Structure · Built 1852 · Demolished 1959

William Frost House

William Frost House
Address 104 Treble Cove Rd
Built 1852
Demolished 1959


The William Frost House stood on the southeast side of Treble Cove Road in North Billerica, on the old road from the Corner Bridge to Carlisle, between a brook and the lane that led back to Jesse Manning's farm. Mid-century maps name it for George L. Whitney, a machinist from Springfield who owned it from 1843 to 1854, but the deeds show the house was much older. It was "the old Frost House", the homestead of the Frost family.

William Frost of Billerica, yeoman, died intestate in 1813. The inventory of his estate lists his "Home Lot & the buildings" with a "North Lot" across the road, and his widow Sarah Frost was given her dower in the homestead. In 1830 their son Benjamin Frost, who lived in the house, sold the farm to Amos Carlton, a Billerica yeoman, whose will (1833) left it to his sons. In 1835 Daniel and George Carlton sold it to the Billerica traders John Baldwin and Henry Baldwin: the north lot of thirty acres "opposite to the dwelling house of Benja. Frost" and twenty acres "with the dwelling in which the said Benja. Frost now lives and a barn standing westerly of said house", bounded by the Kidder Pasture, the road to Jesse Manning's and the Carlisle road, "excepting that part of the above premises set off to the widow Sarah Frost for her dower". In 1838 the Baldwins added a strip of the neighboring Shed land "by the Benjamin Frost house" to straighten the line of what the deed calls the "Baldwins Frost farm".

George L. Whitney bought the house in pieces. In 1843 and 1844 the Frost sisters, Clarissa Underwood of Waltham, Martha Wheat and Maria Clark, sold him "the old Frost House so called", the widow's part between "Mears dwelling house" and "Mears wood shed", which they had "inherited by will from our sister Sarah Frost". In June 1844 the Baldwins sold Whitney and James Townsend of Lowell the rest of the farm, twenty acres "with the dwelling house in which the said Mears now lives and a barn standing westerly of said house", and in 1849 Townsend released his half to Whitney for $2,000. The occupant was Daniel Mears, a farmer born in Maine, who had witnessed the 1835 deed. The 1850 census lists Daniel Mears, 74, with George L. Whitney's family in his household.

In April 1854 Whitney, by then of Fitchburg, sold the farm to Silas H. P. Cowdry of Carlisle for $2,000, taking back a $700 mortgage. Cowdry lived there for twenty years; when he sold to Calista J. Starbird of Lawrence in October 1875 he described the north lot as lying "opposite of the dwelling house in which I now live". She sold it in 1876 to Joshua W. Shores of Lowell, whose will left it to his widow Mary M. Shores. After her death her only heir, Lydia A. Runnells, and her husband J. Dwight Runnells sold the two lots in 1909 to Armina Bibeault of Lowell, who resold them in 1910 to Walter G. and Henry Kitchen while keeping the timber and the right to set up a saw mill on the land for two years. In 1914 the Kitchens sold the house lot, "the second lot, with the buildings thereon", 28.25 acres, to Voluntine M. Rollins.

Rollins kept the western part and in 1947 sold the eastern ten acres "with the buildings thereon", from the brook to "the passageway or road leading to the house now or formerly of Jesse Manning", to Grace I. Silver, who sold them in 1948 to Enos C. and Mildred A. Bubar. The Bubars began selling house lots along Treble Cove Road in 1949, and in 1959 the remaining frontage went to a developer, whose "Subdivision Plan of Land in Billerica" (November 1959, Plan Book 92, Plan 78A) laid out Lots 73 to 75 at Charles Anna Lane. The deeds of 1959 and 1960 no longer mention buildings, which agrees with the house's removal by 1959. Massachusetts Builders, Inc., of Reading bought the three lots in January 1960 and built the present ranch houses; Lot 74, 104 Treble Cove Road, was sold to private owners in 1963.



