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Henry Hamilton Prentice, St. Kitts, West Indies


Henry Hamilton Prentice of St. Kitts, West Indies
Linus Joseph Dewald Jr., Editor
Summer 2000 and Revised: 22 Feb 2009

Using material generously supplied by Malcolm Prentis, Barry Lucas of Palmwoods, Queensland, Australia, Robert J. Foote of Mooloolah. Queensland, Australia, and Judith Dicksion we have prepared the following article tracing the ancestry of Henry Hamilton Prentice. Here is what we have so far:

1. Henry Hamilton Prentice was b. 8 Apr 1807 in St. Kitts, West Indies .

Judith Dickson's email material of 4 Sep 2004 relates that Henry was a Ships Steward and that his Seaman's ticket of 1846 in Liverpool, England, describes him as "a man of colour" (in the possession of Malcolm Prentis, per his email, 7 Sep 2006). A "Ship Steward" is a ship's officer who is in charge of provisions and dining arrangements. He emigrated to Brisbane, Australia c. 1849 and disappeared c. 1863 (d. 1864, possibly at sea).

He m. Ann Jane McKenzie in 1849, perhaps in Scotland Ann was b. in Greenock, Scotland, dau. of Donald McKenzie and Hannah Lindsay. Ann d. 8 Aug 1896 in Queensland.. Their children and descendants are shown below:

  1. Sarah Prentice, b. 1851, Brisbane and bap 26 Apr 1851, Queensland. As "Sarah Prentis" she m. William Lucas on 26 Jun 1872. Children:
    1. William Partridge Lucas, b. 2 Jun 1873. He m. Sarah Jane McEwen on 30 Apr 1900 in Queensland. Children:
      1. Edith Ann Lucas b. 18 Feb 1901,
      2. William Ewen Lucas b. 5 Dec 1904,
      3. Robert Henry Lucas b. 1 Mar 1908,
      4. Frances Elizabeth Lucas b. 21 Jan 1910,
      5. Gwendoline Sarah Lucas b. 8 Apr 1914.
    2. Henry Lucas, b. 27 Nov 1874 and d. 4 Feb 1889.
    3. Ann Jane Lucas, b. 12 Jan 1877. She married Alfred John Henderson 21 Feb 1907. Children:
      1. Herbert William Henderson. He m. Winifred Ash Miles, b. Tottenham, England. ­­­Children:
        1. Desley Henderson. She m. Mr. Haigh per email of 7 Aug 2014.
        2. Dau. Henderson
      2. Frank Henderson b. May 1913 who married Marie Stephens Havet and had 8 children and at least 21 grandchildren.
    4. Matilda Emma Lucas, b. 15 Mar 1879. She m. John James Rowe on 6 Jul 1898 in Queensland. Children:
      1. Albert Rowe,
      2. Dorothy Rowe,
      3. Hugh Rowe (d. Burma 1944),
      4. Ivy Rowe,
      5. John Rowe,
      6. Thomas Rowe,
      7. Walter Rowe,
      8. Alexander Ernest Rowe b. 14 Nov 1906,
      9. George Edward Rowe b. 19 Feb 1909,
      10. William Stanley Rowe b. 10 Mar 1911,
      11. Richard Charles Rowe b. 23 Jun 1913.
    5. Benjamin Clement Lucas, b. 16 Apr 1881. He m. Alice Louisa Cowan on 28 Dec 1912. Children:
      1. Gilmer Lucas,
      2. Alice Lucas b. 1 Apr 1914.
    6. Daniel Robert Lucas, b. 1 Sep 1883 and d. 28 Oct 1964. He m. Jane Anne Prentis on 1 Dec 1909. Children:
      1. Delcie Margaret Lucas (b. 16 Sep 1910, married Laurence Louis Freier 30 Mar 1935. One child, three grandchildren),
      2. Marjory Mavis lucas (b. 18 Dec 1912),
      3. Yvonne Esme Lucas (b. 1 Nov 1914). She m. 1st Eric Benjamin Fletcher on 21 Sep 1937; they had 2 children and 6 grandchildren. She m. 2nd Robert McClintock on 26 May 1949),
      4. Ormonde Daniel Lucas (b. 1 Jan 1917). He m. Nancy Yensch 24 Feb 1945. They had 8 children and 11 grandchildren.
      5. Rosslyn Aylmer Lucas (b. 16 Jan 1919). He m. Beatrice Eileen Steeds 22 Sep 1951. They had 1 child and 3 grandchildren.
      6. Alwyn Dare Lucas (b. 29 Mar 1922). He m. Ann Elizabeth Reichman 22 Sep 1951. They had 2 children and 2 grandchildren.
      7. Basil Fayne Lucas (b. 29 Mar 1924),
      8. Austin Gerald Lucas (b. 21 Jun 1926). He m. Dulcie Irene Johnstone 3 Jun 1950. They had 3 children and 6 grandchildren.
    7. Victoria Sarah Lucas, b. 9 Jul 1887. She m. Frebert Kratzmann on 8 Jan 1907. Children:
      1. Frederick Kratzmann. Married with 2children.
      2. Henry Kratzmann. Married with 2 children.
    8. David Hazael Lucas, b. 11 Nov 1889. Desley Haigh's email of 7 Aug 2014 relates remembering that David Hazael Lucas was "a very dark skinned man." David m. Edith Brook (aka Hall) on 3 Sep 1914 in Queensland. Children:
      1. Benjamin Lucas,
      2. David Lucas,
      3. Douglas Lucas,
      4. Elizabeth Lucas,
      5. Elma Lucas,
      6. Evie Lucas

