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NELIGH LEADER
NELIGH REGISTER
CLAY COUNTY JOURNAL
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CHINO CHAMPION
Charles Henry Frady
August 4, 1875-March 29, 1943
Bertha Belle Dunkin Frady
March 24, 1876-September 6, 1943(As compiled by Steven R. Frady as of January 5, 1995)
Charles Henry Frady was one of six children born to George Robert Frady (September 17, 1854-May 23, 1944) and Harriet Eliza Clark Frady (March 31, 1855-April 23, 1928), who were married at Newhome, Bates County, Missouri on May 25, 1874:
Charles Henry Frady, born at Pierce, Pierce County, Nebraska, August 4, 1875, married Bertha Belle Dunkin December 23, 1896, died March 29, 1943 in Chino, California; Laura Alice Frady, born January 17, 1877 at Knoxville, Missouri, married John Lamson October 2, 1904, died May 20, 1942 in Neligh, Antelope County, Nebraska; George Calvin Frady, born Mary 25, 1879 at Ft. Scott, Kansas, married Nina Ida Keyes, October 28, 1903, died Thanksgiving Day, 1926 in Neligh, Antelope County, Nebraska; Harry Chester Frady, born July 16, 1883 at Ft. Scott, Kansas, married Margaret Hickman, February 24, 1909, died at Neligh, Nebraska, May 29, 1949; Herbert Arthur Frady, born December 3, 1885 at Bazille Mills, Nebraska, married Rachel Anderson, January 29, 1914, died while on vacation at Yosemite National Park, California, in July of 1959 (exact date unknown at this time); Walter A. Frady, born December 26, 1889 at Neligh, Antelope County, Nebraska, married Mildred Scattergood, September 3, 1913 (divorced October of 1924); married Freida Lucretia Biesicker, June 8, 1929 (no date or place of death for Walter known at this time).
Bertha Belle Dunkin was one of three children born to Edwin Bowden Dunkin (born June 29, 1852 in Cornwall England, died September 19, 1906 in Scottsbluff, Nebraska) and Caroline Eddy Dunkin (born April 15, 1857 on a farm near Morengo, McHenry County, Illinois, died August 10, 1911 in Oakdale, Nebraska) who were married July 26, 1875 in Gibbon, Buffalo County, Nebraska.
Their children were: Ann Eva Dunkin (no date or place of birth known at this time, died September 12, 1943) who married Elmer L. Howell, Sr.; Bertha Belle Dunkin, born March 24, 1876 at Gibbon, Buffalo County, Nebraska, married Charles Henry Frady December 23, 1896, died September 6, 1943 in Pasadena, California; and Earl Van Dunkin, born June 5, 1878 in Scandia, Kansas, married Josie Rapp, June 28, 1905, died August 26,1934 near Wood River, Nebraska.
According to information compiled by Klyda Dunkin Winn, daughter of Earl Van Dunkin, Bertha Dunkin's childhood was filled with the experiences of a pioneer family. The Dunkin family were early settlers at Gibbon, Nebraska. Edwin Dunkin, had been a blacksmith in the Copper mines of Vermont until 1871, when he moved to Nebraska and worked on the cattle range until 1875, after which he became a commercial traveler. The family remained in Gibbon, Nebraska, except for a short time in Kansas, until September of 1883. At that time Edwin Dunkin moved his family to Tyndall, South Dakota, but after about 18 months there, moved again to Springfield, South Dakota, where he opened a blacksmith shop which continued until 1890. After accepting a position as a traveling representative of the Consolidated Coffee Co. of Omaha (and later with the Walter G. Clark Co., also of Omaha), Edwin Dunkin moved his family again to Neligh, Nebraska where Bertha Belle Dunkin continued her education, graduating from Neligh High School with the class of 1894. According to Klyda Dunkin Winn, except for very short intervals, Neligh remained home for the family.
Bertha Dunkin's mother, Caroline "Carrie" Eddy, was very active in the various societies of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Neligh. While the Methodist Episcopal Church was being built in Neligh church services were held in the Eddy home, starting a life-long association with church activities for Bertha Belle Dunkin.
