Letitcia Pruden- VanVleet's Ancestors

Letitcia Pruden was the daughter of Boyce and Mary Jane (Hulse) Pruden. Letitcia is my grandma Golden's, grandmother and the wife of Harvey VanVleet. Letitcia's father Boyce was born in Seneca County, New York in October of 1792. He Married Mary Jane Hulse in 1816. The family came to Michigan around the late 1840's. This family line is one of the special ones in that the lineage goes quite a way back to the colonies. And not just inhabiting, but establishing the formation of the country I call home.

The Pruden (Prudden) family has it's beginnings in Kings Waldon, Hertfordshire,England. John Prudden  b. 1416 d.1501 starts the recorded accounts of this family and he is my direct ancestor (My 16th great grandfather). His descendants goes as follows: Thomas Prudden b. 1439. d. May 1506, Thomas  Prudden II b. 1464 d.1538, Thomas Prudden III b. 1487 d. 1559, Thomas Prudden IV b. 1510 d. 1558, Peter Prudden b. 1535 d. 1600, Robert Prudden b. abt. 1561, d. November 6, 1617,  Peter Prudden b. December 1601. Peter Prudden was an educated man and attended Merchant Taylor's School in London (1616~1617) and Emmanuel College in Cambridge, England (1620). He  preached in Hertfordshire, England until 1637 where he vacated his post due to persecution. Then he and his followers decided to leave England for the New World. The reasons are self explanatory, they wanted freedom from religious persecution and resented the high taxes established by Charles I, the king of England. Around May 20, 1637, two ships set sail for the New World. One was the  "Hector" the other the "Martin",  Peter and followers were boarded the "Martin" and were then  known as "The Herfordshire Group", named for their home Herfordshire, England. They arrived in Boston, Massachusetts on June 26, 1637. They most likely spent their first winter in Boston but eventually made their way to Quinnpiac (New Haven, CT.). A new church was established under a Rev. Davenport who had made the trip to Boston with Rev. Prudden. Rev. Prudden preached in the afternoons there and also in the nearby settlement of Wethersfield. It was not long before the Rev. Prudden wanted a church of his own.

With the help of his followers the Rev. Prudden purchased land that was to become Milford, New Haven, Connecticut from local tribes for six coats, ten blankets, one kettle , twelve hatchets, twelve hoes, two dozen knives, and a dozen small looking glasses (mirrors) and became the founder of what is today Milford, New Haven, Connecticut.







Milford Church

He was the first pastor of the Milford Church, and was ordained April 11, 1640 in New Haven, where he lived in the Hertfordshire quarters. Peter Prudden died in July of 1656. He had lot #40 which is present day Prospect Street. His garden served as the first burying ground established in 1642 and is today the Milford Cemetery. A memorial stands today at the foot of the Wapawaug River honoring him.

The Rev. Peter Prudden Memorial

More about Rev. Peter Prudden:
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/s/i/m/Karen-M-Simmons/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1040.html




First Church of Christ: http://www.firstchurchofmilford.org/website/publish/about/index.php?10


Descendants of the Rev. Prudden are: Rev. John Prudden b. 1645 Milford, CT. d. 1725 Essex, New Jersey, Joseph Pruden b. 1692 Newark, New Jersey, d. 1776 Morristown, New Jersey, Boyce J. Pruden I b. 1719 Morristown NJ, d. May 1751, Boyce J. Pruden II b. Oct. 1746 Morristown NJ, d. 1816 Morristown NJ, Boyce J. Pruden III b. 1764 Morristown NJ, d.  1819 Romulus, New York, and then back to Boyce Pruden IV who brought his family to Michigan and had a daughter named Letitcia, who married a young man by the name of Harvey VanVleet, who had a son named Frank Adelbert Vanvleet, who had a daughter named Ozelma, who had a son named Francis, who had a daughter named Colleen. :)