  2. Henry Prentice, b.1853, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [2]

  3. Hannah Prentice, b. 1855, Brisbane, and d. 17 Mar 1858, Sydney, NSW.

  4. Clement Philip Prentice, b. 21 Mar 1858, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. . . . . . . [3]

2 Henry Prentice, bap. 24 Apr 1853, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Henry d. in 22 Jun 1900 with two of his sons, Louis and Clement, when their ship sank off Inskip Point.

He m. Annie Thwaites on 21 Jun 1877, Queensland. Henry changed the spelling of his surname to "Prentis" about 1880. Children:

  1. Henry John Prentice, b. 10 Mar 1878 at Lytton and d. (spelled "Prentis") 3 years later on 8 May 1881, Petrie's Creek. Bur. Nambour General Cemetery.

  2. Louis Donald Prentice, b. 10 May 1880 at Petrie's Creek, Queensland, d. 22 June 1900 at Inskip Point, Queensland. He d. with his father and brother, Clement, when their ship sank off Inskip Point.

  3. Clement Philip Prentis. He was b. 1882, Queensland, Australia, and d. 22 Jun 1900 at Inskip Point, Queensland, at the age of about 18 years. He d. with his father and brother, Louis, when their ship sank off Inskip Point.

  4. Mary Henrietta Prentis, b. 11 Jun 1884 and d. 22 Sep 1964, Brisbane,Queensland. She m. George Gould on 12 Feb 1908. He died c. 1919 (per Malcolm Prentis, email, 13 Sep 2007). Children:
    1. Jack Prentis, b. 9 Nov 1906 and d. the following year on 28 Jun 1907 (father not identified)
    2. Vivienne Dorothy Mary Gould, b. 11 Jul 1908.. She m. George G. Ramm in 1908 and had 3 children.
    3. George Thomas James Gould, b. 11 Dec 1910 and died 19 Dec 1987. . He m. Dorothy Perrett on 7 Aug 1937. They had 1 adopted child and 1 grandchild.
    4. Ethel Thelma Henrietta Gould, b. 5 Sep 1913 and d. 16 Aug 1981. The m. Mr Sullivan. They had 2 children and 2 grandchildren.
    5. Iris Eliza Jane Gould, b. 1915 and d. Feb 1919.
    6. Lorraine Bevelyn Fay Gould, b. 11 Oct 1918. She m. Mr Nicholls, 3 children, at least 3 grandchildren.

    After George Gould's death c. 1919, Mary had the following additional children (per Malcolm Prentis, email, 13 Sep 2007):

    1. Veronica Patricia Gould, b. 15 Mar 1921. She m. Mr Russ, 3 children, 6 grandchildren.
    2. Allan Gould, b. 6 Aug 1924, 3 children, at least 2 grandchildren.
    3. William Gould, b. Aug 1924, 6 children, at least 15 grandchildren.
    4. Kevin Gould, b. 31 May 1929, 2 children, at least 2 grandchildren.

