< Gouverneur Stories — The Fry Family: Black Pioneers of Gouverneur
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The Fry family lived in Gouverneur for over 60 years. Who was Flora Fry?
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Why was she given a Gerritt Smith land grant when women in New York State would not be able to vote until 1918?
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What became of her four children raised in Gouverneur?
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Learn about an unrecognized black civil war veteran from Gouverneur.
Bryan Thompson, DeKalb, NY Historian presented a talk about the Fry family on September 23, 2021 at the Gouverneur Community Center.
In 2024, the Gouverneur Chamber's Flag Day ceremony honored a lost Civil War veteran from Gouverneur. A plaque honoring Corporal Danby Fry was dedicated. This plaque, fixed to the Memorial Arch, gives overdue recognition to a Gouverneur soldier who served three years in the 20th US Colored Infantry during the Civil War.
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This recognition came about because of the efforts of Bryan Thompson, the Historian for the Town of DeKalb, NY. Until Bryan’s research brought Danby Fry’s identity to light, this Civil War veteran had been unknown to the Gouverneur Historical Association. The Historical Association is grateful to Bryan for his research and passion.
The 20th U.S. Colored Infantry was organized at Rikers Island, New York February 9, 1864 for three-year service and mustered under the command of Colonel Nelson B. Bartram. The regiment was attached to Department of the East to March 1864. Defenses of New Orleans, Louisiana, Department of the Gulf, to December 1864.