Prence Snow, 1707 to before 1758, of Harwich and Rochester, Massachusetts, and His Wife Mary Sturtevant

Prence Snow was born 26 December 1707 at Harwich, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, the son of Nicholas and Lydia (Shaw) Snow. [Harwich VR 1:9] He was a descendant of Constance (Hopkins) Snow and her father Stephen Hopkins, both Mayflower passengers, and Thomas Prence who was Governor of Plymouth Colony. Prence is my 7th great-grandfather on my grandfather Arthur Washburn Ellis Davis’ side of the family. His name is sometimes seen as Prince.

On 31 August 1727 “Prince Snow” married Mary Sturdevant (more commonly Sturtevant) at Rochester, Plymouth County. She was born 30 November 1708 at Plymouth, the daughter of Joseph and Anna (Jones) Sturtevant. [Plymouth VR 1:17] Mary is a descendant of Richard Warren of the Mayflower (Anna 4 Jones, Patience 3 Little, Anna 2 Warren, Richard 1 Warren]. 

Mary’s father Joseph Sturtevant died intestate in 1723. There is a long list of payments in an estate accounting including 16 shillings to Mary Sturtevant. [Probate Records 1717-1724 and 1854-1862 vol 4-4Q, State Archives Boston]

Mary and Prence had four children, all recorded Rochester: 

1. Mary born 30 October 1729 [Rochester VR 1:277], marriage intention Samuel Sherman 20 April 1749 [Rochester VR 2:284]
2. Hannah born 27 October 1731 [Rochester VR 1:275]; married Charles Brownen [Brownell] of Tiverton RI intentions 14 June 1752 [Rochester VR 2:282]
3. Joseph born 17 Jan 1733/4 [Rochester VR 1:276]; married Rachel Landers 20 January 1756 at Sandwich [Rochester VR 2:283]; died Rochester 31 August 1808 [Rochester VR 2:434]
4. Prince born 14 March 1735 [Rochester VR 1:278]; probably died by 1751 when not mentioned in his grandfather Nicholas Snow’s will. 

I descend from Joseph. I wrote about him here.

Apparently Prence abandoned his family, something highly unusual at that time. The 1751 will of Nicholas Snow mentions Joseph, Mary, and Hannah Snow, children of son Prence. He left one shilling to son Prence “for his leaving me and his family as he did.” [Shaw] Prince Snow may be the man of that name appearing on Kent County Delaware tax lists in 1738 and 1740. [Austin]

Mary died sometime after the 1735 birth of her youngest child, likely at Rochester. 

Prence died between 25 June 1751, when he is mentioned in his father’s will, and 22 February 1758, when he is referred to as the late Prence Snow in a conveyance signed by his children. [Austin] No probate record found for Prence in Plymouth County; I have not checked in Delaware. 

Sources:

John D. Austin, Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, Volume 6: Stephen Hopkins, 2001

NEHGS/AmericanAncestors.org, Mayflower Families Fifth Generation, Hopkins 6:154

Robert S. Wakefield, Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, Volume 18 Part one, Richard Warren, GSMD, 1999

Jonathan A. Shaw, NEHGS Register, “John Shaw of Plymouth Colony, Purchaser and Canal Builder,” 151:432 (1997)