  5. Muriel Margaret Prentis, b. 19 Jul 1886. She m. Herbert Lindsay Watson on 1 Sep 1909 at Brisbane, Queensland. Children:
    1. Irene Lindsay Watson (1911-72 ). Married Alexander Charles Stuart Bryce. Children:
      1. Ian Charles Stuart Bryce (1938- ), married Diana Jean Dugdale, 3 children, 4 grandchildren.
      2. Noela Margaret Bryce (1942- ), married twice, 4 children, 5 grandchildren.
    2. Roy Douglas Watson (1913- 2001). Served in Australian Army in WWII from 1942 to 1946. He m. Joyce Brainwood. Children:
      1. Margaret Joy Watson (1945- ), married twice, 1 child, 3 grandchildren.
      2. John Lindsay Watson (1946-91), married twice, 2 children.
      3. Frank Roy Watson (1950-1968). Did not marry. No children.

  6. Sarah Ann Prentis, b. 16 Oct 1888. She m. Thomas Duncan Douglas on 9 Apr 1913. Children:
    1. Ralph Howard Douglas, b. 1914, married Gladys Lillian Williamson 1940.
    2. Valeria Mabel Douglas, b. 1918, married Samuel Chattin 1944, 1 child, 2 grandchildren.
    3. Dorothea Muriel Douglas, b. 1925, marr. Victor Olley Bridges, 1946. Children:
      1. Vicki Ann Bridges, b. 1946. Married with 2 children.
      2. Keith Howard Bridges, b. 1953. Married with 2 children.
      3. Steven Douglas Bridges, b. 1959, 1 child.

  7. Henry Charles Prentis, b. 5 Jul 1891 and d. 8 Nov 1932. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [4]

  8. John Wilson Prentis, b. 17 May 1894, Brisbane Queensland, and d. 29 Nov 1988 at Woolloongabba, Queensland. Served in Australian Army in WWI from 1914 to 1918 and in WW II from 1939 to 1945. Melanie Williamson writes that "My great-grandfather "Jack" was indeed a dark-skinned man, although not with the facial features one might typically expect of near-African ancestry. My grandmother (Betty, herself quite dark-skinned and with tightly-curled black hair) referred to her father as a "Black Scot" but with no further elaboration, I'd assumed it was a joke about him being a throwback to ancient Moorish invasions. It wasn't until I discovered Malcolm's research that I realised "black" meant "African roots" via St Kitts and an ancestral story much more fascinating than anything I'd ever anticipated."

    He m., 1st, Elisabeth Maidment, 9 Jan 1918 at St Pancras, London; div. c. 1939. Children:

    1. Betty Edith Prentis, b. 27 Jun 1920, Sandgate, Queensland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [2.5]
    2. Arthur Edward Prentis, b. 1 Jan 1924, Melbourne, Victoria (married 3 children)
    3. Muriel Prentis, b. 10 Mar 1927, d. 31 Mar 1927.
    4. Sidney John Prentis, b. 3 Oct 1930, Adelaide, South Australia. He m. 1st (unknown) and had 3 children.

    John m. 2nd Eva Dorothy Drury 29 Nov 1947 at Woolloongabba, Queensland. Daughter:

    1. Rhondda Joy Prentis (adopted), b. 25 Nov 1951 at Brisbane, Queensland/ She is married with 3 children.

  9. Annie Jane Prentis, b. 26 Jan 1897, Mooloolah, Queensland, and d. 17 Jul 1996. She m. Clair Henry Fredricks on 5 Aug 1916. Children:

    1. Neville Clair Fredricks, b. 6 Dec 1917. He m. Bertl Margaret Henry 15 Nov 1941. They had 4 children and 13 grandchildren.
    2. Valda Fredricks, b. 1918. She m. Kenneth Frank Hoddinott 21 Nov 1942. They had 2 children and at least 1 grandchild.

  10. Constance Hilda Prentis. b. 2 Jan 1900. Queensland, and d. 14 Aug 1992. She m. William Ramm on 28 Jan 1922. He was b.1896. Children:

    1. Althea Prentis Ramm, b. 1922. She m. Frederick Phair. They had 4 children and 7 grandchildren.
    2. Cyris Prentis Ramm, b. 1925 and d. 1932, age 7 years.
    3. Desley Jocelyn Ramm, b. 1934 and d. 2000. She m. Alan Douglas Beal on 1 Sep 1959. He d. 6 mar 1998 at Balmoral, Queensland. They had 4 children and 8 granchildren.
    4. Milton Lewis Ramm. b. 1934. Did not marry. No children.

