| 4. | Fritts, George Sr. was born in 1753 in Shenandoah County, Virginia, British America (son of Fritz, Wooldrich Frederich and FRITZ, Janet); died in Mar 1845; was buried on 29 Mar 1845 in Davidson County, North Carolina, USA. Notes:
‘G’ GEORGE FRITTS, first known son of Wooldrich and Janet (_?__) Fritz (1731), b. 1753, Shenandoah Co., VA; d. Mar or Apr 1845, and was buried on the Saturday before Easter, age 92y, Pilgrim Reformed Church Cem., Davidson Co., NC. No tombstone marker has been located there for him. However, in 1976, the Church put a marker up to him and several other men who fought in of the Revolutionary War. As a young boy George moved to Rowan Co., NC with his parents, where he was living at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War.
George was a member of the Pilgrim Reformed Church of which
Rev. Samuel Suther was pastor. He was an intense Patriot and
preached from the pulpits in favor of our American independence. The long list of members who served from this church will testify to the intensity and success of his sermons. George served on four different occasions for a total of sixteen months.
- He was first drafted and served five months in the Militia in 1776, against the Cherokee Indians. He served under Captain Robert Moore, Major James Smith, and General Rutherford;
- Secondly he served as a volunteer for five months under Capt. Lopp, Col. Lyfle and General Rutherford and marching with the militia into South Carolina and Georgia. During this service while Ln.Georgia he fought at the Battle of Briar Creek. against the British when General Ash was defeated in Mar 1779;
- He was again drafted c1780 and served three months under Capt. Lopp as a light horseman; and,
- Lastly, Capt. Lopp drafted him and he served three months in the Spring 1781, and fought the Tories under Captain Lopp. The Tories were groups of people living in America who were loyal to England
George, Sr. (1753), md. Mary Wilson on 3 Jan 1780, Rowan Co., NC, with Rowland Jenldns as bondsman and John Kerr as wit. Mary was b. c1759, and still living in 1840. However, she died before George wrote his Will on 10 Jun 1844, as he stated “...having no wife”. Who her parents were is unclear. She was a sister of John Wilson, Sr., (c1750), whose son John Wilson, Jr. (1785) married her and George Fritts’ (1753) dau. Mary of 1784. There are two or more entirely different Wilson families living in or near Rowan Co. Part of OUR Wilson’s traveled to Ashe/Watauga Co., NC,and part of the family stayed in what is today Davidson Co., NC.
George, along with his mother, Janet "Jennett" Fritz was the Administrators of the Estate of Wooldrich “Frederick” Fritz, his father;
the estate did not go to Court until May and August, 1783 and no inventory was listed.
As of this time, we have not been able to find a deed to Wooldrich's land——however, the land George Fritts received as State Grant #615 on October 10, 1783 was NOT his fathers‘ as we stated in Volume I. Wooldrich's land was obtained by son John (1763).
George Fritz received State Grant #615 on 10 Oct 1783, for 150 acres next to John Lopp, Michael Younder, and Valentine Leonard and he was living on it at the time of his death. In the 1790 census we find George Frits (p. 173)with nine people in his household. It is our thought, but, by no means proven, that George's mother, Janet and sister, Jean were living with him and his wife, Mary and five of their eleven children born by 1790 census.
George was evidently a successful farmer and owned several tracts of land, well over 700 acres, including the Beard's Mill with 253 acres he purchased in 1815, which became the Frittz Mill. Much of the land was located on Abbotts Creek within what today is Lexington, NC. The grist—millthat George owned was considered a necessity for each community, in order to grind the wheat ir1to flour for each family's needs. Each farmer would bring his wheat to the mill. Often "going to mill" meant an all day trip or often staying overnight until the wheat was ground and ready to go home.
A Bible for George and Mary has not been found to document the children's ages, but from tombstones, census, and individual child's Bible records it appears that George listed in his Will his five daus. in order of birth and also his five sons—but did not list the youngest son, William, as he had already received his inheritance."
Abstract of the Will of George Fritts, Sen. (WBK1:462). Written 10 Jun 1844. Probated May 1845. “Having no wife I desire that my grist & saw mills with all the land I bought with the mills (after my son Reuben gets his part where he now lives) to be sold & the profits from sale are to be divided into seven shares. My two sons Reuben and Joseph each are to have one share and the other five shares are to go to myfive daughters: Rachael, Mary, the body heirs of Hannah, deceased, Sarah and Catherine. All my personal estate is to be sold and the proceeds divided between my above mentioned daughters. My sons John, Adam, George, Reuben, and Joseph have each had their firll share of land property and personal property and are to have no more, except Reuben and Joseph as stated above. Exec: Two sons Reuben and Joseph. Wit: George Thomason, Sen., Wm. McRary, Jun. and John Thomason.