According to his obituary, Charles Henry Frady was the "first white child" born at Pierce, Nebraska, August 4, 1875. George's older brother, Charles Henry Frady a Civil War veteran, for whom George's son was named, had pioneered Pierce, locating land there in 1871 and serving as civil engineer/surveyor for Pierce County, 1871-1873. In 1873, he was named superintendent of public instruction for the county and had purchased a one and a half story structure from H.R. Mewis, operating it as a hotel. Although George Frady is known to have worked on railroad crews and as a cowboy during his life, he was primarily a farmer and may have homesteaded property in this area and or operated the hotel for his brother. By 1877, George Frady had moved his family to Fort Scott, Kansas, where his daughter, Laura Alice Frady and sons George Calvin Frady and Harry Chester Frady were born. Early in the summer of 1884, George Frady moved his family to Neligh, Nebraska, but later in the year moved to a "preemption" or homestead grant 2.5 miles north of Bazille Mills, in Knox County, Nebraska, north of Neligh. At the time, George's brother, Charles Henry Frady, was engaged as a traveling missionary, and also operated a hotel in the small town.
In February of 1888, 13-year old Charles Henry Frady moved with his family back to Neligh where George purchased a farm near the town. Little is known of the education of Charles Henry Frady. His niece, Harriet Lamson Crowell, says her mother, Laura Alice Frady Lamson, only completed third grade. The 1984 "History of Antelope County 1868-1985" lists the graduates of Neligh High School, but Charles Henry Frady is not listed among them, and it is assumed at this time that his education was limited to that offered in the elementary schools in the various towns where he lived.
In 1890, 15-year-old Charles Henry Frady began a 63-year newspaper career by joining the Neligh Leader. In 1894, 19-year old Charles Henry Frady entered into his first venture of newspaper ownership as a partner with Jesse A. Rice in the publication of the Clay County Journal at Harvard, Nebraska. This venture was brief, and Charles soon returned to his newspaper career in Neligh, this time at the Neligh Register.
On December 23, 1896, Charles Henry Frady and Bertha Belle Dunkin were married in Neligh by Rev. William Gorst, then presiding elder of the Neligh District, North Nebraska Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Their children were: Edwin Robert Frady, born October 30, 1897 in Neligh, Nebraska, married Veta Belle Wagner on June 3, 1920, died April 9, 1961 in Chino, California; Harriet Belle Frady, born July 19, 1899 in Neligh, Nebraska, married Oliver Bennett Hayes July 31, 1917, died in Pasadena, California late 1950's early 1960's (exact date unknown at this time); Ned Dunkin Frady, born January 31, 1904 in Oakdale, Nebraska, married Florence Roxy Grubb in Neligh, Nebraska in 1924, died July 2, 1957 in the Shasta Trinity National Forest in California; Dale Bowden Frady, born April 26, 1914 in Oakdale, Nebraska, married Martha Williams August 1, 1936 in Los Angeles, California, died June 15, 1996, in San Luis Obispo, California.
While Bertha Belle Dunkin Frady continued her work with various church organizations, Charles began work on his family's history, work that continued until his death. Other activities included participating in theatrical productions at the Neligh Opera House. On Friday evening, May 12, 1899, he was part of the cast of "Queen Esther," a musical production which included his sister-in-law, Anne Eva Dunkin, in one of the starring musical roles as "Zeresh." Charles is listed as one of the soldiers in the play and also as "Herald."
