AMBROSE FRY

(From the History of Callaway County Missouri, 1884, page 820-821.)
Transcribed by Kris Breid, 12 September 2006

AMBROSE FRY, farmer and stock raiser, comes of two old and estimable pioneer families of Missouri, the Fry's and the Hall's, both originally from Virginia, but to this State from Kentucky. His father, John Fry, came to Missouri when a young man, about 1818, and two years afterwards was married to Sophronia Hall, and the same year settled on land in Callaway county, which her father had entered some years before. The land was contiguous to the site of New Bloomfield, and he kept a tavern there (as hotels were then called) for many years.

He was also largely engaged in farming and the stock business, and at the time of his death owned nearly a section of land. He died July 4, 1853, aged fifty-nine. He had been post-master of New Bloomfield some fifteen years prior to Harrison's election in 1840, but now being a Tippecanoe-and-Tyler-too man, being bitterly opposed to anything as thin as cider, even if it was hard and spiked with a "log-cabin," on the inauguration of the new President, he resigned his position in the local administration of the affairs of the Government. He was a typical, hospitable, old-fashioned landlord, the ideal, "Mine Host of the Inn." He was a man who weighed some two hundred fifty pounds, good humored, jovial and popular with everybody. He died at New Bloomfield, July 4, 1853, in the sixtieth year of his age. His wife died the following year, October 31, 1854, aged fifty.

Her father, William Hall, was also from Shelby county, Kentucky, and came out to this State in the Indian days of the country, away back in 1816. He lived at Shelbyville, Kentucky, for nearly three-quarters of a century, and had the leading tavern there for over fifty years. He kept his family in the fort, at Old Franklin, in Howard county, for some time, and entered the land in Callaway county, on which she and her husband afterwards lived, a 160-acre tract, when the land office was at Old Franklin.

John Fry and wife left a family of seven children. Mary A. was the wife of Robert Brown, of Audrain county; Sarah J. died in 1879, the wife of R. M. Barnes; Irvin O. died in 1851, Augustus J., Ambrose, Thompson and Andrew, all in this county. Ambrose Fry, the subject of this sketch and the fourth of the above-named family, was born at New Bloomfield, April 24, 1836, and was reared at that place. In early years he worked at the carpenter's trade some four or five years, and then engaged in farming.

On the 7th of April, 1858, he was married to Miss Margaret Glendy, daughter of Daniel Glendy, of this county, another old family. She was born here March 20, 1836. Her father died April 4, 1879. In 1862 he settled at the head of the Auxvasse, but four years afterwards began to improve his present farm, where he has since resided. He and two son have nearly 400 acres of land, and are largely engaged in farming and stock raising, particularly raising sheep, having over 2,000 head. Mr. and Mrs. Fry have a family of five children: William H., Samuel J., Irvin O. Edna and Frances M. All are members of the Old School Presbyterian Church, and Mr. F. has been a member of the Masonic Order for over twenty years, being a leading man in the lodge at Concord.

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