GOVERNOR THOMAS PRENCE
PATIENCE BREWSTER, daughter of William Brewster and Mary Unknown
Thomas Prence married first Patience Brewster on 5 August 1624 in Plymouth. [GMB0] He married Mary Collier on 1 April 1635 in Plymouth. [RPCA]
Patience Brewster was born say 1603. [GMB0] She died on 12 December 1634. [LHG]
Patience came to New England in the Ann, arriving in July 1623. [LHG]
Thomas Prence came to New England in the Fortune, arriving at Cape Code on 9 November 1621. [OPP4]
Thomas was on a 2 January 7 Charles [1631/2] tax list in Plymouth. [RPC3]
Thomas was a freeman in Plymouth in 1633. [RPC0] Mr Thomas Prence was elected governor on 1 January 1633/4 and an Assistant to the governor on 1 January 1634/5, 5 January 1635/6, 3 January 1636/7. He was chosen Treasurer on 3 January 1636/7. He was chosen governor on 6 March 1637/8, but he was unwilling to reside in Plymouth, so it was agreed that William Bradford would continue as governor until the next court. He was sworn in as governor on 5 June 1638. [RPC5] He was elected Assistant on 5 March 1638/9 and 3 March 1639/40. [PC09] He was an Assistant, but absent from the court because of sickness on 2 June 1640. [PC18] He was elected Assistant on 2 March 1640/1, 1 March 1641/2, 7 March 1642/3, 5 June 1644, 1 June 1647, 7 June 1648, 6 June 1650, 5 June 1651, 3 June 1652, 7 June 1653, 6 June 1654 and 8 June 1655. [PC05]
Mr. Prence was given part of the ground "upon Jones his river" in a land distribution on 14 March 1635. [RPCI] He was given the hay ground he had the previous year on 20 March 1636/7. [RPCE] He was granted the garden place between Spring Lane and Mr. John Reynor's on 2 April 1638. [RPCR] He was granted a small parcel of land on Smilt River on 3 December 1638. [PCO2] He was granted an enlargment of his lot at Jones River on 16 Septmeber 1641. [PC06] He was granted six acres, if it was available, of North Meadow by Jones River on 4 June 1645. [PC07]
Thomas Prence, gentleman, was on a 7 March 1636/7 list of freemen in Plymouth. [RPCK]
Plymouth Colony was called upon to aid the Connecticut Colony and the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the Pequot war and on 7 June 1637 it was decided to send men for land service. Mr. Thomas Prence was elected by lot to be for the council of war and to go with the men. [RPCL]
Mr. Thomas Prence and Captain Standish were appointed to hear and determine controversies among committees and people in Sandwich on 3 October 1639. [PC12]
On 5 May 1640 Mr. Prence was appointed to view the meadow at Jones River and report on the number of acres. [PC16]
He was appointed to the Council of War on 27 September 1642 and 2 June 1646. He was appointed a commissioner of the United Coloniews on 4 June 1645. [PC08]
He was appointed to a committee for trade at Kennebec on 4 July 1649. [PC10]
He was appointed to a committee to propose new laws that are necessary and laws that should be repealed or altered on 29 August 1643. [PC11]
On 4 May 1652, Mr. Prence and Mr. Collier were to go to Scituate to report on the boundaries. [PC20]
He was appointed to receive oil for Eastham on 5 October 1652. [PC21]
He was appointed a commissioner to the United Colonies on 7 June 1653. [PC23]
When Plymouth heard the news about the conflict between England and Holland they appointed a council of war on 1 March 1652/3 and Mr. Prence was a member. [PC22]
On 7 March 1653/4 Thomas Prence, Esq. was commissioned for erecting some orderly government amongst the inhabitants of Kennebec. [PC24]
Thomas, his [brother-in-law] Jonathan Prence, John Alden and Myles Standish were among the first settlers of Duxbury. [OPP5]
An undated deed says, "A declaration of the Right and Interest of sundry persons, sometimes members of the Church of Plymouth have; to a tract ofland of Township lying inthe betome of Cape Codd being comonly called Nausett, Now Eastham, both by an acte of Court and also by purchse from the Natives, the Names of the persons are these, Mr. Thomas Prence, Mr. John Dowe, Nicholas Snow, Josias Cooke, Richard Higgens, John Smalley, Edward Bangs &c:" [DV30]
Children of Thomas Prence and Patience Brewster:
i. Hannah Prence married Captain Jonathan Sparrow.
ii. Rebecca Prence married Edmond Freeman, Jr. on 22 April 1646. [PC04]
References:
LHG. Lucy Hall Greenlaw, "Early Generations of the Brewster Family," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 53 (1899): 109–14.
GMB0. "The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620–1633, Volumes I-III," digitized books, AmericanAncestors, 227–30.
OPP4. William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation 1620–1647, edited and annotated by Samuel Eliot Morison (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001), editors note, 92.
OPP5. Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation, editors note, 253.
DV30. "Massachusetts: Plymouth Colony Deeds, 1671–1673," digitized book, deeds, volume 3, part 2, p. 123.
RPC3. Nathaniel Shurtleff, Records of the Colony of New Plymouth: Court Orders, vols. 1–3 (Boston, William White, 1855), 9–11.
RPC0. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 1: 3–4.
RPC5. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 1, 1633–1644, 21, 32, 36, 48, 79, 86–87.
RPCA. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 1: 34.
RPCI. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 1: 40–41.
RPCK. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 1: 52–54.
RPCE. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 1: 55–57.
RPCL. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 1: 60–62.
RPCL. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 1: 83.
PCO2. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 1: 103.
PC09. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 1: 116–7, 140–1.
PC12. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 1: 133.
PC16. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 1: 151–3.
PC18. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 1: 154–6.
PC04. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 2: 98.
PC05. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 2: 8, 33, 52, 71, 115, 123, 158, 166; vol. 3: 7, 30, 48, 77.
PC06. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 2: 26.
PC07. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 2: 49.
PC08. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 2: 47, 83, 100.
PC10. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 2: 144.
PC11. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 2: 62.
PC20. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 3: 6.
PC21. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 3: 21.
PC22. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 3: 26.
PC23. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 3: 30.
PC24. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 3: 44.
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15-Jun-2020