Daughter of Thomas Prence and Patience Brewster?

OK, digging around more I found this fascinating bit -- http://www.shohola.com/Mayflower/:

Yes, I know there has been a question on the lineage of Rebecca Prince, wife of John Putnam, but not the daughter of Governor Thomas Prence.
Recently genealogists suggest there were actually two Rebecca Princes' born about the same time and living at the Plymouth colony.
Since: 1. There were no dictionaries in the 1600's and names were routinely spelled phonetically and differently,
2. Most genealogy recorded histories, and the LDS records, which are usually very reliable, list them as the same person,
3. There is no evidence as to the parents of Rebecca Prence other than Governor Thomas Prence and Patience Brewster,
4. Sarah Putnam, daughter of Rebecca and John Putnam, married the notable John Hutchinson, both families of record,
5. The age is the same, and the birth and marriage date of daughter Sarah and siblings is plausible and reasonable,
6. John Putnam's father, Lt John Putnam was an influential leader of the Plymouth Colony.
7. John Hutchinson's father, Colonel John Hutchinson, was an influential leader and founder of the Plymouth Colony,
8. It would be unlikely that either John Putnam or John Hutchinson would marry someone with absolutely no record of ancestry, and
9. Accurate records kept by William Bradford for more than fifty years, do NOT dispute the marriage.
It is possible, though unlikely, they are the same person. So who was Rebecca Prince who married John Putnam?
I suspect the reason some early genealogists record two Rebecca's, is an attempt to distance the
Bradford and Brewster families from the Salem witchcraft trials fiasco.

And one more tidbit - http://genforum.genealogy.com/prince/messages/1117.html. This seems to clear up much of the confusion and also clarifies why Patience Brewster is listed as having been married to John Gedney -- she wasn't, but Rebecca's mother (not Patience Brewster) was.

Dee and Matthew,

I am actively researching the Gedney family and this information is from " The Gedney Family of Salem Massachusetts 1637-1697"
By Richard Horton Gedney, Jr on Mary Prince second wife of John Gedney.

"On August 5, 1688 John Gedney passed away at the age of eighty-five, in his will, proved at Salem December 12, 1688, he makes bequests to his reamining children and grandchildren in various forms. Of interest is a bequest to his "daughter-in-law Rebecca Putnam", and to "Bethia Hutchinson", who in John's words "now liveth with me". These two women are not previously mentioned in the records as members of the Gedney family. There is eveidence to believe, however, that John married not twice, but three times; the first wife in England being Sarah, the mother of Lydis, Hannah, and John, then secondly in America, Mary Prince, widow of James Prince, who by her was born the reaminder of his children, and then finally Vatherine Clarke. This would explain perhaps the seeming discrepancy between the Custom house records naming Sarah as his wife and the First Church of Salem records naming Mary as such.

Records from John's parish in Norfolk, St. Peter Permontergate, shows one "poor" widow Prince and children in the Rate Books of Easter 1634. It is believed that Mary Prince had three children by her first marriage, namely Robert, Bethia, and Rebecca. Robert and Bethia were accounted in John Gedney's household in 1651. Bethia later married Joseph Hutchinson, and Rebecca married John Putnam, Jr. The Bethia mentioned in the will refers to the daughter of Bethia and Joseph Hutchinson, and when she died in 1690, she mentions her grandfather "Gidney". In addition, a list, made in 1638 to regulate the distribution of marsh and meadow land according to the number of persons in a family, showed John Gedney's family amounting to seven, evidencing numerous additions since the previous year when he arrived in Salem."

This is some additional information:

Notes from: "New England Families #1, History of Salem, MA VolI(1638-1670), The Glass Works, Broderbund.

Robert Prince appears as a servant with Bethia and Lydia, probably his sisters in the tavern of John Gedney in 1651. They were there in 1654- Rebecca Prince, perhaps another sister married John Putnam and settled in Salem Villiage in 1652. She was called "step daughter" by John Gedney.

In the Putnam history reference is also made as father Gedney in a dispute between John Putnam and Mr Burroughs.

This is all the information I have to offer on the wives of John Gedney and hope it clears up some of the confusion.

Deb Carpenter

That last piece from the Gedney researcher is excellent. While it is somewhat a disappointment to lose the mayflower connection, I am pretty convinced. I found many other records (inc. multiple items from NE geneological works in the 19th Century found via Google Books) that are very clear that Rebecca was the sister of a Robert Prince, listing him as one would list the nearest male relative.

I have dropped the Thomas Prence links, but we should probably add Mary & James Prince, as well as Robert Prince, Bethia Hutchinson, and John Gedney as Mary Prince's 2nd spouse.

Hi there,

Is there any possibility that Rebecca was married at different times obviously, to Putnam and Freeman?
Has anyone submitted this line to the Mayflowe Society?

Regards,
Elizabeth Ward

Great detective work.

I made the Rebecca Prince profile a Master Profile. Let me know if a very brief curator note should be floated at the top of it.

Thank you for responding to my query, I appreciate it. A note would be helpful I think.
So frutrating having supposedly two separate Rebecca Prences!

Thanks again,
Elizabeth

Hello,

I found a report where Thomas Prince, , carriage maker, ALL HALLOW, DOLKING, LONDON, ENGLAND, father of Thomas Prnce, IN QUESTION, reports that his son who is married across the waters changed his name to Thomas Prence upon his arrival in America, My thoughts, he was a politician on the make and knew this country, after leaving/fleeing England, would not take kindly of a man named PRINCE running for office. Found a copy of his death eulogy. Death date aligns with all information applied to Thomas Prence.....except it reads GOVERNER Thomas PRINCE. 29 March 1670. I think they knew who they buried.
I think both of the girls in question are of the same family. Same DNA. For me Rabecca PRINCE, is an homage to, T. Prences father. And Rebecca PRENCE is named after her parents.
Also their are copies on the internet of a Mark Snow marring Jane Prence. Name found listed with Thomas Prences and P. Brewster's children, The photo of the original recording of the marriage shows' Jane Prince (recorder knew her. Could not spell ??????) Mark Snow under, Jane Prince writes PRINCE, Daughter of Gov. Thomas Prence and Elizabeth Brewster..1666.
So just for me, people in the Prence family who were active politicians wanted to stay away from MONIKER, PRINCE.
It has a bad connotation with the Pilgrims …..I think.
So.......put your money down and take you chance.
Marry CHRISTmas
JB

.

You will find that indeed they did not spell consistently in England and its colonies. So both Prence and Prince in records.

Why don't they just find a selection of all the parties involved and DNA the whole bunch ?????

Is there an FamilyTreeDNA test project? Going back that far and across continents, these tests are easier said than done.

I know little or nothing about DNA. I'm waiting to hear back about my connection to John Putnam. What I have found is, my great, great grandfather married Louisa W Putnam, 19 Jan. 1844, Harrington Washington, Maine. From their it's a straight uninterrupted line on the Putnam side back to John. If Rebecca Prince married into the Putnam family wouldn't I and a member of the Priene line have some of the same family DNA markers?
Then you find a willing descendent from the Prence line and DNA that person. Wouldn't that put it all to rest?
Just a thought.

No, because she’s a girl. That would be atDNA, which Is only a few generations. Y DNA (Males) goes back, but not atDNA (male or female).

https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/dtcgenetictesting/an...