James B. Frost, biography c. 1890
[from Memoirs of Southern Arkansas]
 
 
 
 
  Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas, pp. 196-197. Chicago, Nashville, and St. Louis: The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1890.
 
     
     
  JAMES B. FROST  
 
James B. Frost was born in Jackson, Miss., January 18, 1844, being a son of Enoch and Susan E. (Brown) Frost, natives of North and South Carolina, respectively. Their marriage occurred in Virginia, where they resided but a short time, and then moved to Talladega County, Ala., thence to Mississippi, and from there to Union County, Ark., in 1845. They made their home in Union and Miller Counties until 1881, when they came to Calhoun County, and here the father passed from life (at Hampton) in 1883, after a long and useful career of seventy-seven years; his widow, who was born in 1808, is still living, making her home with her son, E. W. Frost at College Hill, near Texarkana. She has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, for many years, as was also her husband, who served as class-leader and steward of that body at various times during his life. While the Know-nothing party was in power, he affiliated with that party, but subsequently identified himself with the Whigs, and after the late war with the Democratic party. but little is known of the ancestry of this family except that Grandfather John Frost originally came from Ireland. Of the nine children born to their marriage but five survive, and they are: Rebecca (the widow of George W. Prestridge, who was a prominent resident of De Soto Parish, La., but is now deceased; she makes her home in this county), Elizabeth B. (widow of William R. Brown, a deceased farmer of Union County), James B. (our subject) E.W. (a prominent mill man of Miller County), and J. S. (a leading agriculturist of Union County, Ark.). Those dead are J. W. (the second child, was accidentally killed in Hunt County, Tex., in the spring of 1889), William A. (the third child, was a farmer by occupation and died in Mansfield, La.), Jane F. (wife of W. B. Graves, died in this county), E. A. (was a soldier in the late ware, belonging to the Fourth Arkansas Confederate Infantry, and was killed at the battle of Elkhorn in his twenty-third year) and William (also a soldier in the late war was killed at Mansfield, La.). James B. Frost spent his school days in Union and Miller Counties. At the outbreak of the late war he was attending school, but he left his books to enlist in Company D, Fourth Arkansas Confederate Infantry, in which he served until after the fall of Vicksburg, when he joined a Louisiana regiment of cavalry, and served with this command until the close of the war. During this time he took part in the battles of Elkhorn, Richmond, Murfreesboro, Jackson, besides many skirmishes. At the close of the war he returned home and commenced to team, but continued in this occupation only a short time, and then turned his attention to farming, to which he has devoted himself every since. Within the last four years he has spent considerable time in the milling business. His mill, which has a capacity of 12,000 feet per day, and employs twenty-two men, saws nothing but yellow pine, and its product is sold to the Gate City Lumber Company. March 1, 1866, his marriage to Miss Lizzie J. Lynn, daughter of J. A. Lynn, of this county, was consummated, and her death occurred in this county November 18, 1878, after bearing five children: James E. (at home), Mary E. (wife of A. J. Maxey, a prominent mill man and farmer of this county), Agnes, John J., and William (all at home). Mrs. Frost was born in October, 1844, and at the time of her death was a member of the Missionary Baptist Church. In 1879 Mr. Frost was joined in wedlock to Miss Martha Williams, daughter of S. C. Williams. She was born in this county in 1858. The fruits of this union were six children, five of whom are still living: Margaret G., Martha Lizzie, Wesley, Virginia and Nettie Hazel. Mrs. Frost belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Mr. Frost is identified with the Masonic Order and the Alliance, and in politics with the Democratic party. He has held several offices of trust, among them being that of bailiff of Beech Township (to which he was appointed in 1866), school director and justice of the peace. He is now very ably discharging the duties of this latter office. In 1889 there was a post-office established at his mill and named Frost, in his honor, and he was appointed its master, in which capacity he is still serving.
 
     
     
     
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Text and images were digitized and proofread from the original source documents by Murry Hammond. Contact Murry for all corrections and contributions of new material.