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    Zachariah Prentice of NY and San Francisco, California
    By Linus Joseph Dewald Jr., Editor
    Winter 2005 and Revised 11 Oct 2010

    We found an obituary for Frank Prentice, #3 below, and have augmented it with census information and information found in Ancestry.com.

    1. Zachariah Prentice was b. 24 Aug 1856 in NY (with his father b. in England and mother in Ireland per the 1880 SF, CA, census). 1860 not in census. 1870 in San Francisco, CA, census, age 13, listed as an "inmate" in an "Inmate(/) Industrial School". Next to him in the 1870 SF census is "Chas. Prentice", b. co 1857, CA. A Google search indicates it was probably created by the CA Legislature in 1858 under the "Industrial School Act." It was an institution for neglected and delinquent youths on the West Coast, created in response to the surging numbers of "idle and vicious" youths wandering the streets of San Francisco.

    It is not yet kinown when Zachariah arrived in San Francisco, whether he was neglected or delinquent, and whether his parents were deceased.

    If his mother is Ellen Erickson (see discussion under "Who is Zachariah Prentice's Father?), she apparently m. Christian Erickson c. 1866. That suggests Zachariah's father had d. before that date and suggests the possibility that Zachariah may have ended up in the Industrial School because his mother was uanble to care for him.

    He m. Mary Ellen Shute (per CA Death Index) and Ancestry.com. She was b. 17 Jul 1864, Coxsackie, NY. The 1880 census says her father was b. in England and mother in Ireland. They had 3 or more children, including:

    1. (dau.) Prentice (per Matt Prentice posting on PrenticeNet).
    2. Ora Prentice, b. c. 1892, NY. She appears in the 1910 census in San Francisco, CA, as a niece in the home of Richard A. Shute, b. c. 1859, NY, and his wife, May C., b. c. 1870, NY.
    3. Elton Zachariah Prentice was b. 25 Feb 1894 in CA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . [2]

    2. Elton Zachariah Prentice was b. 25 Feb 1893-4 in San Francisco, CA (per Matt Prentice posting on PrenticeNet) and d. 3 Mar 1963, CA (per SSDI) or 8 Mar 1963 (per CA Death Index). Both parents were b. in NY. He appears in the 1910 census in San Francisco, CA, as a nephew in the home of Richard A. Shute, b. c. 1859, NY, and his wife, May C., b. c. 1870, NY. Elton appears in the 1920 census in Eureka, Humboldt Co., CA with his wife.

    Elton m. Inez, b. 9 Oct 1895 CA and d. c. Oct 1983, Saramento, Sacramento Co., CA (per SSDI). Both of her parents were b. in Italy (per 1930 census). Children (per 1930 census):

    1. Frank Elton Prentice, b. 6 Jul 1920, Jackson, Amador Co., CA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [3]
    2. William Prentice, b. c. 1923, CA.
    3. Robert Prentice, b. c. 1926, CA.

    3. Frank Elton Prentice, b. 6 Jul 1920, Jackson, Amador Co., CA, and d. 26 Oct 2004 in Sacramento, Sacramento Co., CA.. Rosary at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 29 Oct 2004 at Lombard & Co., 1550 Fulton Ave., Sacramento, CA. Funeral Mass on Saturday, 30 Oct 2004 at 10 a.m. at St. Ignatius Church, 3235 Arden Way, Sacramento, CA.

    Frank m. Lacertian Zamlich c. 1948. An Ancestor Chart for her can be found at Ancestry.com . Children b. after 1948:

    1. Nancy Prentice.
    2. Maureen Prentice.
    3. Susan Prentice
    4. Mary Lou Prentice
    5. Gary Prentice
    6. Anne Prentice.

    Who are the parents of Zachariah Prentice?

    According the 1880 census in San Francisco, CA, Zachariah's father was b. in England and his mother in Ireland. He was identified as a stepson living living in SF in the home of Christian Erickson (b. c. 1836, Sweden; emigrated 1858) and his wife, Ellen, b. c. 1836, Ireland. Ellen was likely Frederick's mother. Neither Christian nor Ellen appear in the 1900 census. Christian Erickson appears in the 1910 San Francisco, CA, census as a widower.

    As noted above, Zachariah's son, Elton, appears in the 1910 census in San Francisco, CA, as a nephew in the home of Richard A. Shute, b. c. 1859, NY, and his wife, May C., b. c. 1870, NY.

    The CA Death Index calls him Elton Z. Prentice ("Z" for Zachariah?) and says that the maiden surname of Elton's mother was Shute

    Richard A, Shute, with whom Elton and his sister, Ora, were living in 1910 in SF, was the son of Martin/Mathew Shute (b. c. 1834, NJ) and his wife, Jane Ann. Martin/Mathew and Jane Ann in 1870 were living in Coxsackie, Greene Co., NY and in 1880 in SF. Their children are set out in the 1860 and 1870 census as:

    1. Thomas J. Shute, b. c. 1855
    2. Jane Anna Shute, b. c. 1857, NY. Not home in 1880.
    3. Richard A. Shute b. c. 1859
    4. Hanah/Hannah E. Shute, b. c. 1861, NY. Not home in 1880.
    5. Mary E. Shute, b. c. 1864 (apparently Mary Ellen Shute who Zachariah later married.)
    6. James Shute, b. c. 1868
    7. Margaret Shute, b. c. 1870, NY

    The only other clue we have so far is that the 1920 census in Eureka, Humboldt Co., CA says that both of his parents were b. in the State of New York. In reviewing the 1920 census, the most likely persons to be Elton's parents are George W. and Martha Prentice, both b. in New York. George was b. c. 1849, NY, and Martha was b. c. 1850 in NY. In 1920 they were living in Modesto, Stanislaus Co., CA.

    However, further investigation is needed to determine whether there is any relationship between them and Elton J. Prentice.

    If you have any information about the folks mentioned in this article, please send your information to us at the Prentice Newsletter. Be sure to give the full title and date of this article in the Subject line of the email.

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