DANIEL PRENTIS 1799-1882, NANCY HUGHES 1818-1892, Fountain Green Cemetery, Hancock County Illinois

Page content last modified:

August 26, 2008, added George Prentis' and William Prentis' dates of death.
June 9, 2006, added Nancy Prentis' obituary.

FOUNTAIN GREEN CEMETERY
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS

DANIEL PRENTIS 1799-1882
NANCY PRENTIS (nee HUGHES) 1818-1892

DANIEL PRENTIS
BORN
JAN. 31, 1799
DIED
DEC. 29. 1882

NANCY
Wife of
DANIEL PRENTIS
BORN
MAR. 2, 1818
DIED
OCT. 17, 1892

Author - Marcia Farina

The following family information is drawn from the History of Hancock County, Illinois, edited by Thomas Gregg, 1880; the History of Hancock County, Illinois, 1921, edited by Charles Scofield; Portrait and Biographical Record of Hancock, McDonough, and Henderson Counties, Illinois, 1894; federal census listings, marriage and death records, tombstone inscriptions, Nancy Prentis' obituary, news items and The History and Genealogy of The Prentice Families of New England, by C. J. F. Binney, 1883, shared by Scott Prentice.

Daniel Prentis was born in Weathersfield Township, Windsor County, Vermont on January 31, 1799. He was the son of Thomas Prentis and Mary Spencer.

Daniel came to Township 6 North, 5 West (later named Fountain Green Township), Hancock County, Illinois, in 1833, one of the early settlers in the area. Arriving the same year was Daniel's first cousin, Jared Prentis. There is also some evidence that Daniel's brother, Lyman, born May 13, 1806, may have spent some time in the township. See Early Settlers Of Fountain Green Tp. from The News of Fountain Green, November 18, 1925. Lyman Prentis eventually lived in Quincy, Adams County, Illinois, where both he and his wife died of cholera in July of 1844.

From the 1880 Gregg history: Daniel Prentis, still living in the village, was a native of Vermont, son of a Revolutionary soldier, and was born in 1799; came to Fountain Green and settled in 1833; was engaged in merchandising in Carthage about 1835, and under the wild scheme of internal improvements had a contract with the State for grading a portion of the Warsaw & Peoria Railroad, in 1838-39. "Prentis' Shanty," on the line of said road, was for years a well-known landmark.

Daniel "Prentiss" was named as one of the early settlers in vicinity of the present day Majorville Church. Majorville Church Souvenir Booklet See also: Early Fountain Green Schools

From the Scofield history: [Daniel], about 1839, took a contract on what is now the Wabash Railroad to build a railroad roadbed. He then bought a steamboat of Joseph Smith, loaded this boat with pork, took this down the river to New Orleans. Finding no sale there for pork, he dumped the cargo into the river there, then came back. During this time he lived in Carthage.

On June 24, 1840, Daniel married Nancy Hughes in Adams County, Illinois.

Nancy Hughes was from Camp Point in Adams County, where the Hughes family had settled in 1830. She was born in Clark County, Indiana, March 2, 1818.

After their marriage, Daniel continued to farm in Fountain Green Township, where he reportedly owned as much as 200 acres. The birthplace of their second son, Silas, born in 1842, was reported to be in Section 35, which lies in the southeast corner of the township. A news article about daughter Frances stated she was born at Joe Duncan, a village that existed for a short time also in the southeast corner of the township, and that the family later moved into Fountain Green.

From the Scofield history: In 1852 Daniel Prentiss was made superintendent of the county poor farm and continued as such until 1856.

In a letter dated 1857 Daniel stated that Jared was "all the relation that I had in this country". In the same letter, he wrote "I now reside two miles from Fountain Green on a farm formerly owned the the late James Renshaw." Anna, the recipient of the letter, had visited with the Prentis family; the above sentence indicates they had relocated since her visit. James Milligan Renshaw had purchased several properties in Fountain Green Township, so we are at present unable to pin down where Daniel was living at the time he wrote this letter.

From the Gregg History: Daniel Prentis served as Township Supervisor in 1861 and Assessor in 1858.

Daniel Prentis died December 29, 1882. Nancy died October 17, 1892. They share a tombstone at Fountain Green Cemetery.

Transcription of the 1857 letter from Daniel Prentis to his cousin, Anna
Shared by Shelley Cardiel

The Republican
Carthage, Illinois
October 26, 1892
Page 1, column 1
Ishmael's column, excerpt

COUNTY NEWS.

Fountain Green.

