Third Generation

33. William FRYE⁴⁶ was born in 1735 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.⁴⁷ He died in April 1796 at the age of 61 in Fayette County, Kentucky.^2,20

Moved to Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with family and on to Washington County PA 1769-1772 and settled the property he called "Cherry Garden" along the Monongahela River next to the homestead of his brother Abraham. Their brother Benjamin also lived there. A land entry for 953 acres in Jefferson County KY was made 7 Nov 1783 - this was along Bear Creek south of Louisville. He left Cherry Garden to Abraham. About half dozen families were at Kenton's Station by the end of 1784 when brother Benjamin along with his family, William Wood a Baptist minister, and others, arrived on New Year's Eve.

Ohio County Record, Entry Book, Yohogania County 1779-1785
Began Nov 17 1779. Containing Entrys In Right of Settlement
22 Feb 1780
#186 Willm Fry, produced a Certificate from the Comr. for adjusting Claims of setling Titles to Lands in the Counties of Yohogania, Monongalia & Ohio for four hundred acres land in this county on the Waters of Peters Creek to include his Settlement made in the years 1773. Which Entry I have certifd on sd Certif.
In margin: Copy Deld. William Fry. Fee paid
21 Apr 1780
#437 William Frye, produced a Certifct from the Comr. for adjusting & setling Claims to lands in the counties Yohogania, Monongalia & Ohio for four hundred acres lands, in the County on the Waters of Peters Creek, to include his Settlmt made in the 1775. Which entry, I have certified.

No specific record of military service, but in the George Rogers Papers:
28 May 1781. Expenditures for a hog and bull. Richard Machen, William Fry. His brother Abraham also supplied foodstuffs for Clark's army.

They settled on the North Elkhorn Creek in Fayette Co. William was recorded on the taxpayers list in 1787.

Frye/Fry Researcher Hank Adams listed a first wife, Ann Randoll. I have not seen this possible marriage in other places. William's wife is usually given as Rachel Speers by whom he had eight or nine children.

Fayette Co. Estate Records: "William Frye - Will Book A, page 222 - Names wife, Rachel Frye; sons, Jacob, Joseph and Henry; daughters, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Catherine and Rachel; son, Benjamin. Written March 28, 1796. Probated May, 1796. Executors - Rachel Frye (wife) Jacob Frye (son). Witnesses - David Boone, Robert McGill, Peter Goodnight"

Will of William Frye, Fayette Co., Ky., written March 28, 1796, probated May, 1796. (Will Book A, p. 222, Fayette Co., Ky)
The courthouse burned in Fayette Co in 1803, but this will was one of those resubmitted after the fire. Executors were wife Rachel and son Jacob. Jacob inherited the homestead and 172 acres along Elkhorn Creek. Son Henry received 252 acres, Benjamin 300 acres, Joseph 650 acres, and each of the four daughters received 200 acres. Three of the daughters were minors at the time of his death in 1796 - they were to be supported until they came of age - Rebecca, Elizabeth and Catherine. He gave Rachel 1/4 of all crops raised on the land given to Jacob and 1/3 of the peaches and apples. She was to have accommodations in his dwelling house and the garden with sufficient passage to the public road during her life. Jacob to sow one acre of flax for year yearly.

William FRYE and Rachel SPEARS were married about 1766. Rachel SPEARS⁴⁸, daughter of HENRY SPEERS and REGINA FROMAN, was born in 1749.⁴⁸ She died after 1820 at the age of 71.⁴⁸

The Frey Journal suggests that Rachel married 2nd Abraham Bird. Her daughter Catherine did indeed also marry an Abraham Bird, but he was the son of Rachel's Abraham.

The elder Abraham Bird married 1760 in Shenandoah Co VA to Rachel Zeigler. He then married Rachel Fry, a widow of William Fry, sometime prior to 1803 probably in Fayette Co KY The children are usually placed as children of Rachel Ziegler. An often seen suggested marriage of Col. Abraham to a Catherine is likely a confusion of the marriage between Catherine Fry, daughter of Rachel Spears Fry and Capt. Abraham Bird Jr., son of Col. Bird.]

Records in Fayette Co support the marriage of Rachel Spears Frye to the elder Abraham Bird:

A report in May 1816 concerning the estate of Joseph Fry, showed that both Abraham Bird Sr and Jr were alive and well at this time.

Fayette Co KY WB D, p.295
18 Dec 1817 Thomas A Russell surveyed the dower of Mrs. Elizabeth Patterson, formerly Mrs. Fry, widow of Jacob Fry, deceased. The survey was for 50 and 3/4 acres and mentions the boundary line of David Goodnight and Col. Bird's field and the line of Abraham Bird [perhaps Abraham Jr]. In addition Russell mentions 1 and 1/4 acre that is Colonel Bird's portion of the Orchard.

On p.296, on the same day, commissioners laid out dower to Rachel Bird, late Rachel Fry in the estate of William Fry her deceased husband. Within this document we find that Henry Fry was administrator of the estate of Jacob Fry, whose widow was now Elizabeth Patterson. Rachel Bird had previously received allotment, but this entry concerned a garden and a pass way to the garden. The pass way was to run between the two mansion houses of Will & Jacob Fry, deceased. Rachel was also to receive 1/4 of the proceeds of the farm of her late husband. The commissioners gave her the free occupation of 18 acres adjacent Abraham Bird - with Elizabeth Patterson to be entitled to one third of that at the death of Rachel. Elizabeth Patterson late Elizabeth Fry had received 64 pounds 19 shillings, which from the copy of the Inventory of Jacob Fry deceased, was her one third part of the personal estate of Jacob Fry.

William FRYE and Rachel SPEARS had the following children: