Thomas Prentice, II, of Cambridge and Stonington

Warning

Please don't conflate or merge:

• Thomas2 Prentice of Newton and his wife Rebecca Jackson son of Robert1 Prentice of Roxbury See page 247-251 #3
• Thomas2 Prentice of Cambridge and Stonington and his wife Sarah Stanton son of Thomas1 Prentice "Trooper" of Newton, See pages 165-167 #3, GM2:6:475, Stonington History 338, 340

Biography

Thomas Prentice Jr. was the second child and eldest son of Grace (___) and Capt. Thomas Prentice, aka "The Trooper". Thomas Jr and his twin sister, Elizabeth, were born in Cambridge, Mass., on 22 Nov 1649. He married Sara Stanton on 20 Mar 1675. They had four children. According to Binney, Thomas Jr. was probably a trooper in his father's troop of horse; and if so, he would likely have seen action in King Philip's War (1675-8). After Thomas Jr.'s death in 1685, his widow Sarah married 2nd, Capt. William Denison. They had three children: William (bpt. 1686), Sarah (bpt.1689), and George (bpt. 1692). Note "The history and genealogy of the Prentice, or Prentiss family, in New England" (see below) clearly shows two children named Thomas. This must be a typo. One married Maria Russell and died in 1709 this clearly is not their child. The second married Elizabeth Jackson has six children and dies in 1730. This is their son.

