! Supposedly born at Newton Popleford is a suburb of Aylesbeare
! Apprenticed to the building trades at age 15.
! Went to London in 1866 (age 21) and engaged in building trade. and built many stores,
houses, and hotels there.
! Personal Cabinet Maker for Queen Victoria.
! Came to US in 1871 and opened a small furniture factory in Rock Falls Il. PRINGs of
Awliscombe by Rev. B.F. De Costa NEHGR Jan 1887 Vol. 42 pp86-88
! Deed for village of Rock Falls Illinois Page 124, #324 -20 Jan, 1876
From A.R. Merrill and wife Harriett M. and L. Hapgood and Anna W. his wife to John
PRING for the sum of $350 in the Village of Rockfalls, county of Whiteside, Ill.
The same day John PRING and wife Mary Jane resold this property, (record # 9326) to
Henry Peterson for the sum of $700.
Six other deeds for 28 May, 1875 (#1242), --7 Oct,1876,-- 21 Nov. 23, 1876, 3 Sep,
1877, 2 Sep, 1879 (this one is for ! $1 in which he received a quit claim for property in
Colorado) and 15 March 1884. John PRING always bought and sold at profit.
! Bought land (240 Acres 15 Mi. N. of Co. Springs) in Colorado Springs and moved there
about 1876 and began ranching. During the Cripple Creek Gold Excitement he was one of the
first to go to the district and owned the Bonnie Nell and Raven Hill mines and several
others.
! 1851 Census for Devonshire:
! 1880 Census Colorado Enum. Dist. 44 Sheet 34-line8-Vol.2 Reel T738#5
PRING, John age 36 Farmer Born England
Mary Jane age 37 housekeeper born England
Harry age 13born England
Ettie age 11"
William age 9 "
Elizabethage 7 born Illinois
Lucy age 4 "
Oliver P. age 2 born Colorado
! 1885 Local Census for Colorado.
PRING, John age 40 born Eng.
Mary age 42 Eng.
Henry W. age 18 Eng
Henrietta age 16 Eng
William J. age 14 Eng
Elizabeth age 12 Illinois
Lucy A. age 9 Illinois
Oliver P. age 6 Colorado
Edward A. age 4 Colorado
! 1900 Census for Colorado-P652 T1035 (Vol 9 Ed 31 Sheet 5 line 19)
PRING, John W. Age 55
Mary age 57
Lydia age 37
Edward age 30
James age 13
! 1910 Census for Colorado
! Deed-1876-Rock Falls, Whiteside Co. Ill.
! Marriage Cert. # B54532 General Registry Office of London Record # 186 15 Jul 1866
John William PRING-- Carpenter son of Henry PRING --Farmer Mary Jane Beer-- daughter
of William Beer---Farmer Both residing at 6 Luton Terrace, London Married in District
Parish church In the presence of Joseph Lewis and Almena Lewis Married (after Banns) by
H.H. Letchworth
! According to IGI, they were married 15 Jul 1866 at St. John the Evangelist, Notting
Hill, London, Eng.
! JOHN WILLIAM PRING
John William PRING was born in Devonshire, Eng on June 22, 1545. His father was Henry
PRING and his mother, Mary Ann Patch. He was one of nine children, (John being #6).
Below is a transcript from Portraits and biographical records of Colorado, P511/12.
Prings Evergreen Cemetery In Colorado Springs Cemetery Records thru 1972 from The
original listing Compiled by Athlyn Luzier and published by the Pikes Peak Genealogical
Society
Last First Birth Death Burial Lot#
Pring Aubrey John 27 Feb 1883 17 Jun 1899 T-K (Bur W/John William)
Pring Baby Boy 30 Jun 1947 K
Pring Edward A. 13 Dec 1880 28 Nov 1944 T-K (Bur W/John William)
Pring Elizabeth Lydia 28 Mar 1873 10 Jun 1958 K (Bur W/John William)
Pring Frank W. 1897-229 No Death Date; (Bur W/Margaret May)
Pring Henry William 20 May 1867 22 May 1926 K (Bur W/John William)
Pring John Edward 07 Dec 1912 19 Sep 1935 K (Bur W/John William)
Pring John William 22 Jun 1845 02 Dec 1922 T-K (husband of Mary Jane PRING)
Pring Margarete May 1896 30 Jan 1971 -229 (Bur W/F! Rank W.)