By January of 1904, Charles and Bertha Frady and their family had moved to Oakdale, Nebraska where he began working at the Oakdale Sentinel. In August of 1905, he purchased the newspaper which had published its first edition on June 25, 1887 under publisher S. Clingman. The Oakdale Sentinel ceased publication April 17, 1958. On July 28, 1905, the Oakdale Sentinel reported, "Chas. Frady came down from Neligh, Tuesday, and again Thursday, and closed a deal by which he takes possession of the Sentinel next Monday. F. W. Shively, who has managed the Sentinel for over a year, will move to Clearwater where he has accepted the position of principal of schools." In his farewell editorial in the same edition Shively wrote, "As this will be our last issue of the Sentinel, we wish to take this opportunity to bid the people of Oakdale farewell. We have sold the Sentinel to Chas. Frady, who will take possession next Monday. Mr. Frady needs no recommendation from us as he is known throughout Antelope county as a most able newspaper man and an honorable and upright business man. He has been connected with the Neligh Leader for many years, until this spring, when he became involved in the business of the Neligh Register. We congratulate our patrons in getting so desirable a man to publish the Sentinel and we hope that you will give him a warm welcome to Oakdale and show your appreciation of his efforts by a liberal patronage.
"Remember that no one needs the glad hand, the cheerful word, or the hard-earned dollar more than the man who is struggling to give you a good local paper and promote the interests of your town. He has many hard problems to deal with whose weight and influence cannot be measured in money values. He is in such close touch with the public that he feels every quiver of its pulse, and is often effected by matters purely personal as though they were of public moment. Consequently his position is difficult at the best, and despite all your praise and appreciation his prospects will often be discouraging.
"Therefore we recommend you to give Mr. Frady a cordial welcome both in society and in business and do not stop here, but give him your patronage and support as long as he prints your paper. Read his paper and pay for it. Give him your printing to do---do not buy it of Uncle Sam, get it printed by the Hammond Printing Co., or use some cheap John stuff that your wholesale house furnishes. 'Stick by him' and treat him right, and 'he will do you good.'"
"We wish to thank your patrons for their liberal patronage and the kindly interest which they have shown for the welfare of the Sentinel. We feel that we are indebted to you and not only for this but for the chapter you have helped to fill in a life perhaps more varied than interesting. We also wish to thank some of our citizens for the persistent cussedness and egotism which they have displayed for our special amusement. Although some of this has served to diminish our exchequer, we feel that the genuine pleasure it has afforded will more than balance the account. And now we bid you one and all farewell."
Charles Henry Frady set the tone for the Oakdale Sentinel in his first edition of August 4, 1905, writing, "Following the old time-honored custom, we presume it is necessary for us to make some sort of an introductory statement in this our first issue of the Sentinel. Our one aim and purpose is to print a newspaper that will represent Oakdale and her interests, and if we succeed in this we shall be satisfied. While the editor of this paper is a republican in politics, we do not propose to fill the paper week after week with political matter that will be offensive to those who hold opposite views. We want every citizen of Oakdale to be a friend of the Sentinel that we may have their support in making it a representative paper. If we all work together in harmony for the best interests of our little city, the present prosperous condition of affairs is certain to continue. Things done for public good will surely react to the benefit of the individual. Hoping this paper will meet your approval, and thanking all for the very cordial reception which has been accorded us, we are Very truly yours, Chas. H. Frady."
Charles' oldest son, Edwin Robert Frady, learned typesetting at 7 years of age under the tutelage of his father at the Neligh Register and Oakdale Sentinel, starting yet another newspaper career that would span 57 years.
On September 19, 1906, Bertha Frady's father, Edwin Bowden Dunkin, was killed in a train accident in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Caroline "Carrie" Dunkin kept her home in Neligh, but when she became ill, moved to Oakdale where she died in the home of her son-in-law and daughter, Bertha Belle Dunkin Frady on August 10, 1911.
Charles Frady put his energies into the newspaper and various Oakdale community activities. The community's fire protection was vested in an informal organization in 1906, but in 1907 Charles Henry Frady served as chairman of the organization of the Oakdale Fire Department, and was elected vice president of the Organization on October 21, 1907. The minutes of the Oakdale Fire Department, although somewhat "sparse," list him on the rolls of 1907, April through June of 1908, April 1913, October 1914, March 1915, and again with an entry date of August 6, 1919 to "serve five years" (such entries in fire department records usually show payment of dues in advance. The drill attendance record for the second year of the organization, 1908, show him as an active member of the department, missing only one drill. In addition, the minutes indicate he served on numerous committees including one appointed by President George E. Nies "to meet with the village board to provide for getting necessary fire tools. . ."
