Tilley Pearsall Genealogy Database

Person Page 62

Susan Scott Harshbarger

F, #1526

Parents

FatherWilliam R. Harshbarger (b. 1926, d. 1990)
MotherJean Conrad Phillips (b. 15 May 1924, d. 9 June 2018)
Last Edited23 February 2018

Timothy G. H. Taylor

M, #1527
Last Edited23 February 2018

Jennifer Ann Louise Taylor

F, #1528

Parents

Last Edited23 February 2018

Rachel Nathania Taylor

F, #1529

Parents

Last Edited23 February 2018

Abraham Arnold Tilley

M, #1530, b. 11 January 1852, d. 8 March 1900

Parents

FatherAbraham Henry Tilley (b. 20 September 1813, d. 20 October 1893)
MotherCelinda Barker (b. 24 March 1823, d. 20 July 1896)

Family: Nebraska Brown (b. 23 June 1854, d. 16 July 1934)

DaughterJennie Elizabeth Tilley (b. 24 April 1876, d. 19 October 1964)
DaughterMary Pullen Tilley+ (b. 31 July 1878)
DaughterEdna Chase Tilley (b. 25 December 1879, d. 7 February 1959)
Abram Arnold Tilley, late 1880's.

Biography

Birth11 January 1852Abraham Arnold Tilley was born on 11 January 1852 in Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island.1
Marriage9 September 1874He and Nebraska Brown were married on 9 September 1874 in Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island,1
Newspaper Mention23 March 1889The 23 March 1889 edition of the Newport Mercury, Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island, reported on p. 1 "Mr. Abram A. Tilley has enlarged his market at 158 Broadway seven feet in width by the erection of a one-story addition on the southwest side."
Newspaper Mention6 October 1894The 6 October 1894 edition of the Newport Mercury, Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island, reported on p. 1 "Simeon Hazard has sold for Nathan B. Brown of Middletown his lot on Tilley Avenue to Theodore D. Peckham of this city. The lot is bounded westerly on Tilley Avenue 66 feet, northerly by land of Swinburne Peckham & Co., 75 feet, easterly by land of Celinda B. Tilley 66 feet, and southerly by land of Abram A. Tilley 75 feet and contains 5002 square feet of land."2
Church Affiliation8 January 1898As of 8 January 1898, Abraham was affiliated with First Baptist Church, in Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island. In a newspaper listing of the Officers of the First Baptist Church, several family members are mentioned:
Church Clerk: Abram A. Tilley
[Illegible] Committee: John M. Popple, Herbert C. Tilley
Mrs. John M. Popple is on the Chapel Committee.
Treasurer of the Sunday School: Mrs. Edna C. Chase
Superintendent of Tilley Avenue Sunday School: Edna C. Chase
Death8 March 1900He died on 8 March 1900 at 2 Summer Street in Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island, Death register lists Occupation as Merchant, Cause of death: Abcess of kidney.3
Obituary10 March 190010 March 1900, Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island, Newport Mercury Obituary: (p.1.) Mr. Abram A. Tilley died at his home on Summer Street shortly after six o'clock Thursday evening, in the forty-ninth year of his age. He had been ill but a short time but the disease progressed rapidly. An operation was performed which it was hoped might lead to his recovery and he seemed to improve slightly. The rally was for but a short time however, and he died during the relapse that followed.

Mr. Tilley had long taken an interest in public affairs. In politics he was a Republican and served several terms as a member of the board of aldermen. He was prominent in musical circles as well as in business and politics. For many years he conducted a market on Broadway and his business was successful. A few years ago he, with his brother, Herbert C. Tilley, formed the Hygienic Ice and Water Company, engaged in the manufacture of artificial ice and the sale of pure drinking water. He was a member of Coronet Council, Royal Arcanum.

Mr. Tilley was a son of the late Abram Tilley. He married a daughter of Mr. Joshua Brown. A widow and three daughters survive him. Funeral services will be held at the First Baptist church on Sunday afternoon.
Obituary12 March 190012 March 1900, Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island, Newport Daily News Obituary: on p. 8. FUNERAL OF A.A. TILLEY
Notable Gathering of Friends and Business Associates
The First Baptist Church was Sunday afternoon filled to overflowing to pay a last tribute to the memory of the late Abram A. Tilley. At an earlier hour brief services had been held at the home of the deceased on Summer Street, at which only the large family connection and more intimate friends were present. The body was then escorted to the church by a large number of the members of Coronet Council, Royal Arcanum, under the marshalship of Edwin H. Tilley. The central portion of the church was reserved for the family, relatives and the Arcanum, and the remaining space on the main floor and in the galleries was occupied before the entrance of the funeral party....
Read the complete article, attached.
Last Edited12 July 2022

Citations

  1. [S985] R. Hammett Tilley, Genealogy of the Tilley Family (Newport, R.I.: John P. Sanborn, Steam Book and Job Printer, 1878); digital images, Internet Archive, archive.org (https://archive.org/details/genealogyoftille1878till/page/n4/mode/1up : accessed
  2. [S791] Newport Mercury, Newport, Rhode Island, 6 Oct 1894, p. 1; ()
  3. [S811] Rhode Island Town Records, Newport, 1900, p. 282; familysearch.org database

Nebraska Brown

F, #1531, b. 23 June 1854, d. 16 July 1934

Parents

FatherJoshua Coggeshall Brown (b. 27 February 1828, d. 20 July 1901)
MotherJane Elizabeth Smith (b. 24 February 1830, d. 17 April 1870)

Family: Abraham Arnold Tilley (b. 11 January 1852, d. 8 March 1900)

DaughterJennie Elizabeth Tilley (b. 24 April 1876, d. 19 October 1964)
DaughterMary Pullen Tilley+ (b. 31 July 1878)
DaughterEdna Chase Tilley (b. 25 December 1879, d. 7 February 1959)
Nebraska Brown Tilley, late 1880's.

Biography

Birth23 June 1854Nebraska Brown was born on 23 June 1854 in Nebraska.1
Marriage9 September 1874Abraham Arnold Tilley and she were married on 9 September 1874 in Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island,1
Death16 July 1934She died on 16 July 1934 in Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island,
Burial18 July 1934She was buried on 18 July 1934 at Island Cemetery in Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island.
Obituary20 July 193420 July 1934, Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island, Newport Mercury Obituary: (p. 3.) Newport Mercury (Newport, RI) Fri. July 20, 1934, Page 3
LATE MRS TILLEY'S LIFE WAS EVENTFUL - Was Born in "Covered Wagon" As It Crossed Stillwater River in Nebraska

Mrs. Nebraska Brown Tilley, widow of Abram A. Tilley, who died Monday at the home of her daughter, Miss Edna Chase Tilley, in New York was well known in Newport, having resided there from 1865 until 1910.

Her early life was eventful. Her father, Joshua C. Brown was one of the Western Pioneers, the "Forty-Niners" and the "covered wagon" was history - and romance - to her. She was born in one, as it crossed the Stillwater River in Nebraska, hence her name. Her sister, Mrs. Herbert C. Tilley was born in Nevada and bears that name. Another sister, Mrs. Daniel M. Chase was named California, after the state of her birth; still another sister Miss Esmeralda Brown, still living in Newport with Mrs. Herbert C. Tilley, bears the name of the town in which she was born. A brother, Joshua C. Brown, lives in the west.

Mrs. Tilley was a member of the First Baptist Church of this city, and Rev. Brewer G. Boardman, for many years pastor of that church and now residing in New York officiated at the service this morning held at the Hambly Funeral Home. Relatives and friends attended and sent floral tributes. Members of the family were bearers and interment was in the family plot in the Island Cemetery.

Newport Mercury (Newport, RI) Fri. July 20, 1934, Page 2
DIED - TILLEY, Nebraska Brown, widow of Abram A. Tilley, at New York, Monday, July 16 in the 81st year of her age.
Last Edited5 February 2018

Citations

  1. [S985] R. Hammett Tilley, Genealogy of the Tilley Family (Newport, R.I.: John P. Sanborn, Steam Book and Job Printer, 1878); digital images, Internet Archive, archive.org (https://archive.org/details/genealogyoftille1878till/page/n4/mode/1up : accessed

Jennie Elizabeth Tilley

F, #1532, b. 24 April 1876, d. 19 October 1964

Parents

FatherAbraham Arnold Tilley (b. 11 January 1852, d. 8 March 1900)
MotherNebraska Brown (b. 23 June 1854, d. 16 July 1934)

Family: Edward Frances Weaver (b. 19 September 1851, d. 20 October 1925)

Biography

Birth24 April 1876Jennie Elizabeth Tilley was born on 24 April 1876 in Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island.1
Marriageafter 1910Edward Frances Weaver and she were married after 1910 Jennie was his second wife.

His first wife, Maria Melissa Burgess was born in 1853 and died 7 Jul 1910.
Death of Spouse20 October 1925On 20 October 1925, Jennie suffered the loss of her spouse Edward.
Census9 April 1930She appeared in the census 9 April 1930 in South Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island. Jennie is listed as: a children's nurse, servant, in the household of F. Pelmonth Tootell age 27, married with two young children. He is a college coach.

Jennie is age 54 and widowed.
Newspaper Mention3 October 1930The 3 October 1930 edition of the Newport Mercury, Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island, reported on p. 5 " Mrs. Jennie E. Weaver, formerly of this city and now residing in Providence, has returned from a 10,000 mile tip along the Pacific coast, which required three months. On her return she visited her mother, Mrs. Abram A. Tilley, in New York."
Death19 October 1964She died on 19 October 1964 in Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island,
Obituary20 October 196420 October 1964, Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island, Newport Daily News Obituary:. Mrs. E.T. Weaver, Lived in Aged Home
Mrs. Jennie Tilley Weaver, 88, widow of Edward Weaver, died yesterday at the Home for the Aged on Washington Street.

She was born in Newport April 21, 1876, daughter of Abram and Nebraska Brown Tilley. Her only survivor is a niece.

A service will be held Thursday at 2 pm at the Hambly Funeral Home, the Rev. Tyler L. Johnson, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, will officiate. Burial will be in the Island Cemetery.
Burial21 October 1964She was buried on 21 October 1964 at Island Cemetery in Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island.
Last Edited20 June 2018

Citations

  1. [S985] R. Hammett Tilley, Genealogy of the Tilley Family (Newport, R.I.: John P. Sanborn, Steam Book and Job Printer, 1878); digital images, Internet Archive, archive.org (https://archive.org/details/genealogyoftille1878till/page/n4/mode/1up : accessed

Mary Pullen Tilley

F, #1533, b. 31 July 1878

Parents

FatherAbraham Arnold Tilley (b. 11 January 1852, d. 8 March 1900)
MotherNebraska Brown (b. 23 June 1854, d. 16 July 1934)

Family: Charles Everette Ullman (b. 1876, d. 24 March 1942)

SonEverette Russell Ullman (b. 30 June 1899, d. 25 November 1978)
DaughterCharlotte Marie "Peg" Ullman (b. 10 May 1905, d. 9 June 1988)
SonUrban Chester Ullman+ (b. 7 December 1909, d. 27 March 1982)

Biography

Birth31 July 1878Mary Pullen Tilley was born on 31 July 1878 in Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island.1,2
Marriage14 December 1898Charles Everette Ullman and she were married on 14 December 1898 in Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island, Married by Brewer G. Boardman, Pastor, First Baptist Church3,4
Last Edited5 February 2018

Citations

  1. [S985] R. Hammett Tilley, Genealogy of the Tilley Family (Newport, R.I.: John P. Sanborn, Steam Book and Job Printer, 1878); digital images, Internet Archive, archive.org (https://archive.org/details/genealogyoftille1878till/page/n4/mode/1up : accessed
  2. [S778] Rhode Island Town Records; familysearch.org database
  3. [S148] Debby Pearsall and David B. Tilley Sr., "Family Tree DBT", 1982 (Compiled for Family Reunion Litchfield CT). Hereinafter cited as "Family Tree DBT 1982 Reunion."
  4. [S782] Rhode Island Town Records, Newport, p. 203, 1898; familysearch.org database

Charles Everette Ullman

M, #1534, b. 1876, d. 24 March 1942

Family: Mary Pullen Tilley (b. 31 July 1878)

SonEverette Russell Ullman (b. 30 June 1899, d. 25 November 1978)
DaughterCharlotte Marie "Peg" Ullman (b. 10 May 1905, d. 9 June 1988)
SonUrban Chester Ullman+ (b. 7 December 1909, d. 27 March 1982)

Biography

Birth1876Charles Everette Ullman was born in 1876 in Newton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
Marriage14 December 1898He and Mary Pullen Tilley were married on 14 December 1898 in Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island, Married by Brewer G. Boardman, Pastor, First Baptist Church1,2
Census3 April 1930He appeared in the census 3 April 1930 at 69 State Street in Perth Amboy, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Charles is listed as: Ullman, Charles E (Head, rents home for $50/mo., age 53, married at age 22, b. in Massachusetts, parents born in Canada. Store keeper, Copper works)
Mary P. (Wife, age 51, married at age 20)
Everitt R. (son, age 29, single, cost accountant at electric company)
Death24 March 1942He died on 24 March 1942 in Woodbridge Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey,
Obituary3 April 19423 April 1942, Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island, Newport Mercury Obituary:. Former Newporter Dies in New Jersey
Charles E. Ullman was Member of Rogers High School Class of 1897

Word was received today of the death of Charles E. Ullman at his home, 100 Grove Avenue, Woodbridge, N.J., on March 24. He was a member of the class of 1897 at Rogers High School and formerly lived with his mother, Mrs. Annie P. Ullman, at 113 Touro Street. He had been in the employ of the International Smelting and Refining Company for 42 years. He had been in ill health for about a year.