While writing his Will, George, Sr., did not list his youngest son, William (1795). However, Gail (Fritts) Fritts of Lexington, NC in 1982, researched and provided the follow land deeds:
Firsts, ”This indenture made this 17th day of June AD one thousand Eight hundred and thirty seven [1837] between George Fritz Sen. of Davidson County State of North Carolina of the one part and his son WilliamFritz of the County and State aforesaid. William Fritz paying unto each of the said George Fritz five Daughters or their heirs the sum of twenty dollars within two years after the Decease of the said George F ritz,.. ” (This deed was registered 4 Sep 1838, Davidson Co., Deed Book 6, pp. 375-377, there was 103 acres located on Abbotts Creek with grist mill in this deal).
Secondly, "This indenture made this the twentyfirst day of July in the year of our Lord One thousand Eight hundred and fifty four [I854], between William F ritts, George Byerly and wife Katy, Sarah F ritts, John Wilson and wife Mary Wilson and also Eliza Sink, Mary Dancy and Omy Dancy (the latter three heirs of Hannah Dancy deed.) and James Perdue. " James Perdue paid $5.00 to each of the above named heirs of George Fritz (I 753) in
consideration for seventy acres of land located on the waters of Flat Swamp, adjoining James Elliott and others. ”
If William ever paid the $20.00 in the first deed, we do not know. Why James Perdue was paying each of the daughters and William $5.00 in 1854, we also do not know. However, the important thing is that we can determine from these deeds that Rachel was still living in 1845, but not mentioned in the 1854 document. It appears that Hannah was living in 1837, but died before her father’s Will was written on 10 Jun 1844 and prob. May 1845.
According to a letter written on 5 Jul 1845, by Jacob and Susanna (Byerly) Leonard (1789) of Davidson Co., NC, to their son and dau. in-law, George and Mary (Wilson) Leonard in Putnam Co., Indiana, "....I will inform you of the death which has been since we last rate to you, one was our nigh neighbor old Mr. George Fritts he was bered Saturday before ester he was confined to his bed some five or six weeks before he died, but all a counts he was between ninety and one hundred years of age...." [spelling is as it was written]. This means that George cl.in Mar or Apr 1845, age ninety-one or ninety-two.
The gravestone of George Fritts, Sr. (1753) was evidently destroyed over the years. In 1977, the Pilgrim Reformed (United Church of Christ) Church put up a beautiful gravestone to five Revolutionary War Soldiers buried in "God's Acre" but whose markers can no longer be found. George was one of the five listed.
George and Mary had eleven n_otten children as was recorded in The Fritts (Fritz) Family Heritage, Vol.I, 1979.
As of this writing we have little on Rachel or Hannah. Sarah was living with her parents in the 1840 census and in the 1850 census, she was with two of her nephews, sons of brother Joseph. Sarah d. 10 Jun 1856, age 65y 9m and bur. Pilgrim Reformed Church Cem., next to her brother George Fritts, Jr. (1788) who d. four days before her.
To give the reader a feel of the conditions in Davidson Co., NC in the summer of 1845, Jacob and Susanna (Byerly) Leonard (1789), wrote: ”...after wating nine years to come se us that you will hit a hard time to come. this fall for it semes like if ther won ’t be any com made this year if the drouth continue much longer
“The corn is they smallest for they tim of year I most ever saw and we need not wonder why it is so small for we havent had any rain to stop plowing since we soode out oats. They like has never been nown in this contry so before. Wheat crop ware good we made four hundred and fifty dozen of wheat this year We made the shortest crop of oats we ever had. The oats were so short that it couldent be bound at places. The people are going to river mills to get grinding and if it keep dry much longer it will be hard getin it there but we dont wont you to let this skear you and not comefor we only state this so you may no how times are in this contry.
I will now let you no the prices of produce, the price of wheat is from sixty two and half to seventyfive per bushel, corn is worth from forty five to fifty cents were bushel and is skears at that, old corn will
hunt-close this years, bacon is selling from eight to ten cents per pound and all other produce in propotion. Horses and cattle are low and no demand at that, the cattle are ding with they distemper a good deal this year, we havent lost any as yet but they are ding close around us, Adam and George Fritts has lost some of their cattle so this keeps the price of cattle low and horses wont sell at tall this years for none wants to by. Wehave nine head of horses with the colts and I dont now what we will have to feed them on this year if we dont make a goodeal of corn for we cant hardly give one away let alone tring to sell..... ” As written!
Mr. David Thomas Fritts, Sr. (1859), son of Alfred, grandson of Joseph (c1794) and great-grandson of George Fritts, answered questions for his son Grady Fritts about his memories of the Fritts Family. “. . .My great grandfather was George—my uncle said he was a general muster. Heard people tell they didn’t know which was the whitest his shirt or his beard.”
“One day John Wagoner said there stands old George Fritts. He [John] came up to granddaddy and granddaddy flattened him. Granddaddy cut him a hickory stick. The first time he knocked him down with his fist. People’ held John back. Granddaddy said “Let him come.” I’ll knock him down and he’ll not get up...” We know that George died near Easter 1845, age about 92y and that he would have been remembered by many people when Mr. D.T. was growing up. So we can determine that George was an elderly man who did not like to be referred to as “old”, that he was strong and took no gruff from others; and he had a long white beard.”
Buried:
Pilgrim Reformed Church Cemetery
George married Wilson, Mary on 3 Jan 1780. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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1829 - 1905 (76 years)