On July 22, 1907, he joined other citizens to form the Oakdale Cemetery Association, serving as its first secretary and clerk, a position held until October 19, 1923. During this time considerable improvements were accomplished at the cemetery. In February of 1914, a committee consisting of Charles Frady, A.J. Leach and J.S. Stringfellow was appointed to work with the Grand Army of the Republic Post to complete plans for a monument to those who had served in the Union Army during the Civil War. The project had been started in 1910 with discussions and plans made each year, but it was not until formation of this committee that the monument became a reality. The Oakdale Cemetery Association contributed $100 toward construction of the monument with contributions from the GAR Post and other Civil War veterans as well as donation of .15 cents from each school child in the community. Charles Frady's work on this project may have been influenced by his uncle and namesake, Charles Henry Frady, who had served in Company B of the 9th Iowa Cavalry, and was heavily involved in Grand Army of the Republic Posts in Nebraska, Montana and California until his death in 1931.
On May 30, 1915, the monument was dedicated before a large gathering of area citizens and veterans of the Civil War in their blue GAR uniforms and national and GAR Post flags flying. It was made of Vermont gray granite is 17-feet 2-inches high, weighs 30,000 pounds, and was erected at a cost of $1,200, with an additional $250 charged to grading and other grounds improvements. The monument features a Civil War soldier standing upon a three-tiered base bearing Grand Army of the Republic emblems. Behind him is a tall, matching granite column with the inscription, "Erected by the comrades and citizens of Oakdale and vicinity. In memory of those who having borne arms for their country, have found here their last resting place." Inscribed on the east side near the top of the column is the word "Cavalry," on the south "Infantry," on the north "Artillery," and on the west "Marine."
At some point in his life, Charles Frady learned to play the trombone, and in 1911, helped organize the Oakdale Concert Band in which his brother-in-law, Earl Van Dunkin, played cornet. His son, Edwin Robert Frady, also became a member of the band at a young age. Dale Frady, youngest son of Charles, recalled in a November 10, 1993 letter, that he did not know what instrument Edwin Robert Frady played, "but I suspect if he were needed he could double on nearly any brass instrument or the drums." The Oakdale Concert Band was featured entertainment for holidays and special occasions in the community, and often gathered to practice or play for the citizens on one of Oakdale's streets. It was also featured on special occasions in other communities, such as Neligh, where it played as a visiting concert band on occasion.
In an April 28, 1993 letter, Dale Frady recalled the Oakdale Sentinel "occupied the second floor of a building at the corner of the main streets in town when I was first old enough to climb the stairs. A few years later the business was moved to a building of one floor at the west end, I think, of Main Street. It remained there for as long as it was Dad's and for years after, I believe. Inside was Dad's desk and telephone, cases of all sizes of type for the paper and for the commercial "job" work that Dad did, a foot-operated job press and the hand-fed newspaper press powered by a gasoline engine. On it Dad printed the Sentinel, at least four pages of it, the other four being pre-printed, a common practice for small weeklies in those days.
"Other than Dad, the only regular employee was a typesetter. Occasionally, an itinerant printer would pass through town and Dad would give him a few day's work. Dad was everything the typesetter was not--reporter, job printer, press operator and when necessary typesetter, too. Perhaps I should explain that the job printing task was to hand-set bills of sale, other handbills, wedding announcements and all else not destined to run in the paper and print them on the 'jobber.'"
One typesetter at the Oakdale Sentinel later became a member of the family. Dale Frady recalled, "The one I remember was a lovely, young blonde woman named Florence Grubb," who married Ned Frady in 1924.
Charles Frady's normally patriotic editorials took on new emphasis with the entry of the United States into World War I. His oldest son, Edwin Robert Frady joined the U.S. Navy along with Charles' son-in-law, Oliver Bennett Hayes in 1917. Charles assumed new patriotic duties as well, serving as a "Four Minute Speaker," promoting sale of war bonds and other patriotic projects for which he was cited "for meritorious service."
