Individual Details

If Regina was perhaps their eldest daughter, and I believe she most likely was, the marriage and birth date of Paul Froman should be estimated as a few years earlier than shown here. I believe the dates to be quesstimates. There is no evidence that Paul Froman had siblings in America.
I also believe there is a possibility that Catherine who married Benjamin Fry, may have been another Froman daughter.

Paul Froman was obviously foreign born since he was naturalized in 1747 in Virginia - he was called a "German protestant" when he took the oath of allegiance, Frederick Co, VA. He was possibly born in Germany, but of French ancestry, a son of Solomon Froment who was listed as a Huguenot refugee at Hanau, Germany.
He was in America by 1730 when he first witnessed a deed of Jost Hite's.
Frey Family Association Journal, Fall 2011, "A Brief Survey of the Froman Family" by Jon Frye, p.9f

The following land transactions are noted in Pioneers of Old Frederick County, Virginia by Cecil O'dell, 1995; Heritage Books, 2007

Froman is said to have gone to the Shenandoah valley, circa 1732, along with his father-in-law Jost Hite and others.

Paul Froman purchased 300 acres from John Branson for 21£ on 27 Jun 1739. It was part of Branson's 1000 acre patent of 1734, located both sides of Cedar Creek [Frederick & Shenandoah counties] The deed was initially entered in the record books of Orange Co VA in 1737. Orange Co DV 8, p218.

Frederick County Court Order Book 2, p. 256
4 Aug 1747 Paul Froman naturalized. [Donald Kearney states that at the time naturalization required seven years residence and certification that the person had received communion - he did not give a source].
Frey Family Association Journal, Spring 2011, p.28

4 Oct 1749 Augusta Co, VA. 500 acres, Lot #6 on Linwell's Creek, Grantor - Jose Heite/Heid. Deed Book 2, p.272. This land record was originally published in "Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia, 1745-1800. Extracted from the Original Court Records of Augusta County" by Lyman Chalkley.

It is thought that Froman completed a small stone house about 1751 - which became known as Froman Fort and still exists. Probably the Fromans and Fryes aided each other in the construction.

Froman purchased 214 acres from Lord Fairfax 30 Mar 1753, adjacent northeast of the 300 acre tract he already owned. 3 Jul 1765, he received another Fairfax grant for 353 acres directly to the north of the first 300 acres, on Fromans Run

The 214 acres along with 11 acres of the 300 acres tract was sold to Benjamin Fry for 40sh on 1 Dec 1760. Benjamin and wife Catherine then sold the two tracts back to Froman for 50£ on 2 Jun 1766. Frederick DB 6, p.136, 140, Book 11, p.55.

Paul Froman and wife Elizabeth sold 121 1/2 acres, part of the 353 acres tract to Jacob Hite on 20 Apr 1767.

They sold the remainder of their land on Cedar Creek, 574 acres, to Abraham Farrell of Lancaster, PA for 300£ on 2 Nov 1767 Frederick DB 11, p. 406; Book 12, p.40 The property was described in three tracts:
300 acres, part of tract of 1000 acres granted John Branson and sold to Froman, deeds of lease & release 17 & 18 Jun 1739, recorded in Orange Co.
214 acres, granted by Thomas Lord Fairfax, 3 Apr 1753
60 acres part of greater tract of 353 acres granted by Lord Fairfax, 3 Jul 1765.

Froman had purchased 120 acres on the north fork of Shenandoah River, cornering on Thomas Chester, from Jost Hite, 22 Nov 1742 [Orange Co VA DB 7, p.50. Paul and Elizabeth Froman then sold the same tract to Nathaniel Cartmell, 2 Mar 1760. Frederick Co DB 5, p.394 [Cartmell may have been married to a daughter - since his wife was Sarah... ]

Paul Froman bought 500 acres on the South River of the Shenandoah, above Robert McKay's old place from Jost Hite for 15£ on 27 Apr 1742. He sold this tract to Abraham Kellar and William Overall [Overall was a son-in-law, was Abraham Kellar probably also a son-in-law?] Hite/Fairfax Lawsuit, British Copy, McKay Extract, p.1651, 1698.

Later evidence shows that Froman actually sold 200 acres to Henry Spears, 150 acres to Abraham Kellar and 150 acres to William Overall, some time prior to 1760 when the three men had settled their boundaries. In 1760, Henry Spears passed his 200 acres to Daniel Stover and Yost Hite warranted the sale since he had been the original owner and no deeds had been issued during the suit. In 1770, Paul Froman warranted the two portions passed to Kellar & Overall.

A Paul Froman, Joseph Beelor and Christopher Beelor were in Yohogania Co in 1777. Yohogania formed from August in 1776; terminated in 1786 - parts of it became part of Pennsylvania. Records might be in Washington, Greene, Fayette counties in PA.


