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Isom FROST

Male 1843 - 1928  (84 years)


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  • Name Isom FROST 
    Birth 14 Oct 1843  Daviess County, MO Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Name Isham FROST 
    Death 29 Apr 1928  Ukiah, Mendocino County, CA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Notes 
    • (1) Daily Alta California, San Francisco, CA, 27 January 1886:

      One of the Participants Doomed for Life at Folsom.

      A HORRIBLE TALE OF MURDER.

      A Quarrel at School Results in the Massacre of a Whole Family - Sons Follow in a Father's Bloody Footsteps.

      J. M. Standley, Sheriff of Mendocino county, arrived at the City Prison last evening from Ukiah and entered the names of three transient boarders on the prison register. The entries were Isom Frost, murder in the first degree, life; George Gibson, murder in the second degree, seventeen years; E. A. Jewell, accessory to murder, ten years and six months. The arrival of the three murderers at the prison, en route to prison, attracted no especial attention. The three were hustled into a hole in the wall to spend the night previous to their voyage over the Bay. The peculiarly brutal and murderous appearance of Frost, the elder one of the trio, attracted the attention of an ALTA reporter, who was standing in the corridor of the prison at the time of their arrival. The name of Frost sounded familiar, and at once associated itself with stories heard in years past of a series of bloody murders committed in Mendocino county: Sheriff Standley was seen later at the Ross House by the reporter, and when asked relative to Frost's past history, he related the following bloody career of a family, extending over twenty years:

      THE COATS-FROST VENDETTA.

      "It was in the early days of the California gold excitement," said Sheriff Standley, "that the Frost family migrated from Missouri to Mendocino county and took up a quarter section of land a few miles north of Willitsville and forty miles north of Ukiah. About a year later West Coats, a Northerner, took up land in that neighborhood, and the children of the two families attended the same public school. The boys of each family were strong, hardy young fellows, and at once became the recognized bullies of the neighborhood. They had succeeded in whipping every boy in the school, large and small, and the natural consequence was the Coats and Frosts were pitted against each other. In a short time they grew to hate each other, and were unable to pass a recess without daring each other to fight. In time their hostilities became so generally known and commented upon, that the parents of the boys took up their battles, and the two families looked upon each other as deadly enemies. When the war broke out the sympathies of the Frosts were with the South, and the Coats were equally as earnestly enlisted with the destinies of the North. The boys grew to manhood, but their antagonism did not abate in the least, but as their farms were some distant apart, and they were kept hard at work, they rarely met.

      A BLOODY BATTLE.

      "It was in the year 1867, and on an election day in Willits, that the two families first met with the real intention of giving each other battle. Each knew that the other would be in town on that day, and each one had blood in his eye. They met in the middle of the main street of the town, and both parties seemed to know by intuition that the meeting meant blood. Word was given by an appointed spokesman of the Frost party to the Coats boys to trot out their best man and they would do the same, and the feud would be settled by the result of the fight. The two men met on the steps of the drugstore, and before young Coats knew in what manner they proposed to fight he was stabbed through the body with a long, keen-bladed hunting-knife. Coats fell to the groand mortally wounded, and as he fell the two families arrayed themselves in line and commenced firing at each other; when their pistols were emptied they coolly loaded them and remained under fire. There were six of the Coats boys and five of the Frosts, and when their stock of ammunition was exhausted, five of the Coats and one of the Frosts lay stone dead, and all were more or less wounded. The survivor of the Coats family loaded his dead brothers in his wagon and drove home. The Frosts did the same. The few witnesses of the awful battle discreetly remained indoors, and the street was entirely deserted when they drove to their respective homes.

      THE SURVIVORS.

      "The Frosts that survived that awful battle were none of them ever arrested for that crime. Elisha was killed, but Isom, who is now on his way to prison, survived with his three brothers - Martin, James and another, whose name I have forgotten. Elisha left four small boys named Taylor, David, James and Ashberry.

      "In a few years after this horrible slaughter, an unfriendly feeling began to exist between Isom, Mart and the four boys of Elisha, and they were constantly indulging in hot words. I remember that the outcome of a quarrel between Mart and his nephew Ben resulted in the former riding into town, one day, horseback, with Ben lying in front of him on the saddle dead. He explained the death of his nephew by saying that he had fallen off his horse, and in the fall his pistol had exploded and killed him. It was the general belief, however, that he was murdered, as Mart had frequently quarreled with Ben about his intimacy with his (Mart's) sister.

      THE KNIFE AND RIFLE.

      "Later on Sicott and Smith came to Willits and were employed by James Frost, Sr., to preempt land. During the absence of James one day Isom procured a jug of whisky and took it to the cabin occupied by Sicott and Smith. The three drank together until they were all drunk. While in this condition Isom drew a knife and stabbed Sicott in the hip and Smith in the back. He would have undoubtedly killed them both, but the blade of the knife bent in the first stroke. Sicott and Smith both left and went to an adjoining cabin and secured rifles. They then returned and traced Isom to the cabin of Thomas Gibson, who was living with his wife and family. Isom had taken refuge there, and as soon as they were certain of this they commenced firing into the cabin. One ballet took effect in Frost's leg. Sicott and Smith were arrested - not so much for shooting Frost, but for endangering the lives of Gibson's family. They were convicted of assault to murder, and are now both serving six years in San Quentin.

      CLOSE OF MART FROST's CAREER.

