Frost Family Portraits
The following Frost family portraits were sent by descendant Laura Smith.
Joseph Frost seated at left with son Walter seated next to him. Standing is possibly the other son Wilmot Frost.
Joseph Frost was born in Charlotteville Township on March 12, 1812 a son of Norfolk pioneers Edmund Frost, U. E. and his wife Lydia Matthews. The first record of Joseph was his application for 200 acres of land from Windham Township with an Upper Canada Land Petition dated March 19, 1833, stating that he was a son of Edmund Frost and requesting a grant of land as the son of a United Empire Loyalist.He married first on December 4, 1841 Catharine Cohoe who died the next year leaving Joseph with a baby named George Park Frost. His second wife was Crossandra (or Cassandra) Jane Downs, a daughter of Walter Smith Downs and Amanda Follett, who was born about 1826. They had two sons Walter and Wilmot and a daughter Mary who married John Abel Durward. The couple lived many years in Middleton Township and Joseph was the bailiff of Middleton Township living in Courtland in 1857-58.
By the time of the 1880 Census, Joseph was living with his son Walter in Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin, listed as a farmer and widower, born in Canada, aged 67.
The Obituary of Joseph Frost
Thursday, November 4, 1899, Lancaster, Wisconsin With the passing away of the aged, especially to those who have reached such a ripe old age as the subject of the memoir, there is an added significance to the biography. Things which to many of us are matters of historical interest were matters of personal experience to them.
Mr. Joseph Frost was born in Norfolk Co., Province of Ontario, March 12, 1812, and died on Wednesday morning, April 26, 1899, aged 87 years, 1 month and 14 days. During the period he lived in Canada, he was honoured with the position of constable and bailiff of Middleton for 22 years. By his first marriage to Miss Kate Cohoe one son George was born who resides in Iowa. By his second marriage to Miss Jane Downs, three children were born, Mary who preceded her father to the “home over there.” Wilmot with whom he has lived for many years and Walter, also a resident of Grant County. Some two years ago Mr. Frost suffered a stroke of paralysis, since which time he has been denied active service and has been a member of the “shut-in” society. He was kindly cared for by his children and grandchildren and testified just an hour before his death of the kindness he had received at their hands. The funeral services were conducted at the home of his son on Friday last by Rev. T. J. Brown and a vast concourse of friends gathered at the home to pay last tribute of respect to the honoured resident and lay him to rest. Thus one by one they are being gathered to their rest.
Walter E. Frost, son of Joseph and Crossandra, was born on 9 Aug 1853 and arrived in Wisconsin by 1876. He married at Beloit, Wisconsin on April 5, 1876, Eunice Elvina Baldwin (daughter of Ebenezer and Emily (Coates) Baldwin), a native of that state. At left is a picture of Walter and Eunice Frost with their children Ray (youngest son on the right), Raleigh (son on the left). The couple had eight children in all: Wilbur Newton (1878), Emily (1881), Walter (1884), Charles (1886), Floella (1890), Lily E. (1892), Raleigh (1895) and Ray LaVerne (1898)
Picture of the Walter Frost family. Back row left to right: Lily, Wilbur, Emily, Walter and Floella.
Front row left to right: Raleigh, Eunice (mother), Walter (father) and Ray. Another son Charles died in infancy.