Thomas Prence
Encyclopedia
Thomas Prence was a co-founder of Eastham, Massachusetts
, a political leader in both the Plymouth
and Massachusetts Bay colonies, and governor
of Plymouth (1634, 1638, and 1657 - 1673).
, Gloucestershire, England a son of Thomas Prence and Elizabeth Tolderby. Thomas emigrated to America in 1621 on the ship Fortune, arriving in Plymouth on November 9, 1621, just a few days after the first Thanksgiving.
(the ninth marriage recorded in the colony), Patience Brewster, a passenger on the Anne which arrived in Plymouth in 1623. She was born circa 1600 probably in Scrooby
a small village
, where her father was born, in the northern part of the English
county of Nottinghamshire
and died before December 12, 1634 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, of a "pestilent fever." She was a daughter of Elder William Brewster
, (c. 1567 - April 10, 1644), the Pilgrim leader and spiritual elder of the Plymouth Colony and a passenger on the Mayflower.
Thomas and Patience had four children: Thomas Jr., Rebecca, Mercy, and Hannah. Rebecca married Edmund Freeman, Jr. the son of Edmund Freeman
and had two children, and died in Sandwich, Massachusetts
. Mercy married John Freeman, had eleven children, and settled in Eastham, Massachusetts
.
Hannah married Nathaniel Mayo, had six children, and died in Eastham.
Prence next married on April 1, 1635 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Mary Collier, bapt. in 1612 at St Olave's Church, in the parish of Southwark St Olave
, an area of south-east London
, now the London Borough of Southwark
, England and died before December 1662 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. She was a daughter of Jane (____) Clark and William Collier, one of the investors, or Merchant Adventurers, and an initial shareholder in the Plymouth Plantation. She was the sister of Sarah Collier, the wife of Love Brewster
, a passenger on the Mayflower and the son of Elder William Brewster.
They were the parents of five children: Mary Prence, Jane Prence, Elizabeth Prence, Sarah Prence, Judith Prence. Jane Prence (November 1, 1637 - 1712) married Mark Snow the son of Nicholas Snow and Constance Hopkins
, a daughter of Stephen Hopkins
(born about 1582 – 1644), a tanner and merchant who was one of the passengers on the Mayflower in 1620, settling in Plymouth Colony.
Lastly, Prence married Apphia Quicke in December, 1662. It is unknown if they had any children.
He was distinguished for his religious zeal, and opposed those that he believed to be heretics, particularly the Quakers. He became infamous for the banishment of those who would not conform to his specific church law, including Samuel Gorton, the first governor of Rhode Island. He restructured the local government to secure his position and led the persecution of numerous people for offenses such as smiling in church, harboring non-church members, and tending garden during the Sabbath. He also procured revenue for the colony's grammar schools so future generations would be better educated.
Governor Prence gave to Wamsutta
and Pometacom
, the sons of Massasoit
, the names Alexander and Philip as a compliment to their warlike character.
.
Eastham, Massachusetts
Eastham is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 5,453 at the 2000 census....
, a political leader in both the Plymouth
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
and Massachusetts Bay colonies, and governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Plymouth (1634, 1638, and 1657 - 1673).
Early life
Thomas Prence was born in 1599 at LechladeLechlade
Lechlade, or Lechlade-on-Thames, is a town at the southern edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. It is the highest point at which the River Thames is navigable. The town is named after the River Leach that joins the Thames near here....
, Gloucestershire, England a son of Thomas Prence and Elizabeth Tolderby. Thomas emigrated to America in 1621 on the ship Fortune, arriving in Plymouth on November 9, 1621, just a few days after the first Thanksgiving.
Marriage and family
Prence married three times. He married as his first wife on August 5, 1624 at Plymouth, Plymouth County, MassachusettsPlymouth County, Massachusetts
Plymouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2010, the population was 494,919. Its county seats are Plymouth and Brockton...
(the ninth marriage recorded in the colony), Patience Brewster, a passenger on the Anne which arrived in Plymouth in 1623. She was born circa 1600 probably in Scrooby
Scrooby
Scrooby is a small village, on the River Ryton and near Bawtry, in the northern part of the English county of Nottinghamshire. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 329. Until 1766, it was on the Great North Road so became a stopping-off point for numerous important figures...
a small village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
, where her father was born, in the northern part of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
and died before December 12, 1634 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, of a "pestilent fever." She was a daughter of Elder William Brewster
William Brewster (Pilgrim)
Elder William Brewster was a Mayflower passenger and a Pilgrim colonist leader and preacher.-Origins:Brewster was probably born at Doncaster, Yorkshire, England, circa 1566/1567, although no birth records have been found, and died at Plymouth, Massachusetts on April 10, 1644 around 9- or 10pm...
, (c. 1567 - April 10, 1644), the Pilgrim leader and spiritual elder of the Plymouth Colony and a passenger on the Mayflower.