2,5 Betty Edith Prentis, b. 27 Jun 1920, Sandgate, Queensland. Daughter:

  1. Robin Ann Butler per Melanie Williamson, email, 13 Apr 2018. Daughter:
    1. Melanie Williamson, email, 13 Apr 2018l

3. Clement Philip Prentice. He was b. 21 Mar 1858, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and d. 14 Jan 1941 at Bli Bli Rd. via Nambour, buried Nambour Gen. Cemetery. The name was changed to Prentis in approx. 1884. (per Malcolm Prentis, email, 13 Sep 2007). He m. Margaret Ann McClintock on 10 Nov 1885, Woombye, Queensland, Australia. She d. 9 Oct 1943 and also bur. Nambour Gen. Cemetery. . She was the dau. of William McClintock (son of Alexander McClintock and Barbara Wiley) and Magdalene Hall (dau. of Robert Hall and Magdaline Johnson) (per IGI). Children:

  1. Jane Anne Prentis, b. 30 Aug 1886 in Queensland. She m. her cousin, Daniel Robert Lucus on 1 Dec 1909. See 1, I, f, above.

  2. Magdelene Prentis, b. 11 Jul 1888. She m. 1st Claude Nohoval Hungerford on 25 May 1918, Children:
    1. Avis Claudia Hungerford, b. 7 Apr 1919 (married 4 children, at least 6 grandchildren)
    2. Audrey Elaine Hungerford, b. 3 Apr 1921 (married, 2 children, al least 3 grandchildren)
    3. Rodney Nohoval Hungerford, b.8 Jun 1923 (married 1 child, 3 grandchildren)
    Magdelene m. 2nd Septimus Clive Hungerford, 25 May 1924. Children:
    1. Oswald Clive Hungerford, b. 1927 (married, 4 children)
    2. Noela Margaret Hungerford, b. 22 Nov 1929 (married 2 children, at least 2 grandchildren)

  3. Margaret Henrietta Prentis born 14 Jun 1890 and died 16 Jun 1893.

  4. William Robert Prentis, b. 21 Aug 1892. He m. Grace Margaret Kemp in 1919. Children:
    1. Kenneth Prentis, b. after 1919 and d. 18 Mar 1930.
    2. Garth Prentis, b. 5 Sept 1921, married Naomi, Children:
      1. Wendy Elizabeth Prentis, b.24 June 1948
      2. Robert William Prentis, b. 3 Nov 1951
      3. Ann Judith Prentis, b. 10 July 1957.

  5. Clement Philip Prentis Jr., b. 11 Oct 1894, Woombye or Nambour, Queensland, Australia, and d. 18 Sep 1969, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (per IGI). He m. Emily Youngman on 29 Jun 1918, Nambour, Queensland, Australia. She was b. 11 Oct 1894, Nambour, Queensland and d. 18 Sep 1969, Brisbane, Queensland. Children:
    1. Phillip Clement Prentis, b. 17 Sep 1918 (married, 5 children)
    2. Joyce Gertrude Prentis, b. 5 Jul 1920 (married, 4 children, at least 7 grandchildren)
    3. Owen Hedworth Prentis, b. 30 Mar 1922 (married, 6 children)
    4. Ralph Dudley Prentis, b. 15 Mar 1924 (married, 6 children, at least 15 grandchildren)
    5. Alma Marion Prentis, b. 18 Feb 1929 (married, 2 children)
    6. Winifred Emily Prentis, b. 1931? (married, at least 1 child).

  6. Thomas Prentis, b. 13 Jan 1897. Married (1) Constance Reading, 1926, (2) Ethel Annie Wedlock, Mar 1934. No issue.

  7. Claude Alexander Oliver Prentis, b. 12 Jun 1902, Queensland. Died 24 Jun 1981. He m. Elizabeth Cooney, 1940. She was b. 28 Jul 1910, Killaduff, Aughrim, Wicklow, Ireland, and d. 18 Oct 2001, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. An Ancestor Chart for can be found at Ancestry.com . Children:
    1. Coral Elizabeth Prentis, b. 5 Dec 1940 (married…)
    2. Howard Claude Prentis, b. 21 May 1942 (married, 3 children)
    3. Selwyn George Prentis, b. 31 Jul 1946 (married, 2 children)

4. Henry Charles Prentice, b. 5 Jul 1891 and d. 8 Nov 1932.

He m. Catherine Lilian Oliver Cartwright (daughter of Benjamin Jeavans Cartwright and Christina Holt) at Brisbane Queensland on 21 Jan 1920. She d. 10 Jul 1923 and is bur. with her father at Toowong Cemetery, Brisbane. Children per Malcolm Prentis :

  1. Douglas Prentis, b. 29 May 1921, Sandgate Queensland. Served in Army in WW II from 1943 to 1945. Died Campsie, NSW, July 1995. Unmarried, no issue. Died July 1995 [Coroner’s inquest could only give approx. date], Campsie NSW (per Malcolm Prentis).

