THE ANDREW GOODWIN/LYDIA MUNRO - ROBERT FROST FAMILY STORY
The National Research Centre of England has traced the name Frost back to the 1086 Doomsday Book. The name Frost is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It was a name for someone who was a person who was thought of as having a cold attitude or and icy disposition. This person may have also received this surname because of his white hair or his white beard.
The Frost - Goodwin connection:
Robert Frost’s Australian Family Tree began when the convict Robert Frost married Elizabeth Goodwin, the daughter of two first fleet convicts. On receiving government permission, Robert married Elizabeth on 14 August 1820 in Hobart Town. Elizabeth was born on Norfolk Island on 9 September 1803, daughter of Andrew Goodwin ( Scarborough) and Lydia (Letitia) Munro ( Prince of Wales). Elizabeth was classed as a “free” citizen as she was born in the Colony.
Andrew Goodwin, Elizabeth’s father:
On 7 July 1784 Andrew Goodwin and his partner in crime, William Butler, were found guilty in the Old Bailey, London, of stealing 200 pounds of lead to the value of twenty shillings in June 1784. A witness, Thomas Warton, saw them carrying their load on their shoulders, thought this activity was suspicious and reported them to a watchman on duty. After a struggle the young men were taken into custody.
On Wednesday 7 July 1784, the two men appeared in the Justice Hall of the Old Bailey Courthouse, and after their trial were found guilty and sentenced to 7 years transportation. They were transferred to the Censor Hulk at Woolwich on 6 September 1784, giving their age as 19. They were employed labouring on the Thames docks for the next three years.
On 24 February 1787, Andrew was one of 149 convicts from the Censor Hulk to be placed in a wagon for the three day journey to Portsmouth. On 27 February Andrew boarded the Scarborough awaiting the departure of the First Fleet.
After an eight month voyage, the eleven ships of the First Fleet were assembled in Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788. At dawn the next day, working parties of male convicts were taken ashore to start the momentous tasks of chopping down trees and grubbing out roots, pitching tents, unloading provisions, building a blacksmith’s forge and tending the animals.
Lydia Munro (or Letitia) sailed with the First Fleet on Prince of Wales having been tried for stealing of ten yards of cotton cloth on 28 October 1786, to the value of 20 shillings. Her death sentence was reprieved; instead her destiny was transportation for 14 years on the Prince of Wales (left), another of the 11 ships of the First Fleet. Andrew and Lydia were married on 2 March 1790.
Sydney Cove was now in drought, food had become desperately short, and severe rationing imposed. To avert disaster Governor Philip dispatched the Sirius to Norfolk Island with convicts and Royal Marines hoping to relieve pressure on the limited government rations that remained. The Sirius was then to proceed to Canton in China to purchase desperately needed food and supplies for the colony.
Andrew, Lydia and six month old daughter, Mary, were among 161 convicts and their children who boarded Sirius bound for Norfolk Island. Poor weather conditions forced the unloading of convicts and some marines at Cascade Bay on the northern side of the Island. With improved weather conditions the Sirius returned to the southern shore to complete the unloading of cargo and provisions. Disaster struck as rising strong winds and flood tides drove the ship onto the jagged reefs. There was no loss of life but the population of the tiny island had suddenly risen to about 500 people. The arrival of huge flocks of mutton birds or “Birds of Providence” saved them from near starvation until more provisions arrived. Andrew obtained an acre of land at Sydney Bay in 1791 where he raised his allotted pig; he later
expanded his holdings to twelve acres at Creswell Bay (Lot No.98) which he cleared to grow grain. Government records list him as a farmer.
In 1794 the family decided to leave Norfolk Island as Andrew, and others, were dissatisfied with the Government’s payment for their crops. Lydia and son John sailed away on the Daedalus on 6 November 1794. Andrew and their two girls joined Lydia in Sydney, arriving
on the Fancy in March 1795. Regrettably, they found there was no means of supporting themselves and they had to rely on Government rations.
They decided to start again back on Norfolk Island. Andrew sailed from Sydney on Fancy in 21 June 1795 and arrived just five days later. Lydia and the three children followed on the Supply arriving on 31 October. He was granted prime sixty acre (Lot 64) on Middlegate and Queen Elizabeth Roads, Norfolk Island. Andrew’s crops were moderately successfully as, on 31 December 1798, he received eight
pounds from the Government as payment for maize.
On 26 August 1802 Andrew acquired the lease of Lot 85 (23 acres) and the family moved location. In time the farm buildings consisted of a house, 20 feet long by 12 feet wide, which was shingled, boarded and had two floors. His large barn was boarded and floored and the one outhouse was boarded and thatched.
A lengthy note from Major Foveaux dated 26 March 1805 convinced the British Government to evacuate the whole of the Norfolk Island community to Van Diemen’s Land (later Tasmania), outlining the details of compensation to be awarded. The settlers and other inhabitants were divided into two classes:
- The First to consist of discharged Seamen and Marines.