Thomas and Patience had four children: Thomas Jr., Rebecca, Mercy, and Hannah. Rebecca married Edmund Freeman, Jr. the son of Edmund Freeman
Edmund Freeman
Edmund Freeman was one of the founders of Sandwich, Massachusetts and an Assistant Governor of Plymouth Colony under Governor William Bradford.-Early life:...
and had two children, and died in Sandwich, Massachusetts
Sandwich, Massachusetts
Sandwich is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 20,675 at the 2010 census. The Town Hall is located right next to the Dexter Grist Mill, in the historic district of town....
. Mercy married John Freeman, had eleven children, and settled in Eastham, Massachusetts
Eastham, Massachusetts
Eastham is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 5,453 at the 2000 census....
.
Hannah married Nathaniel Mayo, had six children, and died in Eastham.
Prence next married on April 1, 1635 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Mary Collier, bapt. in 1612 at St Olave's Church, in the parish of Southwark St Olave
Southwark St Olave
Southwark St Olave was an ancient civil and ecclesiastical parish on the south bank of the River Thames, covering the area around where Shard London Bridge now stands in the modern London Borough of Southwark...
, an area of south-east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, now the London Borough of Southwark
London Borough of Southwark
The London Borough of Southwark is a London borough in south east London, England. It is directly south of the River Thames and the City of London, and forms part of Inner London.-History:...
, England and died before December 1662 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. She was a daughter of Jane (____) Clark and William Collier, one of the investors, or Merchant Adventurers, and an initial shareholder in the Plymouth Plantation. She was the sister of Sarah Collier, the wife of Love Brewster
Love Brewster
Elder Love Brewster was an early American settler, the son of Elder William Brewster and his wife, Mary Brewster. He traveled with his father, mother and brother, Wrestling, on the Mayflower reaching what became the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts in 1620...
, a passenger on the Mayflower and the son of Elder William Brewster.
They were the parents of five children: Mary Prence, Jane Prence, Elizabeth Prence, Sarah Prence, Judith Prence. Jane Prence (November 1, 1637 - 1712) married Mark Snow the son of Nicholas Snow and Constance Hopkins
Constance Hopkins
Constance Hopkins , also sometimes listed as Constanta. She was probably born in Hursley, Hampshire, England. Constance was the second daughter of Stephen Hopkins, by his first wife, Mary. Some believe she was named in honor of Constance Hopkins...
, a daughter of Stephen Hopkins
Stephen Hopkins (settler)
Stephen Hopkins , was a tanner and merchant who was one of the passengers on the Mayflower in 1620, settling in Plymouth Colony. Hopkins was recruited by the Merchant Adventurers to provide governance for the colony as well as assist with the colony's ventures...
(born about 1582 – 1644), a tanner and merchant who was one of the passengers on the Mayflower in 1620, settling in Plymouth Colony.
Lastly, Prence married Apphia Quicke in December, 1662. It is unknown if they had any children.
Career
He was allowed to join with Bradford, Allerton and Standish as a member of the Trade Monopoly. Later, in 1644, he and several other prominent families left Plymouth for better land and founded the community of Eastham, Massachusetts. He became governor of Plymouth, for the first time, in 1634; he was elected again in 1638 and served from 1657 to 1673. After the death of Governor Bradford in 1653, he became the leader of the Plymouth Colony serving in that capacity until his death.He was distinguished for his religious zeal, and opposed those that he believed to be heretics, particularly the Quakers. He became infamous for the banishment of those who would not conform to his specific church law, including Samuel Gorton, the first governor of Rhode Island. He restructured the local government to secure his position and led the persecution of numerous people for offenses such as smiling in church, harboring non-church members, and tending garden during the Sabbath. He also procured revenue for the colony's grammar schools so future generations would be better educated.
Governor Prence gave to Wamsutta
Wamsutta
Wamsutta , also known as Alexander Pokanoket, as he was called by New England colonists, was the eldest son of Massasoit and a sachem of the Wampanoag native American tribe. His sale of Wampanoag lands to colonists other than those of the Plymouth Colony brought the Wampanoag considerable power,...
and Pometacom
Metacomet
Metacomet , also known as King Philip or Metacom, or occasionally Pometacom, was a war chief or sachem of the Wampanoag Indians and their leader in King Philip's War, a widespread Native American uprising against English colonists in New England.-Biography:Metacomet was the second son of Massasoit...
, the sons of Massasoit
Massasoit
Massasoit Sachem or Ousamequin ,was the sachem, or leader, of the Pokanoket, and "Massasoit" of the Wampanoag Confederacy. The term Massasoit means Great Sachem.-Early years:...
, the names Alexander and Philip as a compliment to their warlike character.
Death
Prence died March 29, 1673, in Plymouth, Massachusetts and was buried on Burial HillBurial Hill
Burial Hill is a hill containing a historic cemetery in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The burial ground is the burial site of several Pilgrims. The cemetery was founded in the 17th century and is located off Leyden Street, the first street in Plymouth.-History:The first Pilgrim burial ground was on...
.
Descendants
Thomas Prence's descendants number in the thousands today. Some of his notable descendants include;- Harry Lillis "Bing" CrosbyBing CrosbyHarry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
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