      "This was about two years since. Prior to this Mart went to the cabin of James, Jr., to settle an old dispute. Mart received a reception he had not counted upon. They had a few words together, when James grabbed his Winchester rifle, standing near, and blew his respected Uncle Mart's head off. James was arrested, but was acquitted on the ground of self-defense, although it was the general belief that it was a cold-blooded murder. This was two years ago, and Isom never ceased to brood over the murder of his brother Mart. It was thought that he at once commenced to plan the killing of James, Jr. It is now known that he proposed to several hard characters to aid him in his nephew's murder. He succeeded at last in securing an accomplice in the person of George Gibson, a neighbor. On the 10th of last April Gibson and Isom set out for James' ranch, in Scott's valley. On arriving in the vicinity, they stealthily crept toward a large corral, where they saw James engaged in separating his sheep from a large band, together with one Andreas Hamburg. James was being assisted by his brother David. The father of James was also present. Isom and Gibson crept close to the corral, and when in easy range Isom took deliberate aim at his nephew with his Winchester and shot him through the body. James, although mortally wounded, took in the situation at a glance, saw his uncle, and knew that Hamburg was his uncle's friend and his enemy. Arriving instantly at this conclusion, he drew his sixshooter and shot and killed Hamburg, and fired

      the remaining five shots at a man named Lynch but his arm had become unsteady, and he missed him. He then fell dead in the corral. During the general fusilade Gibson fired at David, but failed to hit him.

      TRACING THE MURDERERS

      "When the news of the murder was reported at Ukiah, I started out to work up the case. At first I was inclined to the belief that James and Hamburg had been killed by Taylor, his brother, as he had been seen in the hills that day with a gun. My suspicions were shortly aroused, however, in the direction of Isom, and I paid his cabin a visit. I found E. A. Jewell doing the cooking there. Shortly after my visit Isom left for Trinity county, and Jewell I next heard of in Marysville. I soon became convinced that Isom had done the shooting, and in order to be certain I visited Marysville and found where Jewell was working. I employed a young man to work with Jewell for a few days, and he succeeded in getting the whole story of the killing from him.

      CAPTURED BY STRATEGY.

      "I then started for Trinity county, and learned that Isom was herding sheep in the mountains. I disguised myself as a prospector, armed myself well and started for him. When I came upon him he had a Winchester rifle on his shoulder and a sixshooter in his belt. But he did not suspect me, and when I thought myself near enough to him I covered him with my rifle and he gave up. When I arrived with him in San Francisco, I telegraphed for Gibson's and Jewell's arrest, and when I arrived in Ukiah with Isom all three were safely lodged in jail. The jury in Isom's case stood eleven for hanging and one for imprisonment for life. They were out ten hours, and finally compromised on imprisonment.

      THE FATE OF ANOTHER FROST.

      "Another one of the sons of Elisha was lynched at Willits some five years ago. He had a short time previous to his death been released from San Quentin, where he had served a long term for horse stealing. After his release he reopened his criminal career, and engaged as accessories Thomas Gibson, a half witted fellow, and Frank McCracken. The trio was arrested for stealing a saddle, and while in care of a constable at Willits over night, they were taken from a room in the hotel by a number of masked men and hanged from a bridge just out from the Village. The three were ironed together, and the men unable to get them apart, and, although desiring to save the life of Gibson, finally swung the three from the bridge where they were found dangling dead in the morning. Jewell and Gibson will be taken to San Quentin to-day, and to-morrow Sheriff Standley will take Frost to Folsom, where he will probably remain the rest of his natural life. Frost is a man forty years of age, and when seen by a reporter in prison last evening appeared perfectly cheerful. He said with an air of pride to the Sheriff that a gun never yet snapped in the hands of a Frost, nor had one of the family ever missed his man.

      (2) Message posted by Philip D. Carnahan to the NORCAL-L Mailing List on 15 November 2004:

      Here are a couple of obits for Isom Frost from the Willits News, and the Ukiah Republican Press.

      • The Willits News, Thursday, May 17, 1928:

      Isham Frost

      Isham Frost, one of the pioneers of Little Lake Valley, and the last survivor of the Little Lake vendetta, passed away at the county farm near Ukiah on April 29th. He had been in poor health for several years and for the past four months had been living at the county farm.

      Isham Frost was born October 14, 1843 and was 84 years, 6 months and 15 days old at the time of his death. He came to Little Lake Valley at an early date and had one of the most colorful careers of any resident of this community. The most interesting of which from an historical standpoint was his part in the Little Lake Vendetta which culminated in a regular battle on the 11th of October 1865, in which six men were killed.

      • Ukiah Republican Press, May 23, 1928:

      Last Survivor Of A Famous Feud Is Dead

      Isham Frost, last survivor of the famous Frost-Coats feud at Willits in early days, died recently at the Mendocino county hospital in this city. Mr. Frost was 84 years old at the time of his death. He went to Little Lake valley at an early date. The most spectacular event in his colorful career was the feud which occurred at the schoolhouse south of Willits during an election on October 11, 1865, in which six men were killed.
    Person ID I35939  Frost, Gilchrist and Related Families
    Last Modified 26 Mar 2024 

    Father Elijah FROST, Jr.,   b. Abt 1800, TN Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 16 Sep 1891, Willits, Mendocino County, CA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 91 years) 
    Mother Elizabeth BROWN,   b. Abt 1805, KY Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 17 Nov 1879, Willits, Mendocino County, CA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 74 years) 
    Marriage 6 Dec 1821  Chariton County, MO Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Family ID F7198  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Sources 
    1. Details: Details: Details: Details: Details: Citation Text: (1) Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002 [database online], Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007: Name: Elijah Frost Marriage Date: 9 Dec 1821 Marriage County: Chariton Spouse Name: Elizabeth Brown.