Hon. Joseph Prentis

Biography

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

Joseph Prentis (January 24, 1754 – June 18, 1809) was a Virginia politician. He represented Williamsburg in the Virginia House of Delegates, and served as that body's Speaker from 1786 until 1788. From 1788 until his death, Prentis was a judge in the General Court of Virginia.[1]

Early life and education

Joseph Prentis was the youngest son of Williamsburg merchant William Prentis (pre-1720-1765) and his wife, the former Mary Brooke. His great grandfather, also William Prentis (pre-1720-1765), had emigrated to the Virginia Colony from Norfolk County in England, settling in Williamsburg about 1725 and marrying another Mary Brooke, daughter of John and Mary Brooke of York County, Virginia.[2] Although orphaned at the age of 15, Prentis became a ward of lawyer Robert Carter Nicholas, then attended the College of William and Mary in his home town, where he studied law under George Wythe.[3] His elder brother John Prentis succeeded his father operating the store, and served as Williamsburg's mayor (1758-1760) before his death in 1775, when his nephew (this boy's cousin) Robert Prentis took over the family business. That business closed in 1779 because of wartime disruptions.[4]

Career

Prentis was admitted to the Virginia bar and began a private legal practice. However, the American Revolutionary War began his political career. When George Wythe was away representing Virginia at the Continental Congress, Prentis was Williamsburg's other delegate in the Fourth Virginia Revolutionary Convention (of 1775), but was replaced by Edmund Randolph in the Fifth Virginia Revolutionary Convention (and Wythe also returned).[5] Thus he attended the convention session at St. John's Church in Richmond where Patrick Henry delivered the famous words, "Give me liberty, or give me death!".

When the Virginia House of Delegates when was formed in 1776, Prentis again represented Williamsburg. Over the next decade Prentis at various times represented nearby York County (1777–1778, 1782–1788) or James City County (1781-1782) in that body.[6][7] Fellow legislators elected Prentis a judge of the Court of Admiralty on June 5, 1776, but he resigned the following August 1, and again became a legislator (a part-time position, but one no judge nor executive officer could hold during his legislative service). Prentis became a member of the Virginia Privy Council in 1778, serving under Governor Patrick Henry. Prentis received a special appointment to attend the Session of the House of Delegates on May 7, 1781.

Upon his return to the legislature, Prentis represented York County until his judicial appointment discussed below. During the 1785 session, beginning on October 15, 1785, Prentis chaired the committee which prepared a bill to authorize Virginia's delegates to the Continental Congress to assent to the general regulation of commerce in the United States.[8] In 1786, fellow legislators elected Prentis their Speaker,[9]

On January 4, 1788 they elected him a judge of the General Court of Virginia. Prentis continued as such until his death two decades later. Also, Prentis was one of the revisers of Virginia's legal code in 1792.[10]

Personal life
]
Prentis married Margaret Bowdoin, the daughter of John Bowdoin of Northampton County on 16 December 1778.[11] The couple had eight children, but only four survived infancy or childhood. One of them, Joseph Prentis Jr. followed his father's path as a lawyer but lived in Suffolk County, Virginia. He married Susan Caroline Reddick, daughter of one-term delegate Robert Moore Reddick and granddaughter of multi-term delegate Willis Riddick of Nansemond County. Joseph Prentis Jr. served many years as clerk for Nansemond county and was a member of the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829-1830 (representing, Nansemond, Norfolk and other Hampton Roads counties, long after his father's death).[12][13]

In 1782 Joseph Prentis Sr. acquired Green Hill plantation, where he and his wife lived for the rest of their lives. Prentis enjoyed gardening and his papers, correspondence and even the naming of his home demonstrate that interest.
The published 1787 tax census does not include Prentis as a taxpayer in either York nor James City county, possibly because legislators were exempt from tax assessment (as normally indicated in the notes). His Williamsburg household included nine people in 1788, probably three of them enslaved.[14]

Death and legacy

Judge Prentis died on the 18th of June in 1809 at the age of 55. In addition to his son Joseph Prentis Jr's many years of service as clerk of Nansemond County mentioned above, his great grandson Robert Riddick Prentis also became a judge of the Supreme Court of Virginia. The Library of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville holds the Prentis family papers.[15]

Family

https://www.prenticenet.com/people/america/william/

William Prentis (1699-1765) had six children. The dates of their birth, where known, is shown.

5. Joseph was born Jan. 24, 1754 and died May 18, 1809. He married Dec. 16, 1778 Margaret Bowdoin, daughter of John Bowdoin II and Grace Stringer of Northampton County. She was born Nov. 27, 1758 and died in Williamsburg August 27, 1801. They lived in Williamsburg and had eight children. He died on June 18, 1809, in Williamsburg, York County, Virginia. Joseph was member of the Virginia Convention which met in December, 1775; and was appointed, with James Hubard and John Tyler, a judge of admiralty16, by ordinance of convention, July 5, 1776, to hold till December 1777. He studied at William and Mary College in 1777 and was a member of the first House of Delegates in 1777, from Williamsburg; member from York 1778-1788; speaker of House of Delegates 1788; member of Patrick Henry's privy council 1779; judge of the General Court from 1789 to his death in 1809; member of Board of Visitors of William and Mary College. He was one of the revisers of the Code of 1792.17

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Father: William Prentis b:10 OCT 1699 St James Duke Place, London, England. Mother: Mary Brooke b: 1708 English Colony of York county, Virginia.

