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A B C D E F G H I J K L M Mc N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Indian Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma
Date: February 4, 1937
Name: Mrs. Minnie Fryer Finigan
Post Office: Muskogee, Oklahoma
Residence Address: 215 South Seventh
Date of Birth: 1865
Place of Birth: New Boston, Illinois
Father: William Gage Fryer
Place of Birth:
Information on father:
Mother: Elizabeth Fryer
Place of birth:
Information on mother:
Field Worker: Ella Robinson

I was born in New Boston Illinois, 1865. My parents were William Gage and Elizabeth Fryer. When I was a very small child, we moved to Kansas, making the trip by wagon. We lived there until 1872, when my father, who was a skilled mechanic, came to the Indian Territory. The M. K. & T. railroad, was building through the territory at that time and my father was sure of securing a large portion of the work required. He built the station house, at Gibson station, Indian Territory. From there he went to North Fork Town, on the Canadian river. There he took charge of a saw mill where the lumber was sawed for all buildings in that part of the country. He lived there for some time, boarding with a full blood Indian woman, known as Aunt Polly. It was a very small village, had two stores, a post-office, and a half a dozen houses.

He sent for his family and we went there to live. At that time Eufaula was beginning to build. He was given a contract for several good buildings which were all built of native stone, among them, was the store building of Judge G. W. Stidham and Captain Grayson. I attended a private school there, taught by Rev. McGee, a Presbyterian Minister. Rev. T.F. Brewer was Superintendent of Asbury Mission, a Manuel Training School, just north of Eufaula about two miles. We often went up there to church. That was my first acquaintance with Rev. Brewer, and our friendship lasted through our entire life.

When I was twelve years old, we moved to Okmulgee, where my father had a contract to erect the Creek Council House there, which is now standing. Sam Checote was Chief of the Creeks at that time. As it was the law, that no white man could be employed in the Indian Territory, without a permit from the Creek Government, but Chief Checote extended my father the privilege of bringing in white laborers to work on the building, without securing the permit, as there were no skilled laborers among the Indians at that time and that was quite necessary. We children attended school there with the Indian children, my father paying tuition for us. After two years, I went to Parsons, Kansas and attended High School. My brother George lived there and I boarded with him and his wife. I then returned to Eufaula and took a special course in higher subjects, given by Prof. McIntyre. Captain Grayson, seeing the need of special school work in Eufaula at that time, secured this teacher in the East. It was from him that I got my first inspiration to teach. I then went to Okmulgee and attended the Teachers Institute during the summer and applied for a school. The Teachers had to pass an examination which was given orally. I remember Miss Alice Robertson was there and sat just in front of me and I will say here, that she passed a 100% perfect examination. Had it not been for the encouragement she gave me, I perhaps would have failed just through fright; however, I passed and was assigned a school. I had just passed my 20th year. My first school was in the country, eight miles north of Wetumka. It was in a full-blood neighborhood and the family with whom I boarded, could not speak a word of English. I began teaching the children through object lessons and in that way, they learned English words. We had only Indian food, sofka and blue-dumplings and corn bread. Had it not been for the wild game, I would have gone hungrier than I did, but we had Venison, Quail, Wild Turkey and occasionally they killed a hog. The way in which the food was cooked, worried me most. My mother would send me a cake when it was possible.

I received $40 per month salary and was paid every two and a half months. You can imagine with what joy I received my first hundred dollars. I paid eight dollars a month for board, which was the usual price. I roomed with one of the girls in the family. Occassionally the young Indian boys would come by when they had been drinking and scare us almost to death. One night, we all got so frightened, that we left the house and stayed in the field all night. I only taught there one year. The next year I was sent to Arbeka, which was not a town, but a community. I boarded with a good Christian family, named Morrison. They were much more inviting and I had a pleasant time for two years. J. M. Perryman, was Superintendent of schools at that time. As he seemed to think I was the one to do pioneering school work in isolated districts and as I was always willing to try anything once, he sent me to a place forty miles west of Eufaula, called Thop-thoc-co. That was also a community and not a post-office, as we had to get our mail at Wetumka and only received it every two or three weeks. That was the hardest place I ever stayed. The family where I boarded were full-bloods and I nearly went crazy for someone with whom I could talk English. I again had to room with one of the girls and when company came, they would put them in our room too. One morning I awoke and saw a pair of men's boots sitting under the other bed. We covered up our heads and kept still. It proved to be the husband of a friend of mine, who was passing through the country.

While I was staying there, one Saturday, a white boy driving an ox team, came from across the creek and said that his mother wanted me to go over and spend the day. As I was so lonely for someone that I could talk English with, I decided to go, although he was anything but an attractive person. On the way over, a storm came on and he swore at the oxen and prodded them with a stick. I was thoroughly frightened but could do nothing but go on. His family was about the most degraded white folks I have ever seen but I made the best of it. It rained so much, that the creek got past fording and I had to stay for three days. Then the woman loaned me a cotton checked dress and I tied my clothing around my neck and with the boy, started on horseback to my boarding place. The woman told me that if I would put a little stick between my teeth, my head wouldn't feel dizzy when we crossed the creek.

