THE PRATT FAMILY. MARLBOROUGH : · PRATT BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS AND PRINTERS, 1884. THE PRATT FAMILY: OP. TIIE DESCENDANTS OF LIEUT. ,vILLLUI PRATT, OXE OF THE ,first i£ttr£rs of !)artforh anh £an-1lrook, WITH GENEALOGICAL NOTES OF JOHN PRATT, OF HARTFORD; PETER PRATT, OF Lnrn; JOHN PRATT (TAYLOR,) OF SAY-BROOK. BY REv. F. W. CHAPMAN, A. M., AUTBO& OP TBE CIUPHAII FAVIJ.T1 H:t>!ll.Uo ~It ,mo,: ~!CUT BI8TO&!CAL 80CJ:tTY, Al<D OP TBS l<IW ENGLAJPif }i!Sll<>RIOQ.!<ll ;ga!IAfLHIOil SOCIETY. Jnrtforh: PRINTED BY CASE, LOCKWOOD AND COMPANY. M,DCCC.LXIV. PREFACE. ABOUT fourteen years have elapsed since Julius Pratt, Esq., of Meriden, Conn., employed the compiler of this work to pre­ pare a History and Genealogy of Lieut. William Pratt, and his descendants. The late Col. George W. Pratt, of Prattsville,. New York, hearing of the enterprise, offered to associate him­ self with the projector of the work, in furnishing the requisite funds, and in gathering the materials. Rev. Orson Pratt, also, of Utah Territory, with a commendable liberality, came for­ ward and rendered efficient pecuniary aid, and furnished the records of the various families connected with him in the same line of descent. Circulars were addressed and letters written to not less than fifteen hundred persons bearing the name of Pratt, and others connected with the various branches by mar­ riage, requesting them to forward their family records, and whatever memorials they had in their possession of such of the descendants as had distinguished themselves in the learned professions, or otherwise entitled themselves to honorable no­ tice as public benefactors. An arrangement was made by which any of the descendants who furnished their daguerreo­ type and twenty-five dollars, should have a handsome litho­ graph inserted in each volume of the work. A goodly num­ ber, as will be seen, availed themselves of the opportunity. Many of those members of the family who have been · applied to for information, have promptly responded to the call. Others, by their indifference and carelessness have con­ tributed, not a little, to the embarrassment of the author in bis endeavors to 'inake a perfect record. The work was ready for the press, so far as the materials to be found in this country were concerned, in the Fall of 1854, but the projectors of it_ were desirous, if possible, to ascertain the home and parentage of their common ancestor, in England, previous to bis embarkation for the Western world. For that 4 PREFACE. purpose the publication was delayed, and agents were em­ ployed, at a large expense, to make investigations in the mother country, which have been highly successful. Although a delay of ten years has occnrr<.'d, the enhanced value of the publication, it is hoped, will be a sufficient compensation to such as have been impatient to hail its appearance. Circulars were sent to all whose address is known, in the Fall of 1863, requesting them to furnish whatever changes had occurred by births, marriages and deaths, in their respective families. Some of them promptly forwarded the desired information, and the work was necessarily, the greater portion of it, re­ written. It must be borne, however, distinctly in mind, by those who consult these pages, that in a majority of cases, the records of families are entered as they were furnished some ten or twelve years ago, without the additions. It will be seen that the female descendants have been in­ cluded to a greater length than in any similar publication of the kind. Particularly, will it be noticed, that the descend­ ants of William Backus and John Kirtland, among the early settlers of Say-Brook, who married daughters of Lieut. Wil­ liam Pratt, are, generally, given. The usual difficulties attending such an enterprise have been fully experienced. In multitudes of instances no re­ sponse has been given to letters repeatedly sent to individuals, requestini:i; dates and other important facts, which could be gathered from no other source. In some cases we have been obliged to address letters to professional men, in the vicinity of the delinquents, and offer them a compensation for gather­ ing the needed information for us. The chirography of such as have returned answers, in cases not infrequent, has been such as was impossible to decipher, obliging us to write a second time, requesting an explanation. Many families have kept no record, but have forwarded lists from memory, and different members of the same families have often disagreed, in the dates furnished. The history of the earlier generations has been made as complete as it could be, by a diligent search of public records, which are the principal sources of information respecting the .PREF.A.CE. 5 early