Mr. Ullman maintained a keen interest in Newport. He was a member of Rhode Island Lodge Odd Fellows, and spent his vacation in this city last September. He had collected much data of old Newport, including many books and prints relating to this city in olden times, including an almost complete file of Newport Historical Society pamphlets.

Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Mary P. (Tilley) Ullman, and three children, Charlotte and E. Russell Ullman, who live in Woodbridge, and U. Chester Ullman in the army.3
Last Edited5 February 2018

Citations

  1. [S148] Debby Pearsall and David B. Tilley Sr., "Family Tree DBT", 1982 (Compiled for Family Reunion Litchfield CT). Hereinafter cited as "Family Tree DBT 1982 Reunion."
  2. [S782] Rhode Island Town Records, Newport, p. 203, 1898; familysearch.org database
  3. [S791] Newport Mercury, Newport, Rhode Island, 3 Apr 1942, p. 3; ()

Charlotte Marie "Peg" Ullman

F, #1535, b. 10 May 1905, d. 9 June 1988

Parents

FatherCharles Everette Ullman (b. 1876, d. 24 March 1942)
MotherMary Pullen Tilley (b. 31 July 1878)

Biography

Birth10 May 1905Charlotte Marie "Peg" Ullman was born on 10 May 1905 in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey.1
Baptism25 December 1905She was baptized on 25 December 1905 at Grace Church in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey. Charlotte Marie's baptism is recorded just below Everette Russell's in the Episcopal Diocese of Newark Church Records (available on ancestry.com) but the clerk wrote the wrong surname. He wrote Renwick, the surname for the next child below them, who was also baptized on the same day. Her baptism record lists her birthdate of 10 May 1905.
Residence1988As of 1988 Charlotte lived at 8 Whittlesey St. in Washington, Litchfield County, Connecticut,1
Death9 June 1988She died on 9 June 1988 in New Milford, Litchfield County, Connecticut,1
Obituary9 September 19889 September 1988, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, Newark Star-Ledger Obituary:. Ullman: Charlotte Marie, 83, of Washington, Conn., formerly of East Orange and Maplewood, devoted sister-in-law of Elizabeth M. Ullman, beloved aunt of Urban C. Ullman Jr., and Charles N. Ullman. Services will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 1 pm in the Trinity Episcopal Church Yard, 650 Rahway Ave., Woodbridge. Rev. Robert Councilman officiating. Contribution may be made to the Connecticut Society to Prevent Blindness, 1 Meriden Rd., Middletown, Conn. 06457. Arrangments by the Greiner-Costello Funeral Home, 44 Green St., Woodbridge.
Last Edited20 June 2018

Citations

  1. [S167] Connecticut Department of Health, Connecticut Death Index 1949-2012 (Hartford, CT: Connecticut Department of Health, 2003), Made available online by Ancestry.com. Hereinafter cited as Connecticut Death Index 1949-2012.

Urban Chester Ullman

M, #1536, b. 7 December 1909, d. 27 March 1982

Parents

FatherCharles Everette Ullman (b. 1876, d. 24 March 1942)
MotherMary Pullen Tilley (b. 31 July 1878)

Family: Elizabeth McOmber (b. 14 June 1911, d. 20 May 2002)

SonCharles N. Ullman
SonUrban Chester Ullman, Jr.

Biography

Birth7 December 1909Urban Chester Ullman was born on 7 December 1909.1
Graduation30 July 1928He graduated 30 July 1928 from Mount Hermon School in Mount Hermon, Massachusetts, Listed as "of Perth Amboy, N.J."
Graduation1932He graduated 1932 in Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut, Trinity College
Graduation17 August 1937He graduated 17 August 1937 from Middlebury College Foreign Language School in Middlebury, Addison County, Vermont, An article in the Burlington Free Press of 18 Aug 1937 listed all the graduates, including Urban C. Ullman of Woodbridge, N. J., Master of Arts, Spanish Language School.
Military Enlistment10 March 1941Urban enlisted in the military on 10 March 1941 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, as a Warrant Officer. He re-enlisted 18 Sep 1942 and was discharged 11 Dec 1945.
Marriage30 June 1945He and Elizabeth McOmber were married on 30 June 1945 in Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, Michigan, Elizabeth's parents werer Fred T. McOmber and Jessie L. Neergaard. Her father was an insurance salesman in Ann Arbor.

Listed in Michigan Marriage Records on ancestry.com.2
Newspaper Mention1 July 1945The 1 July 1945 edition of the Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, reported Bride Wears Mother's Gown:

Ann Arbor: The marriage of Miss Elizabeth McOmber, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Trowbridge McOmber, to Capt. Urban Chester Ullman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Everett Ullman, of East Orange, N.J., was performed on Saturday afternoon at St. Andrews Episcopal Church.

The Rev. Henry Lewis read the service.

The bride, given in marriage by her father, wore her mother's wedding dress -- a gown of ivory satin covered with Alencon lace. It was fashioned with long sleeves and high lace collar. Her tulle veil, adorned with lace, which her great-grandmother had worn, fell from a coronet to the floor. The bridal bouquet was stephanotis and white roses.

April Bride Attends: The Matron of Honor was herself a recent bride, Mrs. Alphonse Favreau, the former Winifred Hall, who wore her wedding gown. The bridesmaids were Margaret Huston, of Ann Arbor, and Miss Kathryn Walsh, of Chicago. They wore the bridesmaid's gowns worn at Mrs. Favreau's wedding in April when the new Mrs. Ullman was an attendant. Their full skirts of yellow net were topped with bodices of Jusi cloth. All wore matching Juliet caps and carried yellow and purple iris.

The best man was Joseph Frank Wiedman and the ushers were Lt. (jg) Henry Loeb III, Maj. Cynan T. Williams, Lt. Harold C. Dawson, Capt. Laurens C. Nicholson, Maj. Roy L. Pell and Lt. (jg) Lloyd J. Tidman.

Immediately following the ceremony was a reception at the Michigan League.

Mrs. Ullman is a graduate of University High School and the University and is a member of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority. Capt. Ullman attended Middlebury College, Vt., and entered the Army in 1940. Following his return from the Pacific theater last January, he has been stationed at the Civil Affairs Training School at the University.
Newspaper Mention18 November 1945The 18 November 1945 edition of the Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, reported Home again are two of the McOmber family. Ted has been discharged from service in the Army after more than three years in the ETO. Mrs. Urban Chester Ullman (Betty McOmber) is with the family while Capt. Ullman is in Braintree, Mass., where he has accepted a teaching position. Betty will join him later in the winter.
Residence1982As of 1982 Urban lived in Washington, Litchfield County, Connecticut,3
Death27 March 1982He died on 27 March 19821
Burial29 March 1982He was buried on 29 March 1982 at Old Judea Cemetery in Washington, Litchfield County, Connecticut.1
Last Edited20 June 2018

Citations

  1. [S287] Find a Grave Website, online www.findagrave.com, Old Judea Cemetery, Washington, Litchfield County, CT
  2. [S148] Debby Pearsall and David B. Tilley Sr., "Family Tree DBT", 1982 (Compiled for Family Reunion Litchfield CT). Hereinafter cited as "Family Tree DBT 1982 Reunion."
  3. [S27] , Social Security Death Index (SSDI), (: Social Security Administration, As updated.)

Elizabeth McOmber

F, #1537, b. 14 June 1911, d. 20 May 2002

Family: Urban Chester Ullman (b. 7 December 1909, d. 27 March 1982)

SonCharles N. Ullman
SonUrban Chester Ullman, Jr.

Biography

Birth14 June 1911Elizabeth McOmber was born on 14 June 1911.1
Military Enlistment18 September 1942Elizabeth enlisted in the military on 18 September 1942 (Army). Chester served as a Warrant Officer.
Marriage30 June 1945Urban Chester Ullman and she were married on 30 June 1945 in Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, Michigan, Elizabeth's parents werer Fred T. McOmber and Jessie L. Neergaard. Her father was an insurance salesman in Ann Arbor.

Listed in Michigan Marriage Records on ancestry.com.2
Newspaper Mention1 July 1945She was mentioned in a newspaper report about Urban Chester Ullman when 1 July 1945 edition of the Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, reported
Military Discharge11 December 1945Elizabeth was discharged from the military on 11 December 1945
Death20 May 2002She died on 20 May 2002 in Connecticut1
Burial1 June 2002She was buried on 1 June 2002 at Old Judea Cemetery in Washington, Litchfield County, Connecticut.1
Last Edited6 February 2018

Citations

  1. [S287] Find a Grave Website, online www.findagrave.com, Old Judea Cemetery, Washington, Litchfield County, CT
  2. [S148] Debby Pearsall and David B. Tilley Sr., "Family Tree DBT", 1982 (Compiled for Family Reunion Litchfield CT). Hereinafter cited as "Family Tree DBT 1982 Reunion."

Charles N. Ullman

M, #1538

Parents

FatherUrban Chester Ullman (b. 7 December 1909, d. 27 March 1982)
MotherElizabeth McOmber (b. 14 June 1911, d. 20 May 2002)
Last Edited22 December 2016

Urban Chester Ullman, Jr.

M, #1539

Parents

FatherUrban Chester Ullman (b. 7 December 1909, d. 27 March 1982)
MotherElizabeth McOmber (b. 14 June 1911, d. 20 May 2002)
Last Edited20 June 2018

Everette Russell Ullman

M, #1540, b. 30 June 1899, d. 25 November 1978

Parents

FatherCharles Everette Ullman (b. 1876, d. 24 March 1942)
MotherMary Pullen Tilley (b. 31 July 1878)

Biography

Birth30 June 1899Everette Russell Ullman was born on 30 June 1899 in Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island. based on his baptism record.

In places his name, and his father's name, are spelled Everette, but he seems to have dropped the final e.
Baptism25 December 1905He was baptized on 25 December 1905 at Grace Church in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey. Everette's baptism is recorded in the Episcopal Diocese of Newark Church Records (available on ancestry.com)
Draft Registration12 September 1918Everette registered for the draft on 12 September 1918, Perth Amboy, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Address: 69 State St., Perth Amboy, Middlesex, NJ. Age:19, Birth June 30, 1899. Machinist Helper. Nearest relative: Charles Everett Ullman, 69 State St., Perth Amboy, NJ. Medium Height, Medium Build, Blue eyes, Brown hair, no disabilities.1
Census3 April 1930He appeared in the household of Charles Everette Ullman in the census 3 April 1930 at 69 State Street in Perth Amboy, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Charles is listed as
Death25 November 1978Everette Russell Ullman died on 25 November 1978 in New Milford, Litchfield County, Connecticut, His death record states single, never married. Residence, Washington, CT. The Social Security death index lists his last residence as 06777 New Preston Marble Dale, Litchfield, CT2
Last Edited20 June 2018

Citations

  1. [S170] WWI Draft Registration Cards 1917-1918, NARA; M1509, 20; (Washington, DC: National Archives & Records Administration), 243 rolls.
  2. [S167] Connecticut Department of Health, Connecticut Death Index 1949-2012 (Hartford, CT: Connecticut Department of Health, 2003), Made available online by Ancestry.com. Hereinafter cited as Connecticut Death Index 1949-2012.

