PrenticeNet :: John Prentice of London, England

John Prentice of London, England
By Linus Joseph Dewald Jr., Editor
Spring 2009 and Revised 31 Aug 2011

Update of 31 Aug 2011: John Prentice is #3in our Summer 2003 article entitled Robert Prentice of Chelmsford, Essex, England . That article now replaces this article.

We found a family tree for John Prentice of London in Ancestry.com . We have added information found in the various census records. Here is what we have so far.

1. John Prentice. One source says he was b. c. 1830 in London, England. However, the 1861 census says he was b. c. 1832, c. 1832, Chelmsford, Essex. He appears in the 1861 and 1871 census in Hammersmith, Middlesex, with his wife and family. 1891 census in Alesford, Kent.

He m. Jane Gale who was b. c. 1834, Hammersmith, Middlesex. Living with Jane and her family in the 1861 Hammersmith was her mother, Elizabeth Gale, b. c. 1799, London. 1871 in Hammersmith. 1881 in Aylesford, Kent.

Children of John and Jane per 1861 Hammersmith census:

John Prentice, b. c. 1854, Hammersmith, Middlesex, England. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [2]
Frederick Prentice, b. c. 1858, Hammersmith. At home in 1861 and 1871. Not in 1881 or 1891 census.
Mary A. Prentice, b. c. 1859, Hammersmith. At home in 1861 and 1871. Not in 1881 census.
Henry Prentice, b. c. 1861, Hammersmith. At home in 1861. Not home in 1871 and perhaps deceased. Not in 1881 or 1891 census.
Emma Prentice, b. c. 1863, Hammersmith. At home in 1871. 1881 at home in Aylesford, Kent.
William Prentice, b. c. 1867, Hammersmith. 1881 at home in Aylesford, Kent. Not in 1891 census.
Louisa Prentice, b. c. 1866 (1869?), Hammersmith. At home in 1871. 1881 and 1891 at home in Aylesford, Kent.
Henry Prentice, b. c. 1869, Hammersmith. At home in 1871. Not home in 1881 or 1891. Not in 1891 cnsus.
Eliza Prentice, b. c. 1875, Burham, Kent. 1881 and 1891 at home in Aylesford, Kent.

2. John Prentice, b. c. 1854 (1857 in 1881 census), Hammersmith, Middlesex, England. At home in 1861 and 1871. 1881 and 1891 census in Hammersmith, a General Laborer, with his wife and family. It is unclear whether he d. before 1901 as his wife appears with a 2nd husband, see below.

He m. Elizabeth, b.c. 1859, Fulham, Middlesex, per 1881 census. Not in 1891 census. Children:

John Prentice, b. c. 1880, Hammersmith. 1881 and 1891 census at home there. He appears in the 1901 census in Chiswick, Middlesex, with his wife, Eliza, b. c. 1880, Cheswick, and son:
1. William J. Prentice, b. c. 1898, Chiswick. 1901 at home there.
Caroline Prentice, b. 1881, Hammersmith. 1881 and 1891 census at home there. 1901 in Hammerwith with mother and stepfather.
Frederick Arthur Prentice, b. 1885, Fulham, London. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [3]
William Prentice, b. c. 1888, Hammersmith. 1891 at home there. 1901 in Hammerwith with mother and stepfather.
Lydia Prentice, b. c. 1890, Hammersmith. 1891 at home there. 1901 in Hammerwith with mother and stepfather.
Benjamin Prentice, b. c. 1893, Hammersmith. 1901 in Hammerwith with mother and stepfather.

Elizabeth m. 2nd Henry T. Sale (indexed as Henry T. Gale), b. c. 1859, Hammersmith. Known children:

Henry T. Sale, b. c. 1897, Hammersmith. At home there in 1901.
Rose A. Sale, b. c. 1900, Hammersmith. At home there in 1901.

3. Frederick Arthur Prentice, b. 1885, Fulham, London and d. after 1922. 1891 census at home in Hammersmith. Not in 1901 census. He is shown as having served in the 1st Royal Fusiliers, 183/re Regimental no: L8794, 147575 (see link to British Army WWI Medal Rolls on Ancestry.com).

He m. Ellen Jones. She was b. 1888, Fulham, London, and was the dau. of Aurthur Jones. Known children per Ancestry.com :

Arthur Prentice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [4]
Florence Prentice.
James Prentice.
Edward "Ted" Prentice. He m. as her 2nd husband, LillianViolet Berry,the divorced wife of his brother, Reginald, below.
Kitchener Reginald Edward Prentice 1914 1985. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [5]
Reginald Albert Prentice 1918 1989. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [6]
Ellen Ethel M Prentice, b. 1922, London, and d. 20 Nov 2008, Kingston, Surrey.

4. Arthur Prentice, b. c. 1906-1910.

He m. Marie and had 1 or more children, including:

Malcolm Prentice.

5. Kitchener Reginald Edward Prentice, b. 3 Sep 1914, North West Fulham, London, and d. 17 May 1985, Kings Road, Chelsea.

He m. Lillian Violet Berry, b. 1 Jul 1917, Fulham, London, and d. 31 Dec 1986, Petersfield, England. She was the dau. of Cecil Luke A. Berry and Floreence ;Morrell. An Ancestor Chart for Lillian can be found at Ancestry.com . Possible children:

(dau.) Prentice. She m. Mr. Sears and had a son and daughter.
1. (son) Sears. He m. Janice Wynyard and had a son and daughter.
2. (dau.) Sears. She m. Eamonn Connaughton and had 2 sons.
(dau.) Prentice.