Chalkley's Chronicles, Vol 3, p.289
3rd Mar 1756. Paul Froman of Frederick Co sold to George Speece [I wonder about the transcription of this surname - perhaps it was Speere] for 50£, 500 acres, Lot 6 on Linnville Creek, conveyed to Froman by Jost Hite on 4 Oct 1749.

Frye Family Journal of Jul 1992, Issue 1, p.12
"Henry Speers and Paul Froman migrated to western Pennsylvania from Frederick Co, VA along with the Frye family."

15 Jul 1769. 149 acres called "Gloucester", Warrant 3079, dated 17 Apr 1769 was survery for Paul Froman. It was on the west side of the Monogahela. Other surveys were made about the same time for William Frye, Abraham Frye, Benjamin Frye, Samuel Frye, and Jacob Froman.

That both Paul Sr and Jr were present in western Pennsylvania is evident from applications for land in the New Purchase, dated 17 Apr 1769. #3076 was for Paul Sr. and #3079 was for Paul Jr. Jacob Froman also applied.

Froman is said to have served in the Revolution, but that is likely an error - it was his son also named Paul, see later. The family lived on Froman's Run in VA for about 29 years. About 1780, they left with sons, Paul Jr. & Jacob to resettle in KY.

28 Apr 1783 Will of Paul Froman, Gent. of Lincoln Co VA [now KY]. Wife Elizabeth the third of estate. To son Paul Froman Jr, $40. To my daughters $20 and to each of daughters that is dec'd the same to their husbands or children. The residue after debts are paid to son Jacob. Son Jacob to be executor.
Signed: Paul Froman
Wit: John Critton, John Williams, John Summit, Soutcha Summit.
20 May 1783 Proved by Christian Sumit and Jacob Froman
Lincoln Co WB A, p.46

27 Mar 1784 Appraisal by Edgar Singleton, Peter Kenney & Christian Summet.
WB A, p.140



GenForum, Froman Message Board, 17 Jan 2000, Tom Speers
I was trying to determine what areas in PA, VA, PA - the 2nd time, and then KY that the Froman's, Spears/Speer/Speers, Reasoners, Hills, etc. settled. There is mixup concerning John Paul and John Paul Froman, Jr. in PA I think. As well as my own Jacob Spears, son of Henry Speer/Spears who settled on the Monongahela near Belle Vernon. Last month I came across a book by Loveless who provided Va records for that part of PA in 1775-1780 when it was still claimed by VA that was a lot better than PA records. It was titled "Records of the District of W. Augusta, Ohio County, VA. If you haven't seen it, try to find it. It provides road survey and planning records and court appearance records for your Froman's. Paul was located at opposite corners of Fayette County. Paul was at the Cumberland Road crossing on the Youghiogheny as well as in Monongahela, PA. Which Paul I do not know. Jacob Spears, Reasoner, and Paul were at that crossing. Paul ended up with Reasoner's land claim when Reasoner temporarily abandoned it I think. Paul or his son claimed most of Mon City or Monongahela or Williamston as it was called.
Response, Gary E. Young, 16 Dec 2008

After 8 years you've probably sorted all this out to your satisfaction. The absence of Sr or Jr in most references to the name Paul Froman in Pa complicates things, but in their original purchases from Pennsylvania they did use Sr and Jr. On 17 April 1769 Paul Sr., Paul Jr., and Jacob applied for land in the New Purchase.
Application No 3075 is for Jacob Froman
Application No 3076 is for Paul Froman Sen
Application No 3079 is for Paul Froman Jun.
More importantly, Paul Jr's and Jacob's land was on the west side of Monongahela (Washington Co?); Paul Sr.'s land was on the west side of the Youghiogheny River in what was then Bedford County which later became Fayette. At least that is as it appears to me. You are much more familiar with the geography of SW Pennsylvania. At least these initial purchases show WHERE they started out. Considering Paul Sr's age it is probable that Paul Jr was the more active in affairs there in SW Pennsylvania. These land records were sent to me by Froman kinsman, Bob Mayall in 1993.


GenForum, Froman Message Board, 1 Dec 2008, Gary E. Young
I have worked on the Fromans since about 1959. Peter Froman was not seriously considered a possibility for the father of Paul Froman (who married Elizabeth Hite) until 1990 or so. After Marie Anderson's very useful book THE REASONER STORY appeared, it became popularly accepted that Peter was the name of Paul Froman's father. I contacted Marie in 1993 to get the source of this statement and she sent me a number of references on early Schenectady and Albany New York which mentioned the large VROOMAN family which was well established there by 1670 including many references to several Pieter Vroomans. The name of that Dutch family was undoubtedly later spelled Froman on some occasions though infrequently. However, the evidence on Paul Froman, who married Elizabeth Hite, directly refutes the possibility that this old New York Dutch family could be Paul's ancestry.
The proof that Paul Froman was "foreign" born and of German ancestry is contained in his Naturalization in 1747 in Virginia. In that document he was specifically called a "German protestant" when he took the oath of allegiance under The Rev. John Bartholomew Reiger in Frederick Co Va. And he was obviously foreign born outside the British empire or there would have been no need for naturalization. We know he was in America by 1730 when he first witnessed a deed of Jost Hite's, but I do not know exactly when he arrived.
I am quite interested in hearing from others who have investigated this matter.


