Thomas Prince, Senior, carriage maker of All Hallows, Dorking, London, England, in his will of 1630 mentions, "my son Thomas Prence now remayninge in New England in parts beyond seas." The proper spelling of this surname is Prince and it was so written by his immediate and collateral forebares, but Gov. Thomas chose to write it as Prence.

Thomas Prence came to America on the ship Fortune in 1621 and settled in Plymouth. In 1635, he moved to Duxbury, in 1644 to Eastham, and in 1663, was induced to move back to Plymouth by a gift of a large farm at "Plain Dealing." He was governor of the Plymouth Colony eighteen years, assistant thirteen years, treasurer one year, member of the Council of War five years, commissioner twelve years, alternate commissioner several years.

George Willison in Saints and Strangers noted that in 1646, Thomas Prence was opposed to religious tolerance and, in 1657, was a leader in Quaker and Baptist persecutions. In Duxbury, the policy of Gov. Prence "met stiff opposition led by Henry and Arthur Howland and others. Henry Howland was up on the malicious charge of 'improperlie entertaining' a neighbor's wife, and his young son, Zoeth, was put in the stocks for saying that he 'would not goe to meeting to hear lyes, and that the Divill could preach as good a sermon as the ministers,' with which many townspeople seemed to agree, choosing to pay a fine rather than attend public worship." Imagine Gov. Prence's feelings when he discovered that "one of his chief enemy's sons, young Arthur Howland, was surreptitiously courting his daughter Elizabeth. As the law forbad 'making motion of marriage' to a girl without her parents' consent, the irascible old governor promptly hauled the 'impudent' youth into court and fined him five pounds for 'inveigeling' his daughter. The young lovers were not discouraged and remained constant, for seven years later Arthur was again in court, was fined and put under bond of 50 pounds 'to refrain and desist.' The couple continued to behave 'disorderlie and unrighteously,' finally breaking the iron will of the old governor." They were married and, "in good time the names of their children, Thomas Howland and Prence (Prince) Howland, were inscribed on the baptismal roll of the church."

It is believed that Gov. Thomas and his first wife Patience (Brewster) Prence had five children. However, information given to me by Barb Schoch, who is descended from Sarah Prence and Jeremiah Howes, suggests that daughter Sarah was born after the death of Patience, and could be the daughter of the second wife, Mary. Hopefully, this will be resolved in the near future. At the moment, the five children of Thomas and Patience that I have are:

• Thomas, died as a young man; went to England and married Susanna -----, who was called, in 1677, a single woman of "Catheren Gate" near the Tower, London.
• Rebecca, m. in 1646, Edmund Freeman, Jr.
• Mercy, m. in 1659, John Freeman.
• Sarah, m. in 1650, Jeremiah Howes.
• Hannah, m. (1) 13 Feb. 1649, Nathaniel Mayo; m. (2) Jonathan Sparrow.

Gov. Thomas and his second wife Mary (Collier) Prence had four children:

• Jane, b. 1 Nov. 1637; m. 9 Jan. 1660, Mark Snow.
• Mary, m. John Tracy of Duxbury, MA.
• Elizabeth, m. Arthur Howland, Jr.
• Judith, m. (1) 28 Dec. 1665, Isaac Barker of Duxbury; m. (2) in 1691, William Tubbs.