More Contact

Dear Joyce,

I'm so excited to hear from you! 

We are first cousins, once removed.

Robert Ellsworth Fry was my great uncle. I never met him. I'm 56 years old, born in 1956 and he died in 1942 according to the records I've gathered.

Nellie Aletha Fry, Robert's sister, was my grandmother.

Nellie Aletha Fry, my grandmother

She died very young - I think she was 32 years old. Of course this means I never had the opportunity to meet her either. I'm still in contact with her daughter, Norma Green who lives in Santa Maria, California and is 82 years young.  She will be thrilled when I tell her that you contacted me. 

In that photo of you on the lawn, which child are you? I thought that the tall man in the back was Robert Fry. He looks just like the man on the horse.

Do you have other photos you can share with me? I'd love to see/have more photos of Robert Fry. I only have two photos of Wilma, your mother. These photos all came from my grandfather's collection of photos. My grandfather was Nellie's husband. (Thomas Slankard).

I have photos of Nellie too.

I was told by Aunt Norma Slankard Green that your father died young also and that there were some tragic circumstances around his death. I decided to do some research and found a couple of articles about the accident but found nothing about his actual death or the circumstances there of. 

Did you ever meet any of his sisters or brothers? If you are in the lawn photo, you met Nellie, my grandmother. 

As far as the photo date - 1916, that was my grandfather's guess. Before he died, he made sure to write on everything he owned so we'd know about the good ole days. It's very useful to have the information you sent about Wilma coming to California in 1925. I remember hearing that several of the brothers were butchers. And it's nice to find out they worked together at the A&P.

I probably have many more questions to ask you and would love to continue correspondence as long as you're willing. I have photos I can share of your grandfather and grandmother too unless you already have those. Also I have photos of a few of your great relatives, meaning great grandfather and great grandmother etc.

Write back when you can.