Pike Township Family Stories
FRIDLEY FAMILY
Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book 1884-1984, pages 238-239
By the Fridley SistersLincoln Fridley and Clare Caskey Fridley moved to Nichols in 1937 after farming in the area for several years. They attended school in Keswick and farmed in Keokuk and Muscatine counties prior to moving to Nichols. They were the parents of nine children: five boys – Kenneth Fridley, Bernard Fridley, Arlen Fridley, Roger “Dick” Fridley and Robert Fridley, and four girls – T. Irene Fridley, Gladys Fridley, Beryl Jean Fridley and Sheila Fridley. All but the three oldest graduated from Nichols High school.
Lincoln Fridley (also known as Link or L. B.) and Clare Fridley were very active in the community, holding offices in the Odd Fellows and Rebekah lodges, the Pike Grange and the Methodist church.
The children were active in school, participating in sports, music, student council, class officers, church choir and Methodist Youth Fellowship.
Memorable events in our family were, of course, on Christmas, New Year’s day and Easter, when we were all home together. The whole family enjoyed crafts, card games and music. Both parents could play the piano “by ear” and in their young married days played for barn dances. Link enjoyed bowling and horse shoe pitching. He organized and held many tournaments in Nichols. Clare enjoyed gardening and always had a big garden outdoors and many houseplants inside.
With World War II, Ken went into the Air Force and served in the South Pacific. The Korean Conflict saw Arlen joining the Navy and serving in Japan. Roger “Dick” was killed in an auto accident two days before being inducted into the military service.
Link was a carpenter by trade and spent many years contracting painting and carpentry jobs. He then started a button shop in John Hillyer’s garage, cutting slugs from clam shells for McKee Button Industry in Muscatine. The business quickly outgrew the small garage, and he built a button shop behind the present George Poeltler home [1984]. After suffering health problems, the shop was closed, and Link and Clare opened a sandwich shop and pool hall at the site of the present Casey’s store, closing this business in the 1940s. In semi-retirement, Link continued contracting until his death, on the job. In 1962 Clare moved to California, where Ken, Arlen and Bob still live [1984], and died there in 1967. Link, Clare and Roger are buried in the Nichols cemetery.
Kenneth P. Fridley married Rosalind Fuller in California. They had one adopted son, Robert, who is deceased. Ken attended Iowa State Teachers college at Cedar Falls and served in the Air Force during World War II. Upon his discharge, he joined General Motors in California. He was transferred to Chicago, Illinois, and Detroit, Michigan, before retiring and moving to West Covina, California.
Bernard L. Fridley married Marie Edgington and lives in Muscatine. During high school he worked for the Mills and Whitlock garages. He worked for Richards Packing plant in Muscatine for twenty years and is presently employed [1984] at the Golden Corral.
Roger R. “Dick” Fridley worked for the Mills Garage during high school and later as a mechanic in Carroll, Iowa. He was killed there in an auto crash two days before his scheduled induction into military service.
Arlen W. Fridley lives in Long Beach, California. He graduated from Nichols High school and Muscatine Junior college. After serving in the Navy, he settled in the Long Beach, California, area and graduated from Long Beach State college. He is unmarried and works in security management for a company there.
Robert E. Fridley married Gloria Morgan from West Liberty. They live in Lakewood, California, and have two children, Beth Fridley and Brian Fridley. Beth is married to John Griffith, and they have two children. Brian is unmarried. Robert is self employed in the moving business.
T. Irene Fridley married William Skinner and lives in Sumner, Washington. Both of them were employed and have retired from the State School for Handicapped Children. They have one adopted son, Bernard Skinner, who has three children and lives near Sumner.
Gladys O. Fridley married Clarence Hillyer of Nichols, and they have lived in Nichols since then. Gladys retired from Owens Brush company in Iowa City, and Clarence retired from Louis Rich Foods in West Liberty. Prior to his employment with Rich, he worked 31 years for Kent Feeds in Nichols. Gladys and Clarence have two children, Marcia Hillyer and Connie Hillyer. Marcia Hillyer married Gary Lanfier of Nichols; they have three sons. Connie Hillyer married LeRoy Flake of Hager City, Wisconsin; they have four children.
Beryl Jean Fridley married Don Ruess in West Liberty, and they have farmed between Nichols and West Liberty since then. Beryl retired from Moore Business Forms in Iowa City. Beryl and Don have three children: Ron Ruess, Dan Ruess and Merry Sue Ruess. Ron Ruess is an FFA teacher in Anamosa, Iowa. He and his wife, Diane, have four children. Dan Ruess, a recreation camp manager, presently lives in Wisconsin. He and his wife Cindy Ruess, have four children. Merry Sue Ruess is married to Leonard Nelson. They have three children and live in West Des Moines, Iowa.
