Thomas Prence, Governor of Plymouth Colony

Thomas Prence 1600-1673

         

          Thomas Prence arrived in Plymouth Colony aboard the Fortune in 1621. He was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Tolderby Prence, of Lechlade, Gloucestershire, England. Thomas was born there, c. 1600, where his father was a carriage maker. After arriving in Plymouth Colony, he married Patience Brewster, daughter of William and Mary (nee unknown) Brewster, in 1624. Patience was b. 1600 in Scrooby, Yorkshire, England and died in 1634. They had four children. Thomas, who was the 4^th Royal Governor of Plymouth Colony served three terms in that office, although they weren’t consecutive. In 1644, he was one of 7 families to establish a new settlement at Eastham, on Cape Cod.

         

          His wife Patience, died in 1634 of pestilent fever. Their four children were: Thomas, Rebekah, Hannah and Mercy. Then, in 1635, Thomas married Mary Collier, daughter of William Collier. Of this marriage two children were born, Jane and Mary. After his 2^nd wife died he married Apphia Quicke Freeman and then later, Mary (Burr), the widow of Thomas Howes. He had three more daughters but it isn’t certain who the mother was: Judith, Elizabeth and Sarah.

         

          Thomas was considered to be very pious and was quite harsh to those he considered wicked. He was opposed to religious tolerance and led persecutions against the Quakers and the Baptists. He lived in Eastham till 1663 when he moved back to Plymouth. He died in 1673 and is buried there. His will mentioned his fourth wife Mary, seven surviving daughters Hannah and Mercy, Judith Barker, Elizabeth Howland, Sarah Howes, Mary Tracye and Jane Snow wife of Mark Snow, son of Mayflower passenger Constance Hopkins Snow and grandson of Stephen Hopkins. His will also mentioned his granddaughter Susannah Prence, daughter of his deceased son Thomas and his grandson Theophilus Mayo, son of Hannah Prence and her husband, Nathaniel Mayo.        

         

          Rebecca Prence married Edmund Freeman and predeceased her father in 1651. She had two children. Her sister Hannah’s husband, John, was his brother. As mentioned, Hannah married Nathaniel Mayo and had 6 children. Mercy married John Freeman and had 10 children. They are my 8^th great grandparents. Jane and Mark Snow lived mostly in Eastham on Cape Cod. They had 10 children. Mary Prence married John Tracye. I have found one daughter for them. Judith married Isaac Barker; Elizabeth married Arthur Howland.

         

          Thomas apparently died leaving no living male heir. He was quite a wealthy man with a personal estate of more than £400 and 11 tracts of land with  100 acres in at least two of them.

 My descent:

Thomas Prence and Patience Brewster

Mercy Prence and John Freeman

Edmund Freeman and Sarah Mayo

Ruth Freeman and Israel Doane

Edmund Doane and Elizabeth Osborn

Abigail Doane and Hezekiah Smith

Stephen Smith and Elizabeth Spinney

Rachel Smith and Samuel Scarr

Mary Ellen Scarr and Henry Gordon Carmichael

Nora Carmichael and Jesse Pye 

Nora and Jesse are my grandparents.

                            Thomas Prence home in Eastham, MA 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Prence

Find a grave

Records of the Colony of New Plymouth Vol. I p. 5

The History of Eastham, Wellfleet and Orleans

The Doane Family