Pring Mary Jane 29 May 1843 11 Feb 1906 T-K (Wife Of John William Pring)
Pring Nellie M. 1877 (No Death Date) -229 (Bur W/William John)
Pring William John 1871 28 Oct 1950 T-229 (Bur w/Nellie M.)
! John W. PRING who made his home in Colorado Springs since 1897, came to this state in
1876, for the purpose of investigating a tract of 240 acres he had previously purchased
without ever having seen the property. He found the place a barren waste, without
apparently, enough upon it to keep a rabbit alive. All though making up his mind that he
had made a most unfortunate trade, he determined to settle here. He at once began to
cultivate and settle the land, upon which he engaged in stock-raising and general farming.
Since then he has brought the tract under irrigation, built fences around it, and erected
substantial farm buildings, so that the place has been made one of the best farms in El
Paso County. It! is situated fifteen miles North of Colorado Springs, on both the Santa Fe
and the Denver and Rio Grande Railroads, at PRING Station, which was named for him. His
specialty has been the raising of graded shorthorns. Prior to his removal to Colorado
Springs, he engaged in the Dairy business and for seven years furnished the milk for the
Antlers Hotel, whose bill amounted to more than $18,000.
Shipments of milk were made over the Rio Grande road. In addition to this place he
owns farm at Gwillinville, five miles East of Monument, where his son superintends the
cultivation of the four hundred and forty acres comprising the estate: and he is also the
owner of three other farms in the same vicinity, all of which were improved by himself.
The PRING family is from Devonshire, England. Our subjects grandfather, Henry PRING,
owned a fine estate, ''The Rosewood", where he spent his entire life. He was drowned one
night while fording a stream. His son, Henry, who succeeded to the ownership of the
estate, was killed, when forty seven years of age, by being thrown from a buggy by a
runaway horse. Henry PRING Jr. married Mary Ann Patch, who died in Devon, her native
shire. Of their nine children, six are now living all in Devonshire except John W., the
sixth in order of birth. He was born June 22,1845, and attended the pay schools of Devon.
His father died when he was a lad of 11. Four years later he was apprenticed to the
Carpenters and builders trade in the vicinity of his home place, and there he continued
until he was 21. Going to London in 1866, he engaged in contracting and building. With the
money bequeathed him by his father he bought property and built eighteen residences at one
time, afterwards erecting houses in different parts of the city. In addition to the
residences buiIt for himself, he carried out contracts to build stores, hotels and houses
for others.
After having been in London for five years, in the fall of 1871 Mr.PRING came to
America. and bought the Utility Works in Rock Falls, Ill.. where he engaqed in the
manufacture of all kinds of articles in wood. After two years, however, he sold out. Since
coming to Colorado he has given his attention principally to raising draft horses. qraded
stock, and to the dairy business, in which he has been successful. His home is now at 318
West Kiowa Street, Colorado Springs. When the Cripple Creek excitement began, he was among
the first in that district, and is still interested in mines there. In political views he
is a Republican. He takes an interest in public affairs, but has always refused to accept
public office.
In London, England, Mr. PRING married Miss Mary Jane Beer, daughter of William Beer
and a native of Exeter. They are the parents of nine children, namely: Harry who lives in
Montana, William, who occupies one of his fathers ranc! hes; Mrs. Ettie Shemwell, whose
husband manages the home ranch; Lucy, wife of Dr. McConnell of Monument, Lydia, Oliver,
Edward, Aubrey, and Arthur, who are at home.
END OF BIOGRAPHY.
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Wife's General Notes
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MARY JANE BEER (THORN)
! Mary Jane Beer was born on 5/29/lS43 in Idlegh, Exeter England. She met and married
John William PRING in London around 1866. The couple had nine children and emigrated to
the U.S. in l871. She died 6 Feb 1906 at her ranch her ranch in Colorado. The compiler has
a picture of her taken in 1901.
