By Linus Joseph Dewald Jr., Editor
Fall 1998 and Revised 5 Jul 2010
Introduction: We are helping Carol Agosta and Janet Wallace in trying to identify the roots of their ancestor, Kindness who m. Thomas Hightower. The material they provide identifies Kindness' surname as Prentice but in our extensive Prentice database we have not found any "Kindness Prentice/Prentis/Prentiss."
Ed Hightower's email of 4 Jul 2010 expresses doubts about that surname. It reads, in part, as follows:
- "I appreciate your efforts in trying to associate the surname Prentiss with Kindness the second wife
of Thomas Hightower 1712-ca 1762. After thirty years of research however I have never found any
indication or link between the surname Prentiss and the aforementioned Kindness. The multitude
of postings on the internet and within other genealogical communications over the last fifteen years as to Kindness
Hightower and the surname Prentiss began with a very deliberate attempt by one researcher to fill in all the
blanks on a Church of the Latter Day Saints form. It was truly a reach and not representative of good genealogical
research."
With that caveat in mind, here is what we have so far:
1. Kindness is thought to have been about 1710-20 in Richmond, VA and died after 1763. Her surname has been said to be Prentice, but no original documentation has yet been identified.
She married Thomas Hightower about 1735 in Richmond, Virginia. Thomas was b. 20 Mar 1712 in VA. Known children:
- Thomas Hightower Jr. who married a Cherokee woman named Jane (Jincy? Jency?
Judson?) Son (per Janet and Ken Ricke, email, 30 Mar 2000):
- John Hightower who m. Rachel Foster. Son
- Thomas Hightower. He ia mentioned by Col. Franklin Cambell, Commander of the 81st Regiment Illinois Infantry, in a letter of recommendation to Allen C. Fuller. A Captain, he was promoted to Major where he served in the war with his son, George (Jacob B.) Hightower, and was involved in a court-martial. He had two wives and eight children.
- John Hightower who m. Rachel Foster. Son
- Charity Hightower.
In addition, we found the following chart for the Grossnickle family at Ancestry.com:
1 Kindness (UNKNOWN SURNAME) b: 1720 d: 1763
+ Thomas HIGHTOWER b: 20 MAR 1712 d: ABT 1761
2 John HIGHTOWER
2 Thomas HIGHTOWER b: 5 FEB 1736 d: 1807
+ Jane b: 1766 d: 1840
3 William Robert HIGHTOWER b: 1805 d: 1 APR 1846
+ Martha F. DOWNEY b: 13 NOV 1808 d: JUL 1894
4 James Downey HIGHTOWER b: MAY 1832 d: 1900/1910
+ Nancy Jane BROWN b: 1833 d: 1881/1900
5 Green Hill HIGHTOWER
5 Thomas HIGHTOWER
5 Elizabeth HIGHTOWER
5 John M. HIGHTOWER
5 Elizabeth Ann HIGHTOWER
5 Nancy J. HIGHTOWER
5 Mary E. HIGHTOWER
5 James M. HIGHTOWER
5 Robert Alexander HIGHTOWER
5 Aaron R. HIGHTOWER
5 Martha Jane HIGHTOWER
5 William Franklin HIGHTOWER b: JAN 1855 d: APR 1912
+ Rena REEVES b: 1853 d: OCT 1931
6 William Henry HIGHTOWER b: 27 DEC 1894 d: 2 JAN 1964
+ Bessie Ann Gladis SHAW b: 16 MAR 1897 d: 23 JUL 1986
6 James Hill HIGHTOWER
6 Robert B. HIGHTOWER
6 John Franklin HIGHTOWER
6 George Anderson HIGHTOWER
6 Mary Elizabeth HIGHTOWER
6 Thomas Jackson HIGHTOWER
4 Elizabeth A. HIGHTOWER b: 18 JAN 1844
4 Henry M. HIGHTOWER b: 1 MAR 1845
4 Mary Jane HIGHTOWER
4 Thomas J. HIGHTOWER b: 1834
4 Green Hill HIGHTOWER b: 23 DEC 1838
4 Martin V. HIGHTOWER b: 24 DEC 1840
4 Nancy Ann HIGHTOWER b: 1842
4 Robert E. HIGHTOWER b: 1843
4 John R. HIGHTOWER b: 1836
4 William Robert HIGHTOWER b: 6 JUL 1839
3 Mary Ann HIGHTOWER
3 James HIGHTOWER
3 John HIGHTOWER
3 Elizabeth HIGHTOWER
3 Joshua HIGHTOWER
3 Charity HIGHTOWER
+ Jane b: 1766 d: 1840
3 William Robert HIGHTOWER b: 1805 d: 1 APR 1846
+ Martha F. DOWNEY b: 13 NOV 1808 d: JUL 1894
4 James Downey HIGHTOWER b: MAY 1832 d: 1900/1910
+ Nancy Jane BROWN b: 1833 d: 1881/1900
5 Green Hill HIGHTOWER
5 Thomas HIGHTOWER
5 Elizabeth HIGHTOWER
5 John M. HIGHTOWER
5 Elizabeth Ann HIGHTOWER
5 Nancy J. HIGHTOWER
5 Mary E. HIGHTOWER
5 James M. HIGHTOWER
5 Robert Alexander HIGHTOWER
5 Aaron R. HIGHTOWER
5 Martha Jane HIGHTOWER
5 William Franklin HIGHTOWER b: JAN 1855 d: APR 1912
+ Rena REEVES b: 1853 d: OCT 1931
6 William Henry HIGHTOWER b: 27 DEC 1894 d: 2 JAN 1964
+ Bessie Ann Gladis SHAW b: 16 MAR 1897 d: 23 JUL 1986
6 James Hill HIGHTOWER
6 Robert B. HIGHTOWER
6 John Franklin HIGHTOWER
6 George Anderson HIGHTOWER
6 Mary Elizabeth HIGHTOWER
6 Thomas Jackson HIGHTOWER
4 Elizabeth A. HIGHTOWER b: 18 JAN 1844
4 Henry M. HIGHTOWER b: 1 MAR 1845
4 Mary Jane HIGHTOWER
4 Thomas J. HIGHTOWER b: 1834
4 Green Hill HIGHTOWER b: 23 DEC 1838
4 Martin V. HIGHTOWER b: 24 DEC 1840
4 Nancy Ann HIGHTOWER b: 1842
4 Robert E. HIGHTOWER b: 1843
4 John R. HIGHTOWER b: 1836
4 William Robert HIGHTOWER b: 6 JUL 1839
3 Mary Ann HIGHTOWER
3 James HIGHTOWER
3 John HIGHTOWER
3 Elizabeth HIGHTOWER
3 Joshua HIGHTOWER
3 Charity HIGHTOWER
+ Susannah HARRINGTON
3 John B. HIGHTOWER
3 Harry Henry HIGHTOWER
3 John B. HIGHTOWER
We have identified two Prentices known to have been in Virginia at that early date. One is William Prentis of Williamsburg, Virginia (pg. 467 in our PRENTICE book). We have identified a number of his sons and daughters, but we have not yet confirmed daughter named Kindness.
The other Prentice in Virginia is Val Prentice who came from England to Westmoreland County, VA, in 1654. But nothing is definitely known of his immediate family or descendants, if any.
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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