Hi Leonie, thanks for all this information. A fair amount of Edward's line is documented in WikiTree, which, by the way, makes you a distant relative of Vee Sweeney's. Here's a link to Edward's profile on WikiTree - you can navigate from there. I'm travelling at the moment, so limited time and ability to respond in greater length.

Hi Kevin, The link worked. Thanks. I'll be out of town for the next three days, so have to put this aside for now but will pick it up when I get back. Cheers

Hi Kevin, thanks for posting. Also to Ran who replied via email with links to the WikiTree profiles for Turpin (1818-1903) and on down. I have an Ancestry.com account but not a subscription. You would think I'd be able to see a 'public' tree, but no. Maybe because your tree is on the UK site or maybe because I don't have a subscription. This is what really annoys me about the pay-for-play services and why I use free WikiTree to document proven relationships - they truly are public. Would love to know how exactly you connect to David Prowse's line... Cheers.

Also of some interest is the fact that the Liverpool, shipping magnates Prowse line appears to have originated in the Teignmouth / Stokeinteignmouth area. William Prowse was born 1785 in Teignmouth per the 1851 Census, however, by the time of his 1804 marriage to Jane Birchall, he was already living in the Liverpool area and by 1841 established as a merchant and ship builder.

Thanks Kat!

Another notable Canadian Prowse line was in Montreal, Quebec. The line came from Ugborough, Devon then Devonport. George Fabes Prowse 1805-1883 emigrated to Canada in the 1820's. We know he came to Halifax, Nova Scotia - a common port of arrival - but we don't know exactly when he went to Montreal. We do know he married Sarah Ann Neal there on 7 Apr 1829. George Fabes was a tin and copper smith who, in 1851, patented the 'Prowsian Hot Air Cooking Range or Furnace' a wood stove that was the precursor of the modern range/stove we know today. His son, George Roger Prowse 1836-1862, formed the Geo. R Prowse Range Co. to manufacture the ranges. He built a new factory in Montreal in 1913. These ranges were sold across Canada and indeed were part of the story of opening up the West.

Been working some on the Newfoundland Prowse line of late. Robert Prowse 1798-1873, emigrated from Torquay, Devon to Port de Grave, Newfoundland at age 10! In 1827 he returned to Torquay to marry Jane Woodley, then returned with her to 'The Rock', where they began a family of four sons and three daughters. They moved from PdG to St. John's after their house burnt down. Robert and Jane returned to England in retirement. Robert's eldest son, Robert Henry Prowse 1828-1904, like his father, became a merchant. Later he became a politician and served in the NFLD House of Assembly. The fourth child, Daniel Woodley Prowse 1834-1914, was a notable merchant, lawyer, and politician. He was also a historian and, in 1895, wrote the oft-cited 'A History of Newfoundland from the English Colonial and Foreign Records. It is available for free on Google Books. https://www.google.ca/books/edition/A_History_of_Newfoundland_from_the_Engli/l-NYAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA1&printsec=frontcover There is also an interesting biography of DW Prowse online in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/prowse_daniel_woodley_14E.html Robert's youngest son, Samuel Saxby Prowse 1842-1914 emigrated to New Zealand, where he raised a family and died.

Hi Carl, Coincidentally (or maybe not so much) Virginia Banyard recently subscribed to House of Prowse. She and I have been chatting by email. One of the things I spoke about is that only some of the information on the Edward Prowse line is in WikiTree,

Thank you Carl, I think the answer is that there will always be doubt that we are but YDNA may prove that we're not. I think the three exceptions you stated to the tradition of children bearing their father's surname may well be an issue over this many years.

Hi Kat, as I haven't had very much invovlement in the YDNA groups it's hard for me to say. I know there is at least one active male member of one of the branches (PEI) that is a member.

Hi Malcolm, the information in this blog originated from member Alexandra Collard, which was in Ancestry.com. According to his information, Roger (1777) was her G-G-G-Grandparent. Her G-Grandmother, Anna Sibella Prowse of Montreal married Samuel Hopper Brown of Manhattan. I haven't heard from Alexandra in a while, last time I did she was living in California. I can send you her email address if you like?

Sorry to report that Alta passed in 2021. Her obituary said that Shirley was still living at that point in time. I added Alta to WikiTree and connected her to her parents and the rest of the PEI Prowse line. I have no information on Shirley. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Prowse-1421

As of October 19, 2023 there are three known Canadian branches of the Prowse tree (but probably more): 1. The Prince Edward Island (PEI) Line - notable for many judges, lawyers, and politicians including some involved in Canadian Confederation. 2. 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. 3. The Montreal Line, notable for the George Prowse Stove Company.