Children

1. Thomas (b.1676),
2. Grace,
3. Samuel (b. 1680),
4. John (b. 1682)

Sources

1. Binney, Charles James Fox, The history and genealogy of the Prentice, or Prentiss family, in New England, etc., from 1631 to 1883 (Boston, Mass. : The author, 1883) pages 165-167 #3,
2. [https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/great-migration-immigra... GM2:6:475
3. Wheeler, Richard Anson. History of the Town of Stonington, County of New London, Connecticut, from its First Settlement in 1649 to 1900 (1900): With a Genealogical Register of Stonington Families. (New London, Conn.: Press of the Day Publishing Company, 1900), p. 543. "Thomas Prentice (No. 3) m. Sarah (No. 10), daughter of Capt. Thomas and wife Ann (Lord) Stantion, (who was the famous Indian interpreter), March 20, 1675. He d. April 19, 1665 [sic, 1685). Mrs. Prentice m. 2d, Capt. William Denison (No. 43), and d. 1713."
4. Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England: Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register. (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co, 1860-1862), 3:479-480. THOMAS, Newton, s[on]. of Thomas the first, m[arried]. 20 Mar. 1676, Sarah, d[aughter]. of Thomas Stanton, had Thomas, b[orn]. 13 Jan. 1677; Grace; Samuel, a[bout]. 1680; and John, 1682, H[arvard]. C[ollege]. 1700, the min[ister]. of Lancaster; was freem[an]. 1680, and d[ied]. 1684. His wid[ow]. m[arried]. William Denison of Stonigton. [His father] THOMAS, Cambridge, on S[outh]. side of the riv[er]. now Newton, bro[ugh]t. from Eng[land]. w[ife]. Grace, and d[aughter]. Grace, bapt[ized]. there, had here Thomas and Elizabeth tw[ins]. b[orn]. 22 Jan. 1650; Mary; John, 2 Feb. 1654, d[ied]. next y[ea]r.; John, again, 10 July 1655; and Hannah, 1661; was freem[an]. 1652; rep[resentative]. 1672-4, in 1675, on the first day aft[er]. Philip began hostil[ities]. went to the war in comm[and]. [Captain] of a troop of horse, and with great reput[e]. serv[ed]. through it. His influence was great in obt[ained]. separat[ely]. of Newton, in wh[o]. his est[ate]. was. The w[ife]. d[ied]. 9 Oct. 1692, and he d[ied]. 6 July 1710 in 89th y[ea]r. Jackson assures us that the gr[ave].-st[one]. says 1709, and with error is easily beliv[ed]. Grace m[arried]. 27 Nov. 1667, Thomas Oliver; and Elizabeth m[arried]. 4 May 1675, Thomas Aldrich of Dedham. The epitaph that in Homer's Hist[ory]. of N. is said to be on his gr[ave].-st[one]. belongs to somebody else, lying 45 feet from the grave of the capt[ain]. whose head and foot stone have plain inscript[ions]. as I am assur[ed]. by the highest authority. In both forms, nineteen had been gr[aduated]. in 1834 at Harv[ard]. four at Yale, and five at other N[ew]. E[ngland]. coll[eges]. and of ten clerg[ymen]. eight were of Harv[ard]. two of Yale.
5. Baldwin, Thomas W. Vital Records of Cambridge, Massachusetts, to the Year of 1850. (Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Co., 1914-15), Vol. 1, p. 573. PRENTICE, Tho[mas], s. of Tho[mas] and Grace, Jan. 22, 1649. [Twin] [1649-50]
6. Paige, Lucius Robinson. History of Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1630-1877: With a Genealogical Register. (Boston, Massachusetts: H. O. Houghton, 1877), p. 629. Thomas Prentice [#4], s/o Thomas and Grace Prentice, b. Cambridge 22 Jan 1649-50, d. 19 Apr 1685, m. 20 Mar 1675 Sarah Stanton.
7. Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871. (American Ancestors, 2014), Case 18024: Thomas Prentice 1685. 4 May 1685: A true Inventory of ye Estate of Thomas Prentice Junior of Cambridge Villiage deceased Aprill 19th : in the yeare 1685 taken ye 4th of may the same yeare. Sworn to "16. 4. 85." [16 Jun 1685].
8. John Carroll Power, History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois.1876 579 PRENTICE.--The Prentice family in Illinois descended from Thomas Prenticeand Grace, his wife, who came from England in 1648. There is a traditionin the family that he served in the army of the Commonwealth, and was oneof Oliver Cromwell's Life Guard. However that may be, soon after he cameto this country, "in 1656, he was chosen Lieutenant of a troop of horse,and chosen Captain in 1662." The brilliant exploits of the "old trooper"are fully recorded in Hubbard's history of the early Indian wars. Hesettled in Newton, Massachusetts, and died there in 1709. The stone isstill there which marks his grave, and bears the following inscription:"Here lies ye body of Capt. Thomas Prentice, dec'd July ye 7th, 1709, inye 89th year of his age." His death was caused by a fall from his horse,while returning from church on Sunday. Capt. Thomas Prentice and hiswife, Grace, had eight children, one of whom was Thomas Prentice, Jun.,who was born in Newton, Mass., Nov. 11, 1649, and who married SarahStanton, Jan. 1, 1675. They had four children, one of whom was Samuel,who was born in 1680. He married Esther Hammond, and in 1709 moved toStonington, Conn. They had nine children, one of whom was SaumelPrentice, Jun., who was born Nov. 25, 1702. He married Abigail (???).They had thirteen children, one of whom was Amos, who was born April 24,1748, and who married Anna Owen. He was a physician, and was for sometime Surgeon in the Revolutionary army. He resided in New London, Conn.,at the time that town was burned by the traitor, Arnold, and lost hisresidence, drug store, and very near all he had, by that act ofvandalism. After the close of the war he removed to Milltown, on theSusquehanna river, near the spot where the little city of Waverly, N. Y.,now stands, and died there, July 19, 1805. Dr. Amos Prentice and hiswife, Anna, had five children, one of whom was John Owen Prentice, whowas born in Groton, Conn Dec. 25, 1776. He married Rache Swain in 1799,emigrated to St. Clair county, Ill., in 1816, and died at his residence, at Cold Spring, Shelbycounty, Jan. 1, 1838, leaving seven children. The following are theirnames, with the dates of birth: Charles, born in 1800; Owen, in 1802;Amos, in 1804; Harriet, in 1809; Julia, in 1814; William Swain, in 1819;and James B., in 1821. We will continue the history of but one member ofthis family

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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF STONINGTON, county of New London, Connecticut, from its first settlement in 1649 to 1900, by Richard Anson Wheeler, New London, CT, 1900, p. 340, 578