At this time also, Charles entered a new business venture with his friend and fellow businessman, C.V. Anderson, in operating the Oak Theater. Charles' youngest son, Dale Bowden Frady, recalled in his November 10, 1993 letter, "My dad ran the projector, his partner, C.V. Anderson, the town pharmacist, sold the tickets. As you can imagine, I saw many pictures starring old timers like Elmo Lincoln, the first Tarzan, Harold Lloyd, William S. Hart, Hoot Gibson and Mary Pickford, to name a few."
The World War I period offered a lot of topics for Charles in the Oakdale Sentinel. In addition to news of the war and columns from his son, Edwin Robert Frady on his Navy experiences, published under the column name, "Bob-O-Link," there was a tremendous influenza epidemic and an outbreak of smallpox. Dale Frady recalled, in his November 10, 1993 letter, . . .at midnight the electric lights went off in Oakdale, a war-time restriction," requiring the use of kerosene lamps after that hour.
The Armistice was celebrated throughout Oakdale and neighboring communities. Dale Frady recalled, "Everyone in town, I think, got into the action of gathering everything they could lay hands on that would burn and a huge pile was placed in the intersection of the two main streets. When darkness came the pile was lit and a celebration took place around the blaze."
Edwin Robert Frady was discharged from the Navy in 1919, and returned to Oakdale to work at the Oakdale Sentinel with his father. The writing style employed by Charles and his son at the newspaper were quite different than today's reporting style. Theirs was more of a traditional reporting style focused on the people and events that occurred that affected the community. It was a more personal writing style than today's so-called investigative techniques and large newspaper sense of news that ignores smaller community events in favor of large headline stories based outside the community. One example of Charles traditional writing style can be found in the wedding announcement he wrote for his son, Edwin Robert Frady and Veta Belle Wagner in the June 4, 1920 edition of the Oakdale Sentinel: "The bride has spent all of her life in Oakdale. She is a young woman of charming personality and graceful deportment and is esteemed alike by old and young. Bob has lived in Oakdale since his primary school days and is widely known. If he makes as good a husband as he had a dutiful son his bride will never have cause to regret joining her life to his."
Another example of the writing style of the Oakdale Sentinel, showing concern for the community as well as reporting the events of the day, is shown in the July 16, 1920 edition, which was written either by Charles or his son. "The most destructive storm in the history of this section of the country passed over here this afternoon between 3 and 4 o'clock. Heavy rain and terrific hail were driven before a high wind. At Oakdale and a few miles north and south the wind assumed the proportions of a tornado. Trees were twisted and broken, buildings unroofed and wrecked, windmills, telephone, telegraph, and light lines and fences flattened. there were some horses, cattle, and hogs drowned and many chickens killed by the hail. Dozens of dead rabbits were strewn over fields and prairies.
"Every business house and dwelling was damaged by hail and water. Windows on the north and east of buildings were riddled and every roof more or less damaged. Water flowed all over the town varying in depths from two to five feet. Cellars were filled with water and mud, lawns covered to a depth of several inches with mud and debris, trees broken and twisted and stripped bare of foliage, gardens ruined, and hundreds of loose articles washed into Cedar Creek. The Morris ice house was blown into the mill pond, the mill was unroofed and the machinery inside, the elevator warehouse, engine room, and office badly damaged. The loss at the school building will be large. One hundred fifty large window panes were broken and the basement flooded.
"The crest of the flood forced open the doors of the city pumping station and the pump and well pits were filled with water, hail, and mud to a depth of sixteen feet. The entire plant was put out of commission.
"The town and surrounding country presents a scene of devastation that beggars description. But in spite of it all, farmfolks and towns-people are cheerful and as soon as possible will repair the damage done."
