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Ebenezer Prentice of Scotland and Pennsylvania
By Linus Joseph Dewald Jr., Editor
Fall 1999 and Revised 7 May 2009

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Update of 7 May 2009: Ebenezer Prentice is almost certainly the Ebenezer Prentice who was chr. 29 Apr 1847 in Dalserf, son of Robert Prentice and Elisabeth Hamilton. That Ebenezer Prentice is #2vi in our Summer 2001 article entitled Robert Prentice of Dalserf, Lanarkshire, Scotland .

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We are helping Heather Prentice in her efforts to identify her Prentice roots. Here is what we have so far:

1. Ebenezer Prentice was b. in Scotland. We do note that in the 1900 census, the name "Abraham" is used instead of "Ebenezer." It might be that "Ebenezer Prentice" is really "Abraham Prentice," but that seems somewhat unlikely since he named a son, "David Ebenezer Prentice."

American Census Records give slightly varying dates for his birth date:

• the 1900 Washington Co., PA census says he was born in September, 1850 in Scotland,
• but the 1920 Washington Co., PA census says he was b. c. 1852-3 in Scotland

Ebenezer married, in Scotland, Marion who was b. May 1853 in Scotland. About 1880, Ebenezer and his family immigrated to American, settling initially at an unidentified location in the State of New York. By 1884, Ebenezer and his family had moved to Pennsylvania where appears as a Coal Miner in the 1900 census in Union, Washington Co., PA.

Children (per 1880 Suterville, Westmoreland Co., PA census, 1900 Washington Co., PA census, and Heather Prentice):

1. James Prentice, b. c. 1871, Scotland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [2]
2. David Ebenezer Prentice, b. Oct 1873, Scotland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [3]
3. Anna Prentice, b. c. 1874, Scotland.
4. Thomas Prentice, b. c. 1879, Scotland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [4]
5. Jessie Prentice (daughter), b. c.1879-80, PA
6. Mary Prentice, b. Apr 1884, PA.
7. Margaret Prentice, b. Oct 1885, PA.
8. Christina Prentice, b. Sep 1888, PA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [5]
9. Frances Prentice, b. Nov 1891, PA.

2. James Prentice, b. c. 1871, Scotland. He is not living at home in the 1900 census and does not appear separately in our copy of the 1900 PA census. However, he is probably the James Prentice, b. c. 1872, Scotland, who appears in the 1910, 1920 and 1930 Castle Shannon, Allegheny Co., PA census with his wife and family.

That James Prentice m. Janet, b. c. 1878, Scotland. Children:

1. Jean Prentice, b. c. 1897-8, PA. At home in 1920. Not home in 1930.
2. Olive Prentice, b. c. 1911, PA. At home in 1920. Not home in 1930.

3. David Ebenezer Prentice, b. 4 Oct 1873, Dalserf, Scotland (per IGI) and died sometime between the 1920 and 1930 census..

He married Nora, b. c. 1875, Scotland. She appears as a widow with her children in the 1930 census. Her maiden surname may have been "Williams" as the 1930 census shows living with her family a brother, Sam A. Williams, b. c. 1880, PA, and his daughter, Esta M. Williams, b. c. 1911, PA.

Children of David and Nora (per 1910, 1920 & 1930 Washington Co., PA census):

1. Leroy Prentice, b. c. 1905, PA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [6]
2. Harold Prentice, b. c. 1906, PA. At home in Carroll, Washington Co., PA, 1930.

4. Thomas Prentice, b. c. 1879, Scotland. He is probably the Thomas Prentice appearing in the 1910 Washington Co., PA, b. c. 1878, Scotland with his wife and family. They appear in the 1920 census in Youngstown, mahoning Co., OH. He apparently d. between 1920 and 1930 as his wife is called a widow in the 1930 census.

He m. Mary C.. She was b. c. 1879, PA, as where her parents. She appears as a widow in the 1930 census in Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., PA. Children of Thomas and Mary:

1. Eliza Prentice, b. c. 1907, PA. At home in 1920. She m. Albert Hearns who was b. c. 1904, OH. They are living with her mother in the 1930 census in Pittsburgh, PA. Children:
   1. Albert P. Hearns, b. c. 1927, PA. At home in Pittsburgh in 1930.
2. Thomas A. Prentice, b. c. 1908, PA. At home in 1920 and 1930.
3. Marian A. Prentice, dau., b. c. 1910, PA. At home in 1920. She m. Ernest McGrew. He was b. c. 1904, WV. They are living with her mother in the 1930 census in Pittsburgh, PA. Children:
   1. William E. McGrew, b. c. 1929, PA. At home in Pittsburgh in 1930.
4. Catherine B. Prentice, b. c. 1915, PA. At home in 1920. At home in 1930 and called "Bernice C. Prentice."