Mrs. Nancy Hughes Prentiss died at her home in Fountain Green, Oct. 17, 1892, at 11 a. m. She was born in Clark county, Indiana, March 2, 1818, and baptised as a member of the M. E. Church at an early age. She came to Illinois with her parents in 1829, was married to Daniel Prentiss June 24, 1840, and has been a resident of Hancock county since that time. For nearly fifty years she has been a resident of Fountain Green township. Her husband died ten years ago. They raised a family of five children, three sons and two daughters, three of whom survive: Silas W. living near the old home; Fannie L. McCandless, of Moberly, Mo.; Laura M. Sawyer, of Camp Point. She suffered for more than a a [sic] year, but was patient and fully resigned at all times. She appreciated the kindness of her many friends during her prolonged illness. The funeral services were conducted the following day at the M. E. Church by Rev. Weakly, of Colchester, after which her remains were laid to rest beside those of her departed husband. Weep not for her as for those who have no hope, for we trust that our loss is her eternal gain.

S. W. Prentiss and niece Bertha Stimpson left Saturday for Chicago. Miss Bertha expects to remain all winter. Mr. Prentiss will return in a few days by the way of Joliet and visit friends there.

Contributed by Cora R. Swift

The children of Daniel Prentis and Nancy Hughes were probably all born in the area that would eventually be named Fountain Green Township. They were:

i.	George Waggoner Prentis, born May 2, 1841. In 1883, George was said to be living in Wichita, Kansas. He died November 24, 1886, location undetermined.
ii.	Silas Wright Prentiss, born September 21, 1842, died May 2, 1927, at Carthage, Hancock County, burial probably at Moss Ridge Cemetery, Carthage, Hancock County.
iii.	Laura Prentis (twin), born March 30, 1845. She married Ephraim E. B Sawyer on June 8, 1887. She survived her twin sister, who died December 22, 1926. Laura's burial location is undetermined.
iv.	Frances Prentis (twin), born March 30, 1845. In 1870 and 1873, Fannie taught school at Woodville School District 105, near Joetta in adjacent Hancock Township. In 1877 she was teaching in Fountain Green. She died December 22, 1926, at Moberly, Randolph County, Missouri, and was buried there at Oakland Cemetery.
v.	William Russell Prentis, born February 1, 1849. He died in December of 1885, location undetermined..

1840 Illinois Census, Hancock County, page 197, line #25

Household of Daniel Prentis
Males 30 thru 39 - 1
Females 20 thru 29 - 1
Total - 2
Persons employed in agriculture - 1

1850 Illinois Census, Hancock County, page 336B
enumerated October 28, 1850, dwelling #940
(corrected page number February 2005)

Daniel Prentiss, 57, male, farmer, value of real estate 1000, born VT
Nancy, 32, female, born IN
George W, 9, male, born IL, attended school within the year
Silas W, 8, male, born IL, attended school within the year
Laura, 5, female, born IL, attended school within the year (twin)
Frances, 5, female, born IL, attended school within the year (twin)
William R, 1, male, born IL

1860 Illinois Census, Hancock County, Fountain Green Township, page 736
enumerated July 25, 1860, dwelling #3352

Daniel Prentice, 61, male, farmer, value of real estate 4000, value of personal estate 1500, born VT
Nancy, 43, female, born IN
George, 19, male, farm laborer, born IL, attended school within the year
Silas, 18, male, farm laborer, born IL, attended school within the year
Laura, 15, female, born IL, attended school within the year
Frances, 15, female, born IL, attended school within the year
William, 11, male, born IL, attended school within the year

1870 Illinois Census, Hancock County, Fountain Green Township, page 119
enumerated June 1, 1870, dwelling #4

Prentiss, Daniel, 71, male, white, retired farmer, value of real estate 5000, value of personal estate 1000, born VT, male citizen of the U.S. aged 21 or more
Nancy, 48, female, white, keeping house, born IN
Georg W, 28, male, white, farm laborer, born IL, male citizen of the U.S. aged 21 or more
Silas W, 26, male, white, farmer, value of personal estate 1000, born IL, male citizen of the U.S. aged 21 or more
Laura, 23, female, white, school teacher, born IL
Fannie, 23, female, white, school teacher, born IL
Wright, James, 20, male, white, farm laborer, born TN
Robbins, David L, 21, male, white, farm laborer, born NY, male citizen of the U.S. aged 21 or more

1880 Illinois Census, Hancock County, Fountain Green Township, page 111C
enumerated June 4, 1880, dwelling #60
(immediately following the residence of Silas Wright Prentiss)

Prentise, Daniel, white, male, 81, married, retired farmer, born VT, father born CT, mother
born VT
Nancy, white, female, 63, wife, married, keeping house, born IN, father born MD, mother
born KY
Laura, white, female, 35, daughter, single, school teacher, born IL, father born VT, mother
born IN
Fannie, white, female, 35, daughter, single, school teacher, born IL, father born VT, mother
born IN
Pearson, Lily, white, female, 7, boarder, single, boarder, attended school within the year, could read but not write, born IL, father born VT, mother born IL

Interested researchers will do well to visit this Prentice website:

PrenticeNet

Ft. Green Cemetery
Index A - M

Ft. Green Cemetery
Index N - Z

Census
Transcriptions