GenForum, Froman Message Board, 24 Feb 2009, Gary E. Young
The best source on the Hites, including Jost's dau Elizabeth who married Paul Froman, is GERMAN ORIGINS OF JOST HITE, VIRGINIA PIONEER, by Henry Z. Jones Jr., Ralph Connor, and Klaus Wust. (Shenandoah History Publishers, Edinburg, Virginia, 1979). It is a very small, but fact filled booklet, by three very prominent scholars in their field.

Another useful book is BEYOND SHENANDOAH, by Elizabeth Umstattd, Third Revision, 2006, published and sold by the author: E. C. Umstattd, 733 Stoke Road, Villanova, Pa 19085. I think the current price is $40 postpaid. The book covers the westward migration of the Hites and the son-in-laws, Bowman, Chrisman, and Froman. It is particularly strong on the Froman's period in Pennsylvania and early Kentucky. The genealogical errors on the Fromans are numerous, not due to the author's negligence but due to the faulty information she was furnished. Nevertheless, I recommend it to anyone seriously interested in the Fromans. The land records and the illustrations are excellent. Also, the material on the Froman's Bowman cousins is fascinating.

The migrations discussed in the Stephens Family are adequately explained in the above books.

It was Paul Froman JUNIOR who was the Captain in the Revolutionary War, though old DAR records mistakenly attributed the service to his father. It is now corrected in their records and members are accepted on Paul Jr or his brother, Jacob Froman. Paul Jr first served as a Captain in Pennsylvania in Dunmore's War (slightly pre-Revolutionary) and then in the Revolution itself. Details on this service are in my files for those who need them--I am a little vague off the top of my head.

Paul Froman's mills in Pennsylvania, to which you refer, are discussed in several places. Boyd Crumrine's HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY PA is one. The other I will have to check later. I have compiled a little paper on Paul Froman's two Stations in early Kentucky which I am glad to share. By the way, it is Paul JUNIOR who had the mills in Pennsylvania and the Stations in Kentucky.

The Fromans were land speculators, millers, builders of forts and stations, distillers of whisky and merchants of it, salt-makers in Kentucky, legislators, etc., etc. There are hundreds of original records of them in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Kentucky. Unfortunately, much that has been "written" about them did not utilize the original sources. A full book could easily be written on Paul Jr and Jacob, sons of the immigrant Paul Froman Sr.


From: YGeyoung@aol.com
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:48:14 EDT
Subject: Re: Kellar genealogy
Some news on the Fromans came a couple years ago with the discovery of a letter by Paul Jr written to Benjamin Franklin in 1787 in which Paul said his grandfather was "Solomon Froman, a native of France" who had fled France after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1682 or thereabouts). There was always a vague tradition of Huguenot origins, but we always hunted, unsuccessfully, for German Frohmanns. Actually, the name was FROMENT (the final t being silent). The French spell Solomon with an "a"--Salomon. There are Huguenot references to Salomon Froment--more on that later. When Paul Froman first appears in this country he witnessed Yost Hite's deed in Pa spelling his name Paul Fromen. Then after the move to Virginia he first signed his name: 'PAUL FROMENT'. It all came as a surprise after 49 years of Froman research. It also explains why the Fromans continued the name Solomon all the way down to the 20th century. Solomon is always far more common in French families; uncommon in German ones. It surely came into the Spears family through Regina. In fact Solomon seems to be their eldest son?

In an Ancestry tree:
(I have searched for this and the website containing the Franklin papers was down)
Froman family commentary: In "The Papers of Benjamin Franklin" you will find a letter from Paul Froman (probably Paul Jr.), dated Jul 15, 1786, stating that Solomon Froman, his grandfather, was a native of France who was "obliged to fly in Consequence of the persecution raised against the protestants in the Reign of Lewis 14th." This letter would indicate that our Fromans were French Huguenots and the name of Paul and Regina Froman's father was Solomon. You should be able to find this letter at franklinpapers.org

Birth	1708	Germany
Marriage	Abt 1728	Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania - Elizabeth Hite
Death	Apr 1783	Lincoln County, Kentucky

Spouse	Elizabeth Hite ( - 1783)
Child	REGINA FROMAN (1729 - 1805)
Child	Magdalene Froman (1730 - )
Child	Mary Froman (1731 - )
Child	Sarah Jane Froman (1732 - 1815)
Child	John Paul Froman (1734 - )
Child	Maria Christina "Mary" Froman (1735 - 1768)
Child	Elizabetha Froman (1738 - )
Child	Jacob Froman (1749 - 1820)

Father	Soloman Froman ( - )
Sibling	Maria Magdalina "Mary" Froman (1705 - 1757)

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