| CLIMBING THE BROWN
FAMILY TREE
by: Brenda Brown Lasko Chapter 9 The Helms and Fryman Families Before continuing with the family of George Brown, I feel some mention should be made of the Helms and Fryman families. They are also direct bloodlines in my family in several places. At this point I haven't done a great deal of research on many of the descendants of either family but will give at least a little insight into both families. Benoni Helms and his wife, Rachel, came to Belmont County from Virginia. We know very little about their lives before coming to Ohio. Family history tells us that Rachel's maiden name was Cross but the research of several other people have concluded her name was actually Moore and her father's name was Daniel Moore. There is not much to prove either theory at this point so I am inclined to stick with the family history and let her remain a Cross in my records until proven otherwise. The Helms are believed to be of German descent and so far no one has been able to get back farther in their history than Benoni. We know he was born about 1788 in Virginia and married Rachel about 1814. She was also born in Virginia according to census information. The couple came to Belmont County before 1830 and were found in Washington Township at that time. They were the parents of 11 known children. The time and place of their death is not known. The last record we have of them is the census of 1860 York Township, Belmont County, Ohio. Benoni was 72 and Rachel was 66 at the time and their daughter, Melinda, and 2 of her children were living in the same household. One would assume they probably finished their lives in Belmont County but I haven't found where they were buried. The children of Benoni and Rachel: 1. Daniel Helms, born in 1814 in Virginia was married three times. His first wife's name was not known but she bore him 3 children before her death around 1842.
2. Miss Helms, born about 1817 in Virginia. Nothing else is known about this child. It is possible that she died very young. 3. Isaiah Helms, born in 1819 in Virginia was married to Sarah Gates on March 25, 1849 in Belmont County, Ohio. They were the parents of 9 known children. One of their children, Lewis Helms, born in 1863, is remembered by my father. He told of a time when Lewis was on in years and living in the County Home, came and spent a few days in my grandparents home. After he left they found he had left them some little visitors commonly called bedbugs. My grandmother, Bessie, was probably one of the cleanest women in the world and wasn't happy to find such unwanted pestilence in her home but she understood Lewis was not to blame for the poor conditions in the County Home. My father has Isaiah's discharge papers from the Civil War so we know he spent time in the Ohio Militia during that period in history. The place and date of Isaiah and Sarah's death are not known. 4. Nancy Ann Helms, born on February 9, 1822 in Randolph County, (West) Virginia and married Andrew Garlock on March 22, 1849, and were the parents of 8 known children. Nearly all of this family went to Nebraska around 1880. Andrew died in Webster County, Nebraska in 1888 and Nancy remained in the same place and died there in 1922. 5. Wilson Helms, born in 1823 in Virginia married Mary Ann Smith on September 28, 1845 in Belmont County, Ohio and they were the parents of 2 known children. I have no other information on this family. 6. Joseph Helms was born in 1825 in Virginia. There is the possibility that this child's name is incorrect. Records show that a son was born to Benoni and Rachel on this date but the name is not proven or is it known what happened to this child. In the 1850 census of Belmont County, listed in the household of Lydia Brown, Abel's widow, was a Joseph "Homes" born in 1825. He was listed as being "simple" indicating that he was not of normal intelligence. In the same census Rachel Helms was living with her brother-in-law, George Brown and her name was misspelled as "Homes" also. I came to the conclusion this Joseph "Holms" was the son of Benoni and Rachel Helms but there is no proof. 7. Mary Helms, born on July 25, 1830 in Virginia and married George Brown on October 6, 1849. The story of them and their 16 children follows this chapter. 8. Sarah Helms, born on June 2, 1832 in Belmont County, Ohio married Henry Fryman on September 22, 1850. The details of this couple and their 11 children will continue at the end of the list of the Helms children. 9. Malinda Helms was born in January 1835 in Belmont County. Her life was pretty unconventional for the time she lived. She was never married and is never found living with anyone other than her children in any of the census records. She had 8 known children and they had a variety of last names including, Brown, Cross and Taylor. My father told me the place she lived was on Town Run Road and was always known as Malindy Hollow. I have found no record of what became of any of her children. Malinda died in 1903 in Belmont County. 10. Rachel E. Helms, born in 1836 in Belmont County, married Isaac Henry Richison on September 23, 1859 and were the parents of 8 known children. This family later began spelling their name as Richardson. Their youngest daughter was Bessie E. Richardson born in 1979 and lived until 1963. Isaac died in 1920. Rachel in 1925 and both are buried in the Powhatan Cemetery. 