Most of the information that the compiler has comes from his Mother, aunts, uncles and
cousins in the family. (Much of it is erroneous)
Attended Blue Cape (There was a Blue Maids School on Mary Arches Street) School for
girls in Exeter, Eng. This school was only a few blocks from where she lived.--Here is a
letter from a researcher:
Subject: Blue Maids' Hospital
Date: Sun, 3 Dec 2000 10:13:47 -0500
From: Ian Stoyle <Thorverton@compuserve.com>
Provided she lived early enough, it sounds as if your GGM was a scholar at the Hele's
or Blue Maids' Hospital in St Mary Arches, Exeter. This was a charity set up in the 1600s
for the free board, clothing and education of a small number of girls, who were dressed in
blue. There was a similar but better endowed organization for boys, the St John's Hospital
or Blue Boys school.
By 1851, according to White's Directory, there were only 4 Blue Girls proper, who were
"admitted at the ages of 7 to 10 years, and discharged at 14 years of age, when they are
bound apprentices .. or placed as servants in respectable families". However, the Mistress
was also permitted to take in other scholars, who paid a small fee, as boarders or day
pupils, so there were many more girls at the school than those paid for by the charity.
Whether the fee payers wore the same uniform. I'm not sure. There are no surviving lists
of pupils for the Blue Maids Hospital in local archives, but I imagine they were the
sisters of the boys at the Blue Boys School, who were the sons of artisans in regular
employment and small tradesmen, certainly not middle class but equally certainly not rough
working class. The Blue Boys school prospered until the 1920s, but I can't find any
reference to the Blue Maids after the 1870s.
St Mary Arches suffered a lot of bomb damage in the war and was then destroyed by the
Exeter City Council in the 1960s, so the school buildings will no longer be there. I don't
recall ever having seen a photo of them either, though descriptions of them make them
sound quite extensive. I hope that helps.
Ian Stoyle,
Researcher, Exeter
! Maynards School for Girls also known as Exeter High School for Girls, also known as
Blue Maid school for girls.
! She had one illigitimate child named "George Pool"
! She followed husband John over in 1872
! Item: Mary Jane was enrolled at birth in the Blue Cape College for girls, by her
father. It had blue chip credentials and is still in existance now.
! Item: Another account says it was the Blue Bonnet school for Young Ladies.
! Item: She was a maid in waiting to Queen Victoria, her mother Elizabeth havinq been a
second cousin to the Queen.
! Item: The Queen asked Mary Jane to part her hair in the middle, a style she continued
for the rest of her life.
! Item: As a maid in waiting, she was taught English, Penmanship, Music" and
Needlework.
! Item: She had an uncle. David Williams who was a retired quartermaster of the British
Army and an uncle, Thomas Thorne, who was Captain of the Queens yacht (she often sailed
with him).
! Item:There has even been confusion as to who her father really was.
Some accounts make the father Lord Earl R. Thorn. One account says that Lord Thorne
was father and Beer the stepfather and that Beer was the Caretaker of Windsor Castle and
that Mary Jane was born and raised in Windsor Castle. Some accounts make it William Beer
who married Elizabeth Thorne.
! Item: One account says that her mothers maiden name was Elizabeth West who was
widowed and married William Beer. some of the confusion has been cleared up by recent
correspondence with a from Idaho, Ann Miller.
According to Anns records William Brook Beer married Elizabeth Thorne about l852 (nine
years after Mary Janes birth). They had a daughter, Eliza Ellen, who would have been Mary
Jane's half sister.
A letter from this compiler's mother, Elizabeth Hanson (nee PRING) says "My father's
mother was Mary Jane Beer and she was Queen Victoria's cousin on the Windsor side. It
seems that when she was very young, her father died and her mother married again. Her
step-father was a commoner who adopted her, and therein lies the difficulty in tracing. Many
years ago I read letters from Victoria to grandmother and saw an old tin-type of them,
posed together and signed by Victoria." (This, I believe was mother's fantasy.)
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SOURCES:
==========================================================================================
*Baptismal Record June 18, 1843 Iddesleigh! , County of Decon, Eng. Mary Jane daughter of
William and Elizabeth Beare of Iddesleigh.
*Death Cert. File #1313 Colorado Springs, El Paso Co., Co. Mary E. PRING of Colorado
Springs Born May 29 1843 England Died Feb 6, 1906 Cause of death== Pneumonia Age= 62 yr. 8
mo. 7 days Father= William Beer Born England Mother= Elizabeth Tucker Born England
Informant== Mrs. William D. Shemwell Date of burial= Feb 11, 1906.
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My Notes
==========================================================================================
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