5. Christina Prentice, b. Sep 1888, PA. She is probably the "Tena" who appears in the 1920 Washington Co., PA census as "Tena Baley" with daughter:

1. Annie Baley, b. c. 1920.

Living with them is Annie Brown, b. c. 1910, PA and Irvin Brown, b. c. 1906 in PA, and both are called grandchildren of Ebenezer.

Appearing in the 1920 Washington Co., PA census is William Prentice, b. c. 1845 in Scotland, and living in the "Washington County Home." His possible relationship to Ebenezer is unknown.

6. Leroy Prentice, b. c. 1905, PA. Subject to further investigation for confirmation, we have tentatively identified him as being the same person as David L. (Leroy?) Prentice. He may be the David Prentice shown in the SSDI as b. 24 May 1904, obtained his SS# in PA, and d. Aug 1979 in Monongahela, Washington Co., PA. David and his family appear in the 1920 census in Carroll, Washington Co., PA. The 1920 census shows David's place of birth as PA with both parents b. in Scotland.

He m. Anna Secrist. It is unclear whether she is the Anna Prentice shown in the SSDI as b. 12 Jan 1911, obtained her SS# in PA, and d. Jul 1990 at an unspecified location.

Children of David and Anna:

1. Leroy Prentice, b. 5 May 1933. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [7]
2. Dolores Prentice. Living in 2008.

7. Leroy Prentice was b. 5 May 1933 and d. 18 Jul 2008 in Select Specialty Hospital, McKeesport, PA. He appears in the 1930 Carroll, Washington Co., PA census. He had been a resident of Monongahela, Carrol Twp., Washington Co., PA. His obituary of 20 Jul 2008 in the Observer-Reporter, Washington Co., PA, reads as follows:

Leroy Prentice. Combustion Engineering retiree enjoyed his garden

Leroy Prentice, 75, of Monongahela, Carroll Township, died Friday, July 18, 2008, in Select Specialty, McKeesport. He was born May 5, 1933, in Carroll Township, [Washington Co., PA,] a son of David L. [Prentice] and Anna Secrist Prentice.

Mr. Prentice was a member of Transfiguration Church in Monongahela. e retired from Combustion Engineering in East Monongahela after 33 years of employment. His interests included spending time with his family, working on cars and taking care of his vegetable garden.

Surviving are his wife of 58 years, Patricia Ann Staffen Prentice; a son, Leroy W. Prentice and wife Alice of Monongahela; two granddaughters, Heather Ann Bianchi and husband Joe of New Eagle and Allison Marie Prentice of Monongahela; a great-granddaughter, Liliana Marie Bianchi; and a brother-in-law, Francis Staffen and wife Josephine of Monongahela.

Deceased, in addition to his parents, is a sister, Dolores Prentice.

Friends will be received from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday and 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday in Frye Funeral Home Inc., 427 West Main Street, Monongahela. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held in Transfiguration Church at 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 23, with the Rev. George Chortos, pastor, as celebrant. Committal services and interment will follow in Monongahela Cemetery.

Surviving are his wife of 58 years, Patricia Ann Staffen Prentice; a son, Leroy W. Prentice and wife Alice of Monongahela; two granddaughters, Heather Ann Bianchi and husband Joe of New Eagle and Allison Marie Prentice of Monongahela; a great-granddaughter, Liliana Marie Bianchi; and a brother-in-law, Francis Staffen and wife Josephine of Monongahela.

Deceased, in addition to his parents, is a sister, Dolores Prentice.

Leroy m. Patricia Ann Staffen. She may have been b. c. 1933-1938 and was living in 2008 in Monongahela, Carrol Twp., Washington Co., PA.

Children of Leroy Prentice and Patricia Ann Staffen:

1. Leroy W. Prentice. He m. Alice and in 2008 lived in Monongahela.

The obituary also mentions granddaughters, Heather Ann Bianchi and husband Joe of New Eagle and Allison Marie Prentice of Monongahela; a great-granddaughter, Liliana Marie Bianchi; and a brother-in-law, Francis Staffen and wife Josephine of Monongahela.

Ebenezer Prentice is almost certainly the Ebenezer Prentice shown in the IGI as as the father of David Prentice (#3, above) who was b. 4 Oct 1873, Dalserf, Lanark, Scotland, son of Ebenezer Prentice and Margaret Williamson. According to the IGI, Ebenezer and Margaret were m. 14 Feb 1873 in Dalserf. That, then, gives us a location to search for Ebenezer's roots.

Although the 1900 census gives Ebenezer's birth date as Sep 1850 and the 1920 census says c. 1852-3, we did not locate in our database any Ebenezer Prentice who was born those dates. We did, however, find an Ebenezer Prentice who was chr. 29 Apr 1847 in Dalserf, son of Robert Prentice and Elisabeth Hamilton. For their roots, see Robert and James Prentice of Dalserf in our Summer 2001 issue. Investigation is continuing.

Investigation is continuing.

Correspondence:   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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