Mason Delano Pratt

M, #1541, b. 23 January 1865, d. 14 October 1947

Parents

FatherRichard Henry Pratt (b. 6 December 1840, d. 15 March 1924)
MotherAnna Laura Mason (b. 12 February 1844, d. 7 August 1927)

Family: Mabel Crane (b. 13 January 1866, d. 23 March 1941)

DaughterSarah Pratt (b. 24 May 1890, d. 27 May 1948)
SonRichard Henry Pratt, II+ (b. 2 December 1891, d. August 1973)
DaughterRoxana Mabel Pratt+ (b. 18 January 1893, d. 19 January 1985)
DaughterMarion Pratt (b. 23 July 1894, d. about 1960)
SonMason Alexander Pratt (b. 29 April 1901, d. February 1976)

Biography

Birth23 January 1865Mason Delano Pratt was born on 23 January 1865 in Delphi, Carroll County, Indiana.1
VisitAugust 1877In August 1877 at the age of 12, Mason traveled from Florida to Jamestown, New York, to live for 18 months with his Uncle Levant and Aunt Eunice. Mason writes that his uncle "owned a prosperous jewelry store on Main Street, made and repaired watches. He was prominent in the Masonic Order as well as many civic affairs, while his wife was a devout and energetic church woman." Mason had been sent by his parents in Florida to have the benefit of better schools, and says he spent a happy year and a half there.
Newspaper Mention1 May 1878He was mentioned in a newspaper report about Richard Henry Pratt when 1 May 1878 edition of the Jamestown Daily Journal, Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York, reported on Pratt's assignment at Fort Marion, Fla.
Census17 June 1880Mason Delano Pratt appeared in the household of Richard Henry Pratt in the census 17 June 1880 at Indian School at Carlisle Barracks in North Middleton Twp, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Richard is listed as
Graduation1887Mason Delano Pratt graduated 1887 from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, with a degree in Civil Engineering. (Member of Tau Beta Pi)
Marriage14 March 1889He and Mabel Crane were married on 14 March 1889 in Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York, As reported in the Carlisle Indian School newsletter: "PRATT-CRANE--On the 14th inst. in Jamestown, N. Y., Mr. Mason D. Pratt, son of Capt. Pratt, to Miss Mabel Crane. The happy couple go directly to Dubuque, Iowa, where Mr. Pratt has engaged in business. The good wishes of the Man-on-the-band-stand and their host of friends at Carlisle go with them. "

The Journal of the Engineering Society of Lehigh University for April 1889 mentions their wedding, and lists Mason as "of Johnstown, Pa."

One of their wedding invitations is in the possession of H. Kilpatrick, see attached.1
EmploymentJune 1889As of June 1889, Mason was employed in Dubuque, Pennsylvania, by Tschirgi & Pratt The Lehigh Burr of 3 Jun 1889 (Vol. 8, No. 16) lists: "Mason D. Pratt, C.P 2 ., formerly Assistant Engineer for the Johnson Steel Street Rail Co., of Johnstown, Pa., has recently entered into co-partnership with M. Tschirgi, Jr., C.PC, City Engineer of Dubuque, Pa. The firm is known as Tschirgi & Pratt, Civil & Sanitary Engineers.
Address1895As of 1895, Mason lived at 356 Spruce in Steelton, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Mason D. Pratt is listed as a civil engineer, P.S. Co.2
Bio Detail1899In the fall of 1899, M. D. Pratt had a technical manual published, titles Street-Railway RoadBed. by Mason D. Pratt and C. A. Alden, Associate Members, American Society of Civil Engineers. Publisher, John Wiley & Sons.
Census7 June 1900He appeared in the census 7 June 1900 at 330 Spruce St in Steelton, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Mason is listed as: head, born Jan 1865, age 35, married 11 years, born in Indiana, both parents born in New York, Homeowner with mortgage.
Mabel, wife, born Jan 1866, age 34, married 11 years, 4 children, 4 living, born in Wisconsin, Father born in Vermont, mother in New York.
Sarah, daughter, born June 1890, age 9.
Richard H., son, born Dec. 1891, age 8.
Roxana, daughter, born Jan 1893, age 7.
Marion, daughter, born July 1894, age 5.
Sarah E. Crane, mother-in-law, born June 1833, age 66, widowed, 3 children, 2 living, born in New York, father born in Connecticut, mother in Vermont.
Maria Washington, servant, black, born June 1871, age 38, widowed, age 39, married 12 years, 1 child, 1 living, born in Virginia.
Lizzie Johnston, servant, black, born Aug. 1874, age 20, single, born in Virginia.
In the 1905 directory his home address is listed as Bellevue and 21st.3
Directory1904As of 1904 Mason was listed in the Steelton, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, directory at 330 Spruce St.4
OccupationJune 1904In June 1904 Mason worked at No. 18 Third St. in Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, as a consulting engineer. Street Railway Review contained the following notice: "Mr. Mason D. Pratt, who for the past 13 years has been connected with the Pennsylvania Steel Co., first as street railway engineer and for the past two and one-half years as engineer in charge of the construction of new shops for the frog and switch department of this company, has resigned that position and will conduct a general engineering business with headquarters at No. 18 Third St., Harrisburg, Pa, giving particular attention to electric railways, power plants and water works. Mr. Pratt graduated from Lehigh University in 1887, his first work after leaving college being with the Phoenix Bridge Co., and later with the Johnson Co., now the Lorain Steel Co."5
Directory1905As of 1905 Mason was listed in the Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, directory at Bellevue and 21st St. It appears they lived at Bellevue Rd from 1905 to 1908, when they moved into town. At that time, homes were just beginning to be built in that area. The development plans are online at the Dauphin County deed office, and the first approved development is dated 1910.

In 2017, this home is 2101 Bellevue Rd. It was built in 1875. It has fallen on sad times, because it has been sold at Sheriff's Sale in 1987, 2006, 2007 and 2011, and "other questionable sale" in 2013 (for $100,000). The next house in the area to be built was in 1890.6
Photo Family Group1905In 1905, in Pennsylvania. Possibly taken at Carlisle, or Harrisburg. I am guessing the date because Alex who was born in 1901 looks about 4. Girls usually lowered their dresses to full length by 16, maybe 15. Sarah was born in 1890, and is wearing a long dress here. One more brother, Dick, is not in the photograph.
Address1908As of 1908, Mason lived at 1000 Green St in Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania. Mason is listed as a consulting engineer, 14 S. 2d, 3d floor.7
Newspaper Mention11 August 1908The 11 August 1908 edition of the Harrisburg Telegraph, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, reported that Pratt has assisted the police department with speed monitoring.
Newspaper Mention16 December 1908The 16 December 1908 edition of the Harrisburg Telegraph, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, reported 4 PENNA. STEEL CO. MEN KILLED AND 4 HURT WHEN BIRDGE FALLS
Newspaper Mention17 December 1908The 17 December 1908 edition of the New York Times, Williamsport, Maryland, reported on the collapse of the Williamsport bridge over the Potomac, during its construction.
Newspaper Mention21 December 1908The 21 December 1908 edition of the Harrisburg Telegraph, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, reported that one of the injured men died, and that the coroner's jury "placed the responsibility on Engineer Mason D. Pratt, of Harrisburg, alleging that he permitted the use of an inferior grade of sand in the pier that fell. Mr. Pratt denied this in a statement made today and furnished a statement for a well known Philadelphia engineer, showing the sand to have been up to the standard." See attached newspaper article for Pratt's statement.
Census27 April 1910He appeared in the census 27 April 1910 at 1100 Green St. East in Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania. Mason is listed as: head, age 45, m1., 21 yrs., b. Indiana, parents b. NY. Civil Engineer. Mabel, wife, age 44, m1, 21 yrs, 6 ch, 5 living. b. Wisconsin, father b. Vermont, mother b. NY.
Sarah, daughter, 19,
Richard H. son, 18, machinist, steel mill,
Roxanne M. daughter, 17, s.,
Marion, daughter, 15, s.,
Alexander M., son, 8,
Sarah Crane mother in law, age 86, widowed, b. NY, parents b. Massachusetts.

(Mason's address in 1910)8
History Note23 June 1910On 23 June 1910 in Court of Appeals of Maryland the following event took place: The court heard Pennsylvania Steel Co. of Philadelphia v. NACE This case concerned an accident that occurred in the construction of a bridge for which Mason D. Pratt was the engineer. The bridge company hired Pratt in July, 1907, to do the design and specifications for a bridge across the Potomac River at Williamsport, MD. In August 0f 1908, the bridge company contracted with Elmore and Hamilton Contracting Co. for the erection of the concrete piers and abutments of the bridge, in accordance with Pratt's plans. The bridge company also contracted with Pennsylvania Steel Company to fabricate, deliver and erect 16 steel girder spans to be placed on the piers.

The piers were constructed beginning in September, 1908. They were about 100 ft. apart. The girders placement commenced in mid-November, carried out by employees of the steel company. The first 9 piers were spanned without issues. On December 15, 1908, the span between piers nine and ten was completed. On December 16, while the crew was engaged in erecting the span between piers ten and eleven, pier ten gave way. The steel superstructure between piers nine and ten crashed into the river.

I need to find a newspaper account of the accident from 1908. It appears that more than one employee were killed, and Nace was one of the injured employees of Pennsylvania Steel. I do not know how this incident affected Mason Pratt or his career.

The case decided on 23 Jun 1910 was an appeal from a lower court, brought by an injured employee, which had been appealed by Pennsylvania Steel. Pennsylvania Steel contended that it was not liable, but the appeals court affirmed the lower court that a "master" cannot avoid liability for providing a safe work situation by blaming an outside contractor, in this case the engineer.

The details are online at https://casetext.com/case/penn-steel-co-v-nace
Photo Family Groupabout 1912About 1912 MD Pratt and family and his parents
Relocation1914In 1914, Mason Delano Pratt moved to Baltimore, Maryland. to take up the position of city engineer.
Directory1914As of 1914 Mason was listed in the Baltimore, Maryland, directory at Roland av nr Belvidere av as Chief Engineer U. Ry. & Elec. Co. The same listing was in the 1915 and 1916 directories.
Photo Family Groupabout 1918About 1918 Pratt Family Photos Two photos at the same brown-shingled house. One of them l. to. r. is Marion, Laura, R.H. Pratt, Dick in uniform, Mabel, Alec, Roxana. The other is Mabel, R.H. Pratt, Marion (?), Dick, Roxana, Laura, Alec. I am guessing this is 1918 because Dick is in uniform, and Alec is clearly older here.

I am puzzled what house this is. I do not know of a house belonging to either R.H. Pratt or Mason D. Pratt, that spans the years of these photos, which can be guessed from Alec's age.
Newspaper Mention22 May 1919He was mentioned in a newspaper report about Roxana Mabel Pratt when 22 May 1919 edition of the The Harrisburg Patriot, Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, reported
Directory1919As of 1919 Mason was listed in the San Diego, San Diego County, California, directory at 3355 Front St. as "Mason D (Mabel C), civ. eng."
Census2 January 1920He appeared in the census 2 January 1920 at 3355 Grant St. in San Diego, San Diego County, California. Mason is listed as: head, owner with mortgage, age 54, civil engineer. Mabel Crane, wife, age 53. Alexander M., son, age 18, single, occupation: none.9
Photo Family Group1922In 1922, in La Jolla, California.
Census2 April 1930He appeared in the census 2 April 1930 at 2103 Huntington Drive in South Pasadena City, Los Angeles County, California. Mason is listed as: head, renting, rent $45 per month, age 65, married at age 24, Civil Engineer. Mabel C, Wife, age 64, married at 23. Marion, Daughter, age 35, Single, Secretary, Mortgage Co.10
AnecdoteJanuary 1931January 1931: The Lehigh Alumni Bulletin contained the following: "The alumni of San Francisco and environs welcomed Okey to California on November 28 with a dinner at the States Hof Brau. That sounds like the real thing and George Bally did his best to help the diners to realize the hopes which were aroused by the name. R.H. Tucker, '79, presided and gave an interesting talk on the first football game at Lehigh, played by the Sophomores and Freshmen in the spring of '75 on a vacant lot in Fountain Hill.....[snip].....It was an intimate Lehigh evening and midnight was close at hand when the good-nights were said. Those present included....Mason D. Pratt, '87...." Of the 15 alumni present, only two, Bally and Tucker, had graduated before Pratt. Most were much younger.
Census18 April 1940He appeared in the census 18 April 1940 at 2233 Divisadero in San Francisco, California. Mason is listed as: S.D. 4, ED 38-516. Apartment Building. Mason D, Head, age 75, college 5 years, Civil Eng., Surety B. , Private Sector, worked 52 weeks, salary $4,000, received income in addition to salary. With Mabel C, wife, age 74, high school 4 years, Housewife.
Death14 October 1947He died on 14 October 1947 in Los Angeles, California,11
Cremation15 October 1947He was cremated on 15 October 1947 at Pierce Brothers Cremation in Los Angeles, California.
Last Edited26 December 2022

Citations

  1. [S75] Mason Delano Pratt, Genealogy of Richard Henry Pratt and his wife Anna Laura Mason Pratt (San Francisco, California: Privately Printed, availble online https://archive.org/details/genealogyofricha00prat/page/6/mode/1up, May, 1943). Hereinafter cited as Pratt Genealogy.
  2. [S635] , Directory of Harrisburg and Steelton (Viewed at https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/007037935: Wl H. Boyd Co., 1895) p. 627
  3. [S81] , 1900 Census Online, Viewed on ancestry.com.
  4. [S636] , Directory of Harrisburg and Steelton (Viewed at https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/007037935: Wl H. Boyd Co., 1904)
  5. [S638] , "", Street Railway Review, Vol. XIV, No. 6 (20 Jun 1904) (Viewed on google books), p. 396
  6. [S637] , Directory of Harrisburg and Steelton (Viewed at https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/007037935: Wl H. Boyd Co., 1905)
  7. [S634] , Directory of Harrisburg and Steelton (Viewed at https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/007037935: Wl H. Boyd Co., 1908) p. 592
  8. [S80] , 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Ancestry.com.
  9. [S76] , Census Online, Viewed on ancestry.com.
  10. [S77] , Census Online, Viewed on ancestry.com.
  11. [S151] State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics, online www.ancestry.com, Center for Health Statistics (Published online by Ancestry.com, viewable by subscription.)

