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Giles County, Tennessee
Fry Biographies
JOHN W. FRY. For many years John W. Fry has been active in the development and improvement of Columbia,
and Tennessee is indeed proud to number him among her native sons. He was born in Giles
county on the 10th of July, 1859, a son of William and Mary Jane (McCreary) Fry. The father was
born in Germantown, Stokes county, North Carolina, on the 20th of December, 1800, and moved
with his father to Giles county in 1808, locating near Lynnville. There he engaged in general
farming and stock raising and became well known in that connection throughout the state. In
October, 1845, he was united in marriage to Mary Jane McCreary and to their union two children
were born: John W., whose name initiates this review; and Angeline, whose demise occurred in 1911. She was the wife of C. L. Smith, who survives her. Throughout his life the father was a
stanch supporter of the democratic party, and his religious faith was that of the Christian church.
He and his wife were highly respected citizens of the community in which they resided.
John W. Fry attended the common schools of Giles county and then entered Carleton College at
Bond, Texas, which institution was under the direction of his uncle. After putting his textbooks
aside he returned home and engaged in farming until 1896, when he came to Columbia and
organized the Farmers & Merchants Bank, which institution he served as president until it was
merged with the Maury National Bank. He then became vice president and was active in that
connection for some time, subsequently tendering his resignation in order to devote his entire
time and attention to the phosphate and fertilizer business. He is now secretary and treasurer of
the Consolidated Phosphate Company, which he organized in 1911. The company is one of the
largest of its kind in the state and owns some very valuable phosphate lands. Mr. Fry is a man
universally liked for his splendid business acumen and genial and cordial spirit and he has been
influential in many movements whereby the general welfare of the community has been benefited
to a great degree. He is now president and treasurer of the Tennessee Orphan Home, in the
organization of which institution, in 1909, he was a dominant factor. A few statements concerning
this home will not be amiss here.
The Tennessee Orphan Home is non-sectarian and undenominational in its work. It is a home for
homeless children, controlled by a board of directors of the Church of Christ. Since the present
management took charge of the home on the 30th of October, 1917, two hundred and eleven
children have been cared for, including the forty-six children in the home at that date. Orphan and
destitute children, regardless of creed, sect or denomination, are cared for and some of the
children taken care of in the home have one living parent, but such parent, who is financially and
physically able, is required to pay the full cost of maintenance. The Juvenile courts frequently send
destitute children to the Tennessee Orphan Home and they receive the necessary care and
attention, the same as other children. The home is proud to say that it has never yet turned away
any child known to be destitute and dependent, or has neglected to treat such children as well as
those who are maintained by churches, friends or parents. The home discourages the separation
of children from their mother, for it feels that the church and community in which they live should
help keep the mother and children together. By keeping the children and mother together the
churches and communities will do a great work and be rewarded in the end. The children
in the Tennessee Orphan Home are cared for and looked after by good Christian women, who
devote their time to the children, and as near as possible try to fill the place of a real mother.
Assistance is also given by an advisory committee of five women, appointed by the board of
directors, who serve without charge. The business and finances are handled by the treasurer, Mr.
Fry, at his downtown office, without charge, and an executive committee keeps in close touch
with the affairs and workings of the home, as well as do the directors of the institution. All of the
children of school age are sent to the city public school and the younger ones are instructed in
the home. Those attending school average in progress with the children of the town who have
parents to assist them. The present high cost of living has taxed the institution to its utmost, but
churches and individuals contribute willingly. Every opportunity that presents itself is taken to
place children in good Christian homes. They are placed on trial in family homes, and if not
congenial the child is returned to the Tennessee Orphan Home. The husband and wife who
receive a child sign an agreement to care for the child as good parents would care for children of
their own, give it the necessary medical and surgical attention in event of sickness, etc. This home
is one of the finest institutions of its kind in the state, and Tennessee owes a debt of gratitude to
Mr. Fry and others who have made it a possibility.
On the 8th of July, 1885, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Fry to Miss Anna Horne, a native of
Giles county, and a daughter of James R. and Virginia Anna (Wagstaff) Horne. To their union six
children were born. The eldest child, Hallie, married S. C. Harlin of Florence, Alabama, vice
president of the Florence Wagon Company. William, the second in order of birth and the eldest
son, was educated for the bar and had just started into practice at Chattanooga when the United
States entered the World war. He immediately put aside all personal interests and enlisted in the
army, being sent to the Officers' Training Camp at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. He was sent
overseas in October, 1917, and remained in France until 1919. Minnie, the third member of the
family, is the wife of W. Brown Taylor, of Kansas City, Missouri, who is sales manager for the Twin
City Machine Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Charles Carlton is a resident of Columbia and
has been for some time head of the Ford agency for Maury county, the business being operated
under the name of Fry Brothers. Clarence Horne, the fifth member of the family, met death in the
defense of his country. A detailed account of his life and service is presented elsewhere in this
work. Grace Hampton, the youngest member of the family, is residing at home with her father.
