So far we have been able to trace our Alonzo Fradenburg back to his parents - William Henry FRADENBURGH Sr. and Lydia HORTON. An old, scribbled note by Alonzo in 1927 tells of his mother being a Horton and "her mother was Elsbery." We are still unable to make a connection between any Horton and an Elsbery, Elsbree or Ellsberry. Alonzo's spelling was not the best - most words were spelled just as they sounded - so we aren't sure of the name. If you think you might have a connection, please let us know. Alonzo also told of his parents' families being from Dutchess County, NY. We have no doubts of them coming from the early Dutch families coming to the U.S. many years ago but it must be proven and a real connection made.

The Family of William Henry Fradenburgh Sr.
and Lydia Horton

          Family Group Sheet May 2, 1998

        FAMILY OF William Henry FRADENBURGH Sr. AND Lydia E. HORTON

        William Henry FRADENBURGH Sr.
          b ca. 1808 Dutchess Co, NY
          d after 1880 prob NY or NE

          Lydia E. HORTON Fradenburgh
          b ca. 1813/1814 NY
          d before 1880
          Her Father: (Lydia's father) HORTON
          Her Mother: (Lydia's mother) ELSBEARY/ELSBREE Horton

               CHILDREN
        1. Alonzo FRADENBURG
          b 16 Oct 1842 Lial, Broome Co, NY
          d 16 Apr 1931 Ridgefield, Clark, WA
          m Amelia Wilhelmina "Minnie" RYF/RYFF Fradenburg 01 Jun 1873 Harrison,
          Kandiyohi, MN

        2. Andrew FRADENBURGH
          b ca. 1843 NY
          m Henrietta F. ______? Fradenburgh

        3. Catherine FRADENBURGH
b ca 1845 NY

        4. William Henry FRADENBURGH Jr.
          b 18 Aug 1848 Triangle, Broome, NY
          d 21 Aug 1940 Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
          m Irene DIAMOND Fradenburg Jan 1882 Ord, Valley, NE
          other marriages 2: Lucy A. JOHNSON Fradenburg

Two brothers - William H. Jr. & Alonzo Fradenburg

Family of
William H. Fradenburgh Jr.
and
Irene Diamond

William Henry FRADENBURGH Jr.
Born: 18 Aug 1848 Triangle, Broome, New York
Died: 21 Aug 1940 Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Married: Jan 1882 Ord, Valley, Nebraska (Div)
Other Spouse: Lucy A. JOHNSON
Married: 26 Mar 1898 Fern Hill, Pierce, Washington (Div)
Husband's father William Henry FRADENBURGH Sr.
Husband's mother Anna Lydia/Lidia E. HORTON

Irene DIAMOND
Born: 27 Sep 1865 Arcadia, Valley, Nebraska,
Died: 11 Mar 1930 Monterey, Monterey, California

CHILDREN
Charles Lester FRADENBURG
M
Born: 7 Nov 1881 Ord, Valley, Nebraska,
Died: 26 Aug 1932 Tacoma, Pierce, Washington
Spouse: Elizabeth Mary ULTICAN "Lizzie"
Married: 30 Oct 1903 Aberdeen, Chehalis, Washington
Four children.

Delbert Roy FRADENBURG
M
Born: 2 Mar 1885 Ord, Valley, Nebraska
Died: 7 Jul 1964 San Diego, San Diego, California
Spouse: Florence Ethel WILLARD (Div)
Spouse: Lottie HURD
Married: 14 Dec 1910 Montesano, Chehalis, Washington
One child.

James L. FRADENBURG
M
Born: 15 Sep 1891 Ord, Valley, Nebraska
Died: 11 Jun 1953 Los Angeles County, California
Spouse: Gertrude MEUTZI
Two children.

Rock star Kurt Cobain was a great great
grandson of William Henry Fradenburgh Jr.
His great grandfather was Charles Lester Fradenburg.

The family of
Alonzo Fradenburg
and Minnie Ryff.

Alonzo FRADENBURG
Born: 16 Oct 1842 Lial, Broome Co, New York
Died: 16 Apr 1931 Ridgefield, Clark, Washington
Married: 1Jun 1873 Harrison, Kandiyohi, Minnesota
Husband's father: William Henry FRADENBURGH Sr.
Husband's mother: Anna Lydia/Lidia E. HORTON

Amelia Wilhelmina "Minnie" RYFF
Born: 11 Feb 1858 Harrison Twp, Meeker, Minnesota
Died: 16 Jan 1921 Ridgefield, Clark, Washington
Wife's father: Jacob RYFF
Wife's mother: Amalia/Amelia Augusta F�RSTER

CHILDREN
A J FRADENBURG
M
Single
Born: 29 Mar 1874 Arcadia, Valley, Nebraska
Died: 12 Mar 1943 Vancouver, Clark, Washington

Hugh Alonzo FRADENBURG
M
Born: 22 Mar 1876 Arcadia, Nebraska
Died: 22 Feb 1963 Ridgefield, Clark, Washington
Spouse: Maisy Helen FLYNN
Married: 25 Mar 1912 Grand Island, Nebraska
Two children.

