In 1934, my father, Herbert Hamilton Frost, was only a 17-year-old teenager living in New York City when his mother suggested he search for his English roots. Herbie’s parents were both immigrants—Mary Anne (Mollie) Hamilton came from County Down, Ireland, while Herbert Sr. immigrated from Stoke by Clare, Suffolk. Mollie had been called as the Genealogy Secretary in their tiny branch in Newport, Rhode Island, and was tracing her Irish genealogy. She suggested that Herbie should explore the family history on his father’s side, since his father was not a member of the Church. Herb agreed to try, although he thought that tracing his family tree in England might be difficult.
His father, Herbert Sr., left his home in Stoke by Clare about 1900—off to be a servant in London. His family had been agricultural laborers in Stoke for generations, so working as a servant in London was a move up in the world! In the 1901 census, Herbert was sixteen, living in London, and employed as a domestic worker. In the next years, Herbert had only sporadic contact with his family. The last his parents knew he was traveling as the valet of a rich Englishman in Europe and was scheduled to go to America on the ocean liner Titanic. After the ship sank, his mother, Susan, combed the survivor lists in the newspapers–never finding her son Herbert’s name. Meanwhile, Herbert had arrived in America in September 1911 (traveling from Cherbourg, France, on the Kaiser Wilhelm II) and settled in New York City. Through the years, he sent letters and money to his family in Stoke by Clare; however, he never received a reply, so he assumed that his mother was dead.
Over two decades later in 1935, Herbie wrote to Frederick Barnes, the vicar of Stoke by Clare, requesting his grandparents’ death dates. Imagine his surprise when he received a letter saying, “I have been looking up your family in the Register and find you have got several of your dates wrong. As far as I know, your grandmother is still alive.”
With Vicar Barnes’ information, Herbie found his 87-year-old grandmother’s address and wrote to her, establishing contact with the Frost family after more than twenty-five years. On 13 March 1935, he received his first letter from her. In shaky penmanship, she wrote, “My Dear Grandson, I cannot tell you the Joy it was to me in receiving your letter. I shall never forget it the Joy it gave me to know of your father.”
After reconnecting with his English extended family, my father convinced his teenage cousin Monica to visit some Suffolk county churches and locate additional genealogical information for him. She became a family history enthusiast and continued to research the Frost family throughout her life. In the 1990’s, she sent our family pedigree charts which enabled us to provide temple blessings for more than 250 people!
My grandmother’s love for family history work was carried on by my father. He in turn passed that love on to me and my siblings. President Nelson has counseled, “We can be inspired all day long about temple and family history experiences others have had. But we must do something to actually experience the joy ourselves.” I’m grateful for my father and grandmother who showed me the way and for the opportunity to experience the joy myself. –Marianne Bates