William Frothingham

• General Notes
  • WILLIAM FROTHINGHAM
    
    ORIGIN: Unknown
    MIGRATION: 1630
    FIRST RESIDENCE: Charlestown
    CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: "Willyam Frothingham and Anne his wife" were admitted to Boston church as members #74 and #75, which would be in the fall of 1630 [BChR 13]; they were dismissed to participate in the founding of Charlestown church, 14 October 1632 [BChR 16]; they were founding members of the Charlestown church, 2 November 1632 [ChChR 7]. (Savage states that William Frothingham was deacon, but he is not listed as such by Budington or by Worthley.)
    FREEMAN: Requested 19 October 1630 (as "Will: Throdingham") and admitted 6 March 1631/2 [MBCR 1:80, 367].
    EDUCATION: His inventory included "a Bible & Doctor Preston's work, 15s."
    OFFICES: Committee to stake out hayground, 23 November 1635 [ChTR 9].
    ESTATE: "Goo[dman] Frothingham" granted hayground, November 1635 [ChTR 10]. Granted five acres Mystic Side in early 1637 [ChTR 14]. Granted three and a quarter cow commons, 1637 [ChTR 17]. Granted an allotment on Mystic Side, with lots of twenty, forty and five acres, 23 April 1638 [ChTR 18]. Granted three and a half cow commons, 30 December 1638 [ChTR 21].
       In the 1638 inventory of Charlestown landholding, "William Frothingale" held eight parcels: four acres arable land in East Field, with a dwelling house; two acres meadow in High Field Mead; two acres arable land in Line Field; three and a half cow commons; six acres meadow in Mystic Field; five acres woodland in Mystic Field; twenty acres woodland in Mystic Field; and sixty acres land in Water Field [ChBOP 26-27]. Later annotations were made to three of these parcels: to the cow commons "more bought: of Walter Pa[l]mer, one common and three quarters; of Thomas Grover one common and a quarter; in all six commons and a half"; to the twenty acres of woodland "This 20 acres and 5 more, got of widow Nash, is sold to Mr. Nicolas Parker of Boston" on 21 June 1648 (see also NEHGR 11:105); and to the sixty acres in Water Field "This 60 acres was relinquished to the town, and in lieu thereof granted to William Frothingham sixty acres of arable and meadow land lying at Woburne, in Charltowne bounds ..." [ChBOP 27].
       According to Wyman the will of William Frothingham "has been for many years in family papers," but it is not in the Middlesex County probate records. Wyman says the will was dated 30 September 1651 and proved 6 February 1651/2, and only tells us that Frothingham "devised to wife" [Wyman 381].
       The inventory of estate of "William Frothingham of Charlestown, [who departed] this life the 18th of the 8th mo. 1651," totalled £308 9s. 9d., of which £142 was real estate: dwelling house & Orchard & seven acres of land, £71; four acres at Newtowne line, £8; 14 and a half acres beyond Wenotomies, and a house there, £30; seven acres by Goodman Lothrop's house, £4; 6 and a half cow commons, £13; two haylots on Mystic side, £4; two haylots in the High Field, £6; and sixty acres at Woburn bounds, 2s. per acre, £6 [SPR Case #119].
       On 11 August 1656 Grace Palmer, widow, of Charlestown, sold to Anne Frothingham, widow, of Charlestown "my dwelling house, with all the outhousing about it, with a yard and orchard close by it, and likewise five acres of pasture land ... with one cows common on the stinted common" [ChBOP 140].
       The will of Anne Frothingham, dated 4 October 1672 and proved 6 October 1674, bequeathed to "my son Samuel Frothingham" half an acre of land on the backside of his house "in addition to his houseplot formerly given him in part of his portion"; to "my son-in-law Joseph Kettle" £5; to "my son Peter Frothingham" £10 due me and 40s. more; to "my son Nathaniel Frothingham" 40s.; and to "my son-in-law Thomas White" my new dwelling house and orchard and barn and the 3« acres adjoining and one haylot, one common & « in the stinted common, my woodlot and the rest of my moveable estate; Thomas White to be executor [MPR Case #8669].
       The inventory of the estate of "Anna Frothingham lately deceased," taken 28 August 1674, totalled £217, of which £190 was real estate: "one dwelling house, barn, orchard," £100; "3 acres adjoining," £60; "the woodlots on Mistake Side," £14; "one cow common and a half, on the stinted common," £9; and "one haylot," £7 [MPR Case #8669].
    BIRTH: By about 1605 based on estimated date of marriage.
    DEATH: Charlestown 10 October 1651 (from inventory).
    MARRIAGE: By 1630 Anne _____; she was born about 1608 (based on age at death, and d. Charlestown 28 July 1675 [ChVR 1:91], aged 67 [Wyman 381, citing gravestone].
    CHILDREN (all born Charlestown):
        i   BETHIA, b. 7 February 1630/1 [ChVR 1:3]; no further record.
    