Marriage: Margaret Bowdoin b: currently unknown. Married: 1 DEC 1778 English Colony of Williamsburg, Virginia.

Known Children

1. William Bowdion Prentis b: 17 APR 1780 English Colony of Williamsburg, Virginia.
2. Joseph Prentis, II b: 24 JAN 1783 Green Hill, Wiliamsburg, Virginia.
3. John Bowdoin Prentis b: 15 FEB 1787 Green Hill, Wiliamsburg, Virginia.
4. John Brooke Prentis b: 1 FEB 1789 Green Hill, Wiliamsburg, Virginia.
5. Elizabeth Prentis b: 14 APR 1791 Green Hill, Wiliamsburg, Virginia.
6. Robert Waters Prentis b: 6 NOV 1794 Green Hill, Wiliamsburg, Virgina.
7. Mary Anne Prentis b: 18 MAR 1796 Green Hill, Wiliamsburg, Virginia.

Transferred 09/15/2014 then prepared in part by Bill Boggess.

A well-known judge and politician, Joseph Prentis served on the Council of State (1779–1781) and in the House of Delegates (1776–1779, 1781–1788) and as Speaker of the House (1787–1788).

h/o Margaret Bowdoin.

Birth: 5th of mother's six reported children in English Colony of Williamsburg, Virginia, raised in the house now known as the "Prentis House" standing on the north side of Duke of Gloucester Street in Williamsburg, owned by mother's father, Joseph Brooke until March 18, 1724.

~ VIEW: From family Bible, SOURCE: The Williamsburg Foundation. and Prentis papers, SOURCE: The College of William & Mary's Swem Library, also The Webb-Prentis papers, SOURCE: University of Virginia.

~ Graduated The College of William & Mary in 1777, owned land since 1782 near Williamsburg, and a home known as Green Hill, in 1786 was Speaker of the House of Delegates revising laws of Virginia, from January 1788 till death one of the judges of the General Court of Virginia, in 1791 elected a member of Board Of Visitors of The College of William & Mary.

Death: Williamsburg, Virginia, now an Independent City.

[July 1809]

On Monday, the 31st of July, WILL BE SOLD, At the Dwelling-House of the late Joseph Prentis, in the City of Williamsburg, THE PERSONAL ESTATE OF the said deceased,

The Sale will be continued from day to day until the whole, or a greater part of the Personal Estate is Sold. There will be some valuable Household and Kitchen furniture and Plate for Sale; and it is probable several House Servants will also be Sold. There are several Milch Cows, two Horses, and a neat single Phaeton and Harness quite new. The Sale will be made on a credit of nine months, to bear interest from the date and if the payment is punctually made, the interest will be remitted Bond and approved security will be required from the purchasers before any article which may be sold is delivered.

JOSEPH PRENTIS, Exe'r Williamsburg, July 1, 1809

Joseph Prentis in “Colonial Families”

References

• Ancestry.com. Colonial Families of the USA, 1607-1775 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors. Original data:Mackenzie, George Norbury, and Nelson Osgood Rhoades, editors. Colonial Families of the United States of America: in Which is Given the History, Genealogy and Armorial Bearings of Colonial Families Who Settled in the American Colonies From the Time of the Settlement of Jamestown, 13th May, 1607, to the Battle of Lexington, 19th April, 1775. 7 volumes. 1912. Reprinted, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1966, 1995. “Prentis Family.” Vol. Vll, Page 387. < AncestrySharing >
• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Mar 6 2020, 3:15:32 UTC
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Prentis cites

1. Jamerson, Bruce F., Clerk of the House of Delegates, supervising (2007). Speakers and Clerks of the Virginia House of Delegates, 1776-2007. Richmond, Virginia: Virginia House of Delegates. p. 25.
2. Lyon Gardiner Tyler, "Judge Robert Riddick Prentis", Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography (1915) vol. 4. p. 445
3. Jamerson p. 25
4. Caroline Julia Richter, "The Prentis family and their library" (master's thesis, College of William & Mary 1985) p. vi, entire thesis available at https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539625287/
5. Cynthia Miller Leonard, The Virginia General Assembly 1619-1978 (Richmond: Virginia State Library 1978) p.118
6. Leonard, pp. 123, 127, 131, 142, 147, 151, 155, 158, 162, 166
7. Virginia House of Delegates Clerk's Office. "Joseph Prentis". House History. Virginia House of Delegates Clerk's Office. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
8. Jamerson p. 25
9. Leonard pp. 160, 164
10. Jamerson p. 25
11. Tyler p. 445
12. Tyler p. 443
13. Leonard p. 354
14. Netti Schriener-Yantis and Florene Speakman Love, The 1787 Census of Virginia (Springfield, Virginia: Genealogical Books in Print 1987) p. 1447. As explained on the previous page, the 1787 list is missing for Williamsburg City, but the 1786 and 1788 lists are available. However, only two of the normal five columns contain data, unlike for other counties. In that 1788 list, George Wythe's household on the last page lists 3 and 0 and he freed slaves after his wife's death. Prentis' columns are 9 and 3.
15. A GUIDE TO THE WEBB-PRENTIS FAMILY PAPERS < link >
16. Winter, Kari J. (2011). The American Dreams of John B. Prentis Slave Trader.
17. The University of Georgia Press. ISBN 0-8203-3837-0
18. Richter, Caroline Julia, "The Prentis Family and their Library" (1985). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539625287. doi:10.21220/s2-42by-1r17
19. Colonial Williamsburg Portrait of Joseph Prentis
20. https://www.prenticenet.com/people/america/william/