Mabel Crane

F, #1542, b. 13 January 1866, d. 23 March 1941

Parents

FatherGerard Crane (b. 11 March 1815, d. 16 December 1880)
MotherSarah Ellen Roberts (b. 13 June 1823, d. 8 February 1915)

Family: Mason Delano Pratt (b. 23 January 1865, d. 14 October 1947)

DaughterSarah Pratt (b. 24 May 1890, d. 27 May 1948)
SonRichard Henry Pratt, II+ (b. 2 December 1891, d. August 1973)
DaughterRoxana Mabel Pratt+ (b. 18 January 1893, d. 19 January 1985)
DaughterMarion Pratt (b. 23 July 1894, d. about 1960)
SonMason Alexander Pratt (b. 29 April 1901, d. February 1976)

Biography

Family HistoryMabel Crane Pratt's Bequests. Roxana saved a few small pages from a little notebook on which her mother wrote out a list of her possessions that she wanted to leave to family members, and who she wanted to have them. See attached.
Birth13 January 1866Mabel Crane was born on 13 January 1866 in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin.1
Census1 June 1880She appeared in the household of Gerard Crane in the census 1 June 1880 at West River Street in Salamanca, Cattaraugus County, New York. Gerard is listed as
Marriage14 March 1889Mason Delano Pratt and she were married on 14 March 1889 in Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York, As reported in the Carlisle Indian School newsletter: "PRATT-CRANE--On the 14th inst. in Jamestown, N. Y., Mr. Mason D. Pratt, son of Capt. Pratt, to Miss Mabel Crane. The happy couple go directly to Dubuque, Iowa, where Mr. Pratt has engaged in business. The good wishes of the Man-on-the-band-stand and their host of friends at Carlisle go with them. "

The Journal of the Engineering Society of Lehigh University for April 1889 mentions their wedding, and lists Mason as "of Johnstown, Pa."

One of their wedding invitations is in the possession of H. Kilpatrick, see attached.1
Census7 June 1900She appeared in the household of Mason Delano Pratt in the census 7 June 1900 at 330 Spruce St in Steelton, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Mason is listed as2
Photo Family Groupabout 1905About 1905, in Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania. Two photos of Mabel and her girls Mabel is here with Roxana, Sarah (the oldest) and Marion (with glasses). I don't know who the woman with the dark hair is, and I am assuming those are her two girls, a little younger than Marion. The woman on the left is Richenda Pratt, the sister of Mabel's husband, Mason.
Photo Family Group1905In 1905, in Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania. Mabel and her family L. to R., Alex, Marion, Mabel, Grandma Crane, Sarah, Roxana, Dick. I found this photo tucked away in an old folder I had forgotten, and it is the photo that allowed me to identify the house they lived in on Bellevue Rd.
Directory1905She was mentioned in the directory listing of Mason Delano Pratt in 1905 in Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, at Bellevue and 21st St. which said.3
Photo Family Group1905In 1905, in Pennsylvania. Possibly taken at Carlisle, or Harrisburg.
Newspaper Mention1 December 1907She was mentioned in a newspaper report about Nana Laura Pratt when 1 December 1907 edition of the Harrisburg Courier, Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, reported
Newspaper Mention25 March 1908The 25 March 1908 edition of the Harrisburg Telegraph, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, reported that Mabel participated in a musical program at Fahnestock Hall. Fahnestock Hall was in the YMCA, built in 1902.
Newspaper Mention30 October 1908The 30 October 1908 edition of the Harrisburg Telegraph, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, reported that Mrs. Mason D. Pratt and Miss Roxanna Pratt, 1100 Green Street, are at The Preston, Wernersville, for a stay of several weeks.

The South Mountain health resorts, or sanatoriums, west of Reading, PA, attracted many guests from eastern cities in the late 1800's and early 1900's , to enjoy the mountain air, exercise, and health services.

From the website of the <1 href="http://www.berkshistory.org/ " target="new">Berks History Center:
"The 'Preston Sunny Side' summer resort was established by Dr. James S. Preston in 1880 and operated by his son James after 1882. The buildings were of stone and frame, three stories high, and were connected by covered piazzas. There were accommodations for 125 guests. The piazzas commanded a magnificent view of the Lancaster Valley. The grounds were picturesque and attractive, comprising an extensive woodland park. The mountain in the rear of the resort reaching to the doors was studded with large pine, cedar, and dogwood trees. A beautiful sight, especially in the spring of the year. The resort consisted of over 500 acres, mostly woodland. The observatory on the mountain summit presented a panorama, including the most complete view of both the Lancaster and the Lebanon Valleys."

An advertisement for a similar resort, The Mountain Home, in Wernersville, from the 1882 Pennsylvania Gazatteer, is also attached.
Census27 April 1910Mabel Crane appeared in the household of Mason Delano Pratt in the census 27 April 1910 at 1100 Green St. East in Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania. Mason is listed as4
Photo Family Groupabout 1912About 1912 MD Pratt and family and his parents
In household2 January 1920She appeared in the household of Mason Delano Pratt in the census 2 January 1920 at 3355 Grant St. in San Diego, San Diego County, California. Mason is listed as5
Photo Family Group1922In 1922, in La Jolla, California.
In household2 April 1930She appeared in the household of Mason Delano Pratt in the census 2 April 1930 at 2103 Huntington Drive in South Pasadena City, Los Angeles County, California. Mason is listed as6
Census18 April 1940She appeared in the household of Mason Delano Pratt in the census 18 April 1940 at 2233 Divisadero in San Francisco, California. Mason is listed as
Death23 March 1941She died on 23 March 1941 in San Francisco, California, She died of a Cerebral Hemorrhage 4 days before, and the certificate noted that she had previous cerebral accident several years previously.

This fits with the hypothesis that she was the HHT carrier who passed it down to Roxana, and to Mason P Pearsall and his family.1
Cremation24 March 1941She was cremated and interred on 24 March 1941 at Olivet Memorial Park in Colma, San Mateo County, California.
Last Edited26 December 2022

Citations

  1. [S75] Mason Delano Pratt, Genealogy of Richard Henry Pratt and his wife Anna Laura Mason Pratt (San Francisco, California: Privately Printed, availble online https://archive.org/details/genealogyofricha00prat/page/6/mode/1up, May, 1943). Hereinafter cited as Pratt Genealogy.
  2. [S81] , 1900 Census Online, Viewed on ancestry.com.
  3. [S637] , Directory of Harrisburg and Steelton (Viewed at https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/007037935: Wl H. Boyd Co., 1905)
  4. [S80] , 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Ancestry.com.
  5. [S76] , Census Online, Viewed on ancestry.com.
  6. [S77] , Census Online, Viewed on ancestry.com.

Gerard Crane

M, #1543, b. 11 March 1815, d. 16 December 1880

Parents

FatherJames Crane (b. 11 October 1763, d. 17 August 1828)
MotherClarinda Hallock (b. 12 August 1781, d. 20 June 1859)

Family: Sarah Ellen Roberts (b. 13 June 1823, d. 8 February 1915)

DaughterRoxana Ellen Crane (b. 6 September 1841, d. 21 August 1918)
DaughterSarah Janet Crane (b. 1855, d. 1868)
DaughterMabel Crane+ (b. 13 January 1866, d. 23 March 1941)

Biography

AncestryArticle in New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol 27, 1873. The Crane line goes back to early colonial settlers. An 1873 article by Rev. Jonathan Crane stated that most Cranes are descended from one of five early immigrants. Gerard and his family descend from the Benjamin Crane mentioned in this article.



Research NoteLife events. Mason Delano Pratt writes, "After his father's death in 1828, he with his sister Fanny and brother Alexis went to live with his father's brother, Gerard, in North Salem, Westchester Co., N.Y. At the age of 21 he went to Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, where several other members of the family had located. He took up land for a farm near Watertown. About 1864 he and his brother Alexis went to Petrolium Center, PA, and entered the oil refining business and later had refineries at Parkersburg, W. Va.; Pioneer, PA, and Bradford, PA, the family living at Salamanca, N.Y. but moved to Jamestown shortly before his death."
Birth11 March 1815Gerard Crane was born on 11 March 1815 in Richmond, Vermont.1
Census1840He appeared in the household of James Crane in the census 1840 in Jefferson Township, Jefferson County, Wisconsin. James is listed as
Marriage14 June 1840Gerard Crane and Sarah Ellen Roberts were married on 14 June 1840 in Jackson, Washington County, Wisconsin,2
Public Office24 July 1846As of on 24 July 1846, Oakland, Jefferson County, Wisconsin, , Gerard served as Postmaster.
Newspaper Mention16 September 1846The 16 September 1846 edition of the Milwaukee Daily Sentinel, Milwaukee, Washington County, Wisconsin, reported "A new Post Office has been established at Oakland, Jeff. Co., and Gerard Crane appointed P.M."
CensusJuly 1860He appeared in the census July 1860 in Koshkonong, Jefferson County, Wisconsin. Gerard is listed as: Gerard, age 45, Farmer, real estate $5900, personal $650, born Vt.
Sarah E, age 37, born in NY
Roxanne E., age 18, born in Wisconsin,
Wyman A. H., male, age 8, born in Wisconsin,
Sarah J., age 4, born in Wisconsin.

Wyman A.H. is Wyman Alexander Hart, the son of Gerard's sister Jane, who died within a month of Wyman's birth. Sarah and Gerard raised Wyman, and according to the Crane Genealogy, Wyman took the name Crane as an adult. As of the writing of the Genealogy, he lived in Chautauqua County, New York.
Newspaper Mention2 November 1860The 2 November 1860 edition of the Watertown News, Watertown, Jefferson County, Wisconsin, reported on some political shenanigans that rubbed Gerard the wrong way. See attached article.
Census2 August 1870He appeared in the census 2 August 1870 in Lubeck, Wood County, West Virginia. Gerard is listed as: Gerard, age 55, Oil Refiner, personal estate of $3000, born W. Va
Sarah, age 47, Keeping House, born in NY
Wyman, age 18, male, Clerk in Oil Refinery, born in Wisconsin
Mabel, age 4, born in Wisconsin
Conch, Ellen, age 28, Domestic Servant, born in Va.
Roberts, Marvin, age 21, Hand in oil Ref, born in Wisconsin

Oil drilling in West Virginia took off in about 1860, with the development of several wells by the Rathbones brothers, at Burning Springs on the Little Kanawha River, east of Parkersburg. The Civil War caused a setback in further development, but after the war, well drilling increased rapidly, and by 1876, there were 292 wells in the state. The Volcano oil field east of Parkersburg was very active from 1865 - 1870 and beyond. This phase of oil production in West Virginia continued until around 1900 and then declined, as natural gas production was growing.

