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It was Jan. 1913, that Genevieve had chosen to be married. The engagement had only been two weeks and didn't leave much time for preparation. Her father ordered a lace wedding dress from Montgomery Ward, but couldn't attend the wedding. School at Christopher claimed his undivided attention. W. O. Fry, oldest son of J. T. Fry of Ina, had purchased the Mannen Bldg. at Waltonville. It included the Parke Hotel upstairs over it. After purchasing the merchandise necessary to open for business, Orrie felt the need for help. He wrote asking Genevieve to meet him at her Aunt Julia Tippie's in Mt. Vernon, whose husband John Tippie had a wholesale banana business near the Southern R.R. station. There he proposed in these words "I need a cook, I wondered if we could get married in a few days, the merchandise will be in next week and I need help." On Jan. 19, the groom, along with his sister Ethyl and John E. Pope of Benton, arrived by train, a cab took the party to the First Baptist Church on Jordan St., and the ceremony was performed. The new married couple took the 3 o'clock train to Benton, caught another to Christopher, and at 5 a.m. arrived at Waltonville on the C.B.& Q. The bride's lace trimmed hat drooped from the weight of heavy rain, and the gray kid high button shoes were mud ankle deep. At the store door stood Willie McAtee, shaking the latch to get in. He lived two doors to the rear and was always the day's first customer. The couple remained guests of the hotel as long as the Mannens ran it because the hotel's reputation for food and service was good. Travelers wished it to continue, but Genevieve's specialty up to now had been mashed potatoes, Jello, and Angel food cake, all made in her grandmother's kitchen at Ewing, Ill. where she had been living while attending Ewing College. This hardly qualified her as a hotel cook, and travelers soon lost interest in both food and service. Parke hotel was closed forever. They built a new home and there, their three children were born;
Business was almost more than they could handle. They hired as many as 5 clerks. Every Sunday they drove to Ina to discuss business with Orrie's father J. T. Fry. One by one the Fry boys were sent to learn the business. Thomas and his wife moved to Waltonville for a while, Thomas Jr. was born in Waltonville. Hobart worked summers while going to Dental School in St. Louis. Mollie Conlee and Mrs. Reed rented a corner and opened a Millinery Shop. Orrie, wishing to expand, rented the store across the street for furniture and undertaking, and hired Rev. Phillips to manage it. They were successful beyond their fondest dreams. At different times they hired Mrs. Capps, Addie Hirons, and Aline Hirons. A new young clerk was hired to work at the store, and soon became personally involved with Orrie, a separation and divorce occurred and Raymond Fry came to take over the store. Genevieve was moved to Salem, where the three children came down with measles and pneumonia. The grandmother, Nettie Fry came to visit and was surprised to learn that Orrie was in South Dakota as a general salesman for Marshall Fields of Chicago, and the Illinois Casket Co. At that time, the cosmetic business was very profitable, and Genevieve learned the trade from The Burnhams School of Beauty Culture and took a job on a year's Contract for Swartz Brothers Dept. Store in Johnstown, Pa. Several others in the dept. came from Burnhams School in New York. The picture accompanying this story of Genevieve and her children, was taken when she returned home to them from Pa. They stayed at the Emmerson Hotel. John Ralph graduated D.D.S. St. Louis University, practiced dentistry in Mt. Vernon, married Eleanor Schmitt and had John David, Jim and Janic. Jim is a commercial artist, Janic majored in music, and John David is in a research laboratory in a Chicago Hospital. Darwin Henry, got his degree in Dentistry at Illinois University in Chicago, and practiced in Springfield, Ill. He married Phyllis Lowery in Chicago, and has six children:
Gene Margaret worked for Montgomery Ward in Bloomington, Ill. has one daughter Linda Gene Williamson Futrell, voted humanitarian of the year at Ball State, Muncie Ind. last year. Genevieve married Paul C. Breitmeier. *NOTE* Quoted from above text "The picture accompanying this story of Genevieve and her children, was taken when she returned home to them from Pa." end quote Some ommisions may have occured to protect living individuals.
"Facts and Folks A History of Jefferson County, Illinois" |
For corrections or additions, please contact me: Sandy Bauer