The post-World War I depression had a major effect on business across the country including the Oakdale Sentinel. In October of 1923, Charles Frady turned all duties at Oakdale Sentinel over to his son, Edwin Robert Frady, and he moved to Chino, California, to join his brother-in-law, Elmer L Howell, Sr. (husband of Anne Eva Dunkin) in publication of the Chino Champion, which he had purchased in 1920. In his April 28, 1993 letter, Dale Frady recalled, "When Dad left for Chino, Bob (Edwin Robert Frady) took over the paper and Mom became acting postmaster as that was Bob's position. Things stayed that way until the Sentinel and our family home were sold and Mom and I left for Chino." As Dale Frady puts it, Charles "had gone ahead, testing the waters, so to speak, to see if joining his brother-in-law in the newspaper business in Chino was a move to make after 20-odd years as the editor and publisher of the Oakdale Sentinel, a weekly newspaper. He had decided to become a partner in the ownership and operation of the Chino Champion, another weekly, this in a town four times larger than Oakdale, and sent for us."
"The exodus was on," as Dale Frady put it. "It was a bright mid-June morning in 1924 when Mom and I boarded the train in Oakdale, Nebraska, after saying good bye to relatives and friends who were at the station. We were headed for Chino, California, beginning the Frady movement to strange new land."
Edwin Robert Frady remained in Oakdale to run the Sentinel and handle the sale of the newspaper to Leonard Ellis, leaving for Chino in the summer of 1925, according to the 1984 recollections of Veta Belle Wagner Frady. "Bob joined his Dad, Charles Frady, and Uncle Elmer Howell in running the Chino Champion newspaper," she wrote.
The Chino Champion represented many differences from the operations of the Oakdale Sentinel, as Dale Frady recalled in his April 28, 1993 letter. "The Champion office was different principally because it had the first Linotype I had ever seen. This marvelous machine set type, negating all the need to hand set the news columns and much of the other work. There were the many cases for different types, too, most containing larger letters and figures used in advertisements and job work. The press on which the paper was printed was downstairs with the forms for it being lowered in a hand-operated elevator.
"Not long after Bob arrived it seemed a period of prosperity had been reached that justified changing the weekly publication to bi-weekly and that was done. Alas, in a few years the depression of 1929 came and it was necessary to revert to the weekly printing" (both the Oakdale Sentinel and Chino Champion were published on Friday). "During the prospering years, two more pieces of equipment were added, the first being an Intertype, another type-setting machine that had larger sized type in its magazines as well as the same types as the Linotype. Downstairs, a machine that could be fastened to the press after the first four pages were printed did the miracle job of folding the papers as the last four pages of each edition were sent through the press."
In 1937, Dale Frady joined his uncle, father and brother as a member of the staff of the Chino Champion, after graduating from the University of Southern California. In 1938, Elmer L. Howell, Sr. was forced by ill health to sell his interest in the paper. "Dad and Bob purchased Uncle Elmer's interest and Fradys became the sole owners," Dale Frady recalled. Dale Frady remained with the Chino Champion until 1942 when he entered a new career with the California Department of Corrections, working at the California Institution for Men at Chino, San Quentin and at the California Men's Colony at San Luis Obispo, California.
Bertha Frady and her husband, Charles, were as active in Chino community activities as they had been in community activities in Oakdale. Bertha Frady had transferred her membership in the Methodist Church from Oakdale to the Chino First Methodist Church where she was active in all facets of the Church. She was also a member of the Chino Valley Chapter, Order of Eastern Star; Valley Queen Rebeka Lodge, and Chino Del Ray Temple, Pythian Sisters, in all of which she was honored with high offices.
Charles Frady was also very active in the community. His obituary in the Chino Champion noted, "Always active in community, fraternal and political affairs, the deceased was motivated by a desire to advance the best interests of all. He gave unstintingly of his time and of himself to every undertaking, serving on political and civic directorates and attaining high office in fraternal societies." Charles Frady was a member of the Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias and the Masonic Lodge. In its December 4, 1931 issue, the Chino Champion noted he had been elected "Excellent High Priest of Ontario Chapter, 105, Royal Arch Masons." He was also an active member and later served as president of the Chino Chamber of Commerce.
