that there be no milk consumption except GI ration because of lack of sanitation in Europe. At one point, one of the men caught a rabbit and Marvin procured milk from a farm family and they feasted on cooked rabbit and rabbit gravy made from real milk - a real treat! The memory of never sleeping warm and dry through the long winter months stayed with him always.

"The return trip from Europe was again spent often sleeping on deck or sharing games with fellow servicemen. The sight of the Statue of Liberty brought tears to his eyes. The Red Cross was located at the exit from the gang plank, and they offered donuts and milk. Marvin quickly downed a pint of milk and asked for another which he enjoyed as much as the first. Real genuine milk that was safe to drink!"

While his service records indicate his date of departure from Europe was not available, he nevertheless arrived back in the States on November 10, 1945. He then took a train to Camp Atterbury, Indiana where he was discharged on November 13. From there he returned to Paris, Kentucky a day or so later. He found Margaret at a local restaurant in town where the juke box was playing "Its Been A Long, Long Time". She explains that she was with ftiends having a Coke when Marvin came in. "I was a little shook up. Marvin said he would meet me out at my house to pick me up. I was with my girlfriend and was supposed to take her home, but I almost forgot until on the way home she asked, 'Where are you taking meT That's how shook up I was."

Marvin Emmett Frye and Margaret Hinton were married at Erlanger, Kentucky on January 19, 1946. (Marriage Rec., Bourbon County) "Our daughter, Marilyn Gail Frye, was born April 14, 1948 at Paris, Kentucky. She is married to Joseph William Roberts, and is an employee of the Secret Service in Lexington, Kentucky.

"With a background of watchmaking, training on the job and fifteen months at the watchmakers School in Louisville, Marvin accepted a position as a meteorological instrument repairman at the Lexington Army Signal Depot. He remained there from 1952 to 1973 when he retired from Civil Service. He continued throughout the years to faithfully service watches in this area, and had a room in our home as a watch shop." As a final footnote Margaret adds, "Marvin was a deacon in the First Christian Church in Paris, and he really enjoyed the fellowship of that church. "

In conclusion, Margaret notes the following information about her husband's service:

MARVIN EMMETT FRYE - (12-29-1912 to 11-6-1981) PFC 342nd Engr. Regt., Army Infantry. Served in the European Theater in England, France, Belgium, and Germany. 2nd Bn. Headquarters - EAME Theater Ribbon W/4 Bronze Stars, Victory Medal, and Good Conduct Ribbon. (June 3, 1943 - November 13, 1945).

Margaret has also included a brief sketch of Marvin's brother Clarence Edward, and four of their cousins - all from Bourbon County.

CLARENCE EDWARD FRYE - (11-9-1916 to 12-8-1994) PFC Marine Corp, 4 Battle Stars and two Presidential Citations. Served in Guam and the South Pacific Theater. (Picture in insert).

JAMES CURRENT FRYE "J.C." - Enlisted in the Reserves, Army Infantry.

STANLEY MARTIN FRYE - Navy, served in South Pacific Theater.

STUART WALLINGFORD FRYE - (Twin to S.M.) (1927-1956) Seaman 1st Class, Navy Served from date of entry (1-27-1945) to discharge. Drowned in Stoner Creek.

LARKIN LAIL FRYE - (1921-1986) Air Force, Master Sergeant. Entered June 23, 1941 ; discharged November, 1945. Served in the Philippines, Australia, New Guinea and the South Pacific Theater. Earned 7 medals including 2 Bronze Stars.


Spouses
—————————————————————————————————————————————
1: Margaret HINTON
Marriage: January 19, 1946 Erlanger, Kentucky