The oilfields in West Virginia were booming at the same time the oilfields in Pennsylvania. Capt. Drake drilled the first well in Titusville, Venango County, PA in 1859. Other boomtowns quickly arose nearby, including Petroelum Center, Pithole and Oil City. By 1871, the Oil City was shipping more than a million barrels of oil a year.3
Census1 June 1880He appeared in the census 1 June 1880 at West River Street in Salamanca, Cattaraugus County, New York. Gerard is listed as: Crane, Gerard (age 66) married, oil operator, born in Vermont and parents also)
Sarah (age 57, wife, Keeping House, born in New York and parents also)
Mabel (age 15, daughter, single, born in Wisconsin)
Death16 December 1880He died on 16 December 1880 in Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York, Gerard, age 66, married, oil operator,
Sarah, age 57, wife, keeping house,
Mabel, age 15, daughter, single.1
Burial18 December 1880He was buried on 18 December 1880 in Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York.
Obituary18 December 188018 December 1880, New York City, New York County, New York, The New York Times Obituary:. Mr. Gerard Crane, 66 years of age, died at Jamestown, N. Y. yesterday morning. He was one of the pioneer oil producers of Western Pennsylvania.
Reminiscence1943Reminiscence. Mason D. Pratt wrote "I never knew Gerard Crane but from all I learned of him he was a kind and considerate husband and father as well as a man of rugged integrity. Gerard, with his favorite brother, Alexis, was lured from his Wisconsin farm to seek a fortune in the newly discovered oil fields of Pennsylvania. They built and operated refineries on Oil Creek and elsewhere. Gerard was an inventor and held patents on stills. The Standard Oil Co. urged him to join its fast growing organization, but he considered its methods unethical and preferred to be independent. Wherever the Cranes set up a refinery the Standard would undersell them and drove them from field to field until the brothers had to accept defeat and failure. What a different story it might have been if they had 'played along' with old John D. In all probability I would never have met the daughter."4
Last Edited26 December 2022

Citations

  1. [S75] Mason Delano Pratt, Genealogy of Richard Henry Pratt and his wife Anna Laura Mason Pratt (San Francisco, California: Privately Printed, availble online https://archive.org/details/genealogyofricha00prat/page/6/mode/1up, May, 1943). Hereinafter cited as Pratt Genealogy.
  2. [S639] Wisconsin County Marriages 1836-1911: 1536; Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin
  3. [S84] , Census Online, Viewed on ancestry.com.
  4. [S75] Mason Delano Pratt, Pratt Genealogy, p.28.

Sarah Ellen Roberts

F, #1544, b. 13 June 1823, d. 8 February 1915

Parents

FatherJesse K. Roberts (b. 19 October 1788, d. 25 June 1852)
MotherBetsy Ives (b. 16 July 1795, d. 26 September 1880)

Family: Gerard Crane (b. 11 March 1815, d. 16 December 1880)

DaughterRoxana Ellen Crane (b. 6 September 1841, d. 21 August 1918)
DaughterSarah Janet Crane (b. 1855, d. 1868)
DaughterMabel Crane+ (b. 13 January 1866, d. 23 March 1941)

Biography

Birth13 June 1823Sarah Ellen Roberts was born on 13 June 1823 in Fenner, Madison County, New York. Mason Delano Pratt says that Sarah was "from" Fenner. Not sure if she was born there.1
Marriage14 June 1840Gerard Crane and she were married on 14 June 1840 in Jackson, Washington County, Wisconsin,2
CensusJuly 1860She appeared in the household of Gerard Crane in the census July 1860 in Koshkonong, Jefferson County, Wisconsin. Gerard is listed as
Census2 August 1870She appeared in the household of Gerard Crane in the census 2 August 1870 in Lubeck, Wood County, West Virginia. Gerard is listed as3
Census1 June 1880She appeared in the household of Gerard Crane in the census 1 June 1880 at West River Street in Salamanca, Cattaraugus County, New York. Gerard is listed as
Lived1890As of in 1890, Sarah lived at in Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, at the home of her daughter, Mabel, where she spent the rest of her life.
Directory1892As of 1892 Sarah was listed in the Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, directory at 356 Spruce St. as Sarah E., widow of Gerard. This is the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Mabel and Mason Pratt. She did not appear at this address in the 1891 directory. She also appeared at this address in the directory in 1893 and 1894.
Census7 June 1900She appeared in the household of Mason Delano Pratt in the census 7 June 1900 at 330 Spruce St in Steelton, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Mason is listed as4
Photo Family Group1905In 1905, in Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania. Mabel and her family
Directory1907As of 1907 Sarah was listed in the Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, directory at Belle Vue. This was the big Victorian house out in the country (at that time) where Mason and Mabel Pratt were living.
Census27 April 1910She appeared in the household of Mason Delano Pratt in the census 27 April 1910 at 1100 Green St. East in Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania. Mason is listed as5
Death8 February 1915She died on 8 February 19151
Reminiscence1943Mason D. Pratt wrote: "Sarah Ellen Roberts Crane was for twenty-five years a member of her youngest daughter's household. She was the perfect mother-in-law, a sweet and lovable character. Grandma Crane was devout, she read her Bible daily and through each year. She was always kind, helpful and unruffled. Never in all those years did I know her to complain, show anger or say an unkind word. She was an artist with the needle and produced many pieces of embroidery in colored silks, of flowers true to nature in coloring and shading, also original designs of perfect symmetry. These pieces are now precious heirlooms of her grandchildren. While she helped unstintingly in the sewing and mending of a growing family she had but one aversion -- she refused to darn socks for anyone except her son-in-law. In addition to all these virtues she was a master in the fine art of cooking and taught her school-teacher daughter so well that the daughter was able in later years to pass on her skill to her children and to many fortunate maids.6
Last Edited7 September 2017

Citations

  1. [S75] Mason Delano Pratt, Genealogy of Richard Henry Pratt and his wife Anna Laura Mason Pratt (San Francisco, California: Privately Printed, availble online https://archive.org/details/genealogyofricha00prat/page/6/mode/1up, May, 1943). Hereinafter cited as Pratt Genealogy.
  2. [S639] Wisconsin County Marriages 1836-1911: 1536; Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin
  3. [S84] , Census Online, Viewed on ancestry.com.
  4. [S81] , 1900 Census Online, Viewed on ancestry.com.
  5. [S80] , 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Ancestry.com.
  6. [S75] Mason Delano Pratt, Pratt Genealogy, p.28.

James Crane

M, #1545, b. 11 October 1763, d. 17 August 1828

Parents

FatherThaddeus Crane (b. 27 March 1728, d. 1 September 1803)
MotherSarah Paddock (b. 13 June 1730, d. 19 February 1777)

Family 1: Sally Hallock (b. 17 April 1768, d. 12 March 1802)

DaughterLaura Crane (b. 15 December 1793, d. 12 February 1871)
SonThaddeus Crane (b. 29 July 1795, d. 28 November 1842)

Family 2: Clarinda Hallock (b. 12 August 1781, d. 20 June 1859)

DaughterSarah "Sally" Crane (b. 26 April 1805, d. 28 June 1871)
DaughterClarinda Crane (b. 11 February 1807, d. 31 December 1891)
DaughterBetsey Crane (b. 14 March 1809, d. 28 July 1842)
DaughterFanny Crane (b. 9 March 1811, d. 1 May 1886)
SonJames Crane (b. 13 April 1813, d. 30 March 1897)
SonGerard Crane+ (b. 11 March 1815, d. 16 December 1880)
DaughterLoretta B. Crane (b. 7 August 1817, d. 20 September 1845)
SonAlexis Crane (b. 27 April 1820)
SonThomas Crane (b. 12 May 1822, d. 21 February 1909)
DaughterJane Maria Crane (b. 1 August 1824, d. 30 March 1852)
DaughterMartha T. Crane (b. 29 May 1828, d. 18 May 1890)

Biography

BiographyFrom Ellery Bicknell Crane's "Crane Genealogy", volume II, pp. 96 and 97, attached but hard to read:

#658. James Crane (5) [235], (Thaddeus (4), Joseph (3), Jonathan (2), Benjamin (1)), married 1st, Sally Hallock. She was born April 17, 1768, and died March 12, 1802. 2d, June 22, 1803, Clarinda Hallock. She was born Aug. 12, 1781. He removed from North Salem, N.Y. to Richmond, Vt. Two children were the result of the first marriage, and eleven by the second. He was a private in the Revolutionary war; served in Telford's, Hunter's Drake's and Truesdell's companies, Col Albert Pauling's regiment, 1779; also in Col. Thaddeus Crane's regiment, 1779-80-81; and Col. William Malcolm's regiment. He died Aug. 17, 1828, at Richmond, Vt. His wife Clarinda died Jan. 20, 1859, at Fort Atkinson, Wis.1
Birth11 October 1763James Crane was born on 11 October 1763 in North Salem, Westchester County, New York.2
Baptism25 December 1763He was baptized on 25 December 1763 at Church of Christ in Salem, Westchester County, New York.3
MarriageHe and Sally Hallock were married, date unknown
Census1800He appeared in the census 1800 in Richmond, Chittenden County, Vermont. James is listed as: One male under 10,
1 male 16-25,
1 male 26-44,
one female under 10,
one female 26-44.

Also on this page, Peter Crane is shown with 2 boys and 5 girls. James had a brother Peter, who would have been 39 in 1800, and had at least 2 boys and 5 girls per the Crane Genealogy.

Also on this page, Stephen Hallock, listed as 45 and over, and his wife also 45 and over, with several older children, and next to Stephen, Content C. Hallock (listed in "The Hallock-Holyoke Pedigree and Collateral Branches in the United States" by Charles and William Allen Hallock, as Stephen's son).

Stephen has 2 girls in the 16-25 age range. One of these could possibly be Clarinda, age 19. No daughters are listed for Stephen in the genealogies, but he has 2 females 16-25 in this census.

Also on this page, not shown on the screen print, is John Hallock, listed between 3 Stevens families (Arnold, James Jr., and James). John is shown with 3 little boys, he is 26-44, and one little girl and wife 26-44.
Marriage22 June 1803He and Clarinda Hallock were married on 22 June 1803
Census1810He appeared in the census 1810 in Richmond, Chittenden County, Vermont. James is listed as: James is listed with 1 male 10-15,
1 male 45+,
3 girls under 10,
1 girl 16-26, and
1 female 26-44

By 1810, Sally had died and James had remarried to Clarinda, who was 29 in 1810.

John, Isaac, and Joseph Hallock both have listings on the same page. Joseph is 26-44, and has 11 children. Isaac is 25 or under, and has 2 little girls. John is 26-44, and has 5 boys and 2 girls.
On the next page is Stephen Hallock, 45+ as well as his wife, with 8 children and young adults.
These Hallocks are all consistent with Stephen Hallock and his sons as documented in the genealogy books.
Death17 August 1828He died on 17 August 1828 in Richmond, Chittenden County, Vermont,2
Burial19 August 1828He was buried on 19 August 1828 in Richmond, Chittenden County, Vermont. Ancestry.com has a collection called Vermont, Vital Records, 1720-1908, based on data from NEHGS. This contains a burial card from the Richmond Town Clerk, 1919, listing James'' death (August 17, 1829) at age 66 years, and listing the Cemetery as "Village". There are 11 Crane's listed in Richmond Village Cemetery on Findagrave, including James's son Thaddeus (with his first wife, Sally Hallock), and a grandson, James Gerard Crane, who died at age 15 in 1856.

The death date of 1829 is also listed in the "Genealogy of the Crane Family." (p.52). If he died in August of 1829, he would have been two months shy of age 66.

James has a stone in Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin, with his 2nd wife Clarinda, and 3 of their daughters. This stone lists his death year as 1828.