Mrs. Fry's demise occurred on the 13th of August, 1905. She was a consistent member of the
Christian church throughout her life, active in all church work, and a prominent leader in all child
welfare movements.
Since attaining his majority Mr. Fry has given his political endorsement to the democratic party. In
1899 he served in the state legislature and was chairman of the finance and ways committee of
the house. He also served as commissioner of the seventh congressional district to the
Pan-American Exposition at St. Louis. He is a student of the living issues of the day and ever
cognizant of the duties and responsibilities as well as the privileges of citizenship. Fraternally he
is identified with the Knights of Pythias, and his religious faith is that of the Christian church, to
the support of which he is a generous contributor. Mr. Fry is one of Columbia's most substantial
citizens and well merits the respect and esteem in which he is held by his fellowmen.
(Tennessee, The Volunteer State, 1769-1923, Vol. 2, John Trotwood Moore and Austin P. Foster, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, 1923, pp. 576-578)
LIEUTENANT CLARENCE HORNE FRY, R. F. C. Clarence Horne Fry was born in Lynnville. Giles county, Tennessee, February 26, 1894, a son of John W. and Anna (Horne) Fry. His parents moved to Columbia when he was only two years of age and in the schools of this city he received his education. He graduated at the Columbia Military Academy in 1912. Shortly after completing his education he entered business life by establishing a garage business under the firm name of Fry Brothers Auto Company. He was engaged in this successful enterprise when the United States declared war with Germany. On
June 2, 1917, in Chicago, Illinois, he enlisted as a private, first-class, in the aviation section of the
United States army and returned home to await orders. These came before the end of the month
and he was ordered to the Ohio State University at Columbus, Ohio, for his preliminary, or
ground, training. In the following September he sailed overseas and entered his first training
camp at Christ Church College, Oxford, England. As yet he had experienced no actual flying. After
about six weeks spent in school at Oxford he was tranferred to a training camp at St. Albans and
here gained his first experience in flying. Letters from him to his family during this period contain
many interesting details of his experiences in learning the art of aviation. Under date of December
7th he wrote: "Have been doing a great deal of flying for the past few days and will start flying by
myself (solo) in another day or two. I have a new instructor now that is awfully hard to please but
think I am doing very well. He invited me to go to a neighboring town with him yesterday to take
lunch and return in the afternoon. I flew the machine all the way over there and back and
enjoyed the trip very much. Climbed up to six thousand feet, then flew straight to the town, using
the railroad track as a guide, and landed in another airdrome."
On the 18th of December he again wrote: "I started flying solo again early this morning and
finished over half the time I have to do here and will finish entirely tomorrow and be sent on to an
advanced squadron. I put in most all day flying and made ten landings and only broke one skid
wheel, which I consider pretty good for a beginner, inasmuch as I had such hard luck the first time
I went off solo. I have gotten to feel very much at home in the air now alone and feel like I can
make the bus do anything I want it to, and that is the main thing in flying. Be self-confident and
not get excited if the wind blows you around a little too much or you hit an air bump and fall a few
feet. I went up about three this afternoon and went about five miles to a little town near here.
When I decided to turn around to come back I could not find the airdrome, so had to wander
around about thirty minutes until I saw another machine which I followed. It led me back all right,
so I landed and stopped for the day, as it was time for tea and getting too dark to venture up
again."
By the middle of January Lieutenant Fry had progressed far in his flying. On the 27th he again
wrote: "Everything here is moving along about the same and I am putting in time every day in the
air when the weather is fit. Of course we have a fair number of crashes here, but have had only
one fatal accident since I have been at this place and considering the hours put in flying and the
stunts that are pulled off that is a mighty good record. I expect to finish up in about another
month and will then be ready for active service, either in a fighting squadron on the front or
instructing at some airdrome. I will hate to leave the R. F. C. and go back with the U. S. army, as I
have many good friends now among the English, South African and Australian officers in the R. F.
C., also I like the English army customs. They go in more for comfort and the pleasant side of life,
whereas the Americans take things more seriously and think because you are in the army you
should give up all the pleasures you had been used to in civil life and do what you are told by
your superior officers without question. I do not think the English army could ever be beaten on
that account, for no matter what happens they are just the same. If one of the fellows gets
information that his brother or father is killed or if a fellow is killed in a flying accident, although he
may be his best friend, about all he will say is, ‘Hard luck, old boy, but never mind, we will be
seeing you in a few days,’ and everyone will go ahead laughing, talking or dancing just the same
and the unfortunate fellow's name will never be mentioned again. They just take everything as a
matter of course and you never hear a man complain or in any way intimate that he is afraid to do
his bit. Many of the fellows here have been out in France for months at a time, have been
wounded several times and received different decorations for bravery and you would think they
had done their part, but they are just as willing to go back and do more as we are."