Samuel Edgar FRADENBURG
M
Born: 6 Feb 1878 Arcadia, Nebraska
Died: 11 Nov 1972 Nampa, Idaho - Canyon Hill Cemetery
Spouse: Dora Marion VAN ATTA
Married: 5 Nov 1905 Brush Prairie, Clark, Washington (DIV)
Spouse: Hannah BUSSARD
Married: 1934 Idaho
Three children.

Ella May FRADENBURG
F
Born: 29 Mar 1879 Arcadia, Valley, Nebraska
Died: 27 Jul 1952 Arcadia, Valley, Nebraska
Spouse: Jerome WOODY
Married: 26 Nov 1900 Arcadia, Valley, Nebraska
Four children.

Ina Elvina FRADENBURG
F
Born: 5 Nov 1880 Arcadia, Valley, Nebraska
Died: 24 Jul 1956 Eureka, Humboldt, Ca
Spouse: Joseph Francis WILSON
Married: 2 Dec 1897 Arcadia, Valley, Nebraska
Six children.

Lydia E. FRADENBURG
F
Born: 1 Apr 1882 Arcadia, Valley, Nebraska
Died: 13 Apr 1942 San Diego, California
Spouse: George JOHNSON
Married: Arcadia, Valley, Nebraska
Five children.

Lena R. FRADENBURG
F
Born: 26 Nov 1883 Arcadia, Valley, Nebraska
Died: 22 Aug 1884 Arcadia, Valley, Nebraska

Lura Helen FRADENBURG
F
Born: 23 Jun 1885 Arcadia, Valley, Nebraska
Died: 26 Feb 1973 Vancouver, Clark, Washington
Spouse: Charles Edward CLIQUE
Married: 30 Sep 1906 Ridgefield (Sara), Clark, Washington
Buried: Park Hill Cemetery, Vancouver, Clark, Washington
Three children, one died at birth.

Clara Etta FRADENBURG
F
Born: 13 Jan 1887 Arcadia, Valley, Nebraska
Died: 24 Jan 1978 Ridgefield, Clark, Washington
Spouse: Ray DUBACK
Married: 28 Oct 1906 Ridgefield (Sara), Clark, Washington
Buried: Park Hill Cemetery, Vancouver, Clark, Washington
Three children

James Russell FRADENBURG
M
Single
Born: 1 Oct 1888 Arcadia, Valley, Nebraska
Died: 5 Dec 1924 Vancouver, Clark, Washington
Buried: Park Hill Cemetery, Vancouver, Clark, Washington

Anna Reta FRADENBURG
F
Born: 30 Mar 1890 Arcadia, Valley, Nebraska
Died: 10 Feb 1974 Vancouver, Clark, Washington
Buried: Evergreen Memorial Gardens, Vancouver, Washington
Spouse: Joseph Lewis ERLER
Married: 8 Sep 1909 Vancouver, Clark, Washington (DIV)
Spouse: Ora Courtland SERGEANT
Married: 1 Jun 1923 Ridgefield, Clark, Washington
Two children

Nettie Pearl FRADENBURG
F
Born: 5 Oct 1891 Arcadia, Valley, Nebraska
Died: 29 May 1982 Tillamook, Or
Spouse: Tracy B. PRICHARD
Married: 28 Dec 1924 Vancouver, Clark, Washington
No children.

Edith Edna Beryl FRADENBURG
F
Born: 22 Jan 1895 Arcadia, Valley, Nebraska
Died: 12 May 1967 Portland, Multnomah, Oregon
Spouse: Ernest HOUSE
Married: 7 Sep 1918 Vancouver, Clark, Washington
One child

The first child of Alonzo and Minnie had the shortest name A J - and the last child had the longest name Edith Edna Beryl. The name of A J was possibly in honor of Alonzo and Jacob or maybe he actually did have a "real" name - rather than initials. We've never found a birth record for him.

Life History of Alonzo Fradenburg

(This story was written in 1924 by Alonzo Fradenburg. It has been typed in his words with some of the spelling corrected.)


     I, Alonzo Fradenburg, was born October 16, 1842 near Lial, Broom County, New York. Moved to Ononaga County near a town that was then called Canton Canal, now changed to Memphis, twelve miles west of Syracuse, New York in the year of our Lord 1861, while Father was in California. Father returned back March 1861.

     My fathers' people were born in Dutchess County, New York, the same with my mother, also my grandfather on my mothers' side whose name was Horton, her mothers' name was Elsbeary.

     I enlisted in the United States Army on the 3rd day of August 1862. The
28th we moved to Washington, DC, joined the Potomac Army near Harpers Ferry under McClullum on the forst battle field at south Mountain, Maryland just at dark, September 15, 1862. We were near what proved to be the battle field of Anteatom which was fought the 17th, 1862, in the morning. Before heights when we were ordered back to the battlefield after dark. After the battle was over when we learned that McClullum had given the enemy a truce for 24 hours to take care of their wounded and bury their dead, but did not do that, but got across the river instead, out of our reach.