  2. Noel Prentis, b. 9 Jun 1923 at Sandgate, Queensland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [5]

5. Noel Prentis, b. 9 Jun 1923 at Sandgate, Queensland. Served in Royal Australian Air Force in WW II. Enlisted at Brisbane on 12 Sep 1941. Served in several Radar Stations in Australia and SW Pacific and ended as a Flight Sergeant. His obituary reads as follows (per Judith Dickson, email, 31 Mar 2007):

    PRENTIS - Noel, at Labrador on 25 March 2007, aged 83 years. Late of Buderim and Sydney. Loving Husband of Claire (dec'd). Proud Father of Malcolm, Robyn and Donald and Father-in-Law to Marion, Warwick and Karen. Much loved Grandfather of Andrew, Libby and Heather Tweedie, Andrew, Rebecca, David, Mackenzie, Callum and Finley Prentis. Loved Brother of Douglas (dec'd).

    "Finally with his beloved Claire." The Relatives and Friends of Noel are invited to attend his Funeral Service at 1.00 pm on Friday 30 March 2007 at the Uniting Church, Scarborough Street, Southport. In lieu of flowers, please give donations towards Dementia Research. In the Care of WHITE LADY FUNERALS Gold Coast - 5597 3027 Australian Owned

Malcolm Prentis has provided us with a copy of the Eulogy delivered at the funeral of his father, Noel. It reads, in part, as follows:

    Noel Prentis (9 June 1923 – 25 March 2007)

    Noel Prentis was born to Henry Charles Prentis (a butcher) and Catherine (Kitty) née Cartwright at Sandgate on 9 June 1923. When Noel was a month old, his beautiful mother died, leaving an aching void. Then, older brother Douglas (1921-1995) and Noel lost their father to cancer in 1932 and were brought up at Hawthorne by Henry’s sister Muriel Watson, a war widow with two children of her own. Dad was very close to his cousins, especially Rene, who named his beloved niece after him. He fondly remembered his holidays on his Auntie Con and Uncle Bill’s farm at Maroochy River, enjoying the company of cousins Althea, Desley and Milton, catching mud crabs and tobogganing down Mt Coolum.

    At New Farm State School, Noel was a contemporary of Lady Florence Bjelke-Petersen and Al Grassby. Through the generosity of a minister, “Aunt” (as she was simply always known) managed to send the two boys to Brisbane Boys’ College. Noel had been put up one grade and found himself at BBC up against older and bigger boys. He was earnest and self-contained. The only sporting memory he passed on concerned his wicket-keeping expertise. Nevertheless, without doing brilliantly, he won prizes at both BBC and Hawthorne Presbyterian Sabbath School. He was forced to leave school before his 15th birthday when his aunt left to keep house for her own son in Newcastle. His loved ones always left. If this rankled with him, it didn’t show in his dealings with his cousin Roy. Rather than be despondent, he was all the more determined to have a strong family life and to be successful.

    So, in 1938, Dad started work at City Mutual Life assurance as an office boy and boarded in Hawthorne. Later that year, he met Claire Cornelius when she started at City Mutual. They became friends. In 1941, Dad went off to war, but flat feet put him out of contention for RAAF air crew. They decided instead that someone who could build his own radio set ought to go into the top-secret, new area of Radar. Mum worked in war-related departments and wrote copious letters to her airman. They became engaged during the war. Claire’s father had some doubts about whether this lad would amount to much. Dad served in RAAF Radar in Dapto, Newcastle, Fraser Island, Horn and Hammond Islands in Torres Strait and Tarakan in Borneo. He had a stint in Thursday Island Hospital with a tropical disease, enjoying the company of a musical islander in the next bed. At Tarakan, he narrowly escaped being blown up by a land mine, had a pet monkey, was a crack shot obtaining coconuts, caught mud crabs, got to appreciate the Dyak people and kept a captured Japanese officer’s sword. In one incident he kept to himself until relatively recently, he disobeyed an Australian Army officer who clearly intended to execute a Japanese POW. He made senior NCO by 21. He made great friends in the RAAF, with whom he and Mum kept in contact for many years.