6. Reginald Albert Prentice, b. 1918, London, and d. Nov 1989, Surrey. We found a moving personal account about Reginald and his family posted by a daughter at Ancestry.co . It reads as follows:

My fathers name was Reginald Albert Prentice and he married my mother Lillian Violet Prentice on 15th July 1939, On 3rd February 1940 the day before my fathers 22nd birthday, my mother gave birth to a daughter, my sister Sheila. I came three years later on St. Patricks Day the 17th March 1943, hence my name Patricia.

My mother was evacuated to Wales with my sister and I, leaving my father alone in to run his business in London. During my mother's absence he began an affair, a friend contacted my mother telling her, and advised her to return, which she did. My mother later told us that my father had promised to end the relationship, telling her it was all over, and my mother believing him, returned to Wales to be with my sister and I. Unfortunately for my sisterand I this was untrue, the affair continued and a child was conceived. My mother chose to seperate from my father, and we were taken to our grandparents house to live, until things could be sorted out. The war tore a lot of families apart, and ours was one of them.

Nevertheless I loved my father, and as a young child could not understand why we had been taken from our home and could not see him.

I could remember my father taking me on weekend trips to the local co-op store in Fulham Palace Road in Hammersmith, just round the corner from Beryl Road where we lived. I loved it when he lifted me up, to watch the woman behind the counter patting the butter into a square shape, using big wooden paddles, and then she would wrap it in paper, and he would buy it along with a bag of broken biscuits, which we would take home and have at teatime with the bread and butter.

My grandparents made room for us and we were allocated a bedroom, in it was a double bed, which my mother, sister and I shared, and a wadrobe. As my mother had to support us, my grandmother cared for my sister and I while my mother went to work. She had a job at Lyons in Rannoch Road in Hammersmith. She would leave very early in the morning and get home about 6.30pm in the evening.

My father never came to visit us, or sent either of us birthday cards, my mother used to say he had probably forgotten, but he couldn't really forget the dates, as my sisters birthday was the day before his, and mine was on St Patricks day,

My mother till the day she died, never said a bad word against our father, but some of his siblings were not so happy with the way he treated my sister and I, and told him so, Later when we were old enough to understand, told us what had led to our parents divorce and how he shirked his responsibilities to us, his children.

We grew up being told we musn't tell anyone that he was our father, and so my sister and I assumed we had done something really bad as children, for him not to want anyone to know about us.

My fathers brother Edward ( uncleTed), would ocassionally visit us at our grandmothers home, and would take us all out. I remember going to a little pub with a garden called the Lion in Putney, where they had a bulldog in the garden, which we would feed biscuits to. Now and then it would be a cinema trip and then fish and chip supper afterwards.

It wasn't long before my grandparents were informed by the council they were being rehoused, and as we were not officially residents, we were left homeless. My mother found a flat in Stephendale Road, in bad condition, but decided to take it anyway, and it was then that Uncle Ted and my mother decided to live together. It caused a lot of emotional problems for us, my sister especially, as he was very strict and we were scared of him.

We were told we had to call him dad, and I wouldn't. After all, I knew who my father really was. I didn't think we should stop calling him uncle Ted, and this caused major problems between us. I rebelled constantly even though I was afraid of him, and ran away from home twice. Also my aunt Florrie insisted that we remember who our father was, and never tired of reminding us of this fact, reinforcing my own opinion. In the end however my sister and I had no choice but to comply and call uncle Ted, dad, as it was causing too many problems for our mother.

My sister and I did not have a happy childhood, we missed our father, and hated not being able to call him dad when we did get to see him. So whenever I met him I only ever said hello, not knowing what else to do, as we were not allowed to call him dad and I refused to call him Uncle Reg, which made meeting with my father very awkward.

On 28th April 1960 my mother married my fathers brother, our Uncle Ted without telling us of their intentions. I was seventeen and noticed my mother had on a new wedding ring, and when spoke about it,was annoyed to be told that they had got married that day at Caxton Hall. My grandparents were witnesses. I was angry that my sister and I had not been told and not allowed to attend the ceremony.

I married and left home and at the age of 21. It was only then that I really began to appreciate my stepfather, (although we were never adopted by him). and he and I finally found peace and became friends.

I now have two half sisters, who unfortunately were never told until late in life, that their father had two children by a previous marraige. They grew up believing that my sister and I were their cousins, and we were told that we must always keep it a secret from them.

Never a good idea as skeletons in cupboards at some time, will always pop out, and this one did, in the most unfortunate circumstances, causing quite a lot of problems within the family circle.

My father visited me in the hospital after the birth of my son Kevin in December 1964, his first grandchild, It meant a great deal to me at the time. I later had a daughter, Sharon in 1966. I would occassionally take them to see their grandfather at his shop in Wandsworth, so they would know who he was.

All my sister and I ever wanted was to be loved and acknowledged by him as his daughters. After all he was our father and without him we wouldn't be here.

Sadly my father passed over in 1989, not really knowing us, or us him, but the love I felt for him as a child will go on regardless, because he was my dad.

He m. Lillian Violet Berry. She was b. 1 Jul 1917, London, and d. 31 Dec 1986, Hampshire, England. Children per Ancestry.com :

(dau.) Prentice. 2 children per narrative, above:
1. Kevin, b. Dec 1964.
2. Sharon, b. 1966.
(dau.) Prentice

Lillian m. 2nd Edward "Ted" Prentice, the brother (#3iv) of her 1st husband, Reginald Albert Prentice. They had 2 daughters (see narrative, above).

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