Thomas Prence

Infobox Governor
name =Thomas Prence


order =4th, 8th & 12th Governor of Plymouth Colony
office =
term_start =1634
term_end =1635
1638 – 1639
1657 – 1673
lieutenant =
predecessor =Edward Winslow (1634)
William Bradford (1639 & 1657)
successor =William Bradford (1635 & 1639)
Josiah Winslow (1673)
birth_date =1599
birth_place =Lechlade, Gloucestershire, England
death_date =March 29, 1673
death_place =Plymouth, Massachusetts
restingplace =
restingplacecoordinates =
nationality =English
party =
otherparty =
spouse =
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater =
occupation =
profession =
net worth =
cabinet =
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portfolio =
religion =Puritan


website =
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Thomas Prence (1599 - March 29, 1673) was a co-founder of Eastham, Massachusetts, a political leader in both the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies, and governor of Plymouth (1634, 1638, and 1657 - 1673).

Born in England (one source says Lechlade, Gloucestershire), Prence came to the American colonies on the Fortune, arriving on November 9, 1621. During his time as governor, he was notable for his especial hatred of heretics, particularly Quakers. He also despised the ignorant, making a concerted effort to raise more money for schools in order to insure that future generations would be better educated. Prence is credited for giving Metacomet his English name "Philip."

Prence married three times. His first wife was Patience Brewster, passenger of the "Anne", native of Scrooby, and daughter of William Brewster on August 5, 1624. They had four children: Thomas, Rebecca, Mercy, and Hannah. Rebecca married Edmund Freeman and had two children, and died in Sandwich, Massachusetts. Mercy married John Freeman, had eleven children, and settled in Eastham, Massachusetts.Hannah married Nathaniel Mayo, had six children, and died in Eastham.

Prence next married Mary Collier (b. 1612) on April 1, 1635. Mary was English, a native of St. Olave parish, Southwark. She and Thomas had five children: Jane, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Judith. Jane (November 1, 1637 - 1712) married Mark Snow, son of Constance Hopkins, and had eight children.

Lastly, Prence married Apphia Quick in December, 1662. It is unknown whether they had any children.

Prence died March 29, 1673, in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

See also

*Governors of Massachusetts

References

* [http://www.magma.ca/~mmackay/wc_toc.html Thomas Prence at MacKay family genealogy]
* [http://www.murrah.com/gen/prence.htm Prence family page]