Seeking proof of name of wife of PGM immigrant Nicholas Frost

Question

What is the evidence for the name of Nicholas's wife (Bertha Cadwalla)? Anderson' GMB says no mention of her appears in the records.

Answer 1

On Bertha Cadwalla's profile is a link to ''Frost Genealogy in Five Families'', page 218 which has text from "an old writing" (purported to be from a family bible according to ''Old Kittery and Her Families''). Contained within that writing is information on their various family members, their marriage, Bertha's birthdate, etc.

It may not be proof, but it appears to be the info that was used to populate Nicholas' profile.

Comments

Thanks for that. I always forget about those "memory" comments at the bottom of the profile. Frankly, I really wish we didn't have them. 

So I went to see what the book says; we can find it here:

https://archive.org/stream/oldkitteryherfam00staciala#page/413/mode/1up

Starts at the bottom of 413 and continues on to 414. Specifically it says:

(p. 413): "An old family Bible is said to contain..."

it lists a birth for Nicholas, b 25 April 1585 in Tiverton [son of John Frost and Anna Hamden of Cornbre Hill, Cornwall.

On page 414, after the lists of births, it says: 

"Nicholas, Marride Bertha Cadwalla Jan'y 1630 ffrom Tavistock, Devon.

Bertha Cadwalla. Borne ffeb'y ye 1th, 1610 [twenty-five years after her supposed husband?]

Sailed for America June 1634, in the year [yes, in that order] In ye Ship Wulfrana, Alwin Wellborn, Master ffrom Plimouth, Devon"

Has anyone tried to track down the ship list, or the Tiverton or Tavistock parish records?

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Source citation:

Everett Schermerhorn Stackpole, Old Kittery and her families
Lewiston, Me. : Press of Lewiston journal company (1903), pp 413-414.

 

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And I see that Anderson, in Great Migration Begins, does not mention Old Kittery and her families at all-- at least in his profile of Nicholas Frost. 

 

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Find My Past (if anyone has a subscription) may have Tiverton and Tavistock parish records.

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Getting more interesting. See

https://archive.org/stream/oldeliotmonthlym1897elio#page/n357/mode/2up

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Thanks for posting this.

Do you feel the information is sufficient to "prove" that Bertha Cadwalla was Nicholas Frost's wife? It would seem so to me, even though it isn't proof, per se.

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I'd say we could keep her and mark as uncertain. (Can we do that with spouses?).

It's not the strongest of evidence but it's not as weak as other examples like this that we've seen. Of course I'd feel better if Anderson and team had assessed and discussed this evidence.

And I'd feel better yet if we could track down the ships list and the parish records.

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Call me crazy (won't be the first time), but I decided to see what I could find out about the George W. Frosst whose 1897 letter was published in the Old Eliot claiming that his son Charles had in his possession the old writings from the 1640s about Nicholas' origins. I've temporarily taken over an orphaned profile for this purpose. Harumph, it's not as easy as I'd hoped. 

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I didn't find anything at findmypast.co.uk or at freereg.org.uk.  Familysearch has tavistock parish register but unfortunately there seems to be a few pages missing covering exactly this timeframe https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L93K-83WJ?i=29&cat=1834193

Answer 2

FROM: New England Family History by Henry Cole Quinby, A.B., LL. B 5 Nassau St New York City found in Harvard Library...

6

THE FROST FAMILY.

1. John Frost, born Nov. 17, 1558, near Carnbre Hill, Cornwall, England, married Anna Hamden, May 10, 1582. She was born near Caer Bran, Cornwall, Oct. 8, 1565.

Children all born at Tiverton, England.

John,     July 10, 1583.

Nicholas, born Apr. 25, 1585.

Anna, born Oct. 11, 1587.

Charles, born Dec. 15, 1588.

Samuel, born Jan. 28, 1591.

Elizabeth, born Feb. 12, 1593.

2. Nicholas Frost, born Apr. 25, 1585, at Tiverton, England, married Bertha Cadwalla from Taviston, Devon, England, in January, 1629/30. She was born Feb. 14, 1610. They sailed for America in the ship "Wulfrana," Alwin Wellborn, master, in Apr. 1634, and arrived in June and settled at Kittery, Maine, now Eliot, being the first settlers of the latter town where Nicholas died July 20, I663. The inventory of his estate is in ''Old Eliot," Vol. 1, page 178. His wife aged 40 years, and his daughter Anna, aged 15 years, were killed by the Indians on the night of July 4, 1650. (See "Old Eliot," Vol. 1, page 176.)

Children :

l. Charles, born Tiverton, July 30, 1631.

John, born Tiverton, Aug. 7, 1633

Anna, born Little Harbor, America,  Apr 7 1635.