Some quick research on the web says the Australian Gold Rush started in earnest in 1851. Your line came to Australia in that decade and from what I can infer by information in the WikiTree profiles for the Highweek line, it appears they came around the same time. The two lines were from areas significantly far apart enough in distance and geneology that it is unlikely there was any planning between the two - likely coincidence. That said, the Cornwall line did land in Melbourne, then proceeded to Kiandra, NSW for gold mining, then on to Adelong, NSW for gold mining, whereas the Highweek line stayed in Victoria for the most part. Like the Highweek line, it was a family affair as borther James, John, and eventually Richard all emigrated to Australia for gold mining. They were shareholders in the Prowse and Woodward mine.

Just added a fourth Australian line originating in Highweek, Devon with five brothers that went to Australia for a gold rush and for the most part settled in the state of Victoria. Two sisters also ended up in Australia as well. Richard Prowse was the common ancestor, born 1796 in Highweek (outskirts of Newton Abbot) in South Devon, died 1874 in Newton Abbot. One thing about the WikiTree entry for Richard is that there is debate about the Thomas (George) names. Others feel that all the records indicate he was simply 'Richard', though he did have a son named Richard Thomas. Thanks to Kat, Carl, and Daniel for the information on this line. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Prowse-1143

Further to the Cornwall line, I stumbled across the Capel District Cemetery Project, which had extracted a fair amount of information about Benjamin Wylie and Kenneth Irvine Prowse, two of James Prowse's sons, from their brother, James Irwin Prowses 1992 book on Prowses in Australia. I added about 30 profiles to WikiTree as a result and found that James, his forebears, and three of his sons were already in WikiTree. Links below for Benajmin's info in the Capel District Cemetery Project and for James Prowse on WikiTree. https://capeldistrictcemeteriesproject.com.au/project/prowse-benjamin-wylie/ https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Prowse-963

As of Oct 17/2023 we have at four separate Australian Prowse lines on the go - I bet there are more, so lets add to the list below. In summary: 1. The Eastley line - Richard Prowse Eastley and John Eastley, originating from South Devon, arrived in Van Diemen's Land in 1852 along with their mother, Elizabeth, and three half-sisters. Elizabeth was married to William Eastley prior to his conviction and subsequent exile to Van Diemen's Land in 1839. The boys were born in 1841 and 1846. Records and DNA tests confirm the boys are Prowse. See Blog article 'How Sheep Swindling led to Prowses in Tasmania'. 2. The line of the late Gordon Sanson originating from Penzance, Cornwall, with the arrival of Gordon's GGgrandfather James Prowse in adelong, NSW circa 1860. Gordon's mother was born Prowse. Gordon's uncle Richard John Prowse, Jr. may have continued the Prowse name. Gordon's Ggrandfather James 'Irwin' Prowse published a book of research on Australian Prowse, listing over 1800 people, in 1992. See Blog 'The Prowse Lineage of the Late Gordon Sanson'. 3. Julie Taylor's line originating from South Tawton, Devon with Julie's grandfather Henry Nicolas Prowse who arrived at Sydney, NSW in 1913. 4. Dan and Carl's line originating from Highweek, Devon (a mere 20 miles from South Tawton). Dan and Carl's most recent common ancestor is Richard Thomas (George) Prowse, b. 1796 in Highweek. Five of Richard's children went to Australia during a gold rush: William b. 1824; Richard Thomas, Jr. b. 1830; Henry John, b. 1831; Charles, b. 1837; and John Walter, b. 1843. Sisters Amelia, b. 1825 and Emily, b. 1840 also ended up in Australia. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Prowse-1143

The late Gordon Sanson, grandson of Richard John Prowse, Sr. mentioned that his great-grandfather James 'Irwin' Prowse published a book entitled 'From Cornwall to the colonies: a Prowse chronicle, 1760-1990' under the name Irwin Prowse, in 1992 detailing over 1800 Prowse descendants in Australia at that time. It is in the National Library of Australia. Does anyone have a copy of the book?

Hi Julie, there is a WikiTree profile for HNP and his father, grandfather, daughter, etc. all created by J. White. The date of death for HNP does match and there's plenty of missing information. Wondering if you might like to work on that? The link for HNP is https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Prowse-1310 Cheers

Thanks Julie and Mathew for getting the ball rolling 'Down Under'. 😀