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Christopher Prentice of CT


Christopher Prentice of CT

By Linus Joseph Dewald Jr., Editor
Fall 1997 and Revised 27 May 2006

Update of 27 May 2006: This article has now been replaced by our Summer 2006 article, also titled Christopher Prentice of CT.

1. Christopher Prentice, cooper and farmer, was born in CT on 9 Oct 1779. On 23 Jan 1802, he gave a mortgage on some land he owned in Claverack, Columbia Co., NY. Co-mortgagors with him were Silas and Gershom Dunham, perhaps his future father-in-law and uncle-in-law. Later in 1802 Christopher and the Dunhams moved to Northfield, now named Penfield, in Ontario Co., NY where he was said to have cultivated a large farm. Apparently unmarried in 1802, he may have been traveling with other members of his family. In 1850, Christopher is living with his son, Curtis.

He married, on 3 Oct 1804, Deborah Matilda Dunham, probably the dau. of Silas Dunham, who appears in the 1790 and 1800 census for Plympton, Plymouth County, MA. She was b. 29 Aug 1784, Canada (per Silas' 1880 census record) and d. 24 Aug 1813. Children born at Penfield:

  1. Silas Prentice, b. 10 Sep 1805. . . . . . . . [2]
  2. Annie Prentice, b. 24 Oct 1807
  3. Clarissa Prentice, b. 27 Aug 1809. She m. Mr. Howlett. Not in 1880 census.
  4. Curtis Dunham Prentice, b. 13 Apr 1811. . . . . . . . . [3]

2. Silas Prentice, b. 10 Sep 1805. He appears in the 1880 Troupsburgh, Steuben Co., NY census as a Wesleyan Minister. He is shown as a widower so the name of his wife is not yet known. Son shown in 1880 census:

  1. George Prentice, b. c. 1848, NY. He apparently married but was called a farmer and widower and was living with his father, Silas, in the 1880 census in Troupsburgh, Steuben Co., NY.

3. Curtis Dunham Prentice, b. 13 Apr 1811 and m. Clarinda Fox, b. c. 1815 and d. in Union Twp., 28 Jan 1853. Both Curtis and Clarinda are buried in the Evergreen Cemetery, Girard Township, Branch Co., MI.

In the 1840 Branch Co., MI census Curtis is living alone on land he seems to have purchased in 1835. Curtiss Prentiss was the only member of his family to move to Michigan, and when he arrived in 1836 Girard and Branch county were not the blooming and fertile sections now seen here. Instead there were unbroken forest and no means of transportation aside from wagon roads and bridle and foot paths. For many years he was engaged in the transportation of good, supplies, etc., through this portion of the state, making frequent trips as far as Detroit for supplies for the little colony of people located in Branch County. They appears in the 1880 Girard, Branch Co., MI census with his wife, Emily. Children:

  1. Carrie Prentice, b. c. 1858, MI.
  2. George D. Prentice, b. c. 1859, MI. He was unmarried and living with his father, Curtis, in the 1880 census.
  3. Emma Prentice. . . . . . . . . [4]
  4. Edson D. Prentiss , b. c. 1851, MI. . . . . . . . . . [5]
  5. Charles E. Prentiss, b. 1849, MI, farmer and who d. in Allegan county, MI on 18 Apr 1902. He m. Josephine Van Blarcarn 3 Dec 1873. She was b. c. 1831, MI.
    They had 1 or more children, including:
    1. Curtis V. Prentice, b. c. 1877 in MI, first appears in the 1910 and 1920 South Haven, Van Buren Co., MI census (Sup. Dist. #8, Enum. Dist. #171, Sheet 104) with his wife, Emily P., b. c. 1879, MI, and their daughter:
      • Marjorie R. Prentice, b. c. 1909, MI. She is living at home with her parents in the 1920 South Haven census.

      Curtis may be the same person as Van C. Prentice, b. Nov. 1875 in MI, who appears in the 1900 South Haven census (Sup. Dist. #74, Enum. Dist. #153, Sheet 13, pg. 45). He is unmarrried and living in the same home as Ralph Cady who is called Van's brother_in-law.

  6. (child) Prentice. Died in infancy.
  7. (child) Prentice. Died in infancy.

Curtis Prentice m. 2nd Emily A. Andrews, of Branch county on 9 Oct 1853. She was b. c. 1831, OH, d. 1916, and also is buried in Evergreen Cemetery. Curtiss Prentiss was a resident of Banch County until 1884, when he removed to Burr Oak, St. Joseph Co., MI, where he died 16 Jan 1896, and where Emma was living in 1906. Children of Curtis and Emma (per History of Branch County (below):

  1. Ella M. Prentice, b. c. 1855, M. She m. Charles Hollenbeck, of Teckonsha, MI on 7 Apr 1879. He was b. c. 1856, MA and was a farmer. In the 1880 census they were living with Charles' parents, Grandison and Almeda Hollenbeck of Girard, Branch Co., MI. Not in 1920 census. Daughter:
    1. Louise Hollenbeck, b. c. 1878, MI.
  2. Kattie Prentice, b. c. 1862 and at home in Girard in 1870 census.. She m. Thomas W. Sanford on 17 Nov 1883. Lived in Girard. Not in 1920 census.
  3. Clara Prentiss, b. c. 1857, at home in Girard in 1870 census. Died in November of 1901.
  4. George Prentiss, b. c. 1859. At home in Girard in1870 census.
  5. (child) Prentiss, d. before 1906.

4. Emma Prentice, b. 8 Jun 1845, Coldwater, Branch Co., MI. She m. Jacob W. Mann on 25 Mar 1870, Jackson, MI.. He was b. 8 Jan 1847, Girard, Branch Co., MI By email of 16 Feb 2004, Terry Haslam-Jones provides materia from the "History and Biographical Record of Branch Co. Michigan Pt. 2, 1906" by Rev. Henry P. Collins, pp. 741-743:

"Mr. Jacob W. Mann, our subject, was born in Girard, January 8, 1847, and entire life has been passed here. He has always been engaged in farming, and is counted as one of the solid and substantial citizens of this community. He was married at Jackson, Michigan, March 25, 1870, to Miss Emma Prentiss, who was born in the township of Coldwater, June 8, 1845. She was the daughter of Curtiss Prentiss, a native of Penfield, New York, where he was born April 13, 1813, her mother being Clarinda Fox, also a native of New York state, where she was born about 1815.

5. Edson D. Prentiss, b. c. 1851, MI. In Girard, Branch Co., MI in 1880 census with his wife, Charlotte F., b. c. 1855, MI. Children shown in 1880 census:

  1. Earl L. Prentiss, b. c. 1877, MI. He appears in the 1920 census in Grandville, Kent Co., MI with his wife, Hilma, b. c. 1881, MI, and daughter:
    1. Maxwell Prentice, b. c. 1916, MI.
  2. Nellie M. Prentiss, b. c. 1878, MI. She might have m. a Mr. Swanson. Living with her brother, Earl, above, was Alma Swanson, b. c. 1902, MI, and called a Niece; however, Alma might also be a daughter of a sister of Hilma.

Who are Christoper Prentice's Parents?

The identity of Christopher's parents' identity is not yet know, but Christopher might be a previously unidentified son or grandson of Christopher Prentice of Woodbury, No. 5 on page 418 (#18 on page 287 of the 1883 edition). He might also be a son of Stephen Prentice and Calista Thornton, dau. of William Thornton (see pg. 472).


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