In 1928, Charles' mother, Harriet Eliza Clark Frady, died in Neligh, Nebraska. Shortly after that, his father, George Robert Frady, moved to Chino and lived with his son. Other members of the family also moved to Chino, as Dale Frady recalled in his April 28, 1993 letter. "Over the years other Fradys came to Chino---aunts, uncles and cousins." Among the group was Charles and Bertha Frady's daughter, Harriet Belle Frady Hayes and her husband, Oliver, as well as Ned and Florence Frady. Later, Charles' brothers, Herbert Arthur Frady and Walter A. Frady moved to Chino with their families, although Walter Frady later moved to Arizona.
In September of 1938, Bertha Belle Frady suffered a heart attack followed a week later by paralysis that left her voiceless and with her right side affected. This attack was followed by others and a major operation a year later that helped ease some of the problems she encountered. Bertha's grandson, Robert Calvin Frady said in June of 1993 that as a result of her illness, his grandmother could only say, "Bye, Bye, Bye." and that his father could understand her and communicated with her very well despite her disability.
Charles' son, Edwin Robert Frady began to assume more and more duties at the Chino Champion as "junior editor" of the paper. Charles' health began to fail in 1941 and at 12:20 a.m., Monday, March 29, 1943, he suffered a fatal heart attack at his home at 338 North Seventh Street. His obituary stated "Efforts of his doctor and the fire department rescue squad to save him were unavailing and death came as preparations were being made to remove him to the hospital."
Funeral services for Charles Henry Frady were conducted on Friday, April 2, 1942, at 2:30 p.m. at the Chino United Methodist Church by Rev. E. Clayton Burgess, with members of the Masonic and Knights of Pythias lodges acting as pallbearers. The Odd Fellow ritual was pronounced at the graveside in the Pomona Cemetery.
On the editorial page of April 2 edition of the Chino Champion, Charles' son, Edwin Robert Frady wrote the following:
Our Father--Your Friend "No greater trial comes to a man than when he loses one who has been a companion and partner through many years.
"No loss is ever felt more keenly than the death of one's parent.
"And in this hour of trial one reflects upon the characteristics of he, who passes on to another world, and leaves behind those for whom he has given his last full measure of devotion.
"Such is our reflection at this time, a reflection that leaves memory poignant and with no recrimination for the things that have gone before.
"In the passing of our father, untimely though it may have been, the shock is tempered by the thought that he gave, in his span of years, the best within his power to his family, his community and his friends--that he lived by the tenet that it is more blessed to give than to receive and to do unto others as he would be done by. He was activated by the thought that a friend was to be treasured beyond all understanding and considered none his enemy.
"To those who knew him best--his family--there was given kindly counsel and material assistance above and beyond comparison, often at a sacrifice which none knew but he. To his friends he gave a service of devotion so long as he was able so to do.
"These things the writer knows full well, for through the passing years---for more than 30 years---we worked together, shared joys and sorrows. His guiding hand has been our staff. It has furnished us with courage to meet ordeals and strength to carry on the traditions of the paths he followed.
"For us great difficulty presents itself to pay just tribute, for what is cherished in the recesses of the heart no words can express, no pen can write.
The acts of his life are his memorial, the monument that shall stand against the day when time shall be no more."After the death of Charles, Bertha Frady moved to Pasadena, California to live with her daughter, Harriet Belle Frady Hayes and her husband, Oliver, where she remained until the last weeks of August when she went to stay with her son, Ned Frady, and his wife, Florence. Her health continued to deteriorate rapidly after the death of her husband and on September 6, 1943, Bertha Belle Dunkin Frady died at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. Her obituary, which appeared in the September 10, 1943 edition of the Chino Champion said, "Two specialists and three other doctors had been unable to determine the seat of difficulty which ripened into evidence after a month of growing illness but a post mortem established the fact that anyone of several causes was sufficient to bring death, principally a growth in the throat and other thoracic difficulties." The story further observed, "However, it was the accumulation of disorders which ultimately ended the ordeal peacefully at the Pasadena hospital, with her physician and a nurse present in the final hour."
Funeral services were held on Wednesday morning, September 8, 1943 at the United Methodist Church in Chino with Rev. E. Clayton Burgess officiating. Bertha Belle Dunkin Frady was buried next to her husband at the Pomona Cemetery.
