By Linus Joseph Dewald Jr. Editor
Fall 2002 and Revised 7 Feb 2018
We have been helping Susan Cannon in tracing her Prentice roots. Here is what we have so far:
1. James Prentice, b. c. 1775-1790. Ref: Kay Arthur, email, 4 Feb 2018, referencing Lewis Co., KY, marriage of Almire and William, below.
He m. Unknown. Daughter:
- Almire Prentice, b. c. 1810-1815 or 1811. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . [2]
2. Almira Prentice was likely b. c. 1810-15, although unverified secondary sources indicate it was c. 1811. New York has been suggested as a possible place of birth, but her marriage in KY raises the possibility she was born in KY. Almira d. after 1869.
She m. William Swearingen on 20 Jan 1833 in Greenup Co., KY. He was b. v. 1812, Vanceburg, Lewis Co., KY, son of Marmaduke Swearingen and Mary Stratton. His Ancestor Chart can be found on the LDS website and at Ancestry.com . Children:
- Lavina Caroline Swearingen, b. c. 1834 in KY.
- Mariah/Marie Jane Swearingen, b. c. 1836 in KY.
- Melissa Swearingen, b. c. 1838, KY. She m. Robert Cooley.
- Alonzo Van Swearingen, b. c. 1840, Greenup, KY and d. c. 1896, Lewis, KY. . . . . . . . [3]
- Angeline Swearingen, b. c. 1842 in KY.
- James Swearingen, b. c. 1844, KY and d. c. 1880. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [4]
- Calinda/Cirlinda Swearingen, b. c. 1851, KY.
3. Alonzo Van Swearingen, b. c. 1840, Greenup, KY and d. c. 1896, Lewis, KY.
He m. Sarah Ellen Kenyon. She was b. c. 1841, Sandy Springs, Adams Co., OH, and d. c. 1908, Lewis City, KY. She was the dau. of William J. Kenyon and Annfield Cordrey. An Ancestor Chart for Sarah can be found at Ancestry.com . Children of Alonzo and Sarah per Ancestry.com :
- Ruth Swearingen -
- Henry M. Swearingen, b. 15 Jul 1861, Lewis, KY
- William Alfred Swearingen, b. 10 Sep 1868.
- Frank Swearingen, b. 1875, Lewis, KY.
- John Swearingen, b. 8 Oct 1882, Lewis, KY, and d. 31 Mar 1932, Portsmouth, Scioto Co., OH. He m. Anna F. Carrington. She was b. c. 1884 and d. 1981.
4. James Curtis Swearingen, b. c. 1844, KY and d. c. 1880 when he drowned in the Ohio River near Mason County, KY. He is Susan Cannon's GG Grandfather.
He m. 1st Mary Emmalina/Elizabeth Clark 16 Sep 1866 in Lewis, KY. She was b. c. 1846-1848 amd d. 1923. Children:
- Alonzo Swearingen, b. 26 Nov 1876, Lewis, KY.
- Sarah "Sallie" Jane Swearingen, b. 12 Jan 1879, Lewis Co., KY, and d. there 13 May 1951.
She m. Thomas J. Mefford. He was b. 11 Feb 1876, Lewis Co., KY, and d. there 25 Jun 1945,
Children per
Ancestry.com :
- Maud Mefford 1897
- Bruce Mefford 1898 1986
- James Mefford 1901
- Clarence Elmer Mefford 1904 1970
- Mary Mefford 1907
- Floyd Chester Mefford 1909 1977
- Cecil Mefford 1912 1986
- Otis William Mefford 1914 2000
- Everett Earl Mefford 1918 1994
Descendant Chart We located a descendant chart for Almira and William by Melvena Fay (Teets) Pence at Ancestry.com :
1 Almira PRENTICE b: 1811 d: Aft 1869 + William SWEARINGEN b: 1812 d: Aft 1869 2 James Curtis SWEARINGEN b: 1849 d: 1881 + Mary Emmaline Elizabeth CLARK b: 1849 d: 10 March 1923 3 Sarah Jane SWEARINGEN b: 12 Jan 1879 d: 13 May 1951 + Thomas Jefferson MEFFORD b: 11 Feb 1876 d: 23 June 1945 4 Clarence Elmer MEFFORD b: 23 March 1904 d: 27th Aug 1970 + Lillian SMITH b: 4 Sept d: 7 Feb 1932 5 Gladys Ruth MEFFORD b: 8 June 1929 + Thomas Junior TEETS b: 17 Sept 1923 d: 21 Feb 1996 6 Living TEETS + Living PENCE 6 Living TEETS 6 Larry Thomas TEETS b: 26 Sept 1949 d: 8 April 1994 6 Living TEETS 6 Shelia DeNiece TEETS b: 1 Nov 1954 d: 1 Jan 1955 6 Living TEETS 6 Living TEETS 6 Living TEETS 5 Ruby Catherine MEFFORD b: 29 June 1927 5 Living MEFFORD 4 Maude Ethel MEFFORD b: 1896 d: 11 March 1920 4 Bruce Lee MEFFORD b: 28 June 1898 4 James Orville MEFFORD b: 22 March 1902 d: 1919 4 Mary Evelyn MEFFORD b: 27 Sept 1906 4 Floyd Chester MEFFORD b: 2 Feb 1909 d: 8 Oct 1977 4 Ivan Cecil MEFFORD b: 15th 1911 4 William Otis MEFFORD b: 2 Aug 1914 4 Everett Earl MEFFORD b: 7 July 1918 4 Clifford MEFFORD b: 23 Jan 1922 3 Alonzo SWEARINGEN b: 26 March 1874 d: 1911 3 William SWEARINGEN 3 George SWEARINGEN 3 Lee SWEARINGEN 3 Henry Malcolm SWEARINGEN b: 21 May 1872 d: 1 July 1926 3 Minnie Ann SWEARINGEN 3 James SWEARINGEN 3 Cleve SWEARINGEN 2 Caroline SWEARINGEN b: 1835 2 Marie SWEARINGEN b: 1838 2 Milissa SWEARINGEN b: 1839 2 Alonzo SWEARINGEN b: 1841 2 Cirlinda SWEARINGEN b: 1851Who are Almira Prentice's Parents? Susan Cannon says it has been "guessed" that Almira's father's name was George. No mother's name has been identified.
We checked the 1820 KY census and found only a single Prentice family listed. It was that of Charles Prentice of Scott Co., KY. If Almira was born in KY, there seems to be a good chance that she would appear as Charles' child in the 1830 census since she was b. somewhere between 1810 and 1815.
Here is the composition of Charles Prentice's family in 1820:
- 1 male under 10
- 2 males between 10 and 16.
- 3 males between 16 and 26
- 3 males between 26 and 45
- 1 female under 10 (perhaps Almira)
- 1 female 10-16
Curiously, no female is shown in the family who is old enough to be the mother, so perhaps she had died by 1820. If all those children belong to a single family, it may be that Charles Prentice is about 45, b. c. 1775.
If you have access to the records of the Scott County Historical Society, perhaps they can provide additional information.
Correspondence: If you have any information about the folks mentioned in this article, please send your information to us at the Prentice Newsletter. Be sure to give the full title and date of this article in the Subject line of the email.
Caution: If you don't use the above email link, your email to us may be deleted as spam by our email filter.
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