As bad as my boarding house was, I was glad to get home. At the end of the term, when I went to Okmulgee to attend the Institute, Mr. Perryman was surprised to see me looking so badly. He said he would give me a better place and assigned me to a school, three miles west of Eufaula. I boarded in town and rode horseback each day. That was a fine community and the people were of the highest type of Indians. In all the places I taught, the school houses were log structures and not at all comfortable and I had to walk a mile and a half and two miles. I often had to get my own wood. After teaching that school for a year, they sent me to Coweta Boarding School, where Peter Ewing was Superintendent. I filled the place as Matron and assisted in many other ways, helping with the programs. As I was able to play the piano, I was never at a loss for something to do, as the Indian children, were very fond of music. Sunday afternoons were taken up in singing and I always played for them. In 1895 I was transferred to the Eufaula Boarding School. George Stidham was the Superintendent at that time. On June 25, 1896 I was married to Charles H. Finigan, where he lived and where he died in 1921. Since his death I was employed in Social Service work.

Looking over my past work in the territory, it stands out distinctly in my mind that even in the most uncomfortable circumstances, I had the feeling of not being afraid of anything, with the exceptions of a few drunken boys occassionally. I often walked alone to my school, a distance of perhaps two miles, with no thought of danger, something I would not think of doing now. When we lived in Okmulgee, a terrible small pox epidemic swept through the Creek Nation, many people dying, as it was in the worst form and all my family had it. A lasting impression was made on my childish by seeing those accussed of stealing, whipped, which was the punishment imposed by the Creek Government. For the first offense, they were given twenty five lashes on their bare back. For the second offense they were given fifty lashes and for the third offense, they faced firing squad and were shot. The old whipping post stood in the Council House yard.

As I look back, I recall with pleasure, many things connected with my various experiences and all in all, it was a happy time.

Transcribed and contributed by Lola Crane <coolbreze@cybertrails.com> Sept. 2003

Transcriber's Comment: The spelling of manual is spelled as manuel/ manual and I have done my best to transcribe as originally typed. This is also true for the word occasionally which is corrected once but otherwise it was typed as occassionally. Accused is also transcribed as read.

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Additional information and corrections submitted October 2003 by Richard S. Clark clarkra@gallatinriver.net

Minnie Fryer Finigan was born 9 October 1865 at New Boston is in Mercer County, Illinois, just across the Mississippi River from where her parents were married, Louisa County, Iowa. I'll paste the 1860 and 1870 census below for the family. I live about 30 miles from New Boston, and was there earlier last week, looking for information relating to my grandmother's family. There was a lot of railroad construction in that area during that period. It's possible that William Fryer was involved with that construction then, but I haven't any evidence to that affect.

Minnie's father, William Gage Fryer, born 14 September 1830 in Norfork, England, died Okmulgee Indian Territory on 14 September 1881.

Minnie's mother, Elizabeth Christy, born 3 July 1831 in Warren Township, Jefferson County, Ohio. Her parents were Thomas Christy and Rachel Truman. The family moved to Grandview Township, Louisa County, Iowa in 1842. She died 6 May 1906 in Muskogee, as mentioned in a notice published in the Wapello Tribune (see below).

From Iowa Marriages, 1851-1900
FRYER, WILLIAM G. Spouse: CHRISTY, ELIZABETH
Marriage Date: 16 May 1851 County: Louisa State: IA

1860 US Census - New Boston, Mercer County, Illinois
NA Series: M653 Roll: 211 Page: 927 Sheet: 285 Date: 15 July 1860
William "Fry", 30 M Carpenter --- $100 England (Should read Fryer)
Elizabeth Fry, 38 F Ohio (Should read 28)
George F. Fry, 8 M Ohio (Should read Iowa)
Ella Fry, 6 F Illinois
Willie Fry, 1 M Illinois

1870 US Census - Osage Mission, Neosho County, Kansas
NA Series: M593 Roll: 440 Page: 208 Sheet: 15 Date: 7 July 1870
Wm. G. Fryer, 38 M W Carpenter $600 $300 ENG (Parents foreign born) Male US Citizen
Elizabeth Fryer, 37 F W Keeping House Ohio
George Fryer, 19 M W Carpenter Iowa
Ella Fryer, 18 F W Illinois
William Fryer, 10 M W Illinois
Minie Fryer, 4 F W Illinois

In the 1880 census, brothers George and Willie are boarding at a house in Parson, Labette County, Kansas (1880 US Census - Parson, Labette County, Kansas - NA Series: T9 Roll: 385 Page: 446C). A Nettie Fryer is also listed as being older than either brother, and born in New York (possibly Nettie's and George's ages were swapped). Nettie is probably the wife of George, as Minnie stated. From Minnie's remarks, she stated that she boarded with her brother George and his wife at Parson, Kansas, and that would have been about 1879 or 1880 from the clues she provided. Their sister Ella may have been back in Iowa in 1880, still single, and working as a milliner and seamstress. I did not find William Fryer, his wife Elizabeth, daughter Minnie or son John J. Fryer (born in late 1870) in the 1880 census.

Death Notice - The Tribune, Wapello, Louisa County, Iowa - Friday, May 11, 1906

T. B. Christy received word of the death of his sister, Mrs. Jon Fryer, Sunday, at Muskogee, Indian Territory.
(NOTE - This notice threw me for a while - I was looking for Elizabeth Christy married to a Jon (John) Fryer. John was Elizabeth's son, and she may have been living with him at the time of her death. Both John and William B. Fryer were listed in Muskogee in the 1910 US census; William was still single, but John had been married for 2 months. I have not found brother George, or sisters Minnie and Ella yet in 1910. T.B. Christy is Thomas Benton Christy, brother of Elizabeth (Christy) Fryer.)