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Loren Prentiss of MA and ME
By Linus Joseph Dewald Jr., Editor
Fall 2001 and Revised 21 Jun 2005
This article updates our Fall 1998 article on Loren Prentiss. He is 123/180d in our Henry Prentice eBook. It may be noted that from the mid-1600s up to Loren's parents, the surname was always spelled as "Prentice." Binney, in his 1883 book, relates that: "This Maine family spell [their surname as] "Prentiss."
1. Loren Prentiss was b. c. 1805 in MA and was a farmer. He appears in the 1850 Saco, York Co., ME census with his wife, Susan R., b. c. 1812, MA and his children:
- Alfred Gordon Prentiss, b. 27 Jul 1838, Billerica, MA. . . . . . . . [2]
- Loren Prentiss Jr., b. c. 1846, MA.
- Eleanor B. Prentiss, b. c. 1849, ME.
2. Alfred Gordon Prentiss, b. 27 Jul 1838, Billerica, MA. He m. Fanny L. Lory of Bethel, ME on 23 Jun 1860. He was, in 1866, in company with Joseph G. Deering as grocers, and in 1874 bought out the senior partner's interest, continuing the wholesale and retail business in Saco.
- Weston R. Prentiss, b. 20 Jan 1862.
- Emily G. Prentiss, b. 15 Aug 1864.
- Lory Prentiss, b. 10 Mar 1867.
- Alfred Prentiss,b. 20 Feb 1871. . . . . . . . [3]
- Fanny Mabel Prentiss, b. 13 Apr 1873.
- Susan M. Prentiss, b. 20 Sep 1875.
3. Alfred W. Prentiss, b. 20 Feb 1871, Saco, ME. He died in 1958 and is bur. in in Oroville, CA. He was a railroad man as wereall three of his sons. Alfred m. Clara Fairfield. Children, all forn in Saco, ME:
- Joseph Leon Prentiss, b. 1903, Saco, ME. . . . . [4]
- Alfred Gordon "Gordon" Prentiss. The last know residence of gordon was either Eugene, OR or Alamogordo, NM.
- Philip Fairfield Prentiss. . . . . . . . . [5]
4. Joseph Leon Prentiss, b. 26 Sep 1903, probably, Saco, ME. He m. Violet Edith Wall who was b. 6 Feb 1909, Oakland, CA.
- John Lory Prentiss, b. Sonora, CA
- Alfred Gordon Prentiss. Born in Oakland, California.
- Leon Raymond Prentiss. Born in Oakland, California.
- William Henry Prentiss. Born in Oakland, California.
- Marian Estelle Prentiss. Born in Oakland, California.
5. Philip Fairfield Prentiss (per John Lory Prentice) (or Phillip Gordon Prentiss per Steven G. Prentiss, below). Phillip lived in San Jose for most of his life, but his last know residence was Paradise, CA. He m. Gertrude. Children:
- Orren Kenneth Prentice/Prentiss, b. 1924. . . . . . . . [6]
- Marilyn Prentiss.
6. Orren Kenneth Prentiss, b. 1924.
He m. Velma Grace Mikolash. Her obituary reads as follows:
Velma Grace (Mikolash) Prentiss, age 79, died on Thursday, April 28, 2005 after a battle with cancer. Velma was born and raised on a farm near Tyndall, South Dakota. She grew up with her two sisters and two brothers on that farm with no electricity, running water, or phone. The farmhouse and barn were built of logs in the late 1800's but, times had been good and both were upgraded with milled siding.
Velma attended a one-room country school house, starting first grade at the age of four. She started working in town (Tyndall) at the ripe old age of 12 to provide additional income for her family, as was customary for the times. She graduated from Tyndall High in 1942. During WWII, she and her older sister, Florence (Flo) left South Dakota for new adventures in California, settling in Stockton. Velma first stayed with relatives on Market St and later moved to a small house on Hawthorne with her sister Flo and her cousin Dorothy (Dot) Fridrich. As any good sisters would, when making the long walk home from work with Dot, they enjoyed teasing and scaring their cousin along the way. Velma would talk of times in Stockton of seeing movies at the Fox Theater or attending dances at the Stockton auditorium - walking and enjoying the downtown, streets filled with people, sailors and soldiers - such different times from today.
After the war, Velma began working for the Western Pacific Railroad as the Train Master's secretary where she eventually met and married Orren Prentiss. They bought a home in Stockton where they raised three children, Mike, Patty and Steve .
She enjoyed many facets of life; fly fishing, camping, gardening, pinochle club, league bowling, golfing, cooking, dancing, and most of all traveling. Her traveling adventures took her to all corners of the world. Some of her favorite stops were the beauty of Alaska; climbing the Great Wall of China; almost being stranded behind the Iron Curtain; viewing the Terra Cotta Warriors; the wild beauty of Africa; the grandeur of Ancient Greece; the treasures of Eastern Europe; and even the simplicity of traveling through the splendors of America - Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Yellow Stone, Glacier Park, Grand Canyon, camping and clam digging in Washington State, fall in New England, cheese in Wisconsin, lobster in Maine, and most of all visiting family and the old homestead in South Dakota.
After retiring from the railroad, besides traveling, she also stayed active for many years as an officer of the Union Pacific Employees Club #39.
Velma played her hand of life very well. She was preceded in death by Orren; her eldest son, Michael and her brothers, Norman and Bernard. She is survived by her sisters, Florence Immers of Reno, NV, Ruth Rezac of Dante, SD; daughter, Patricia Wehe of Stockton; son, Steven, U.S. Navy, stationed in Okinawa; grandchildren, Robert, Andrea, Tanya, Keith, Gregory, James and Rebecca and 9 great-grand-children.
Family and friends are invited to attend a Memorial Service at 11:00 a.m., Friday, May 6, 2005 at Frisbie-Warren and Carroll, 809 N California St., Stockton. Private Interment well be held at a later date at Farmington Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society, the Hospice of San Joaquin, 3888 Pacific Ave, Stockton, CA 95204 or a charity of choice.
Children of Orren and Velma (per obit. and John Lory Prentice, email, 16 Dec 1999):
- Michael Prentiss.
- Patty (Patricia?) Prentiss
- Steven G. Prentiss
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