Sheila Fridley married M. Jay Steen and they live on a farm near West Liberty. She graduated from Nichols High school and San Bernardino Business college in California. She retired from Procter & Gamble company in Iowa City. She has two children by her first marriage to Curtis Utley, Reeta Utley and Roger Utley. Reeta Utley lives in Iowa City [1984]. She and her husband, Donn Haugen, have two girls. Both Reeta and Donn work at Procter & Gamble. Roger Utley lives in Englewood, Colorado. He is a quality manager with Celebrity Homes in Denver. He and his wife, Anne Utley, a United Airlines flight attendant, have two boys.
The Fridleys in the United States are descendants of Alexander Fridley, who came to Virginia on a Dutch ship in 1727. He was a native of the Palatine, in Germany near the Swiss border. Many interesting events have been recorded by the family historians, Richard Fridley of Galesburg, Illinois, and Vearl Fridley of Mesa, Arizona. A couple of highlights follow.
Two ancestors, Thomas Montgomery and Martha Crockett, came from famous families of the colonial days in America. Much is written about the Montgomerys, with an impressive number of princes, earls, viscounts, and such. The Montgomery line also included the King of Norway back in the 8th century, who was put to death in a snake pit in 1872 during a war with the King of Northumberland.
The Fridleys in the Muscatine area are descendants of Jacob Tharpe Fridley and Nancy Hite Fridley. Nancy was the daughter of Joseph Montgomery Mounts and Elizabeth Stennett. They were born in Virginia and came to the Muscatine area from Ohio in 1843. One of their children was named Jacob Tharpe. Jacob married Harriet Surrilda Mounts, the first white girl born in Scott county, Iowa, near Blue Grass, and they had twelve children. Many of the Fridley ancestors are buried in the Blue Grass, Montpelier and Buffalo, Iowa, cemeteries. One of Jacob’s sons was Hannibal Hamlin Fridley, who married Anna Chrukey. They had four children: Lincoln Fridley, Virgil Fridley, Jacob Fridley and Luella Fridley.
The family historians also have several other famous people included on the family tree, such as Samuel Clemons (Mark Twain), World War II General Sir Bernard Montgomery, the astronaut John Glenn, and probably one of the most notable, Davy Crockett.
Davy Crockett’s ancestor was Antoine Desasure Perronette de Crochetange from the south of France, who was born in 1643. Anthony married a French girl and later left the church through the influence of his employer. When the King of France ordered all Huguenots to leave within twenty days, they fled to England, but soon fled to Ireland and changed their name to Crockett, a common name in Ireland, in order to lose their identity.
The Crocketts came to this country in 1709, first to New York, then on to Virginia, where eventually they became a part of our family. The Crockett family had generations of military officers with distinguished service, as well as judges and legislators in Colonial America.
The family historians tell the following story about Davy Crockett: He was a very colorful man, and probably with the help of what today would be called a good press, he gained much of his fame. However, he was much more of a man than the legend.
In the summer of 1777, David’s grandparents, David Crockett I and his family lived on the spot that is now Rogersville, Tennessee. One day, while the older boys were away on a hunting trip, Indians attacked and killed David I, his wife and several smaller children. During the massacre, the Indians took James Crockett, one of the sons who was a deaf mute, prisoner and held him many years before John Crockett and William Crockett found him and bargained for his release.
Legend would indicate that Davy Crockett was rugged, rough and uneducated. His father was a judge, and although Davy’s formal education was limited, he was mainly self taught, and he later served in the Congress in Washington, D. C.
Davy spent several years during his youth working in Virginia, but he returned to Tennessee and after marrying, he lived in Lincoln county, which was rich in game. He began to distinguish himself as a hunter. After the War of 1812, the Creek war started, and joined Captain Jones’ Mounted Volunteers. He served as a scout and distinguished himself as a new national hero, later serving under General Coffee and General Jackson.
A temporary government was set up by the settlers and he was made magistrate, then elected colonel of the militia. He served in the legislature and two terms in Congress. He was popular in Washington for his common sense, shrewdness and independence.
After a fire in which he lost everything, he moved to Obion river and devoted himself to his favorite occupation of hunting and living on bear meat and venison. His love of adventure took him to the Alamo in Texas as a Tennessee Volunteer during Texas’ struggle for independence from Mexico. Before daybreak, the Alamo was attacked by the Mexican Army, led by Santa Ana. The battle raged until daylight, when only six men, including Davy, in the Texas garrison remained alive. They were ordered by the general to surrender and were promised protection. Davy’s rifle was shattered, he had a huge bloody knife in his hand, and about twenty Mexicans were dead or dying around him. Santa Ana ordered the prisoners killed, and they plunged their swords into them. Davy lunged at Santa Ana but was killed by about a dozen swords before he could reach the general. Davy the Legend was dead.
Many Crocketts are buried in the old Crockett cemetery at Shawsville, Virginia. A memorial monument is located at Rogersville, Tennessee, and the Crockett log cabin is located at Trimble, Tennessee.
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Page created December 12, 2010 by Lynn McCleary