Dr. Adelaide Lisetta Fries (12 November 1871–29 November 1949) was the foremost scholar of the history and genealogy of the

Moravians Moravians ( cs, Moravané or colloquially , outdated ) are a West Slavic ethnographic group from the Moravia region of the Czech Republic, who speak the Moravian dialects of Czech or Common Czech or a mixed form of both. Along with the Silesi ...

in the southern

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. She made important contributions to the field as archivist, translator, author and editor.

Biography

Fries was born in Salem (now

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, the elder of two daughters of John William Fries (1846–1927) and Agnes Sophia (de Schweinitz) Fries (1849–1915). Her family was prominent in the Moravian Church and community, with a history dating back to

Nicolaus Zinzendorf Nikolaus Ludwig, Reichsgraf von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf (26 May 1700 – 9 May 1760) was a German religious and social reformer, bishop of the Moravian Church, founder of the Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine, Christian mission pioneer and a major fig ...

, who has been called the father of the renewed Moravian church. Fries attended Salem Academy and graduated in 1888, later receiving a Bachelor of Arts from

Salem College Salem College is a private women's liberal arts college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1772 as a primary school, it later became an academy (high school) and ultimately added the college. It is the oldest female educational establ ...

. She never married, and lived with her parents in Winston-Salem until their deaths. Her sister was Mary Elenor Fries Blair (1873-1966). On September 26, 1911, the Provincial Elders' Conference of the Moravian Church in America, Southern Province, appointed Fries as archivist of the Southern Province, and granted her the use of a warehouse in Salem as repository and offices. The records from North Carolina began in 1752. She immediately began collecting, organizing, translating and publishing records, a work that continued until her death. Fries was never satisfied that the warehouse was a safe repository, and over the years her friends and supporters raised enough money to convert the former office of the ''Vorsteher'' (business manager) of the Salem community into a fireproof repository. The archives moved into the new building in 1942. One of Fries' best-known books is ''The Road To Salem'' (1944), an account of the life of Anna Catharina (Antes) Ernst (1726-1816). Written in the first person, the book is based on Ernst's autobiography and on the diaries and records kept by leaders of the

Moravian Church The Moravian Church ( cs, Moravská církev), or the Moravian Brethren, formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination, denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohem ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

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, and

. Another well-known book, ''The Moravians in Georgia,'' has entered the public domain and is available online. ''Forsyth County'' was revised and updated in 1949, and a further revision and update was issued in 1976 under the oversight of J. Edwin Hendricks of

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

. At the time of her death, Fries had translated, organized, and recorded documents held by families, churches, and libraries into the seven-volume ''The Records of Moravians in North Carolina''. She had begun working on the eighth volume a few hours before her death at age 78. In recognition of her work, Fries was awarded an honorary doctorate from Moravian University, and received similar degrees from

Wake Forest College Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

and the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

. She was the president for the Salem College Alumnae Association from 1905 to 1934, and she served as president to other associations for women and historical endeavors, including the North Carolina Historical Society.

Books

* ''Forsyth County'' (1898) * ''Historical Sketch Of Salem Female Academy'' (1902) * ''The Moravians in Georgia, 1735-1740'' (1905) * ''The Mecklenburg Declaration Of Independence As Mentioned In the Records of Wachovia'' (1907) * ''Der North Carolina Land Und Colonie Etablissement'' (1910) * ''The Pflegerin'' (1914) * ''The Town Builders'' (1915) * ''An Early Fourth Of July Celebration'' (1915) * ''Records of the Moravians in North Carolina'' (1922-1954): Volume I (1752-1771), 1922; Volume II (1752-1775), 1925; Volume III (1776-1779), 1926; Volume IV (1780-1783), 1930; Volume V (1784-1792), 1941; Volume VI (1793-1808), 1943; Volume VII (1809-1822), 1947; Volume VIII (1823-1837), 1954 (Volume VIII completed by Douglas LeTell Rights). * ''The Moravian Church: Yesterday and Today'' (1926) * ''North Carolina Certificates of the Revolutionary War Period'' (1932) * ''Some Moravian Heroes'' (1936) * ''Moravian Customs: Our Inheritance'' (1936) * ''Index To Memoirs Filed In the Salem Moravian Archives'' (1938) * ''Distinctive Customs and Practices of the Moravian Church'' (1941) * ''Graveyard Registry of Friedland Moravian Church'' (1941) * ''The Road To Salem'' (1944) * ''Parallel Lines In Piedmont North Carolina Quaker and Moravian History'' (1949)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fries, Adelaide 1871 births 1949 deaths Writers from Winston-Salem, North Carolina 20th-century American historians Writers of the Moravian Church American people of the Moravian Church American archivists American women historians Female archivists 20th-century American women