families ; but all the facts sought for were not recorded. Church, Parish and Probate Records, have been, in some in­ stances, lost ; in others, the desired items of information are omitted, and such records often disagree. · In such cases the compiler has selected such names and dates as have seemed to be authorized by the highest authority. ThP. later generations have been collected mainly by exam­ ining family records, and by correspondence with members of the various families now living. Great perplexity has been experienced from the fact that, until quite recently, there has been, during the last hundred years, unwarrantable neglect to register, on public records, the births, marriages and deaths which have occurred in the various towns and parishes. These explanations are gh-en that those persons who do not nnd the account of their families as perfect as they expected, may understand that all reasonable effort has been expended to secure completeness and accuracy. The compiler has care­ fully examined all the records within his reach, and the vari­ ous manuscripts furnished him, and has diligently sought information from all available resources. It has been his constant and earnest aim to furnish a relia­ ble record and history of the family, in its numerous branches. For the errors of recorders and correspondents he can not be held responsible. Manifest errors in the spelling of names have been corrected, according to the best of his judgment, while some peculiarities in the earlier generations have been purposely retained. It is hardly possible in a. work of this kind, to avoid mistakes in deciphering and transcribing so mauy thousand names and dates, many of which are found in record& and manuscripts scarcely legible. It is exceedingly difficult to avoid all errors in printing a volume containing so many dates and figures, even when the copy is complete. Although the sheets, as they have come from the press, have been carefully read before the last impression, by some half dozen different individuals, some errors have escaped the notice of the compiler and his assist­ ant proof-readers. These will be found, principally, corrected at the end of the volume. 6 PREF.A.CE. It is to be regretted that a few families have been so sepa­ rated from their relatives that no trace of them and their descendants has been found. Still, with few exceptions, we think a full and accurate record has been given. The thanks of the author are due to those members of the family who have aided him in his researches. He has been under special obligations to Sylvester Judd, Esq., of Northamp­ ton, Mass., and Nathaniel Goodwin, Esq., of Hartford, both of whom have passed away, and also to James Savage, Esq., of Boston, Mass., the Prince of American Genealogists, and to numerous other persons not connected with the family, for the assistance they have rendered him in bis investigations. As the work will probably fall into the hands of some not extensively versed in genealogies, the author has endeavored to make it as free from intricacies as possible. The descend­ ants of each child of the first settler are distinctly traced by themselves, according to their generations, and are all num­ bered from the beginning. The marginal numbers give each descendant his place in the order of descent, while the head numbers in the middle of the page, corresponding to those in the margin, give the marriages of such as have entered the family relation, and as far as possible the names of their part­ ners, with the dates of their marriage and decease. A full index of the baptismal names of those whose sirname is Pratt, is furnished ; the number of the individual being opposite to the Christian name on the left, and the date of birth on the right; alt!o an index of the descendants bearing other names than those of Pratt, with numbere. and dates to correspond, and a list of those who have married into the Pratt family, with the number of their respective partners on the left, and date of marriage on the right. In conclusion, the work is sent forth with the hope that it will be acceptable to the numerous living members of the family, and that it may stimulate the present. and future gen­ erations to emulate the piety, the love of civil and religious liberty, and that devotion to the common welfare of all, which characterized the early settlers of New England. FREDERICK W. CHAPMAN. E.&.ST HA.lu>ToN, CoNN., July 18, 1864. T.ABLE OF CONTENTS. P.A.GE. Introduction, 9 History of the Pratt Family, • 18 Lineage of different branches of the Pratt Family, 25 Lineage of the Families from which John and Lieut. William Pratt descended, 4-3 Sketch of the Character, Life and Public Services of Lieut. William Pratt, •7 Descendants of Lieut.