In his weekly newspaper column, "Bob-O-Link," which appeared in the September 10, 1943 edition of the Chino Champion, Bertha Frady's son, Edwin Robert Frady wrote:
"WHEN IN THE COURSE OF HUMAN EVENTS the cold hand of death strikes twice within a few months, one is left numbed and incapable of expressing the innermost thoughts. When the sands of the hour glass flow with consuming quickness, carrying with them one's parents, there comes a moment of pondering upon the trial which is life itself---from whence it comes, its purpose and its end. We have seen the sands of time trickle away for both our father and mother within the past few months and in their passings have drawn upon conclusions in our philosophies which point a way to the end of life upon this terrestrial sphere.
"Our mother--as all mothers should be--was endowed with powers of love and understanding that encompassed all those about her. Born upon the prairies of Nebraska, later to live upon those of Kansas and South Dakota where she mingled, as a girl, with Indian youths, she learned some of the stoicisms and indomitable courage of the people. These she evidenced throughout her life. With all of her courage she fought through the tragedies and vicissitudes of life to the end. Possessed of a gentle spirit and a generous heart, none were ever turned away feeling that their happiness or sadness had not found kindred understanding.
"Through the years of suffering, no words issued from her lips, yet, though vocal expression was denied, no sign or expression of movement ever revealed the discouragement that must have laid in the recesses of her mind. It was as expressed by one who understood when it was said, " I do not believe she understands"---"You mean, instead, that is you who do not comprehend."
"It was once said that when the writer was away at the war in that first great world conflagration, she gave no sign of worries for her son. To which she replied, "There are those whose innermost feelings are carried upon their sleeves. Mine have been locked within me. Perhaps it would have been better had I been able to show them." Thus with the gentleness that characterized her life, our mother wrote her own epitaph.
"As we look upon the years that memory serves us, the sweetness of outpoured love for those who surrounded her proves the poignant perfume that lingers now and shall continue to linger through the passing years."After the deaths of Charles and Bertha Frady, their half interest in the Chino Champion was split between the surviving children, Harriet Belle Frady Hayes, Ned Dunkin Frady and Dale Bowden Frady. Edwin Robert Frady, who already owned 50 percent of the newspaper, purchased their shares and continued operation of the Chino Champion until he sold it in 1949.
**The newspaper tradition and journalistic legacy of Charles Henry Frady continued in the Frady family for years. Other family members in addition to his sons, Edwin Robert Frady and Dale Bowden Frady worked in the business. Millard Van Frady, son of Edwin Robert Frady, worked at the newspaper with his father and also wrote a weekly column, "Run Of The Mill." Robert C. Frady, son of Edwin Robert Frady, and his wife Carol Louise Carson Frady, also worked at the Chino Champion where she wrote a weekly column, "It's a Woman's World." Steven Robert Frady, son of Robert Calvin and Carol Louise Frady, and great-grandson of Charles Henry Frady, served as a reporter and later as editor of the daily Nevada Appeal in Carson City, Nevada and wrote a weekly column, "From The Rolltop."
********* Provided by Steve Frady < sfrady@pyramid.net > 27 Dec 2001
Photos from Steven R. Frady <sfrady@pyramid.net> Reno, NV. 6 Jan 2001
1.
Charles Henry Frady in front of the Oakdale Sentinel ca. 1906. The poster in the window is for the 5th Annual Carnival at Neligh, "August 22-23-24, '06."
2.
Charles Henry Frady at his desk ca. 1915. The photo on the desk appears to be my grandfather's high school graduation photo, and the date calendar on the wall to the right of the photo appears to be July 3.
3.
Letterhead for the Oakdale Sentinel newspaper. This is scanned in black and white, but the original is on light blue paper with red and blue lettering.
Return to San Bernardino County, CA (US GenWeb) website by Steve Lech.
Nebraska Newspaper People© 2001 for NEGenWeb Project by Steve Frady,, Ted & Carole Miller
