Susanna Frost
Photo from Ancestry.com (Hcharles5) |
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Early Settler
Notes:
• "Susanna Frost was born in 1800 in Knox County, Tennessee. She was the daughter of Edward Frost Sr. and Amilla Roberts Frost. Her Frost grandparents were Rev. John and Frances Frost, her Roberts grandparents were Cornelius, killed by Indians in 1788, and Mary Benton Roberts, a cousin of Senator Thomas Hart Benton.
Susanna was about eight years old when her family moved to what would become North Alabama. Her father settled the family just West of the Madison County line on land still claimed by the Chickasaws. This event caused the family many hardships, but by perseverance they were able to hang on until 1816 when the Chickasaws ceded the area to the U. S. Government. In 1818 when the boundaries of Madison County were extended, Susanna's family found themselves living within the county.
Susanna married Isaac Medlin in Madison County, Alabama on the 7th of September 1822. They had two children, Eliza, born the 26th of August 1823 and Archibald, born the 8th of January 1825. By 1826, when her parents moved to Morgan County, Alabama, Susanna was a widow. She and her two small children moved in with her parents on their 80-acre farm located at the foot of Lacon Mountain about two and half miles Southwest of the present town of Falkville.
On the 28th of December 1826, Susanna marries for the second time to James Brogden, a neighbor and widower with grown children. He was much older than Susanna, actually about the age of her father, and lived only six years after he and Susanna married. During this time, they had four children, a daughter who was listed in the 1830 census as being under the age of 5. She may have died as a child, for nothing further is known of her. They also had three sons, Lorenzo Dow Brogden, born 1827-1832; James R. Brogden, born February 1833; Peter H. Brogden, born early 1834.
Susanna is widowed for the second time by the 7th of May, 1833 when Morgan county records show that David Ballew, the sheriff, was appointed administrator of the estate of James Brogden, deceased. In the settlement of his estate, his home and land along with his personal property were sold. This probably left Susanna and her children nearly destitute and forced her to move in with her parents again. She was able, probably with her father's help, to buy 40 acres of uncleared land, which joined her father's southwest corner. Susanna and her children managed to clear and farm this land.
In 1848 her oldest son Archibald "Archie" Median joined a party of people from the area who was going west, to Texas. He settled in Young County, along the Salt Fork of the Brazos River near Fort Belknap, where after a few years he became a very successful rancher and prominent citizen. In addition to his farming and cattle ranching enterprises, he invested in banks, mills and other businesses, he served in the Texas Rangers, was the first tax collector of Young County and held other titles, including that of a charitable gentleman.
By 1857 Susanna's children were all grown and married, her father had died and her son in Texas was urging her to come and live on his ranch. Her daughter Eliza Medlin and her husband William Duck were already in Young County, Texas, so with these incentives in mind, Susanna along with her sons James R. and Peter H. Brogden and their families moved to Young County, living on or near Archie Medlin's ranch.
In a few years the Civil War came along and because Texas was a Confederate State, the U. S. Army pulled the troops out of Ft. Belknap. This left the residents of Young County and the surrounding area without protection from the Comanche Indians who roamed through the area. Most of the ranchers left the area, but the people at the Medlin ranch stayed. During the war years and for several years after the Comanches raised havoc, burning houses, killing people and stealing livestock. Most of Archie Medlin's cattle were stolen or driven off during this time; but after the war he rounded up what he could find and started over.
Information passed down through the family indicates that sometime during 1867 Susanna went to Parker County, Texas where her son Dow Brogden and his family lived. She went there to care for her grandchildren apparently because of a family crisis, possibly the death of their mother. Both Susanna and Dow died or were killed by Comanches shortly after her arrival. Four of Dow's children survived and were raised as orphans at the Medlin ranch. Thus ends the life of a woman who endured many hardships, and hopefully some joys during its course."
Submitted by: Eleanor L. Frost and Written by: Don J. Frost.
Sources: Court records, Family stories, Census records. - Heritage
• Full name at death: Susannah Frost Medlin Brogdon - Editor's Note
Related Links:
| Born: | 1800, Knox County, Tennessee |
| Died: | 1867, Parker County, Texas |
Notes:
• "Susanna Frost was born in 1800 in Knox County, Tennessee. She was the daughter of Edward Frost Sr. and Amilla Roberts Frost. Her Frost grandparents were Rev. John and Frances Frost, her Roberts grandparents were Cornelius, killed by Indians in 1788, and Mary Benton Roberts, a cousin of Senator Thomas Hart Benton.
