Doris Pratt

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First, let me get this out of the way, and tell you that the name Pratt in England means "fool" or "bum," hence "pratfall" and "prattle." I've had several Brits over the years gently ask if I knew that, and that knowledge has kept me humble. It seems that nickname has existed for centuries, and I think it's one reason why dozens of English 'Prat' or 'Pratt' lines of founding fathers came to America in the early 1600s. Not many Pratts seem to be left in Britain today.

    There is nothing like the thrill of genealogy. If you love history, have a deep respect for your ancestors, are a persistent researcher with dogged determination, then you'll do a fine job for your family. These forefathers and foremothers are in your blood, and while they "belong" to all others in your clan, as you discover them, they will always be yours.

    When my friend Toby and I have lunch together, we talk genealogy, and we usually end up with tears in our eyes about some discovery that means so much. We respect and are inspired by each other's work.

   

  

   

    My Pratt family story is very much one of westward migration. It starts in Britain, moves to the New World and then due west along the northern route. 

 

     My first New World ancestor was Macuth Pratt (c. 1595-1672). He came to Massachusetts in 1623 or 1635 from county Buckinghamshire in England and settled in Weymouth. Macuth worked off his passage by May of 1640 when he was declared a freeman, and in 1648 he was voted a "townsman" (selectman). Before he set sail for the New World, he'd married Elizabeth Bate Kingham (b. 1600) in 1619 in Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire, and eventually, they had a total of eight children. When he died in 1672, he was buried in Olde Cemetery in Weymouth.

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    I'm descended from their third son Matthew (1629- c. 1712) born in Weymouth. This Matthew married Sarah Hunt (b. 1640) in 1661. The couple were both deaf and she was also mute.

    This is sourced by no less a reference than Rev. Cotton Mather's Magnalia Christi Americana, first written in 1702. Matthew became sick at age 12 and lost his hearing; he is described as behaving "himself unto the extream satisfaction of good people in the neighbourhood." Sarah lost her hearing at about age 3, and is described as "a grave, gracious and holy woman."

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    I'm descended next from their second son William (1673-1714), who was born in Weymouth, married Hannah Beal (b. 1677) in 1696 or 1700. He was listed in his estate records as a boatman. 

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    Next, and more interestingly, comes their second son Matthew (1709-1774). He married Abigail Smith Peck (b. 1709) in 1735 and bought land from Edmund and Josiah Quincy in 1739 in Braintree, Massachusetts (later part of Holbrook). 

    Despite passing away before the end of the Revolutionary War at about age 65, this Matthew (Sr.) was active in patriotic meetings held in his home, called "Island House" or "Island Light House" at the beginning of the Revolution. Reportedly, he "took part in early movements for independence," and on the committee of "Publick Affairs" in 1774. His early patriotic service to support independence was vital. He seems to have been an important member of the community, with his home a refuge for travellers.1

    He was elected to various positions such as fenceviewer, constable, fire warden, tithingman, and warden during the period 1747-1767. He died in Braintree and was listed as a mason in his will, which named his sons Matthew and Ebenezer as executors. It was witnessed by three Braintree neighbors, two of whom were John Hollis Jr. and Joseph Porter.

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    Again, I'm descended from Matthew Sr.'s second son 

Matthew Jr. (1742-1805), and this is where the fun starts. 

    Matthew Jr. grew up in Island House. He married first Lydia Hunt (b. 1744) with whom he had five children, and later Sarah Jones (b.c. 1750) with whom he had eight more.

    He served on various posts as his father had done. Between 1773-1778 he was a warden, on the Rev. War Committee of 1777 for hiring reinforcements for the Continental Army, a "hogg reave," and excused as a constable.

    At age 34, on April 19th of 1775 he served as minute-man sergeant in Captain Elihu Adams' company (brother of the future President John Adams). Captain Adams was a neighbor of  the Pratts, and had built a house on South Franklin Street, on land left to him by his father Deacon John Adams.

    Sergeant Pratt then served again in the Revolution in 1776 under Captain Eliphalet Sawen's Company, and in 1779 under neighbor Captain Nathaniel Belcher. Other records of service exist, including serving in the Continental Army as an artillerist.

    He may have received a land grant or pension, as he moved most of his younger children west to Shutesbury in Hampshire county Massachusetts after 1780. Following him there was his youngest brother Ebenezer Pratt (b.c. 1752). Matthew Jr. shows up as a Selectman in Shutesbury in 1788, and as a landowner, one of the settlers at "Pratt Corner" in the western part of the town. He died in Holden in Worcester county in 1805 and his estate was divided up among his wife Sarah and his 13 children.

  

  

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    It can't get too much more exciting than being descended from Revolutionary War patriots, and having the same name. I also have several patriots with surnames from wives who married into the Pratt line. As I found out after I discovered my Matthew Pratt(s) Jr. and Sr., there are numerous genealogy societies that can be joined once the paperwork is submitted and the documents are verified. The support of other genealogists can be invaluable for tips and when you hit a dead end.

    Think of the process as PBS's "Finding Your Roots" on steroids. Be prepared for the process to become addictive, as it takes hold and doesn't let go.

    Next up in Part Two, I'll tell you about the westward migration from Massachusetts, to Vermont and later the mid-west, and the Pratt pioneers who founded and settled those small towns.

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1. Colonial and Revolutionary War Soldiers of Holbrook, Massachusetts by Wesley C. Cote, 1976, Holbrook Bicentennial Committee 

   

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