Alton Rogers, a Crane descendant, states "I think the stone was made prior to 1900 by their son, my ancestor, Thomas Crane, who made a similarly nice stone for himself and his two wives. James died in Vermont and was first buried there and believe his remains were later disinterred and shipped to Wisconsin for burial." (Email to Holly Kilpatrick, 2017).
Last Edited13 April 2018

Citations

  1. [S757] Ellery Bicknell Crane, Genealogy of the Crane Family, Vol. II: Section on Descendants of Benjamin Crane of Wethersfield, Conn. (Worcester, Mass.: Charles Hamilton Press, 1900), pp. 96-97; digital images, Archive.org, (https://archive.org/stream/genealogyofcrane02cran#page/n6/mode/1up : accessed
  2. [S75] Mason Delano Pratt, Genealogy of Richard Henry Pratt and his wife Anna Laura Mason Pratt (San Francisco, California: Privately Printed, availble online https://archive.org/details/genealogyofricha00prat/page/6/mode/1up, May, 1943). Hereinafter cited as Pratt Genealogy.
  3. [S834] New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, New York Genealogical and Biographical Record (New York City: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, n.d.), Vol XXXII, No. 2, Apr 1901, p. 74; digital images, ( : accessed; Records of the Church of Christ in Salem, Westchester Co., NY

Clarinda Hallock

F, #1546, b. 12 August 1781, d. 20 June 1859

Parents

FatherStephen Hallock (b. 31 October 1736, d. 31 October 1802)
MotherElizabeth Chamberlain (b. 27 June 1741, d. March 1812)

Family: James Crane (b. 11 October 1763, d. 17 August 1828)

DaughterSarah "Sally" Crane (b. 26 April 1805, d. 28 June 1871)
DaughterClarinda Crane (b. 11 February 1807, d. 31 December 1891)
DaughterBetsey Crane (b. 14 March 1809, d. 28 July 1842)
DaughterFanny Crane (b. 9 March 1811, d. 1 May 1886)
SonJames Crane (b. 13 April 1813, d. 30 March 1897)
SonGerard Crane+ (b. 11 March 1815, d. 16 December 1880)
DaughterLoretta B. Crane (b. 7 August 1817, d. 20 September 1845)
SonAlexis Crane (b. 27 April 1820)
SonThomas Crane (b. 12 May 1822, d. 21 February 1909)
DaughterJane Maria Crane (b. 1 August 1824, d. 30 March 1852)
DaughterMartha T. Crane (b. 29 May 1828, d. 18 May 1890)
Clarinda Hallock Crane

Biography

BiographyDiscussion of parents of Clarinda: In Lucius H. Hallock's "A Hallock Genealogy" (1926), Clarinda's parents were listed as the fourth John Hallock.

I have seen a note on a Rootsweb database (Kansas Pioneers by silverfox229) that says that the "1992 Addendum to A Hallock Genealogy" by the Hallock Family Association, Gateway Press, Baltimore, 1992 corrects her father to Stephen (Benjamin, John, William, Peter). I have not seen the book, I will try to order through interlibrary loan.

A Hallock researcher with whom I have corresponded, Alton Rogers, spent quite a bit of time attempting to prove that Clarinda (and her sister Sally) were the children of John Hallock and Hannah Dickenson. What he proved to his own satisfaction was that they were NOT the children of John and Hannah. He had researchers check the Quaker Meeting records in New York, and also checked with experienced researchers of Mayflower descendants, because the John Hallock/Hannah Dickenson line qualifies for Mayflower descendant status.

In his Rootsweb database, Alton had listed John and Hannah (Dickenson) Hallock as Clarinda's parents, but later decided that was incorrect, and now the Rootsweb database is closed and he cannot change it. In his WikiTree database, he has used Stephen and Elizabeth, and I am doing the same here.

The FindaGrave record for Stephen Hallock, whom I have listed as Clarinda and Sally's father, lists them as daughters, but does not provide a source.

In "The Hallock-Holyoke Pedigree" by Charles Hallock, 1906, Clarinda and Sarah were listed as the daughters of John 5th, the son of John 4th. However, the book lists John 5th as marrying Malinda Parmenter. See attached excerpt on John 5th, Friends' preacher. Alton Rogers' Rootsweb database provides information on John 5th and his family.

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:1833111&id=I586096630

However, the only Malinda Parmenter Hallock on Findagrave was born much later (1823-1907), and was the wife of a Richard B. Hallock. They are buried in Warnock Cemetery, Princeton, Indiana.
Birth12 August 1781Clarinda Hallock was born on 12 August 1781.1
Marriage22 June 1803James Crane and she were married on 22 June 1803
Death20 June 1859She died on 20 June 1859 in Fort Atkinson, Jefferson County, Wisconsin,1
Burial22 June 1859She was buried on 22 June 1859 at Lakeview Cemetery in Fort Atkinson, Jefferson County, Wisconsin.2
Last Edited7 February 2024

Citations

  1. [S75] Mason Delano Pratt, Genealogy of Richard Henry Pratt and his wife Anna Laura Mason Pratt (San Francisco, California: Privately Printed, availble online https://archive.org/details/genealogyofricha00prat/page/6/mode/1up, May, 1943). Hereinafter cited as Pratt Genealogy.
  2. [S287] Find a Grave Website, online www.findagrave.com, Lakeview Cemetery, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin

Richard Henry Pratt

M, #1547, b. 6 December 1840, d. 15 March 1924

Parents

FatherRichard Smalley Pratt (b. 1817, d. after September 1850)
MotherMary Herrick (b. 20 September 1816, d. about April 1898)

Family: Anna Laura Mason (b. 12 February 1844, d. 7 August 1927)

SonMason Delano Pratt+ (b. 23 January 1865, d. 14 October 1947)
DaughterMarion Cora Pratt+ (b. 2 October 1868, d. 15 October 1952)
DaughterNana Laura Pratt+ (b. 27 July 1871, d. 5 December 1957)
DaughterRichenda Henrietta Pratt+ (b. 25 August 1882, d. 23 October 1915)

Biography

GenealogyHenry's son, Mason D. Pratt, compiled a genealogy of his family, which he published privately May 1943 in California. This is the source for much of the information of this line on my website. The 40 page booklet has been digitized by Google and is available online at Genealogy of Richard Henry Pratt and his wife, Anna Laura Mason Pratt
MemoirsPratt's autobiography is Battlefield and Classroom, published 1964, Yale University Press, and republished by University of Oklahoma, 2003. The book begins with his deployment to Fort Arbuckle in 1867 and covers his career during the Indian Wars, his years at Fort Marion in Florida, and the establishment and operation of the Indian School at Carlisle, PA.
BiographyRichard Henry Pratt's official biography, by Elaine Goodale Eastman, "Pratt, The Red Man's Moses" is available online at Pratt, The Red Man's Moses.

Elaine Goodale Eastman was herself an interesting person, and Theodore D. Sargent has written a biography of her life, "The Life of Elaine Goodale Eastman" (2005).
BiographyBrief Online Overview of his life: The Texas State Historical Association has a good brief biography of Pratt in their online Handbook of Texas, due to his Indian War experiences there. This online article is based on Eastman's biography.
BiographyHonors Thesis: Lindsay Peterson, a student at Colby College, wrote an honors thesis in 2013 entitled "Kill the Indian, Save the Man," Americanization through Education: Richard Henry Pratt's Legacy. Her paper gives a balanced view of his educational efforts.
BiographyDictionary of American Biography, Vol 15, p. 175 has a summary of his life history. It is available online at Archive.org.
BiographyCarlisle vs. Army by Lars Anderson, a book primarily about the Carlisle football team and Jim Thorpe, touches on Pratt. On page 42, the author makes the statement, "Pratt was the son of a missionary, and the notion that anyone could be saved by submitting to a higher power -- or a higher authority -- was drilled into him at an early age." Anderson does not specifically source that sentence, but his source for Pratt's childhood on p. 42 is Utley's Battlefield and Classroom, the entire Introduction by Utley. I see no mention of missionary parentage in that Introduction. I have never seen anything to lead me to believe that either Richard Smalley Pratt or Mary Herrick were missionaries.

The question of the Pratt ancestry of R. H. Pratt is a big genealogical brick wall, and none of the biographies of Pratt seem to have any information about it.
Birth6 December 1840Richard Henry Pratt was born on 6 December 1840 in Rushford, Allegany County, New York.1
Note1846In 1846, in Logansport, Cass County, Indiana, According to the History of Cass County, "Gen. Richard Henry Pratt, born in New York, 1840, came with his father, Richard S. Pratt, to Logansport, 1846, served in the Ninth Indiana and Second Indiana Cavalry and was promoted to a captaincy."2
Death of Fatherabout 1850About 1850, Richard suffered the loss of his father
Anecdote18501850: Based on the 1850 census, M.D. Pratt's compilation and various other sources, he was known as Henry at this time. My (HK) software (RootsMagic) creates sentences using the first name, so this page will often say Richard. The same goes for his wife, Anna Laura -- in her family she was known as Laura, but RootsMagic will write sentences using Anna.
Census24 September 1850He appeared in the household of Mary Herrick in the census 24 September 1850 in Eel Township, Cass County, Indiana. Mary is listed as3
Occupation1853In 1853 Richard worked in Logansport, Cass County, Indiana, as a printer's devil (apprentice) at $1.50 a week, after leaving school at age 13. Since his father had been killed in California when he was 10, he began to contribute to the family's income at a young age.4
Occupation1858In 1858 Richard worked in Delphi, Carroll County, Indiana, as a tinsmith for Nicholas Smith. He lived in the Smith home during the years he worked here, until he enlisted in the army at the start of the Civil War.4
Anecdote18591859: Sarah Smith, the daughter of Henry's master, married William W. Pratt in 1879, and wrote a book titled "The Old Crop in Indiana", published in Indianapolis by her husband's business, The Pratt Poster Co., in 1928. (It appears to be totally coincidental that she married a Pratt.) The book is available on Ancestry.com.

I would love to quote many excerpts from it, because they give a very lively picture of the environment and society that Henry lived in during these years. His master, Nick Smith, was a very respected and outspoken man in the community. I encourage anyone wanting to learn more about life in Indiana in those days to read the book.

Here I am attaching screen prints of several pages where Sarah writes about our Henry Pratt.
Census18 August 1860He appeared in the census 18 August 1860 in Delphi, Carroll County, Indiana. Richard is listed as: age 19, living in the household of Nicholas Smith, age 48, Tinner, and the Smith family. Nicholas Smith, age 48, born in Maryland. Catharine A.P. (Armour), born in Ohio. Arthur, 18, Clerk, born Ohio. Lucius, 13, born in Indiana. Frank (10), Sarah (6), and Anna (5) born in Indiana. Sarah Armour, age 60, born in PA. Henry Pratt, 19, Tinner, born in NY. Hanora Treachy, 20, domestic, born in Ireland.5
History Note12 April 1861On 12 April 1861 in Fort Sumter, South Carolina, the following event took place: The Civil War started with the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter.
Military Enlistment22 April 1861Richard enlisted in the military on 22 April 1861 in Indiana (10 days after the start of the Civil War) in the Ninth Indiana Infantry, Company A, as a corporal for 3 months, mustered out on 29 Jul 1862 in Indianapolis. This regiment fought on 8 Jul 1861 at Laurel Hill, WV, and in July at Bealington, WV. His son Mason compiled a military record of his father's service, and writes, "In action at Phillipi, June 3; Laurel Hill, July 7; Bealington, July 10; Carrick's Ford, July 12-14; in pursuit of Garnett's forces, July 14-17."6,7
Military Reenlistment18 September 1861Richard reenlisted in the military on 18 September 1861 in the 2nd Indiana Cavalry, Company A, as a sergeant, and served this enlistment through 10 Apr 1864. The regiment went first to Camp Wickliffe, KY.

Some excerpts from Henry's Civil War diary, covering March 1862 - October 1862, are included in his son's genealogy, which is online and linked above under the Genealogy item. The diary can be found beginning on page 34 at that link.

For Henry's Civil War record, see the attached list of the movements of his units during the war, compiled by Henry's son Mason.6,8
Military TransferOctober 1863Richard received a military transfer October 1863 in Indiana to a recruiting assignment. During this assignment, Henry met Laura Mason, who had traveled from Jamestown, NY to visit her sister Harriet in Delphi. They were soon engaged, and married before he rejoined his unit.
Marriage12 April 1864He and Anna Laura Mason were married on 12 April 1864 at the home of her sister Harriet Pickard in Delphi, Carroll County, Indiana, Officiated by James W. Greene.
Military Reenlistment20 April 1864Richard reenlisted in the military on 20 April 1864 in Indiana in Company C, 11th Indiana Cavalry Regiment as a Full 1st Lieutenant.
Military Promotion1 August 1864Richard received a promotion on 1 August 1864 to Full Captain.
Child Born23 January 1865On 23 January 1865 at the home of Laura's sister Harriet Pickard, in Delphi, Carroll County, Indiana, Richard and Anna had their first child, Mason Delano. His biographer, Elaine Eastman, writes that during his first year of married life, he "was granted one leave of two weeks, and a second of twenty-four hours in which to greet his first-born son." (p.19)
Military Discharge29 May 1865Richard was discharged from the military on 29 May 1865
OccupationJune 1865In June 1865 Richard worked in Logansport, Cass County, Indiana, as in the hardware business.
Photo Family Group1866In 1866, in Indiana. Henry, Seth and Matt Pratt
Note1867In 1867, According to the History of Cass County, Indiana, "In 1867, on the recommendation of Schuyler Colfax, he was appointed a lieutenant in the regular army."2
Military Enlistment7 March 1867Richard enlisted in the military on 7 March 1867 10th Cavalry in Indiana Appointed and commissioned 2nd Lieutenant. On the same day, he was breveted 1st Lieutenant and Captain, "for gallant and meritorious services during the War." A brevet rank is conferred as a recognition, but does not usually carry the authority or pay of the higher rank.

