Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Esther/Hester Prentiss


Esther/Hester Prentiss
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel
Died at 92 years!

Esther or Hester [Heaster] PRENTICE or PRENTISS was the daughter of John PRENTICE and his wife Esther or Hester NICHOLS (this was probably her maiden name). John's father was probably named Valentine but one record says his name is Thomas.

She was born in Roxbury, MA abt. 20 July 1660. She has a baptismal record in both Roxbury records and in the Barbour Index of Stonington.

Roxbury Births PRENTICE Esther, d. John bp. 19:2m:1668 CR#1 p. 285
Stonington Heaster, d. of John & Heaster July 20 [1660] 1:3

They married abt 1682 as they started having a family right away. In 1682, Esther was 22.

This gravestone, which is brownstone/sandstone, shows how much longer she lived than her husband, as it reads:

"In Memory of Mrs. Esther ye wife of Benadam Gallup who died august 18th 1751 in ye 92d year of her age."

The face on this gravestone is not her portrait as many people may think. This same face, in several styles, appears on many gravestones.

Esther and Benadam had seven children. I am descended from three of them, son Benadam, and daughters Mercy and Hannah.

Soon, I am going to the 300th year reenactment of their daughter Mercy to William Dension!

Benadam and Esther are buried at the Whitehall Burying Ground #21 in Mystic, New London, CT

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