- The Second, which covered the Goodwin family, consisted of former Convicts who have conducted themselves with propriety, or who had large families. This group were to be victualled and clothed, for two years at the Public Expense, and allowed the labour of two Convicts for the same period.
- The third comprised the remainder of the Inhabitants. The Muster taken of settlers and landholders on 2 August 1807 records Andrew Goodwin has having 23 acres; 3 in wheat, 9 in maize, nil barley etc. 11 pasture, 15 male hogs, 15 female. In hand – 280 bushels maize. He was supporting himself, wife and 7 children “off the stores”, and had one free man in his employ.
Andrew was amongst a list of settlers to receive a General Order on 17 September 1807 stating that he, his wife and seven children were to be removed to Port Dalrymple or Hobart Town. On 9 November 1807 the Lady Nelson sailed from Norfolk Island with the first group of settlers to be relocated at the Derwent. The Porpoise followed on 26 December 1807 carrying 182 settlers including Andrew, Lydia and seven children.
Temporary housing was offered in the town until they selected their blocks. The new settlers received land both up and down the river from Hobart Town and by April 1809 Andrew had selected his allotment, 23 acres of a 46 acre property at Clarence Plains opposite Hobart Town which he worked in partnership with another emancipist, William Hawkins. After they’d erected shelters for themselves and
their families with the help of convict labour and tools supplied by the government they began to clear and farm their land. The land was later shown on the map as being owned by James Garth and Andrew Goodwin after William Hawkins left and later again James Garth became the farm’s sole owner after Andrew Goodwin left.
Not much is known of Andrew’s whereabouts thereafter: he died in early August 1835 and was buried on 4 August in St David’s Burial Ground. He was described as an ‘Old Settler’ in the Burials Register of the Parish of St David’s in the County of Buckingham, Hobart Town. Lydia passed away on 29 June 1856 from ‘Decay of Nature’. She was buried with Andrew at St David’s Burial Ground, Hobart Town,
subsequently made into a park. All the surviving headstones have been mounted on a memorial wall (see images below).
Robert Frost and Elizabeth Goodwin (continued).
Robert Frost’s story began with his birth in Norfolk on 16 January 1796. Twenty-one years later he was arrested and tried at the Old Bailey in London on a charge of receiving:-
100 silk handkerchiefs, 7 silk shawls, 1 silk scarf, 24 silk mantles and 2 yards of silk mode having a total
value of twenty eight pounds eighteen shillings and sixpence, knowing them to be stolen.
Robert was found guilty and sentenced to transportation to Australia for a term of 14 years. He left England in April 1817 with 179 other convicts on the convict transport Almorah. The ship arrived at Sydney Cove on 29 August 1817 and soon after Robert was transferred to Hobart Town on the Pilot. On his arrival in V.D.L. his occupation was listed as a carpenter and house painter. He was subsequently
granted a Conditional Pardon on 25 February 1829 after serving 12 years of his sentence.
Robert’s record in Hobart reveals a series of minor offences. For his first offence he had to work for the Government for 1 month “in his own time”; his second offence required him to work for the Government for 1 week “in his own time”. He married Elizabeth Goodwin within 3 years of commencing his sentence; his first 3 children were born while he was serving his sentence; his 4th child was born a little more than 4 months after his pardon was granted. Robert and Elizabeth had a family of 8 children - the author is descended from their son William Henry Frost.
Robert died on 31 December 1855 at Yarra Bend Victoria. Elizabeth died on 10 February 1890 at Brunswick Victoria. Both were buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery.
ANDREW GOODWIN AND EDWARD GOODWIN
Frost-Goodwin family descendants have carried out extensive research to establish a family connection between Andrew and Edward. In 2013, their search uncovered the baptism records for Andrew and Edward Goodwin at the London Metropolitan Archives which attributes both men to the same parents – William Goodwin and Margaret Hood, who were married in St. Andrew's in Holborn on 19 July 1762. Both were recorded as "of this parish" and could sign their names. Thomas Taylor was the curate who performed the service, and William Hood and George Brown were witnesses. Their known children were Andrew, baptised 16 September 1764; Edward, baptised 14 December 1765; and Robert baptised 3 April 1768, all at St. Mary's, Islington. The family’s discoveries kept on coming and by 2017, compelling DNA evidence that Andrew and Edward were brothers, concluded that
“…we have very good DNA evidence to support the theory that Andrew and Edward were closely
related, e.g. brothers.”
References:
https://www.houseofnames.com/frost-family-crest
Frost Family Papers
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/136421/20141022-
0039/www.heavenandhelltogether.com/indexbfe3.html?q=node/26
https://firstfleetfellowship.org.au/convicts/andrew-goodwin-and-lydia-munro/
http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks13/1300961h.html
Research collated and submitted by Christine Frith, FF #8853
Proofreading courtesy of Carol Brill
Source: Image from the internet.
© Arthur Phillip Chapter of the Fellowship of First Fleeters 2022 -