The Tenth Cavalry was organized in the summer of 1866 and was composed of black enlisted men and white officers. The Tenth Cavalry was deployed to the Kansas plains against Indian war parties. They acquired the title Buffalo Soldiers which became a term of pride.
Military NoteMay 1867I have enjoyed tracing Pratt's career during his Indian Wars service on the Plains, at Fort Arbuckle, Fort Sill and Camp Supply, directly from source documents, digital images available on Ancestry.com of the Returns from Regular Army Cavalry Regiments. Clips from these returns are attached to some of the military record entries below. This collection includes the monthly returns from the 9th and 10th Calvary Units of the U.S. Army.  These two units were the first peacetime units of enlisted African-Americans and the enlisted men were known as “Buffalo Soldiers.” Both units were formed in 1866 with white officers commanding the enlisted men. The units went on to fight in the Indian Wars and the Spanish-American War during that era. The monthly returns were used to report on the strength of each regiment, including total numbers of men present, absent, sick, or on extra duty, as well as happenings during the month. Officers were listed by name, as were enlisted men who were absent, on special duty, or who joined or left the unit during the month.

S. L. Davis, a descendant of Sgt. Henry Parker, one of the enlisted men in the same company as R. H. Pratt, has created an excellent website Buffalo Soldiers & Indian Wars about the Buffalo Soldiers, the activities of those years, the battles, the Indians, and many other aspects of the time.
Military AssignmentJune 1867As of June 1867, in Fort Arbuckle, Indian Territory, Oklahoma, Richard was assigned to Company D. The Notes of the June 1867 Regular Army Returns says, "Co. D. left Fort Gibson, Indian Nation (now in eastern Oklahoma) June 25th en route to Ft. Arbuckle, distance marched during the month, 105 miles.

There is another Return also dated June 1867 that listed activities dated July 1867, which shows R. H. Pratt at Ft. Smith, Ark, and states "Detached Service since July 16. Dated (unreadable) Post Fort Arbuckle per C. O. No. ___"9,10
TravelJuly 1867In July 1867 Richard Henry Pratt traveled in Fort Arbuckle, Indian Territory, Pratt and his wife Anna Laura met at Ft. Smith, to travel to their new home at Fort Arbuckle. Laura was 23 years old, and their son was 2 and a half. Pratt writes, "I had arranged that Mrs. Pratt with our baby boy should leave our home at Logansport, Indiana, come by rail to Memphis, and by boat up the Arkansas River to Fort Smith, where I would meet her at a date in July." As Pratt journeyed from Fort Arbuckle to Fort Smith, they found numerous cases of cholera among the troops en route. Pratt borrowed a spring wagon (also called an ambulance in those days) at Fort Gibson from the commanding officer, and drove to Fort Smith to fetch his wife, 90 miles along the Arkansas River.

When Laura and little Mason arrived in Memphis and inquired the way to her hotel, she was told that the hotel was under quarantine due to cholera, and she should go directly to the steamer for Fort Smith, and stay there until it left 2 days later. From Memphis, the steamer went down the Mississippi to the Arkansas River, and thence north to Fort Smith where Pratt and Laura were reunited for the trip west to Fort Gibson, and then 200 miles, six days travel, still further to Fort Arbuckle.

During the time Pratt was away picking up Laura, the only other woman at Fort Arbuckle died of cholera. They learned of it as they met the officer traveling home on leave, as they journeyed to Fort Arbuckle.

Young Mason did contract a mild case of cholera on the trip, but thankfully lived through it.

When they reached the Washita River, it was very high from recent rains, and they narrowly escaped their wagon overturning in the river. It floated a ways but luckily the mules found bottom again and recovered.
Military Record16 July 1867On 16 July 1867 in Ft Smith, Arkansas, Richard is noted in military records on Col. Grierson's Return (i.e., report) of the 10th Cavalry, Company D, Station: Ft Smith, Ark. The note is difficult to read, "Det(ached) Service since July 16th, (unreadable) Post Ft Arbuckle per G.O. _. ___ joined the regt ___ assigned to Co. ___ date of order." (See attached) The Captain of Company D was also assigned at the same month, as were several other officers in other companies, as the regiment was taking shape over this summer.

The notes for Co. D state "marched July 1st from Little Boggy Cr via Big Sandy Cr to Ft Arbuckle arriving July 5th. Total distance 70 miles.11
Military Promotion31 July 1867Richard received a promotion on 31 July 1867 to First Lieutenant.9
Military RecordAugust 1867In August 1867 in Fort Arbuckle, Indian Territory, Oklahoma, Richard is noted in military records with his company. Activities of Co. D: "Aug 10th Lt. Robt Gray and 20 men scouted to Glen (?) Spring and returned, distance marched 85 miles. Company E: Non-com officer and ten men left Ft Gibson Aug 1st as escort for Lt. Pratt to Ft. Arbuckle and returned." The notes on other companies make fascinating reading, describing fights and engagements with Indians.12
Military RecordSeptember 1867In September 1867 in Fort Arbuckle, Indian Territory, Oklahoma, Richard is noted in military records "with company." Although MD Pratt's genealogy lists his promotion to 1st Lt. in July, the September Return still shows him as 2nd Lt.
Military RecordOctober 1867In October 1867 in Fort Arbuckle, Indian Territory, Oklahoma, Richard is noted in military records as 2nd Lieut., with Company. Notes for Co. D. "no marches or events of importance". November 1867 return is the same.
Military RecordDecember 1867In December 1867 in Fort Arbuckle, Indian Territory, Oklahoma, Richard is noted in military records as 1st Lieutenant. (His name is actually written Robert H Pratt on this report.)13
Military Record31 December 1867On 31 December 1867 Richard is noted in military records (on the year-end annual report) as Rank: 1st Lieut., Appointed Second Lieut. March 7, 1867, prom 1st Lieut. July ? (29?)14
Military RecordJanuary 1868In January 1868 in Fort Arbuckle, Indian Territory, Oklahoma, Richard is noted in military records as Brvt Capt, On Special duty as Post Adjt, Post. Treas (?) and commander of Indian Scouts, per G.O. No 6 and S.O. No. 36, Hd Qrs. Ft. Arbuckle, I. T. Sept 11, 1867." Someone has penciled in a question "When rel'd from special duty?" On the same report, Capt Walsh, who had been commanding Co. D since formation, is "Relieved from Command of Post of Ft. Arbuckle, Jan 23, 1868." Difficult to read, see attached copy.15
Military RecordFebruary 1868In February 1868 in Fort Arbuckle, Indian Territory, Oklahoma, Richard is noted in military records on Special duty, Post Adjt, PostTr., commanding Indian Scouts. This duty continues through the coming months. The Record of Events lists Company D at Cottonwood Grove, Indian Territory. Left Ft. Arbuckle, I.T. Feb 25 in obedience to order from Post HQs. Marched to Cottonwood Grove to assist Indian Agt. in reclaiming while children who were held captive by Indians. Total Distance marched 80 miles.
Military RecordMay 1868In May 1868 in Fort Arbuckle, Indian Territory, Oklahoma, Richard is noted in military records as Brevet Captain. Often in the months to follow, he is noted as commanding company, when Capt. Walsh was away on a march to other camps.
Child Born2 October 1868On 2 October 1868 in Fort Arbuckle, Indian Territory, Oklahoma, Richard and Anna had their second child, named Marion Cora Pratt. The name Marion came from Laura's older sister, and was used again in the next generation when Mason D. named a daughter after his sister Marion.
Military AssignmentNovember 1868As of November 1868, Richard was assigned to duties related to the Winter Campaign against the Kiowas, Comanches, Cheyennes and Arapahoes.
Military RecordJanuary 1869In January 1869 in Medicine Bluff Creek, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records as Brvt Capt, with Company. Company D was charged with establishing this camp, about 85 miles northwest of Arbuckle, to be closer to areas where hostile Indians were operating. In February, the Record of Events shows them still performing garrison duty at Medicine Bluff. "Horses suffered greatly for want of forage and were kept from starvation by herding, the grass being up a few inches in the bottoms along Cache Creek." Company E is listed as engaged in building roads and bridges from Fort Arbuckle to Medicine Bluff Creek.

The camps on Cache Creek and Medicine Bluff Creek were in the area where Ft Sill was built. By March of 1869, the Returns refer to their location as Camp Wichita, rather than Medicine Bluff.

In March, Capt. Walsh of Co. D was on detached service to Ft. Arbuckle, bringing up camp property to Camp Wichita. Pratt is Actg. Adjutant at Camp Wichita, temporarily commanding the company while Walsh was away.16
Family MoveFebruary 1869In February 1869 In February, the Medicine Bluff Creek camp was well enough established that the families could move to join their husbands.17,18
Military NoteSPRING/SUMMER 1869During the spring and summer of 1869, Pratt and his company improved the camp at Fort Wichita. They were also called out to handle hostile Indian incidents.19
Military NoteAugust 1869The Returns from August are the first to refer to the location as Fort Sill, Indian Territory. Pratt again spent some time in command of Co. D while Capt. Walsh was temporarily absent in command of a detachment pursuing stolen mules. During these years, there were many incidents of Indian raids to steal mail, horses, cattle, and other supplies, across the Plains area and down into Texas. One of the duties of those stationed on the Plains was to monitor groups of Indians who might carry out raids, and keep them in check. Pratt writes, "During the years 1870 to 1874, raiding into Texas and Kansas, committing depradations, killing settlers, and stealing horses again grew to considerable proportions...A large army post was built at Fort Sill and ten companies of the Tenth Cavalry assembled there, which made it one of the largest posts in the country."20,21
Military RecordOctober 1869In October 1869 in Fort Sill, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records as absent with leave for 90 days. Laura wrote that on their travel home on leave, they had the protection of an escort which was also charged with surveying a special road from Fort Sill to Flasker, Kansas. Without an escort, it would have been too hazardous to venture through that country. Laura described the trip of "two families and several added members of other families, who, like ourselves, were turning towards the East. An escort of twenty-five soldiers and ten Indian scouts, with an interpreter. A string of wagons followed in our rear, which were to return to the command filled with the commissary stores they expected to find waiting at the railroad station for our people at Fort Sill."22
Census-not found1870Richard has not been found on the census of 1870 Indian Territory. I have not found out whether or not the non-Indian residents (be they military or civilian) of Indian Territory were enumerated. I read in one place that they were counted under Arkansas, but have searched for Pratt and several other officers and not found them. Benjamin Grierson, the commander of the 10th Regiment, does not seem to be in the 1870 census, at least as indexed on Ancestry.com.
Military NoteJanuary 1870The January Return notes for Co. D that "a disease resembling and supposed to be "Blind Staggers" broke out amongst the horses.
Military RecordFebruary 1870In February 1870 in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, Richard is noted in military records on detached service at Ft. Leavenworth, KS, awaiting remount horses. This assignment continued through May 1870.
Military RecordOctober 1870In October 1870 in Fort Sill, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records on duty with his company. Duties through this year for the company continued to comprise garrison duty and building projects such as quarters and stables.23
Military RecordFebruary 1871In February 1871 in Fort Sill, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records on special duty commanding another company ( Co. M?)20
Military RecordMarch 1871In March 1871 in Fort Sill, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records commanding Co. D, because Capt Walsh was on detached service in search of stolen property near Ft. Arbuckle for the Indian Department. Capt Walsh also escorted Col. Grierson, with 15 men, on a tour of observation to Red River. Due to various activities, Pratt was commanding the company on and off during the spring.
Military RecordJune 1871In June 1871 in Fort Sill, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records in the field, commanding Co. D.
ResidenceJune 1871As of June 1871 Pratt writes of their living situation, "All the officers' families had moved into their new quarters on the hill except mine and the family of Brevet Captain A. S. B. Keyes, which were still in our log and mud-daubed huts 600 yards farther away from the new post than the trader's store." Pratt had just been involved in a very tense arrest of some Indian chiefs the prior day, a situation that could have escalated into a dangerous episode. "They [the families] saw that something unusual was happening but knew nothing of it until all was over. General Sherman and his aide General Marcy called on Mrs. Pratt the next day and chatted pleasantly about the country...This was only a month before our second daughter came, but there were no complaints made of discomfort of quarters, or danger. General Sherman, seeing the need, gave orders to hurry the completion of the new quarters for Captains Keyes and Pratt."24
Military RecordJune 1871In June 1871 in Fort Sill, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records in the field. Record of Events: Company D left Ft. Sill June 26, under command of Lt. R. H. Pratt, 10 Cav. and marched 40 miles to the mouth of Cache Cr., I. T., reporting to Capt. Robinson, 10 Cav., June 27. Troop has been patrolling Red River to prevent Indian Raids into Texas.20
Child Born27 July 1871On 27 July 1871 in Fort Sill, Indian Territory, Oklahoma, Richard and Anna had their third child, a daughter named Nana Laura. Nana named after Laura's sister, and Laura after her mother. Nana is pronounced with a long a, as Nay-na.
Military RecordAugust 1871In August 1871 in Fort Sill, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records in the field. Several companies, including Co. D, marched west with Col. Grierson on an expedition to the Staked Plains. Distances marched by the companies varied, around 380 to 400-some miles.20
Military RecordNovember 1871In November 1871 in Fort Sill, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records as "In Arrest" since Nov. 26. This status continues through the Nov 1871, Dec 1871 and Jan 1872 report.20
Military RecordFebruary 1872In February 1872 in Fort Sill, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records as released from arrest, awaiting trial by Court Martial, ordered to meet March 4, 1972. The March report says "In arrest pending trial." This Court Martial incident is not mentioned in Pratt's autobiography, or in his biography by Eastman.

