The Fryer family of early Albany is descended from English weaver Isaac Fryer who settled in Albany about 1720. He died in 1755, leaving a widow and four living children. The Fryers lived along South Pearl Street for several generations.

Eldest son, William, was a baker who raised a small family near his boyhood home before an untimely death while still in his forties. Captain John Fryer was an Albany mainstay for much of the mid-eighteenth century. His daughter, Lydia, married Revolutionary stalwart Matthew Visscher. Brother Isaac I. Fryer followed his father in the weaver's craft and later operated a Southside brickyard.

By 1790, two Fryer-named households were living in the city of Albany. Five more were identified on the Watervliet census. In 1815, five Fryer households were listed in the Albany city directory.

The earliest Albany Fryers were tradesmen and transporters who intermarried with their neighbors in the first ward.

Sources: The Fryers are distinct from the Huguenot Freers who settled in the Hudson Valley earlier. At this point, we have found no noteworthy family-based resources! Our presentation is derived chiefly from community-based resources. Follow this link to more information on the family on this website!