On the 26th of February, his birthday, Lieutenant Fry wrote of a thrilling experience in his plane: "Had a very nice experience yesterday. Climbed up to about eight thousand feet with broken
clouds way below. Did a few loops, rolls and Immelmann turns and then decided to spin down a
few thousand feet. I spun very nicely, but my engine, which was throttled back, stopped and I had to dive to get it started again. I finally got my prop buzzing, but when I looked around over the landscape I couldn't see a single familiar landmark. There was a very strong wind and I had been blown down wind for about fifteen miles. I would have kept on flying up wind, but my petrol was about out, so I began to pick out a good field to set her down in. Just then I saw an airdrome and made for it and landed. I asked where I was and they told me it was the Eighty-sixth Squadron, about fifteen miles from my airdrome. I then called up the C. O. of my squadron and told him I was there and the machine O. K. He instructed me to get filled up, study a map and come back home where I belonged, which I did after having lunch with some of the fellows I had met at Oxford and other places in England."
On March 29th Lieutenant Fry wrote: "Had a very peculiar thing happen to my machine yesterday while I was practicing trench strafing, flying close to the ground and diving on houses, trees and trains. One of the rocker arms broke and it being a rotary motor cut all the coiling off the front end of the machine. I made a good landing, however, in a very small field, so small that they had to take the machine to pieces to get it out. The commanding officer of the squadron congratulated me on the good show I made in not crashing my machine. The big show is on now out in France, the biggest in the history of the world, but the Hun is sure to get badly licked and I hope it will end the war. The flying corps is doing the biggest work now they have ever done and a few hundred machines are destroying whole divisions of German infantry. It must be thrilling
to dive on a whole column of infantry with all guns open. I am nearly through here now and will
probably be going up to Scotland for a short fighting course in a few days. My recommendation for
a first lieutenant commission has been in for some time." (Lieutenant Fry's commission arrived three days after his death.)
The above paragraphs are but a few of many which Lieutenant Fry wrote to his family.
Throughout his correspondence there runs a vein of humor and optimism. There was never a hint
of dissatisfaction with his difficult part in the war, but, on the contrary his letters were full of
praise for his English associates, love of the country in which he was stationed, eagerness for
actual front line service. That his feelings toward his comrades was reciprocated by them was
indicated in the expressions of affection they gave after his death. Lieutenant Fry was
successively a member of the Twelfth, Seventy-fourth and Fifty-sixth Squadrons, Royal Flying
Corps, and at the time of his fatal accident had graduated in flying and was awaiting a plane
before being sent to the fighting front.
There are but few details to give concerning the actual crash which cost the life of Lieutenant Fry.
He had begun a flight in a high-powered Spad plane, built for speedy scout duty and known as
one of the most difficult machines to operate. When about three hundred feet above the ground
the machine was thrown into a turn. This was a dangerous movement so close to the ground and
it is believed that Lieutenant Fry had discovered something vitally wrong and was taking the only
possible chance to save himself. The machine fell into a nose spin and crashed on the field near
the starting point. An ambulance and surgeon was at the scene immediately, but death had come
instantly to the aviator. That he had retained his presence of mind was shown by the fact that his
petrol supply was cut off, thus preventing the flames which would have consumed the plane and
himself. Previous to this time he had stated that this would be his procedure in case of accident,
as he had no desire to be burned to death as some of his fellow aviators had been.
The accident occurred on Saturday and on the following Tuesday the mortal remains of Lieutenant
Fry were laid to rest in the cemetery at St. Albans [Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire], there to remain until removal to Columbia, Tennessee, two years later. Of the honors paid to him at St. Albans a newspaper of that place contained the following: "The ceremony was of most impressive character, full military honors being accorded. The coffin was conveyed upon a motor lorry; it was draped with the American flag and was covered with floral tributes. A number of officers of the Royal air force acted as bearers and the deceased's brother officers of the United States air force were the mourners. The cortege was headed by a band of the Middlesex Regiment. A numerous firing party was drawn from the R. F. A. and the buglers who sounded the ‘Last Post’ were stationed in different parts of the cemetery, the echo producing an intensely impressive effect. After the burial the Stars and Stripes were unfurled and held aloft as the procession marched back to headquarters."
On May 19, 1918, in the high school auditorium at Columbia, there was held an impressive
memorial service for Lieutenant Fry. It was the largest memorial service in point of attendance
ever held in Maury county. After the close of hostilities and as soon as the necessary steps could
be taken, Lieutenant Fry's body was removed from St. Albans cemetery and brought back across
the seas to Columbia, where it arrived August 18, 1920. On August 19 he was laid to rest in
Rosehill cemetery, with full military honors. (ibid.)
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