11. John Helms was born in 1839 in Belmont County, Ohio. I have no other information on this child. Henry Fryman was born on December 28, 1818 in Germany, the son of John Fryman. I have no idea when Henry first came to America or how many siblings were in his family. On September 22, 1850, he married Sarah Helms, daughter of Benoni Helms and Rachel Cross. They were the parents of 11 known children. The one thing about Henry Fryman I recall hearing more about than anything else was his temper. A "Henry Fryman Fit" became an expression used by anyone who descended from or knew the Frymans. Any child who threw a temper tantrum was said to be having a Fryman Fit. One story about Henry shows his hot headed German temperament. During a severe thunderstorm he ran into the yard and dared God to strike him with lightening. I believe the story says he shook his fist at the sky and said "Come on and strike Old Hen a lick if you dare." Obviously God had mercy on him and he lived to have many more years of fit throwing. He died in 1902 and Sarah died in 1910, both in Belmont County. The children of Henry Fryman and Sarah Helms are: 1. Melinda Fryman was born on September 3, 1851 and died on July 12, 1854. 2. George Washington Fryman was born on May 28, 1853 and married Mary Bennett. 3. Thomas Jefferson Fryman was born on March 28, 1855 and was one of a set of twin boys. 4. Benjamin Franklin Fryman, the other twin, also born on March 28, 1855 died on January 12, 1857. 5. Rachel W. Fryman was born on May 28, 1857 and married Andrew Doty. She died on November 22, 1936. 6. Ithamer P. Fryman was born on September 29, 1859 and was married at least twice. His first wife died young and he married a woman named Rachel who died in 1941. 7. William Henry Fryman was born on March 18, 1861 and was married to Barbara Wiss. 8. Mary Elizabeth Fryman was born on June 14, 1862 and married Jacob Bellville about 1883. Mary and Jacob are my maternal great-grandparents and were the parents of 10 known children. Jacob was born in December of 1859 and was the son of Jacob and Caroline Bellville. Two of their children link into the genealogy of my children's lineage. The children of Mary E. Fryman and Jacob Bellville:
9. Anna Belle Fryman was born on June 14, 1865, and married James A. Doty about 1893. One of their children, Gilbert Doty, was one of a set of twin boys born in 1896. Gilbert's stepdaughter, Wilda, married Lewis Doty, son of Celesta Jennie Bellville and Arch Doty. Anna Bell died on February 14, 1916. 10. Barbara Jane Fryman was born on March 2, 1869, and married Andrew Burton Brown, son of Abel Brown and Clara Stewart. There were two children born before they divorced. Barbara was married to a Faulsticks and then to Curtis Baker, son of Daniel Baker and Sarah Helms. (Curtis was a brother of Oda F. Baker and Brady Baker.) 11. John Alexander Fryman was born on November 20, 1871 and was married at least once that I know of. In the census of 1910 he was married to Ella (maiden name is not known) and they were the parents of one son, William, born in 1907. John was my great-uncle and the only one of the Frymans I can remember. Uncle John lived in a one room cottage on my Grandfather Bellville's property during the years that I knew him. He was an interesting old fellow and my father used to visit him on a regular basis. He often took fresh game that Uncle John loved. More than anything you could bring, he liked the company and someone to listen to his tales. I have heard so many stories about Uncle John it would almost take a book just for them. The most vivid recollections I have of this fascinating old man, places him on his little porch with his feet propped up on the banister, listening to his radio. He whittled little trinkets for all of us children who came to visit him. On one of the last visits my dad and I made to see Uncle John, he said he had a present for me. He pulled an old Clover Brand Salve jar off the shelf and handed it to me. He had filled it with pennies and, although there was probably less than fifty cents in that little jar, it was a special gift. Uncle John had very little, if any, money and little of anything else for that matter, so those pennies were worth more than gold. He lived alone and took care of himself until he was into his 90's. When he was no longer able take care of himself, my Grandmother Bellville cooked and cared for him until he had to be hospitalized. He died just a few days later at the age of 94. I hope to learn more about the Frymans as the research into different branches of my family continues. There was a Sara Fryman who married Leonard Haught, a brother of Christine Haught. (Christina was the wife of Charles Morton Brown, the son of George and Mary Helms Brown. She is my paternal great-grandmother.) It has also been suspected Henry Fryman may have been married before his marriage to Sarah Helms. Henry was 24 years older than Sarah and there are several Frymans in the census records of Belmont County who lived near Henry. They were the right age to have been his sons but Sarah was too young to have been their mother. I have no information on him before he married Sarah except he was placed in Washington County, Ohio in the 1850 census and was a farm hand at the time. This information came from Mrs. James Brown and she feels this may be why Henry's brother-in-law, George Brown eventually went to Washington County. Index 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Epilogue
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