Alice Frost

1594 -

• Name	Alice Frost
  Christening	1 Dec 1594	Stanstead, Suffolk, England
  Gender	Female
  Occupation	2 May 1649
  	On May 2, 1649, the Massachusetts General Court passed a law forbidding physicians or midwives from exercising any force, violence, or cruelty upon or towards the bodies of any, whether young or old. Mistress Alice Tilly, a midwife, was accused of taking action that violated this law.   Six petitions and a deposition were written on behalf of Tilly, 4 from Boston and 2 from Dorchester, MA. There were 294 signatures, ranging from a low of 8 to a high of 130. Most of the signatures came from women in their childbearing years or, the mothers or mothers-in-law of such women. One of those signatures on the 2nd Dorchester petition belonged to my 11X Grandmother, Jane (nee Clapp) Weekes or, perhaps her daughter (my 10X Great Aunt) also named Jane. The deposition by another midwife detailed a variety of situations that might arise during childbirth and contended that methods of handling them were common rather than unusual or cruel. The female petitioners disagreed with the male authorities assessment of Mistress Tilly. One petition called her "the ablest midwife in the land." Another expressed confidence in her, stating they were afraid to put themselves into the hands of anyone "besides our midwife that wee have had experience of."   The picture that surviving documents create is that Tilly was the preeminent Boston midwife, the one most likely to be summoned in desperate cases. The first set of 3 petitions submitted before her trial, asked that she be permitted to leave jail to attend her patients. The 4th petition was written after she had been tried and convicted, renewed the request and referring to "sad events" that had occurred because of her absence. Led by the wife of the chief pastor of the Boston church, 26 female Bostonians begged the judges to "heare the cryes of mothers, and of children yet unborn." Her husband eventually threatened to move the family elsewhere "unless her innocencie may be cleared." In spring 1650, the final 2 petitions asked the court for her freedom.   Officials, asserted that there was "as much need to upphold magistracy in their authority as Mris Tilly in her midwivery." The women reminded the General Court that they wrote not just for themselves but also on behalf of "the security of your children." They were successful, the Tillys still resided in Boston fifteen years later. No doubt that the fate of Mistress Alice Tilly would have been quite different had women not gotten involved.
  		Tilley Petition. Tilley Petition bearing the signature of Jane Weekes.
  Siblings	3 siblings
  1. Elizabeth Frost,   c. 24 Mar 1587, Glemsford, Suffolk, England d. 20 Jun 1647, Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts
  2. William Frost,   b. 19 Sep 1589, Stanstead, Suffolk, England d. 6 Jan 1643/1644, Stanstead, Suffolk, England
  3. Thomasine Frost,   b. 10 Aug 1600, Stanstead, Suffolk, England d. 13 Jun 1653, Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts
  Person ID	I54802	Nagel
  Last Modified	22 Jun 2021

  
  

  Father	Edmond Frost,   c. 13 Mar 1560, Saint James Church, Stanstead, Suffolk, England d. 3 Aug 1616, Saint James Church, Stanstead, Suffolk, England (Age ~ 56 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Mother	Thomasine Belgrave,   b. 11 Aug 1560, Saint James Church, Stanstead, Suffolk, England d. 13 Jun 1653, Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts (Age 92 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Marriage	26 Sep 1585	Glemsford, Suffolk, England
  Family ID	F3335	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Thomas Blower,   c. 23 Apr 1587, Stanstead, Suffolk, England d. 9 Sep 1639, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts (Age ~ 52 years)
  Marriage	19 Nov 1612	Stanstead, Suffolk, England
  Children	+ 1. Alice Blower,   b. 30 Jun 1615   d. 3 Nov 1690, Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts (Age 75 years)  [Father: Birth]  [Mother: Birth]
  Family ID	F15970	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	17 Mar 2021

  
  

  Family 2	William Tilley,   b. Abt 1607, England d. Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts
  Marriage	1635	Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts
  Family ID	F15971	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	5 Sep 2020

  
  

• Event Map		Christening - 1 Dec 1594 - Stanstead, Suffolk, England Marriage - 19 Nov 1612 - Stanstead, Suffolk, England Marriage - 1635 - Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos

  Puritan Great Migration to New England.