David See, Part Two
A little three years ago on March 7, 2017, I wrote about my 2nd great grandfather, David See. Some further information has been found regarding his death.
The following article was found in the Weekly Graphic, published on April 28, 1893, stating he died near Fry Station.
We knew from his pension file that the family had resided in Iowa until shortly before his death when they relocated to the area of Kirksville, Missouri and that he was not of a clear mind. The records went as far as saying he was insane in his later years and the family barely survived on the pension they received for his service in the Civil War.
The Weekly Graphic article stated that he died near Fry Station, where his family passed the winter in a tent which was poor protection against the storms. I could not find any information on Fry Station during this time period, so I wrote the Adair County Historical Society seeking information. Blytha Ellis, President of the Adair County Historical Society and Museum provided much information.
Fry or Frye Station is believed to have been a railroad station on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy (C B & Q) Railroad line which once went through Adair County, Missouri. This track went east and west through Adair County through the towns of Kirksville and Novinger, Missouri. This line was originally the Quincy, Missouri & Pacific Railroad and was later bought out by the C B & Q and the line was shortened. Also between the two towns of Kirksville and Novinger there was a river called Rye Creek. Near this creek was a small village named Frye, which was also on the railroad line. It had a post office and a school. The first school was builg about 1868 as far as the historical society can determine. The name of Frye and Rye seems to have been used interchangeably for this village and also for the creek. This area was considered river bottom land which was excellent for growing crops, unless the rivers and creeks flooded out over the crops. The Chariton River is very near this location also, and Rye Creek is a tributary of the Chariton River.
Blytha Ellis said the location of Fry/Frye Station could be described as north of State Highway 6 and a short distance east of Novinger, and east of the Chariton River. There is now a road that runs along the area of Rye Creek called Rye Creek Road, and both can be found on a map. The community of Frye Station was in Nineveh Township.
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| Novinger (Adair County), Missouri: The People, the Town and the Surrounding Communities, published by Novinger Renewal, Inc., Novinger, Missouri, April 2001. |
I did find some See family members buried at Bear Creek Cemetery in Adair County, not far from the Fry/Frye Station area. Research on these Sees goes back to William See (1784-1813) and his wife Elizabeth "Betsy" Auxier (1786-1858). Unfortunately, I have been unable to tie this William to David See, though I am sure they are probably related.
I found a website on the City of Novinger, where I found the following: "A few little shanties were put up in the town for the temporary use of the tie (railroad ties) workers but when the timber around the place had been cleared off and the tie business was closed up, the tie workers left and their shanties were torn down or converted to other uses. This industry was at its height from about 1885 to 1895." I found this interesting and a possible reason why the family was in this vicinity in 1893. David See was not in good health and was unable to adequately support his family. When he died in 1893, he had six sons ranging in age from 13 to 26. Could the family have moved to the area for the sons to work in the tie industry, supporting the family of 12 (of which only three children qualified for pension)? Of course, I have no way of knowing how many of the family members had relocated to Adair County. But the timeline is perfect. The family was in Story County, Iowa in 1885 and by 1893 the family is living in a tent at "Fry Station" in Adair County.
Blytha was a great help in my research of this area. She contacted Glenda Young, who is head of the Novinger, Missouri, Renewal Committee. Glenda referred to her to the following book: "Novinger (Adair County), Missouri: The People, the Town, and the Surrounding Communities." published by Novinger Renewal, Inc., Novinger, Missouri, April 2001.
According to this book, Fry was founded because the railroad needed coal to fuel its steam engines. The coal industry was a long time in the future, although coal was being mined in the area that was to become Stahl and also along the Rye Creek and Hazel Creek bottoms. The railroad sunk a shaft near the track on Rye Creek about two miles east of Novinger. This mine was called the Fry Mine and was said to have had a shaft only 50 feet deep. The railroad built a coal chute there so that coal could be loaded on the train from either direction. This was the only coal chute between Novinger and Quincy, Illinois before the railroad reached Stahl. A boarding house existed for the miners between 1885 and 1892. The track still existed in 1903 according to an article in the Kirksville Democrat on January 9, 1909, stating that a coach of the westbound passenger train left the track east of the "Frye Station."
After reviewing this information about the coal chute, I also have to wonder if the family moved to this area for the sons to work as miners.
I will probably never know why the family was residing in Adair County, in 1893. Was it to find work for the older sons in the family? Was it to be by family? Was it for health reasons? I do need to try and find more information on the other Sees living in this area.
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Sources:
Weekly Graphic, 28 Apr 1893, p. 3, col. 1; digital images, MyHeritage (http://www.myheritage.com : accessed 26 Nov 2017), In Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, 1836-1922.
Blytha Ellis, Kirksville, Missouri [(E-ADDRESS) FOR PRIVATE USE,] to Debbie Jorgenson, e-mail, 27 Mar 2020, "Fry Station 1893 -- What and Where Was It"; privately held by Jorgenson, [(E-ADDRESS) & MAILING ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Norwalk, Iowa.
"Novinger (Adair County), Missouri: The People, the Town and the Surrounding Communities." published by Novinger Renewal, Inc., Novinger, Missouri, April 2001.
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