Godfrey Sheldon S0004

 

Places of residence: England; Billerica, MA; Scarboro, MA

See SFA ENC 431 for Genealogy Dictionary N.E. by Savage.
See SFA ENC 435 for Genealogy Dictionary of Maine & New Hampshire.
See SFA ENC 400 for History of Billerica by Hazen.
See SFA ENC History of Worchester County, MA Vol. 4 by Crane.

 

From a paper by 1979 SFA Genealogy Committee:
    S0004 – Godfrey SHELDON, progenitor — “both of Godfrey’s sons S0015 and
            S0004x3 are buried in Bakewell Parish, Derby County, England.”

 

From a letter to Dr. Lawrence B. SHELDON, S0631x213, of 5427 Wateka Drive,
Dallas, TX:
    “The marriage date of Godfrey and Alice (FROST) SHELDON was taken from
     the parish register at the Church of All saints in Bakewell, County Derby,
     England, by Mr. Winnifred M. Wright.”

(LLS= Leland Locke President  07-18-1970)

 

Rose Sheldon Newton has copies of parish records from Bakewell England from several pastors wives,  these were from the papers of E. Hortense Sheldon who also visited England researching.  They were published in the Sheldon Quarterly. Reprints of the article available from Rose.     Rose Sheldon Newton SFA Genealogist  2006.

 

Godfrey Sheldon’s English origin in Bakewell, Derbyshire was discovered sometime prior to Charles Edward Banks’ death in 1931.  The major pieces of evidence were the Bakewell Parish Registers and the will of Ellen Goodale of Bakewell, a sister of Alice Sheldon, wife to Godfrey Sheldon. The discovery of the will was probably serendipitous, as the Goodales were another family in which Banks and others were interested. Some brief details were published by 1939. In 1961 E. Hortense Sheldon published an abstract of Ellen Goodale’s will and incomplete abstracts from the Bakewell Parish Registers.  As early as May or June 1968 Shirley Sheldon Rider added to the Sheldon Family Association files the wills of John Goodale and five Derbyshire Frosts. 

 

Ellen Goodale mentioned “my brother David Frost, and Alice and Sarah my two sistres”.
Elsewhere in the will she named Alice and Sarah as the wives of Godfrey and William Sheldon respectively.  The earlier will of George Frost mentioned sons Francis and David and daughter Sarah. These are evidently the same David and Sarah who are brother and sister of Ellen Goodale and Alice Sheldon. It was typical practice not to mention daughters who had already married and received their portions. Ellen and Alice married before George Frost made his will; Sarah after.

Francis died without issue between George’s will and Ellen’s will. With these points in mind we have a perfect match, especially considering that both George Frost and Ellen Goodale were from the tiny hamlet of Sheldon itself. The wills and the LDS microfilms of the Bakewell Parish Registers and a few other records enable a sketch of the family of Frost of Bakewell to be made.

 

Will of George Frost
     In the name of God Amen I George Frost of Sheldon of good and perfect memory in the
County of Derby, doe make my last will and testement in manner and forme following: First I giue and bequeathe my soule vnto God whoe gave it me, beleeving that my sinnes are frely pardoned through the blood of Christ, and my body to be buryed in the parish Church yard at Bakewel.

Item I giue to Sarah my daughter Fifteen pounds of good and lawful English money to be payd within two yeares after my decease Item I giue to David Frost my sonne the best Brasse pan but one. Item I giue all other my Goods movable and Immovable, Groues and Oare and Grooue Tooles to my sonne Francis Frost. Item I make my sonne Francis Frost executor of this my last will and Testament Item my will is that my Sonne Francis shall winter nine Sheepe of my daughter Sarahes  Yeoven [Given] the last day of November in the yeare of our lord god 1630. These being witnesses  Abraham Cowper  John Frost, his marke
 

Chattels moveable and Immoveable of George Frost late of Sheldon deceased, taken and prised the Tenth day of December in the year of our Lord 1636 by Abraham Cowper and John Frost.

 

Children of George Frost:
 i Alice, born after about 1597; married 11 March 1620/1 at Bakewell to
GODFREY SHELDON.
 ii. Ellen, born about 1599; married first about 11 March 1620/1 to THURSTON
WHITE; married second JOHN GOODALE.
 iii. Francis, probably born by about 1602; buried at Bakewell 15 or 17 September 1637.
 iv. David, probably born after 1602, say 1604; buried at Bakewell 24 September
[1657]; married 14 June 1631 at Bakewell to ELIZABETH SHELDON.
 v. George, apparently born after 1604, say 1606; buried 2 March 1625[/6].
 vi. Sarah, probably born after about 1608; married 2 May 1640 at Bakewell to
WILLIAM SHELDON.

 

 1. The Sheldon Magazine by Henry Olcott Sheldon, Pub Sidney, OH 1855-57.
 2. History of Billerica, MA by Hazen.
 3. Genealogy Dictionary of Maine & New Hampshire by Noyes, Libby & Davis.
 4. Genealogy Dictionary of New England by Savage — pgs. 3, 69, 70-71.
 5. Genealogy of Eastern Massachusetts by Lewis.
 6. Sheldon Family Association Genealogy Records and Files. George.
 7. History of Worchester County, MA Vol. 4.