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The Frost Family
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John Frost and Mary Ann, nee King, married in 1826 in England, arrived with their children in South Australia aboard the Taglioni from London on 18 June 1844. The children who came with them were Frederick John, Fanny, Alfred, Joseph, Benjamin, Eliza Hannah, Ellen Martha, John King, and Priscilla King. Two months after their arrival their last child, Emily Hannah, was born on 26 August. Most of the family eventually moved to the north of South Australia. John, who had left for the gold diggings in Victoria, died near Melbourne in 1852. Mary Ann lived for another 19 years. She died on 24 October 1871 and was interred at the Melrose cemetery at the age of 66 years. Several of the Frost members and some of their partners were involved in the mining industry.
Their next children were born at Erudina. Edith was the first on 15 August 1873, followed by Frank on 8 June 1875, Fred John on May 1877 and Herbert Harald on 2 May 1879. Their last child was born at The Grange on 8 November 1882. Frederick John Frost died at Broken Hill in 1901. His wife Jane Mary died in 1911 also at Broken Hill. Fanny married William Williams in 1852 and they lived at Chain of Ponds in the Adelaide Hills. Both were buried there. Joseph died at Clare on 26 March 1897. John King, born in 1838, went much further north. He worked for some time for George Fife Angas near Melrose. While working at Caroona Station he married Margaret Cole, formerly Gordon, widow at Port Augusta on 8 March 1876. He died at the Cowell Hospital on 2 September 1917. Priscilla King was born on 15 September 1840. She married Thomas Knowles on 11 June 1864. She died on 30 October 1900. Emily Hannah married Owen Griffith Hughes on 16 November 1863. She died at her residence at Blyth on 1 August 1908, aged 64. Eliza Hannah married Thomas Albert Wallis. She also died at her residence at 29 Wright Street, Adelaide on 11 January 1907, aged 68 years. Husband Thomas was involved in gold mining at Arltunga, near Alice Springs. Eliza Hannah, Emily Hannah and Priscilla King were all married, near Melrose. Ellen Martha, born 1836, married Henry Longmire at Riverton on 13 December 1857. Alfred Frost was involved in the mining industry for most of his life. On 21 September 1859 he and Gleeson applied for some mineral leases at Yudanamutana. He took out many other leases in that, and other areas of the north during the following years. The best known and most successful being the Blinman mine. Later it was said that Frost had discovered more mines than anyone else in South Australia. He even had a mine named after him. John Baptist Austin wrote that Alfred was 'an excellent bushman, capable of enduring great fatique and considerable physical exertion and was a perfect enthusiast in mining matters'.
When the great drought of the early 1860s devastated the far north, mining ceased for a number of years. Frost now became involved in transporting supplies for pastoral stations. In May 1865 he arrived at Edeowie with his new turn-out of nine wagons, having sent one back to Port Augusta for horse feed. After having rested his team he continued on to Mount Deception with 24 tons of supplies for Elder & Co. His wagons and animals made a big impression on the locals and one reporter wrote; It certainly is a most creditable turn-out and both horses and wagons seem admirably adapted to the work, much more so than those great barge looking things imported from Melbourne. Frost became a shareholder or manager of several mines, including the Daly Mine. He also held pastoral leases and was the successful tenderer for the building of the Bolla Bollana smelters, which he completed in October 1873. Alfred died at Dalhousie Springs on 22 September 1884, while on his way to Owen Springs with stores.
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