Thomas Prence
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| Thomas Prence | |
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| In office 1634 – 1635 1638 – 1639 1657 – 1673 |
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| Preceded by | Edward Winslow (1634) William Bradford (1638 & 1657) |
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| Succeeded by | William Bradford (1635 & 1639) Josiah Winslow (1673) |
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| Born | 1599 Lechlade, Gloucestershire, England (claimed to be) |
| Died | March 29, 1673 Plymouth, Massachusetts |
Thomas Prence (1599 - March 29, 1673) was a co-founder of Eastham, Massachusetts, a political leader in both the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies, and governor of Plymouth (1634, 1638, and 1657 - 1673).
Born in England (one source says Lechlade, Gloucestershire), Prence came to the American colonies on the Fortune, arriving on November 9, 1621. During his time as governor, he was notable for his especial hatred of heretics, particularly Quakers. He also despised the ignorant, making a concerted effort to raise more money for schools in order to insure that future generations would be better educated. Prence is credited for giving Metacomet his English name "Philip."
Prence married three times. His first wife was Patience Brewster, passenger of the Anne, native of Scrooby, and daughter of William Brewster on August 5, 1624. They had four children: Thomas, Rebecca, Mercy, and Hannah. Rebecca married Edmund Freeman and had two children, and died in Sandwich, Massachusetts. Mercy married John Freeman, had eleven children, and settled in Eastham, Massachusetts. Hannah married Nathaniel Mayo, had six children, and died in Eastham.
Prence next married Mary Collier (b. 1612) on April 1, 1635. Mary was English, a native of St. Olave parish, Southwark. She and Thomas had five children: Jane, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Judith. Jane (November 1, 1637 - 1712) married Mark Snow, son of Constance Hopkins, and had eight children.
Lastly, Prence married Apphia Quick in December, 1662. It is unknown whether they had any children.
Prence died March 29, 1673, in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
