[Note - This is Martha Elizabeth "Lizzie" (Daniels) Fryer 
wife of John Holland Fryer.]

Fairfield Recorder
Friday, March 6, 1925

MRS. LIZZIE FRYER PASSED AWAY SUNDAY

Our entire citizenship is grieved at the loss of another of our old
residents, Mrs. Lizzie Fryer, 77 who passed away last Sunday night at the
Fairfield resident in Fairfield.surrounded by her children and friends.
After services by Rev. I. O. Dent interment was in the Fairfield Cemetery in
the presents of a large gathering of our people. An appropriate tribute to
her memory appears else where in this paper.

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Fairfield Recorder, Fairfield Texas
Friday, March 6, 1925

IN MEMORY OF MRS. LIZZIE FRYER

Martha Elizabeth (Daniel) Fryer was born near Canden, Alabama Dec. 31,
1847. She was the daughter of William Francis and Frances Riddle Daniel
and the second child in a family of two sons and two daughters. William
Francis Daniel was true to prevailing tendency in his day. He kept moving
west. He was born and reared in South Carolina. His wifes native state
was Georgia. He too came to Alabama and resided there for a while, but
did not resist the living westward urge. In the winter of 1850-51 now nearly
three quarters of a century ago the family moved to Freestone County in
the same season that this county was born. Mr. Daniel (The original name
of the family was ODaniel) located his plantation three miles east of
the site that was to become Fairfield. The subject of this sketch was then
three years old. In this young wilderness on the edge of civilzation Lizzie
Daniel grew up in a manner after custom of other daughters of the slave
holding class. She was to the manner born and knew naught of ordinary labor.
With the coming of the war the budding young woman began to feel the sting
in necessity and sorrow. Southern feudal society was on its last lap and
brother and friends were off to kill and to be killed in a fratricidal
war. In four years trial by combat southern lights became the lost cause.
Many loved ones were dead, property and class were destroyed. Reconstruction
was being born and gloom settled over the land for decades. Lizzie attended
Fairfield Female College and finished her course about the close of the
war, she then taught school for a year or two in Corsicana. In the midst
of gloom of early reconstruction raise of joy and hope searched out the
good and tender heart. Howother receding smoke a battle came a soldier
boy to Freestone County in the fall of 1867. He was John Holland Fryer,
native of Lawrence District, South Carolina who had moved to Alabama before
the war. Upon the out break of hostilities he had volunteered in an Alabama
Regiment that soon became a part of Robert E. Lees Fighting Forces in
Virgina. In the battle of Gettysburg, he was severly wounded, taken prisoner,
and endured the hardship of 22 months in an over crowded, under feed, neglected
Northern Prison Camp on Johnsons Island, but then less time than two years
from the day he came to Freestone John Holland Fryer, had won Elizabeth
Daniel for his bride and had bought the old home place for their home.
Mr. and Mrs. Fryer were married Jan. 21, 1869 at the old plantation home
now known as Fryers Spring. Their honeymoon was spent in Alabama and on
the return to Freestone, the husbands immediate family came with them.
To this union were born five children: Albert Sydney, Clara, Frances, George
William, and John Holland Jr. all of whom survive the father while three
survive the mother. The family circle remained unbroken for 12 years, then
the father died. Mrs Fryer, with the love and help of relatives and friends,
but mostly through her own unconquerable energy took up the stern battle
of feeding, clothing and properly rearing five little children, but let
it be said to her credit that she accomplished well the task in a manner
crediable and cheerful. Until Nov. 1903 she continued her residents at
the home place, then moved to the home of her daughter, Mrs. A. J. Browne.
With her she lived until the summer of 1909 at which time she went to make
her home with her other children in Fairfield where she continued her residents
until the time of her death, March 1, 1925. To portray accurately the life
and character of Mrs. Fryer is to great an accomplishmnent for any except
an artists pen. The sweet consistency of her christian life is a perpetual
stinulus to christian pilgrams who have felt her gentleness. In the prime
of womanhood she united with the Sounthern Methodist Church at Mt. Zion.
With this congregation she continued membership until she came to make
her home in Fairfield to which congregation her affiliation was moved.
Her understanding of life and her active forward looking was proverbial
yet so modest was she in speech and so under demonstrative in her acts
that many who sought her philosophy in living thirsted for more. She knew
hardships and difficulties intimately not asobstacles to be despaired over
but as battles to be won with the right good grace. The ease with which
she accomplished this in her manner of forgetting it straitway was unusal
to most of us who are accustomed to remind others of our accomplishments.
She was a practical woman and accustomed to saying and doing the right
thing at the right time. The mutal love and admiration between her and
her children was indicative of succesful parethood and family life. The
contribution to society was worthy and unselfishly given in the society
which she touched bowed in token of respect and smiled with pleasant and
grateful remembrance. She was never well for any length of time for the
past three years, yet she never dispaired nor resigned her keen insight
into the reasons for the past and the developments for the present. Her
active acquaintance with every topic of news was uninterpreted up until
a week of her death. Since her hearing was defected she enjoyed a most
intimate companionship with standard and most approved newspapers and
periodicals.
This literally literary association kept her alive till the living present.
With the passing of three scorn seventeen years she grew wary and tired.
Life had been given to her that she might accomplish a plan. She fought
a good fight, kept the faith and finished the course. The unparalelled
attention, love and admiration of her most devoted children, the love and
admiration of relatives and friends could not keep her here any longer.
Rest time had come with the last backlash of winters chill age extended
its self to an extremity. With the breaking of earthly spring time her
spirit freed itself into spring eternal. On the lords day, late in the
evening, it was fitting that grandmother should go home.

Her Grandson