PrenticeNet

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Patience Prentice of Lyme, CT
By Linus Joseph Dewald Jr., Editor
Summer 2002 and Revised 24 Mar 2008

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Update of 24 Mar 2008: Pending further investigation, we have tentatively identified her as, Maria Prentis, the daughter of Stephen Prentis who is #19 in our Stephen-3 eBook.

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Is her name Maria Prentice?

We are helping Ed Jessiman in tracing his Prentice roots. Here is what we have so far:

1. Patience Prentice is probably the Maria Swain (wife of Timothy Swain) who appears in the 1860 census in Montville, New London Co., CT, as b. c. 1904, CT. She d. 28 Mar 1899 in Montville, CT. The LDS Ancestral File information (provided by Helen Sharpe, 1104 Turnstone Drive, Rocky Mount, NC, Tel. 252-443-9413) gives an 1833 birth date for Patience, but that is obviously incorrect because it also shows her first child, Harriet, as b. 1826.

Patience m. Timothy Swain. He was a mariner. An Ancestor Chart for him can be found at Ancestry.com .

Children (per Ancestral File):

1. Harriet Swain, b. 30 Dec 1826, NY and d. 27 May 1909.
2. Andrew Jackson Swain, b. 1829, NY, NY and d. 1863. Bur. New London, CT.
3. George W. Swain, b. Jan 1832, New London, CT. and d. 6 Oct 1863, Norwich, CT.
4. Charles Lafayette Swain, b. 1833, perhaps New London, CT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [2]
5. William Timothy Swain, b. 28 Dec 1835, perhaps New London, CT, and d. 27 May 1905. Bur. Old North Cem., Montville, CT. Seaman. He m. Mary Abigail Morse on 12 May 1859. She was b. c. 1844, CT. They appear in the 1860 census in Montville, living next to his mother, Maria. Son:
   1. Andrew J. Swain. He m. Phebe Ann Pitman on 9 Jun 1885. Son:
      1. Preston N. Swain, b. 29 Oct 1891, Nantucket Co., MA. He m. Gladys and had:
         1. Andrew J. Swain, b. 18 Mar 1917, Nantucket. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [3]
6. (probably) Edwin Swain, b. c. 1840, CT. He appears with his mother, Maria, apparently then a widow, in the 1860 census in Montville, New London Co., CT.

2. Charles Lafayette Swain, b. 1833, perhaps New London, CT, and d. 1909, Clinton, CT.

He m. 1st Nancy Heath. Children per Ancestry.com :

1. Amos Swain, b. 1869 in Missouri
2. Frederick Treadway Swain, b. 1871 in Missouri
3. Elma Louise Swain, b. 1873 in Ct
4. Ida Maria Swain, b. 1874
5. Minnie Swain, b. ABT. 1875
6. Mabel E Swain, b. 1877
7. Lena Gray Swain, b. 1879

Charles m. 2nd Sophia Augusta Roath on 4 Mar 1853. Children per Ancestry.com, above:

1. Charles Daniel Swain, b. 31 DEC 1853 in Preston, Ct
2. George William Swain, b. 5 AUG 1856 in Norwich, Ct
3. Robert Edmund Swain, b. 30 DEC 1858 in Montville, Ct
4. Harriet Augusta Swain, b. 9 NOV 1861
5. Sarah Jane Swain, b. 16 APR 1865
6. Mary Swain, b. c. 1871 in New London Ct

3. Andrew J. Swain, b. 18 Mar 1917, Nantucket, and d. 8 Dec 2003, Savannah, Chatham Co., GA. He married Frankie. The following obit. for him appears at Ancestry.com :

Andrew J. Swain II, 86, of Savannah, Chatham Co., GA., died Monday, Dec. 8, 2003 at Hospice Savannah. He was born on Nantucket on March 18, 1917. He was the son of Preston and Gladys Swain who lived on 38 Fair St.

Andrew moved away from the island shortly before WWII and joined the Army Air Corp, and lived in Savannah Georgia. Andrew J. Swain joined the Army Air Corps, on December 2, 1940. He was assigned to the 3rd Bomb Group at Hunter Field, Ga. He received his aircraft training in the A-20 Havoc and was then shipped to Australia and on to New Guinea, where he was a crew member on a B-25 Mitchell during WWII. Andrew also shot down three Japanese aircraft, April, 30 1942, when five enemy fighters made constant attacks, which lasted for 35 minutes for his heroism in action near Lae, New Guinea. He received the Distinguished Service Cross. On May, 7 1942, Andrew was the gunner during the recon mission, which discovered the main task force of the Japanese Navy, which led to the battle of the Coral Sea. He also participated in the Bismark Sea Battle, March, 3 1943, that involved the bombing and strafing of at least twenty Japanese warships over the Huon Gulf, sixty miles east of Salamaua, New Guinea. He also survived two crash landings during the war. For his service to his country he received the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Air Medal, as well as many other campaign medals. He later served in Korea, with the Georgia Air Guard, as well as serving in Vietnam. Andrew retired from the Georgia Guard March 18, 1977 at age 60, at the rank of E-8, as the Chief Loadmaster for the 165th.

He is survived by his wife, Frankie Swain of Savannah; two sons and daughters-in-law, Chadwick Dunn Swain and Patricia Swain of Savannah, Andrew Jackson Swain, III, and Debbie Swain of Savannah; a brother, Nason Swain of Rhode Island; a sister, Gladys Swain Brown of Naples, Fla.; a granddaughter and grandson-in-law, Heather Swain Dunlavy and Ty Dunlavy of Cummings, Ga.; two great-grandchildren, Tyler and Tanner Dunlavy of Cummings.

Donations may be made to Hospice Savannah, 1352 Eisenhower Dr., Savannah, Chatham Co., GA 31406. (The Inquirer and Mirror, 26 December 2003)

Who are Patience Prentice's Parents?

Her father is identified in the Ancestral File as as Stephen Prentice, but the basis for identification is not yet known and there is no other information about him, his wife, or family.

If you have any information about the folks mentioned in this article, please contact us at dewald@prenticenet.com.

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