Thomas Prence, Sr.

Evidence needed to support as son of Thomas Prince, III & Jane Elizabeth Prince

Disputed marriage

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Tolderby-3

There is currently no record of a marriage to Thomas Prince/Prence. There are no known baptisms of an Elizabeth Tolderby/Toldervey at the right time to have been the mother of the children associated with this profile. There is a marriage for a John Prince and an Elizabeth Toldervey that may be causing confusion.

Biography

http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db... (dead link)

"Thomas Prence, senior, removed from Lechlade at an unknown date to All Saints, Barking, London,where he carried on the trade of carriage-maker, and where on July 31, 1630 he made his will, which was probated on August 14, following. It made bequests to daughter Katherine Crayford, daughter Rebecca Diple, and 'to son Thomas Prence now remayninge in new England in the pts beyond the seas one beere bole of silver and alsoe my seale Ringe of gold to be deld to him at his next return . . .' ".

He was "Thomas Prince of All Hallows, Barking, London, carriage maker." He "had lived at Lechlade, Gloucestershire, before coming to London, but the parish records, such as survive in transcripts, do not indicate that this was the original home of the family. nterseting contemporary letters concerning the father and grandfather of Governor Prence are in the collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Thomas Prince, Senior, of All Hallows, in his will of 1630 mentions 'my son Thomas Prence now remayninge in New England in parts beyond seas' (P.C.C. 70, Scrope). As he bequeaths a 'seale Ringe of Gold' to his son, it may be presumed that the family was armigerous. The future Governor was brought up in the neighborhood whence came so many of the passengers of the first two ships, and the Mayflower must have taken her passengers in sight of his home, near the Tower.

The proper spelling of this surname is Prince and it was so written by his immediate and collateral forebears, but he chose to write it as Prence. He lived in the hamlet of Ratcliffe, parish of Stepney, as a boy and probably remained there with his parents until his emigration."

Name may have originally been Prince. Was a carriage maker at Lechlade, Gloucestershire, but was at All Hallows (Saints), Barking, London, when he made his will 31 July 1639. (1630 in one source)

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Prence-33

The parents of Thomas Prince are unknown, although letters from his nephew John to his son Thomas, Governor Prence of Plymouth Colony, indicate that he had two brothers, Robert and Simon and three sisters, Jean, Alice and Ann. [1] The same letter indicates that his family may have originated in Lechlade, Gloucestershire.

On 30 Jul 1630, Thomas Prince, carriage maker of All Saints Barking, London, also known as All Hallows, Barking, had his will drawn up. [2] He made bequests to:

• my daughter Katherine Crayford, wife of Ambrose Crayford, mariner, of Rederith (Rotherhithe) [3], Surrey
  • her children Alice and Mary
• my son in law Ambrose Crayford
• my son Thomas Prince, "now remayninge in New England in the pts beyond the seas."
• my daughter Rebecca Diple, wife of Thomas Diple, citizen and Merchant Taylor of London

His will was probated on 14 Aug 1630. [2]

Research notes

Thomas was not buried at All Hallows Barking, London in either July or August 1630. I have investigated the images of the parish register and his burial is not recorded.

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Origins

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Prince-5426

The parents of Thomas Prince are unknown, although a letter to Thomas, Governor Prence of Plymouth Colony, reported that the family consisted of three sons,

1. Thomas,
2. Robert and
3. Simon

and three daughters,

1. Jean,
2. Alice and
3. Ann. [1]

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References

1. Anna Kingsbury (1870-1943), A Historical Sketch of Thomas Prence ([Boston?], n.p., 1924), 20-23 for Massachusetts Historical Society holding, letters "to and from Governor Prence and his relatives in England," 8 March 1668/9--15 March 1669/70; digital images, InternetArchive; author notes, the letters "were found to be among the [Massachusetts Historical Society's] Edward Winslow Papers" (p. 20). < Archive.Org >
2. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Prence-33 Cites
   1. Anna Kingsbury (1870-1943), A Historical Sketch of Thomas Prence ([Boston?], n.p., 1924), 20-23 for Massachusetts Historical Society holding, letters "to and from Governor Prence and his relatives in England," 8 March 1668/9--15 March 1669/70; digital images, Internet Archive; author notes, the letters "were found to be among the [Massachusetts Historical Society's] Edward Winslow Papers" (p. 20).
   2. Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858 . Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.The National Archives; Kew, England; Prerogative Court of Canterbury and Related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers;PROB 11158Ancestry Record 5111 #790661
   3. "Parishes: Rotherhithe," in A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4, ed. H E Malden (London: Victoria County History, 1912), 83-92. British History Online, accessed May 30, 2021, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/surrey/vol4/pp83-92.
   4. "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JW48-SJ9: 19 March 2020), Thomas Prince, 1576.