    Dad and Mum were married at Christ Church Milton on 15 December 1945, with Dad still in Air Force blue. (The battle jacket he handed in shortly after the wedding was issued nearly 20 years later to his Air Force cadet Flight Sergeant son.) They lived at first with her parents, then built a house at St Lucia, Brisbane, into which we moved in 1948 just after I was born. Robyn was born next, in 1952. Donald was born in Perth in 1959.

    While I was very young, Dad introduced me to fishing and crabbing, hi-fi, cricket, body-surfing, squash, debating, the Goon Show, Scottish stuff, Winnie the Pooh and The Wind in the Willows. He was unsuccessful with tripe and bread and butter pudding. The Wind in the Willows was very important to us. When Dad wanted to improve his public speaking, he joined Rostrum and got into debating. His team consisted of Neville Strachan (Mole), Malcolm McCormack (Toad) and Dad (Badger), who were very different characters, as their nicknames accurately reflected but, coincidentally, they were all of Scots Presbyterian heritage. The three families became the best of life-long friends. Debating led Dad on to representing both Queensland and New South Wales at national championships. He also later adjudicated at the same level. He valued words and logical argument very highly.

    Other great friends also came from work and from the Brisbane first grade table tennis competition. Dad was progressively promoted at work and we moved to Sydney in 1957 and then to Perth in 1958 where he was state manger for WA. In Perth, he courageously and successfully stood up sectarianism, corruption and religious objections to life assurance. It was back to Brisbane in 1962 as Queensland Manager and to Sydney again in 1967, as NSW Manager. Every branch he managed rose in turn to be champion state branch in City Mutual. His secretaries invariably became almost members of our family. His slogan PMA (Positive Mental attitude) became legendary. In 1973, Mum and Dad enjoyed a fantastic trip around the world. In Edinburgh, after visiting the Scottish Widows’ Fund, the next stop was the birthplace of Kenneth Grahame, author of The Wind in the Willows. Dad considered that the best parts of both Australia and the UK were north of the Tweed.

    Noel eventually retired as Assistant General Manager in 1981. He was an early and long-time advocate of professional management education. He examined the management subject for the Australian Insurance Institute, of which he had achieved a Fellowship in 1955. He was also elected a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management in 1962. In 1970, he attended a course at the Australian Administrative Staff College at Mt Eliza. He had articles on management published in the Journal of the Australian Insurance Institute, The Chartered Secretary and the Australasian Insurance and Banking Record. He greatly admired the great management writer Peter Drucker, corresponded with him and was thrilled to meet him in America in 1973.

    Noel and Claire retired to the Sunshine Coast in 1981, first to Dulong, then to Buderim in 1983. Noel put his managerial experience to work as a business consultant and was Chairman of the Sunshine Coast branch of the Australian Institute of Management from 1981 to 1984 and a committee-member until 1990. He was also involved in Toastmasters and was Chairman of Sunshine Coast Lifeline, a big commitment when their new building was developed especially when, for a time, there was no fulltime director. When ill-health forced Mum and Dad to move closer to Robyn on the Gold Coast in 2001, his management library was donated to the University of the Sunshine Coast.

    In true Presbyterian style, Dad was not very demonstrative about his firm religious convictions. What was visible was integrity of character, a sense of vocation, fidelity, loyalty and duty, which he saw embodied in Jesus Christ. At St Lucia, Floreat Park and St Ives Presbyterian Churches, Dad was a member of the Committee of Management and, from 1969 to 1981, an elder. In Perth, he had helped the Presbyterian Church of WA to revamp the superannuation scheme for ministers. He and Mum were later faithful members of Buderim Uniting Church for 18 years and joined Labrador Uniting Church in 2001 even though they could no longer take an active part.

    One was never in doubt as to where Dad stood on all manner of issues. He was a died-in-the-wool Liberal who named our pet galah after Doc Evatt and took me along to hear Bob Menzies slay the interjectors at the Festival hall in 1963. He actively opposed bank nationalization in 1949 but also the banning of the Communist Party in 1951 – he was fond of quoting Voltaire, “I disagree with what you say but I shall defend to the death your right to say it.” But he taught us to stand up for our beliefs.

