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Frost Family Papers

 Collection
Call Number: MS 226

Scope and Contents

The papers contain correspondence, account books, and other material documenting the personal lives and professional careers of members of the Frost family. Correspondence of William Frost details his political activity in the Maine Territory, Jeffersonian politics in Massachusetts, and the Embargo Act. Material relating to Joshua Lawrence Chamberlains Civil War duties is scarce. His years as Bowdoin College president and his role in the election riot of 1880 are documented more fully. Other material details Chamberlain's business interests.

The Frost Family Papers are arranged in six (6) boxes and one (1) folio, totalling two and one-quarter (2.25) linear feet. The papers are arranged in two series:
  1. I. CORRESPONDENCE, 1710-1923
  2. II. ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1844-1860
SERIES I, CORRESPONDENCE,1710-1823, contains personal, business, and financial papers relating to members of the Frost family. Early letters and papers focus on the activities of William Frost (1754-1836), particularly in York County, Maine. Many of the receipts and financial papers from the 1700s are signed by prominent New England figures. Correspondence in the early 1800s includes several letters from representatives of Joseph Nye and Son, merchants of Boston. Details of trading efforts by these merchants in New Orleans date through 1809, and include letters from the captain of one of the vessels.

Correspondence from 1810 through 1820s focuses on Frost's political activity in the Maine Territory. Several letters and copies of documents describe the political climate of the time, and include references to the Second Bank of the United States and the Society for Suppressing Vice and Immorality. Individual correspondents include: Orchard Cook, Prentiss Mellen, Richard Cutts, and Elbridge Gerry.

In correspondence from the 1860s through the early 1900s the primary figure is Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. Material in this series focuses on his career as governor of Maine (1866-1871), president of Bowdoin College (1871-1873), and as a private citizen. Letters relating to the Florida West Coast Improvement Company, a private financial concern which Chamberlain served as president are included in files for the 1870s. Letters relating to the Maine election riot of 1880, and Chamberlain's role in preventing violence, are arranged in a folder for that year. Additional topics of note in this series include: the Homossa Land Company, New England Magazine, and Fitz John Porter.

SERIES II, ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1844-1860, consists of financial material relating to business interests of Frost family members.

FOLIO consists of family deeds, indentures, and papers, including material relating to Joshus Lawrence Chamberlain's business pursuits.

The papers were purchased in 1941.

Dates

  • 1710-1923

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The materials are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright status for collection materials is unknown, though much of the material in this collection is likely in the public domain. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased in 1941.

Arrangement

Arranged in two series: I. Correspondence, 1710-1923. II. Account Books, 1844-1860.

Extent

2.5 Linear Feet (6 boxes, 1 folio)

Language of Materials

English

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/mssa.ms.0226

Additional Description

Overview

The papers contain correspondence, account books, and other material documenting the personal lives and professional careers of members of the Frost family. Correspondence of William Frost details his political activity in the Maine Territory, Jeffersonian politics in Massachusetts, and the Embargo Act. Material relating to Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain's Civil War duties is scarce. His years as Bowdoin College president and his role in the election riot of 1880 are documented more fully. Other material details Chamberlain's business interests.

Biographical / Historical

William Frost was born on November 15, 1754. He served as a deacon in the Congregational Church and as an officer in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. He also served as treasurer of York County, in the Maine Territory. Frost lived in Andover, Massachusetts, where he married Sarah Holt in 1777. He died on September 18, 1836.

Subjects

Related Names

Creator

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the Frost Family Papers
Status
Under Revision
Author
compiled by William E. Brown, Jr. and Diedre Reynolds
Date
November 1984
Description rules
Finding Aid Created In Accordance With Manuscripts And Archives Processing Manual
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository

http://www.library.yale.edu/mssa/
Contact:
Yale University Library
P.O. Box 208240
New Haven CT 06520-8240 US
(203) 432-1735
(203) 432-7441 (Fax)

Location

Sterling Memorial Library
Room 147
120 High Street
New Haven, CT 06511

Opening Hours

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