        ii   JOHN, b. 10 August 1633 [ChVR 1:3]; no further record.
    
        iii   ELIZABETH, b. 15 March 1634/5 [ChVR 1:3]; no further record.
    
        iv   PETER, b. 15 April 1636 [ChVR 1:3]; bp. Charlestown 18 April 1636 [ChChR 46]; m. Charlestown 14 March 1664/5 Mary Lowden [ChVR 1:51].
    
        v   MARY, b. 1 April 1638 [ChVR 1:3]; bp. Charlestown 8 April 1638 [ChChR 47]; m. Charlestown 17 November 1663 Thomas White [ChVR 1:44].
    
        vi   NATHANIEL, b. 16 April 1640 [ChVR 1:3]; bp. 23 April 1640 [ChChR 49]; m. Charlestown 6 December 1667 Mary Hett [ChVR 1:25], daughter of THOMAS HETT.
    
        vii   STEPHEN, b. 11 November 1641 [ChVR 1:3]; bp. [14?] November 1641 [ChChR 50]; no further record.
    
        viii   HANNAH, b. 29 January 1642/3 [ChVR 1:3]; m. Charlestown 5 July 1665 Joseph Kettle [ChVR 1:51], son of RICHARD KETTLE.
    
        ix   JOSEPH, b. 1 December 1645 [ChVR 1:8]; d. Charlestown 29 December 1645 [ChVR 1:8].
    
        x   SAMUEL, b. say 1646; m. Charlestown 4 December 1668 Ruth George [ChVR 1:70].
    
        xi   (poss.) WILLIAM, on the basis of the will of William Crofts (see ASSOCIATIONS below).
    
    ASSOCIATIONS: In her will of 25 June 1675 Ann Crofts of Lynn, wife of William Crofts, made bequests to her children by her first husband, Thomas Ivory [EPR 302:181]. The will of William Crofts of Lynn, dated 5 March 1688/9 and proved 26 November 1689, included bequests to her children (his stepchildren), and also to "my loving cousins the eldest child of Peter Frattingham and of Nathaniel Frattingham and of Samuel Frattingham and of W[illia]m Frattingham sometimes of Charlestown to the eldest child of each of the said Frattinghams" and to "Hannah Frattingham the daughter of William" [EPR 302:180].
       This will poses a problem, since we have no independent evidence that the immigrant had a son William, and most importantly Anne Frothingham, the widow the immigrant, did not name a son William in her will. We include a son William in the listing above as a possible child, but further evidence would be welcome.
       Since the connection between Crofts and Frothingham was apparently not through the wife of Crofts (who refers to "my father South" in her will), the most likely solution is that the wife of WILLIAM FROTHINGHAM was sister of William Crofts, although other solutions are possible.
    COMMENTS: Wyman claims that William Frothingham was from Yorkshire, but provides no evidence. Savage says that there was "perhaps [son] William," but there is no evidence for this, including no mention in the will of the widow.
       William Frothingham was in the list of those admitted as inhabitants of Charlestown in 1630 [ChTR 3]. He was in the list of inhabitants of the town on 9 January 1633[/4] and in January 1635/6 [ChTR 5, 8]. He signed the agreement of 10 February 1634/5 establishing the institution of selectmen in Charlestown [ChTR 7].
       William Frothingham was among those who signed the petition in support of Reverend John Wheelwright, for on 15 November 1637 he was the last of seven Charlestown men who "did all acknowledge their sin, & desire the same, & it was yielded them that their hands should be crossed out" [MBCR 1:209].
    
    
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