A new member, @alexandra.l.collard, is seeking further information on her Prowse tree. "Thanks for adding me I look forward to being in this group and hopefully gleaning useful information for my family tree. My great grandmother was Anna Sibella Prowse, daughter of George Prowse of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I have traced his tree back to William Prowse (1490) of Devon England, but I can't seem to go further. If anyone has information on his parents or spouse, it would be much appreciated."
George Fabes Prowse b. 1805 in Devon - d. 1883 in Montreal. m. Sarah Neal 1805 - 1871
Robert Garry Prowse here, currently living in Ontario but writing about the Alberta/Saskatchewan PEI Prowses. My Father was Douglas Prowse who was born on the Westview Ranch in 1920. His father was Aubrey Prowse and my Great Grandfather was Henry (called Harry Prowse.). Henry and his brother John Lemuel went west from PEI in 1905 to homestead. Apparently there was some kind of disagreement so one (John Leumuel's famly stayed in Saskatchewan and Henry homesteaded in Carbon Alberta where he had both a blacksmith shop and a farm. He died young, in his early fifties, we think from cancer due to smithing. Henry and John Lemuel were married to two Hardy sisters. Mary Hardy, Henry's wife, was my great grandmother. They are connected to the Hardy Mill Pond near the Prowse homestead in PEI.
Harry's father was Joseph Jarvis Prowse who was married to Agnes Rider Jarvis He had six sibings who form the other PEI lines such as the Murray Bay Prowses.
Joseph Jarvis Prowse was the son of William Prowse and Agnes Rider. William Prowse was the son of Robert Prowse (1760) and Mary Jarvis. (The Prowse/Jarvis/Ryder connections seem quite confusing in the early years as there seems to have been a great deal of intermarriage between them. When I visited the Church in Malborough Devon in 2018 looking for headstones, there was a little post office/shop by the entrance to the churchyard. When I told the woman at the counter what I was looking for she laughed and said she was a Jarvis married to a Prowse so it seems to go on........
As of October 19, 2023 there are three known Canadian branches of the Prowse tree (but probably more):
The Prince Edward Island (PEI) Line - notable for many judges, lawyers, and politicians including some involved in Canadian Confederation.
The Newfoundland Line, also notable for many judges, lawyers, and politicians though with no seeming connection to the PEI Line. Also worth mentioning that this line started long before Newfoundland became the 10th Province in Canada in 1950.
The Montreal Line, notable for the George Prowse Stove Company.
A typical G.R Prowse wood stove c.1895. These, and other G.R. Prowse stoves revolutionized large and commercial kitchens across Canada and parts of the USA.
See also a previous blog written about Famous Canadian Prowses: https://www.houseofprowse.com/post/historic-canadian-prowses
This blog mentions Charles C (Chapman) Prowse, who established some of the first orchards in the interior of BC in the early 1900's. Charles is the son of George Roger Prowse, who is Alexandra's @alexandra.l.collard GG Uncle.
The blog also contains a link to information that mentions William Prowse b.1794, who emigrated to Charlottetown PEI in 1823. His son Samuel became a well-known politician in Canadian history. William also had a son named Joseph Jarvis Prowse. One of our Facebook members, Steve Woodhead, is working on a tree with Robert Prowse 1760-1845 and Mary Jarvis 1760-? at the top of it and that couple have a son, William born 1794, so I think we may be on the verge of connecting Steve's branch to the PEI Prowses!