    When I was 8, Dad took me to the campus of the University of Queensland and told me: “one day, son, you’ll come here”. This was the year he embarked on University studies at night. Reflecting his love of English language and literature, his first subject for a Diploma of Commerce was actually English I. He gained a Credit, as he also did in Economics I ten years later. He loved Shakespeare, especially Julius Caesar, and occasionally wrote poetry, usually terse and amusing. Despite leaving school at 14 or, possibly, because of it, he was always dead keen on education and Mum and Dad always told us that they would support us to the hilt in whatever education or training we did. And they most certainly did. I will personally always be deeply grateful for that dedication. Dad also passed onto me his obsession with clear and correct English; something which I have found does not always endear oneself to others. He was also a freak at Scrabble and could still beat us all even after the dementia started to affect his sharp mind.

    Mum and Dad were part of what Bob Carr, former premier of New South Wales, called “our greatest generation… [who] grew up in the depression, fought the war, raised their families amid the simple pleasures of the 50s.” They were also a generation grounded in Christian faith and values. Let us thank God for Claire and Noel Prentis and truly appreciate their legacy. Dad’s suffering over, we have the Lord’s assurance that he has now found God’s peace, reunited with his much-missed “darling girl”. To God be the Glory.

    Noel Prentis m. Claire Florence Cornelius (1923-2002) at Milton Qld, 15 Dec 1945. Children:

    1. Malcolm David Prentis, b. 27 June 1948, Auchenflower, Qld. He m. Marion Anne Bird, 7 Jan 1978. Dee Why NSW. Children:
      1. Andrew Malcolm Prentis, born 29 Jan 1981, Paddington NSW.
      2. Rebecca Catherine Prentis, born 19 Nov 1982, Paddington NSW.
      3. David Alexander Prentis, born 25 Oct 1985, Paddington NSW.

    2. Robyn Heather Prentis, b. 1 Jan 1952, Auchenflower, Qld. m. Warwick West Tweedie 13 Dec 1975, St. Ives NSW. Children:
      1. Andrew James Tweedie, born 2 Apr 1978, Wahroonga NSW. Married Victoria Russell 2004.
      2. Elizabeth Ruth Tweedie, born 25 Aug 1981, Windsor NSW.
      3. Heather Louise Tweedie, born 24 Aug 1985, Windsor NSW.

    3. Donald Philip Prentis, b. 23 Oct 1959, Subiaco, WA. He m. 1st Christine Robin Chard. He m. (2) Karen Rae Bethel 1994, Children:
      1. Mackenzie George Prentis, born 27 Feb 1998, Auchenflower, Qld.
      2. Callum James Prentis, born 24 Aug 1999, Auchenflower, Qld.
      3. Finley Scott Prentis, born 10 July 2001, Auchenflower, Qld.

    Who are Henry Hamilton Prentice's Parents?

    Malcolm Prentis' email of 7 Sep 2006 suggests that Henry may have some Scottish roots. It reads, in part, as follows:

      The evidence is circumstantial, despite heroic efforts on my part and that of others on my behalf to find documentation one way or the other.
      1. his three names together suggest a Scottish father, e.g. the names themselves are Scottish, as is the practice of using a surname as a middle name and there are the facts that the Prentices came from an area in Lanarkshire where the Hamiltons were the dominant family and Henry is a very common Christian name amongst Lanarkshire Prentices,
      2. there were Scots on St Kitts at the time (e.g., the army, plantation managers),
      3. he married a Scot,
      4. the family was Presbyterian,
      5. in the Moreton Bay District of New South Wales [later became colony then state of Queensland] in 1850-53, he worked for a Scottish employer and
      6. family tradition passed down to my father by his grandmother and also in other branches of the family.

    Malcolm Prentis advises that he has written to a number of churches on St. Kitts and Nevis (Moravians, Methodists, Roman Catholics and Anglicans) but none had registers as early as 1807. There were some early Anglican registers in London which were searched fruitlessly.

    In our Prentice research, we have discovered a great many Prentices with their roots in St. Kitts and Nevis. We have had no luck in tracing their roots; some have only been traced a couple generations back in the 1900s. The rest have been traced back to the middle-to-late 1800s. From such a small island location, it seems likely that most of them would share a common Prentice ancestor. Our investigation is continuing.

    If you have any information about the folks mentioned in this article, or about Prentices with St. Kitts and Nevis roots, please contact us at dewald@prenticenet.com.


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