Family Reunion: Frey
A Quick Overview of my work under this surname
My most recent German immigrants were Joseph Frey (abt. 1823 - 1877) and Anna Elizabeth Horn (abt. 1828 - 1914).
It is difficult to be certain about much when looking for records for a family like this one. They lived in a crowded city full of other immigrants, and their names were fairly common. Spelling was inconsistent - some documents (including signatures in their own hand) spell the surname “Fry” while most appear to use “Frey.” Some of the documents are in German, which is complicated when they are handwritten.
But there are some certainties. I ordered Joseph’s pension file from the National Archives many years ago, and that helped me tell much of his story - which you can read on his WikiTree profile, linked above.
One of the facts I found to be most tantalizing in its uncertainty is the identity of one of the witnesses who signed the documents in that NARA file. The documents attesting to Elizabeth’s right to claim Joseph’s pension were her daughter, Augusta, and a man named John Horn who resided at 170 McWhorter Street in Newark, New Jersey. I suspect that John Horn was Elizabeth’s brother, so I am hoping that this information will lead me to some record that shows when Elizabeth’s family arrived in the United States.
Outside of the NARA files, I have found one immigration index record of a 17-year-old Joseph Frey arriving in New York from Germany in 1840. This could be our Joseph Frey - but I need to track down the original document to see if it contains any additional clues.
When Joseph died, the NARA files indicated that he had two children under 16 years of age: Augusta and my 2nd-great grandfather, Emil Frey. I will share his story on Friday - pun intended!
If you happen to be descended from a Frey family that lived in 19th Century New Jersey or Long Island, drop a comment and compare details!
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