William Frost House
(Plan 78A) Subdivision Plan of Land in Billerica, Mass., surveyed for James E. Farmer, Nov 2, 1959, Emmons & Fleming, Inc.: Lots 73, 74 and 75 on Treble Cove Road at Charles Anna Lane, 1960 (Plan 92/78)


Title References

Date Type Grantor Grantee Summary Recorded
October 5, 1813 Administration Estate of William Frost of Billerica, yeoman (died intestate 1813) His widow Sarah Frost, administratrix, and their children Probate #8660
October 3, 1817 Will Estate of Sarah Frost of Billerica, widow of William Frost Her children Benjamin, Joshua, Sarah, Clarissa, Martha and Maria Frost Probate #8641
November 24, 1830 Quitclaim Benjamin Frost of Billerica, yeoman; his wife Beulah Frost releasing dower Amos Carlton of Billerica, yeoman 301/204 (South)
November 12, 1833 Will Estate of Amos Carlton of Billerica, yeoman His sons Daniel Carlton and George Carlton, and other children Probate #3939
November 11, 1835 Warranty Deed Daniel Carlton and George Carlton of Billerica, yeomen John Baldwin and Henry Baldwin of Billerica, traders 347/258 (South)
October 31, 1838 Quitclaim Joseph Cowdry Jr. and Anthony Jones of Billerica, yeomen John Baldwin Esquire and Henry Baldwin, gentleman, of Billerica 377/299 (South)
March 30, 1846 Quitclaim Clarissa Underwood of Waltham, widow; Martha Wheat of Lowell, widow; James P. Clark of Medway and his wife Maria Clark in her right George L. Whitney of Springfield, machinist 478/309 (South)
March 30, 1846 Quitclaim John Baldwin and Henry Baldwin of Billerica, gentlemen; wives Clarissa and Anne releasing dower James Townsend of Lowell, yeoman, and George L. Whitney of Springfield, machinist 478/310 (South)
March 30, 1846 Deed Clarissa Underwood of Waltham, widow, and Martha Wheat of Medway, widow George L. Whitney of Springfield, machinist 478/311 (South)
1849 Quitclaim James Townsend of Lowell, manufacturer George L. Whitney of Billerica, machinist 568/455 (South)
May 1, 1854 Mortgage Silas H. P. Cowdry of Carlisle George L. Whitney of Fitchburg 621/134 (South)
May 1, 1854 Warranty Deed George L. Whitney of Fitchburg, yeoman; his wife Harriet A. Whitney releasing dower Silas H. P. Cowdry of Carlisle, yeoman 621/146 (South)
1875 Warranty Deed Silas H. P. Cowdry of Billerica Calista J. Starbird of Lawrence, Essex County 113/177
October 13, 1876 Warranty Deed Calista J. Starbird, in her own right, wife of James Starbird of Lawrence; James Starbird joining Joshua W. Shores of Lowell 120/406
July 1, 1909 Warranty Deed J. Dwight Runnells and Lydia A. Runnells, his wife in her right, of Billerica; Lydia as only heir at law of Mary M. Shores Armina Bibeault of Lowell 436/485
1910 Quitclaim Armina Bibeault of Lowell; her husband Elisee Bibeault releasing curtesy Walter G. Kitchen and Henry Kitchen of Lowell 460/328
May 19, 1914 Warranty Deed Walter G. Kitchen and Henry Kitchen of Billerica, unmarried Voluntine M. Rollins of Billerica 522/216
April 22, 1947 Deed Voluntine M. Rollins of Billerica; his wife Ada C. Rollins releasing dower Grace I. Silver of Billerica 1066/224
April 22, 1947 Mortgage Grace I. Silver of Billerica The Central Savings Bank, Lowell 1066/225
November 9, 1948 Deed Grace I. Silver of Billerica; her husband Harold K. Silver releasing curtesy Enos C. Bubar and Mildred A. Bubar, husband and wife 1105/31
September 29, 1949 Deed Enos C. Bubar and Mildred A. Bubar of Billerica Peter DeFoe and Agnes C. DeFoe, husband and wife 1124/251
January 5, 1960 Deed The owners of the Treble Cove Road land (private individuals) Massachusetts Builders, Inc., of Reading 1464/142

Recorded is Book/Page at the Middlesex North Registry of Deeds unless noted; Probate # is a Middlesex probate case, Ctf a Land Court certificate of title.