Harold Ernest Trefry, painter and printmaker, was born 22 October 1897 in Boston, Massachusetts. He moved to Southern California in 1920 and settled in Eagle Rock. While working as a commercial artist, Trefry attended classes at the Chouinard Art Institute and the Otis College of Art and Design. He was also a student of the noted British woodcut artist, Frank Morley Fletcher, who taught in Santa Barbara.

Trefry supported his family by working as an advertising artist for Bernard's Arts. He exhibited his painting and prints locally in the annual Eagle Rock Art Exhibitions and won several first prize awards at the Los Angeles County Fair. An article on Trefry by Margaret Carrick, "His Hobby is Block Printing," appeared in the 4 June 1944 edition of the Los Angeles Times. His work is represented in the collection of the Mills College Art Museum

Harold Ernest Trefry died on 22 October 1983 in Placentia, California.