Susanna was about eight years old when her family moved to what would become North Alabama. Her father settled the family just West of the Madison County line on land still claimed by the Chickasaws. This event caused the family many hardships, but by perseverance they were able to hang on until 1816 when the Chickasaws ceded the area to the U. S. Government. In 1818 when the boundaries of Madison County were extended, Susanna's family found themselves living within the county.
Susanna married Isaac Medlin in Madison County, Alabama on the 7th of September 1822. They had two children, Eliza, born the 26th of August 1823 and Archibald, born the 8th of January 1825. By 1826, when her parents moved to Morgan County, Alabama, Susanna was a widow. She and her two small children moved in with her parents on their 80-acre farm located at the foot of Lacon Mountain about two and half miles Southwest of the present town of Falkville.
On the 28th of December 1826, Susanna marries for the second time to James Brogden, a neighbor and widower with grown children. He was much older than Susanna, actually about the age of her father, and lived only six years after he and Susanna married. During this time, they had four children, a daughter who was listed in the 1830 census as being under the age of 5. She may have died as a child, for nothing further is known of her. They also had three sons, Lorenzo Dow Brogden, born 1827-1832; James R. Brogden, born February 1833; Peter H. Brogden, born early 1834.
Susanna is widowed for the second time by the 7th of May, 1833 when Morgan county records show that David Ballew, the sheriff, was appointed administrator of the estate of James Brogden, deceased. In the settlement of his estate, his home and land along with his personal property were sold. This probably left Susanna and her children nearly destitute and forced her to move in with her parents again. She was able, probably with her father's help, to buy 40 acres of uncleared land, which joined her father's southwest corner. Susanna and her children managed to clear and farm this land.
In 1848 her oldest son Archibald "Archie" Median joined a party of people from the area who was going west, to Texas. He settled in Young County, along the Salt Fork of the Brazos River near Fort Belknap, where after a few years he became a very successful rancher and prominent citizen. In addition to his farming and cattle ranching enterprises, he invested in banks, mills and other businesses, he served in the Texas Rangers, was the first tax collector of Young County and held other titles, including that of a charitable gentleman.
By 1857 Susanna's children were all grown and married, her father had died and her son in Texas was urging her to come and live on his ranch. Her daughter Eliza Medlin and her husband William Duck were already in Young County, Texas, so with these incentives in mind, Susanna along with her sons James R. and Peter H. Brogden and their families moved to Young County, living on or near Archie Medlin's ranch.
In a few years the Civil War came along and because Texas was a Confederate State, the U. S. Army pulled the troops out of Ft. Belknap. This left the residents of Young County and the surrounding area without protection from the Comanche Indians who roamed through the area. Most of the ranchers left the area, but the people at the Medlin ranch stayed. During the war years and for several years after the Comanches raised havoc, burning houses, killing people and stealing livestock. Most of Archie Medlin's cattle were stolen or driven off during this time; but after the war he rounded up what he could find and started over.
Information passed down through the family indicates that sometime during 1867 Susanna went to Parker County, Texas where her son Dow Brogden and his family lived. She went there to care for her grandchildren apparently because of a family crisis, possibly the death of their mother. Both Susanna and Dow died or were killed by Comanches shortly after her arrival. Four of Dow's children survived and were raised as orphans at the Medlin ranch. Thus ends the life of a woman who endured many hardships, and hopefully some joys during its course."
Submitted by: Eleanor L. Frost and Written by: Don J. Frost.
Sources: Court records, Family stories, Census records. - Heritage
• Full name at death: Susannah Frost Medlin Brogdon - Editor's Note
Related Links:
• Ancestry.com - Page owned by Wendy Bedran and can be viewed only with an Ancestry.com paid subscription. (Originally found at http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/27289263/person/2033483124.)
• Ancestry.com2 - Page owned by Hcharles5 and can be viewed only with an Ancestry.com paid subscription. This page includes a photo of her. (Originally found at http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/26571916/person/1871670372.)
• Genealogy.com - Posted by Nancy January 4, 2001
• Heritage - This biography for Susanna Frost was submitted by Eleanor L. Frost and written by Don J. Frost (of Athens, AL) to The Heritage of Madison County, Alabama, page 196. Submissions for the book were collected by The Madison County Heritage Book Committee, John P. Rankin, Chairman.
• Message Board - At Ancestry.com and can viewed with a paid subscription. Interesting speculations about Susanna's family. However, as with any message board, some of the points are not verifiable and may not even be true. (Originally found at http://boards.ancestrylibrary.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=97&p=surnames.brogdon.)