     After going through many hard battles and scrimmishes mustered out of the army in June 1865, went home and stayed with the folks until April 1866, then went to Minnesota, in Kandiyohi County, got married the first day of June 1873, to Minnie Ryff. Moved to Nebraska October 1873. The first three years there the grasshoppers ate every thing we tried to raise.

     In the fall of 1876, five of my neighbors and myself thought we would go trapping to try to get something to live on. We went up Nyebrary river about the month of December. We found we weren't doing anything for the Indians had taken everything, so in January 1877, I started alone, and afoot for home. I started for camp and reached the first place alright, at a point on the head waters of Pine Creek, where there was Pine Willow brush, the fire had run through and killed. This was just at the edge of the Sand Hills which is about 30 miles across it to North Loup. At crossing the Sand Hills it turned cloudy and I was in there 2 days and 2 nights longer than I ought to have been. I found myself turned around three different times going the wrong direction. In the morning I got out of the Sand Hills, I found that my feet were freezing, but kept going thinking I could get them warm by traveling.

     I was then about 75 miles from settlement. I got into a settlement and found a man that I knew, named Goodnow. I got there about Friday noon thawed my feet out there, and next morning started for Middle Loup where I lived. Got home Saturday night about midnight not able to stand any weight on my feet. It was the 11th of January. My feet were amputated the 2nd day of February 1877 by a surgeon at Kearney, 50 miles away, whose name was Dill Dine.

     We raised our family of twelve children, moved and landed at Orting, Washington in April 1903. In February 1904, we moved to Clarke County, Washington, first at Battle Ground, then Brush Prairie, from there we moved to Sara, where I am scribbling this 5th day of March, 1924.

Tales from long ago

The following are quotes from Them Was The Days, a story about the life of Mont Hawthorne which was written in 1950 by Martha Ferguson McKeown. Mont was born in 1865 in Pennsylvania and the family eventually moved to Virginia and then on to Nebraska where they were friends and neighbors of our Fradenburg family. This refers to Alonzo as Lou but it's changed here to Lon because that is probably the nickname he used. Mont was 84 when this story was written and he was living in the Hood River Valley in Oregon. It is written exactly as he told the story to his niece Martha.


(Page 106)
     * * * The meeting was held at Fredinburgs' place. The Fredinburgs was two brothers who had filed on adjoining claims in close to the sandhills, and quite a piece from the trail to the Black Hills where we was living. Lon Fredinburg had a whole houseful of children. His brother was a widower, and lived with him. * * *

     The men decided we'd better take time out to work on a stockade, so's we'd be ready if an attack come. Widower Fredinburg had the most likely spot for it because there was a little knoll on his place. * * *

(Page 232)
     * * * Lon Fredinsburg, who'd been a real good neighbor of ours from the time we first moved to Nebraska, was away from home at the time of the killing of Mitchell and Ketcham. None of us had made a real crop that year on account of the drought, so as soon as harvest was over, Lon went to trapping. Him and four other fellows had spent the winter in the north central part of the state up around the lakes and on Long Pine Creek, where the canyon is deep and wide. They done so well the other boys didn't want to start for home. But Lon had promised his wife that he'd be home by the first of March for spring planting, and she'd worry if he didn't show. (Cont. next page)

(Page 233) So he sold his furs to a trading post up there, and waited for a real clear day before he struck off for home alone. He got along fine the first day, but that night the snow begun to fall. Then come a freeze. He was lost for five days and his feet froze on him. Lon knowed he didn't dare let his feet thaw until he got to help, so he kept on stumbling along, night and day. When he did have to lie down to rest, he'd roll his blanket around the rest of him, but he always left his feet out so they wouldn't thaw.

     Lon didn't have no idea where he was going, except that he was following along downstream. Finally he come to some fellows out hunting. They took him to Fort Hartsuff, where there was an army doctor, and he went right to work on Lon, cutting off both his feet before gangrene set in. Lee Heron knowed we was friends, so he rode over from the fort and got Mama to go with him to break the news to Mrs. Fredinsburg and the children. Then when Lon was well enough to come home, Father went over in the wagon and brung him back. After his legs healed up, Lon tried to farm his homestead, but it was blamed hard for him to get along, stumping around without no feet. So the Fredinsburgs left Arcadia and moved on farther west, hoping to find some work for Lon that wouldn't take so much walking.

     Mrs. Fredinsburg and Mama kept writing to each other. Them women that homesteaded out there in Nebraska, and helped each other when their children was being born, got to be real good friends. The Fredinsburgs ended up at Battle Ground, Washington, and that ain't very far from here. The Browns settled down below us here in the Willamette Valley. A lot of them families that homesteaded in Nebraska never quit moving until they hit the West Coast. * * * *

Click here for the Vredenburg Genealogy site.
This site contains lots of information about the Van Vredenburgh family from Holland. We still haven't connected our William Henry Fradenburgh to this line but have no doubt about our relationship to them and feel it's only a matter of time until we prove it.

Contact Pat Bauer by email at:
apmb98642 at gmail.com

Last modified on Tuesday, September 06, 2016