The Frost Cemetery was a private family burying ground passed down through the Frost and Bell families for many generations. The families lived near the Piscataqua River and the cemetery was located at the end of their properties near the original church.
Reverend John BluntDied August 7, 1748
Reverend John Blunt, the son-in-law of John Frost, Esq., was the pastor of the Church of Christ in New Castle for sixteen years. He was so loved by the townspeople that upon his death at age 42, they voted to continue his salary to his wife, Sarah, for nine months. The poetry on his tombstone includes the following: "Safe is the sleep of saints - in Peace they lie. They rest in Silence, but they never die."
Captain John HollicombDied around January of 1721
Little is known of the occupant of possibly the oldest grave in the cemetery. Based on remaining records, Hollicomb was likely from Devon, England, where his two sisters lived. By 1688, he resided in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and was employed as a fisherman. By 1698, he was in New Castle and by 1705, was a sea captain trading rum, molasses, and cotton between Barbados and Portsmouth on the ship "Sarah." Once, he was captured by the French and had to pay a ransom to free himself, his crew, ship, and cargo.
He drafted his will in 1718, paid the local tax in 1720, and in 1721, his will was proved.
Captain Meschach BellDied July 18, 1786
Prior to an eventful career m the military, Bell was a mariner and cooper (a barrel maker). He participated in the gunpowder raid on New Castle's Fort William and Mary in December of 1774 and was a Second Lieutenant in Colonel Pierce Long's regiment during the march to Fort Ticonderoga in February of 1777. He was Captain of Fort William and Mary, known then as fort Hancock, when he died at age 34.
Honorable John Frost, Esq.Died February 25, 1732
A mariner for much of his life, Frost commanded Colonel William Pepperrell's pinky, a traditional fishing schooner featuring a narrow, pointed after-deck extension, named "Bonetta" during the 1710 British assault on Port Royal, Nova Scotia. While captain of the "Bonetta," he was attacked in 1717 by pirates en-route from Barbados to Portsmouth, NH. Frost went on to become a successful merchant, investor — he owned the ferry that ran between New Castle and Portsmouth, was a Royal Councilor, and Justice of the Superior Court. He was the husband of Mary Pepperrell and father of seventeen children.Portrait Courtesy of Historic New England, Gift of Mrs. Norman Niles, 1981.26
Mehitable WhiteDied September 3, 1827
Mehitable was the daughter of Captain John Simpson and the wife of Captain Robert White. In 1821, Widow White was the only remaining member of the New Castle Church, sitting alone during the regular service hours in the church, which had been boarded up since 1795. The poem on her tombstone reads: "Yet my Redeemer lives, and often from the skies, looks down and watches my dust, till he shall bid ye rise."
Private Meschach BellDied July 1, 1827
A seaman by trade, Bell volunteered as a "Sea Fencibles" (naval militiamen who protected ports, harbors, and other vital coastal areas) in May of 1813 when a British attack on Portsmouth seemed imminent. Though the attack never materialized, he was stationed at Little Harbor until November, after which he returned to his sizable family.
Abigail FrostDied January 30, 1742
Daughter of the Hon. John Frost and Mary Pepperrell, Abigail Frost passed away a age 23. Her elaborately carved gravestone features a portrait of a young woman, presumably Abigail, surrounded by symbols of her faith as described in the inscription.
Funding for this historic marker was provided by Historic New England, 2016.www.HistoricNewEngland.orgText references can be found at the New Castle Historical Society.Marker Design: Susan Kress Hamilton/Phineas Graphics, Portsmouth, N.H.
Comments 0 comments