It is described by Sally Jenkins in The Real All Americans: "It was a simple argument over an officer-of-the-day detail: Pratt, sensitive to matters of grade, insisted it was another officer's turn, and refused the duty. Pratt then went over Grierson's head with a petulant letter to the assistant adjutant general of the entire Department of the Missouri, complaining that he was 'rendered dissatisfied.' " Pratt was charged with disobeying orders and behaving disrespectfully toward his commanding officer. Jenkins writes, "The episode wasn't a critical one in his career, but it was notable for what it suggested about Pratt's disposition: he struggled to accept orders when convinced he was right, no matter how outranked."
Military RecordMarch 1872In March 1872 in Fort Sill, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records In arrest pending trial.
Military RecordApril 1872In April 1872 in Fort Sill, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records as "Left at Ft. Sill, I.T. in arrest Apr 23rd" ( perhaps when the rest of the company was in the field, because Capt. Walsh is listed "in the field".)20
Military RecordMay 1872In May 1872 in Fort Sill, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records as Suspended from rank since May 16, 1872 and confined to the Mil. reservation for one month, G.O. M.O. 34, Dept of __?__, April 6, 1872.20
Military RecordJune 1872In June 1872 in Fort Sill, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records Absent at Fort Sill, I.T. since June 7, '72, suspended from work and confined to Ft. Sill reservation for one month per G.O.M.O. 34, Dept Texas Apr 6, 1872, Sentence commenced May 16, 1872. (Capt Walsh and Co. D are shown as "in the field".)20
Military RecordJuly 1872In July 1872 in Camp Supply, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records with Troop (unreadable phrase). The Record of Events for Troop D says "This troop left camp on _?_ Deer Creek, I. T. July 3 and marched 239 miles to Camp Supply, I.T., where it took Post July 16, '72."

Most likely Laura and the children traveled with them and moved to Camp Supply at this same time. Quarters for officers with families were not plentiful. Based on other memoirs, when units were transferred, other units filled in and needed the housing that they were vacating.

Camp Supply was further out on the frontier, on the Canadian River near the northwestern boundary of Indian Territory, within the Cheyenne and Arapahoe reservation. The duties, as Pratt described, were "to protect the reservations from invasion and the debasing border influences."

Frances Roe, wife of then-2nd Lt. Fayette W. Roe, gives a vivid picture of life at Camp Supply in these same years that Pratt and his family were there, in her Army Letters from an Officer's Wife, beginning around page 52.25,26,20
Military RecordAugust 1872In August 1872 in Camp Supply, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records with troop. The Record of Events for Co. D says "This troop left Camp Supply Aug 11, '72 and marched to Ft. Dodge, Ks. 84 miles, returned Aug. 17, '72.
Military RecordSeptember 1872In September 1872 in Camp Supply, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records as Bvt. Captain.
Military RecordOctober 1872In October 1872 in Camp Supply, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records Commanding troop since Oct 14, 1872. Captain Walsh is listed as "Present, sick since Oct 14, 1872."20
Military RecordJanuary 1873In January 1873 in Camp Supply, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records "Lieut Pratt with 20 men left Camp Supply Jan 24 to make certain arrests under direction of the Indian Agent. Returned Jan 29. Marched 145 miles. Severe weather during the trip. Many of the men were frozen, which accounts for the large number reported sick."

Pratt describes this trip in his autobiography: "One of the most desperate experiences of my military service was in February 1873. "Northers" are one of the persecutions of that region, when the temperature drops well below zero...." It was decided to raid some whisky ranches during a Norther, to catch men supplying whisky to the Indians, because the dealers were likely to be home during the bad weather. Pratt discusses how he outfitted his troop and himself as warmly as possible, and then describes the trip in detail. The mission was a success, although "There was little abatement of the cold during the whole five days we were out. We captured fifteen white men and their stocks-in-trade, consisting of barrels, kegs and bottles of whisky, guns, pistols, ammunition, canned food, sugar, coffee, etc." The return trip took five days. "The morning of the fifth day...I realized that we were in the greatest danger unless the whole party could reach Camp Supply that night. When the mules warmed up and were anxious to go home the teamsters grew confident that they could make the thirty-two miles over the open plains without stopping.

Among the arms which the whisky dealers had to sell to the Indians were large self-acting Colt revolvers, the first I had seen, and a quantity of ammunition. I had placed two of these loaded in my holsters and strung one on my belt. I placed the captured animals in front, directed the fifteen prisoners to go drive them and keep the road, which some of them knew well, and go straight for Camp Supply. I selected one of the best men still able for that duty, a corporal, to go with me and drive that part of the outfit, and directed the sergeant to take the other men still able for duty, lead the horses of the disabled men, stay with the wagons, and be sure to bring all in to Camp Supply that night. Our road was over a treeless and comparatively level plain...We drove the prisoners in front of us and, without stopping for any purpose, reach Camp Supply after dark...An hour afterwards, the wagons arrived, but thirteen of the twenty men had to go into the hospital on account of being frozen.

Mrs. Pratt had heard of my arrival and had a good fire in the fireplace and the lounge drawn up in front of it. My hands and feet were numb and were vigorously rubbed and hot brandy toddies administered by her until there was reaction and relief."27
Military RecordFebruary 1873In February 1873 in Camp Supply, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records Absent to report to Sc.S (?) Atty at Leavenworth, KS, Feb 23, '73 The record of events for February for Troop D says "Capt Walsh with 13 men left Camp Supply Feb 12 as escort to Col. Davidson to Fort Dodge and returned by a circuitous route for the purposes of finding the bodies of two men murdered by Indians. Reached Camp Supply Feb 21, distance marched 200 miles." At the end of the month, Walsh is listed as Sick.28
Military RecordMarch 1873In March 1873 in Camp Supply, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records as Brevet Captain Commanding troop since March 13. Capt. James W. Walsh is listed as "Died at Camp Supply, I. T., March 8, 1873, of Acute Laryngitis." He and Pratt had joined the company at the same time, brought their wives to Ft. Arbuckle at the same time, and worked together for 6 years. The 2nd Lt. of the company, Edward Turner, was absent in charge of citizen prisoners to Fort Dodge. "Lt. Turner and party returned from Ft. Dodge, Ks, Mch 7th, distance marched since Feb. 24th 178 miles. One horse for which Capt. Walsh was responsible, died at Camp Supply Mch 2nd of Hydrophobia and one horse for which Lt. Pratt was responsible died at Camp Supply Mch. 9th of disease unknown."29
Military RecordApril 1873In April 1873 in Fort Griffin, Texas, Richard is noted in military records in the field. Record of Events: Companies C and D, In the field enroute to Ft. Griffin, Texas, changing station. Left Camp Supply, I.T., April 16, 1873, marched to Whaley's ranch, Texas, distance 250 miles.

Brvt. Lt. Col William L. Foulk was assigned to command of Company D. on the death of Capt. Walsh.

Ft. Griffin was about 150 miles west of present-day Ft. Worth. Robert M. Utley, the editor of the 1964 edition of Pratt's autobiography, writes, "Fort Griffin was founded on the Clear Fork of the Brazos River in 1867 as a unit in the line of posts that guarded the northern frontier of Texas. For nearly a decade its garrison was chiefly occupied with the effort to catch Kiowa and Comanche raiders from the reservations north of Red River. The conquest of these tribes in 1874-5 ended the menace, and the post was abandoned in 1881."30,29
Military RecordMay 1873In May 1873 in Fort Griffin, Texas, Richard is noted in military records Brvt. Capt., Special duty since May 12, '73 command of Tonkawa scouts.
Military RecordAugust 1873In August 1873 in Ft. Griffin, Texas, Richard is noted in military records commanding the Tonkowa Scouts. The historic events of Pratt's service in Texas are described in Chapters 6 - 9 of his autobiography. He gained much additional experience dealing with Indians, both friendly and hostile. Many incidents are related to preventing whisky sales and drunkenness among the Indian scouts, and preventing stealing and violence by raiding hostile Indians from Indian Territory to the north.
Military RecordFebruary 1874In February 1874 in Ft. Griffin, Texas, Richard is noted in military records commanding the company due to transfer of Capt. Keyes. A typical entry in the Record of Events involves some other members of his company: "Lt. Turner in command of 16 men formed part of the scouting force of Lt. Col Buell which left the Salt Fork of the Brazos west of Double Mountains on the morning of Feb 5th and marched 15 miles, when on approaching the valley of Double Mountain Fork at about 3 pm, a party of 13 Comanches having 63 head of horses and mules was discovered and a short fight ensued in which 10 of the Comanches were killed and all the stock captured."
Military RecordMarch 1874In March 1874 in Peso River, Texas, Richard is noted in military records Commanding Company. Record of events: Camp on Peso River. Texas. Fifty of the most effective men under Lieut. Pratt took the field from Fort Griffin, Texas March 21st, '74 as part of Lieut-Col Buell's Command to scout against hostile Indians. Distance marched 173 miles. One horse for which Lieut Pratt is responsible was shot for wound seeming from carbine gun shot.29
Military RecordMay 1874In May 1874 in Fort Griffin, Texas, Richard is noted in military records Absent on detached service since May 30, 1874 in charge of horses to Ft. Concho, Texas.29
Military RecordJuly 1874In July 1874 in Fort Griffin, Texas, Richard is noted in military records rejoined company and commanding it since July 11, '74. Company D returned to Post July 11, having marched since the 1st inst. a distance of 272 miles. Capt. Keyes is listed as "In arrest since June 25". Pratt had served with Keyes for years, at least since early Ft. Sill days if not longer. By August, Keyes is at Ft. Sill commanding the company again.29
Military RecordAugust 1874In August 1874 in Fort Sill, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records special duty commanding Indian Scouts. Record of Events: The company left Ft. Griffin Aug 15, '74 and marched to Ft Sill, I.T. arriving Aug 29th, '74. Distance marched 130 miles.
Military RecordOctober 1874In October 1874 in Fort Sill, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records On detached service in charge of Indian Scouts with Lieut Col. Davidson's command. Record of Events: During the month, the company escorted Lt. General Sheridan from Fort Sill to the Cheyenne Agency, distance marched 230 miles. One public horse for which Captain Keyes was responsible died of disease at the Cheyenne Agency Oct 27th.
Military RecordFebruary 1875In February 1875 in Fort Sill, Indian Territory, Richard is noted in military records detached in charge of Indian Scouts. Through the fall of 1874, and the winter of 1874-75, General Sheridan and his units were active trying to put an end to the depradations of hostile Indians across western Indian Territory, northwestern Texas, and western Kansas. About 75 ringleaders and their raiders, primarily Kiowas, Cheyennes, and Comanches, were arrested and taken to Fort Sill. It was determined that they could not legally be tried by a military commission, so it was determined to send them to some remote eastern fort to be held as prisoners of war.

Pratt was actively involved in scouting and apprehending some of these Indians, and he had been responsible for those jailed at Fort Sill.29,31
Military RecordMay 1875In May 1875 in St. Augustine, Florida, Richard is noted in military records detached since Feb 27, '75. In charge of Indian prisoners at St. Augustine , Fla, S.O. 88, A. G. O. May 11, '75. In May of 1875, Co. D and several other companies of the 10th Cavalry transferred to Camp Concho, Texas. In April, Pratt wrote to General Sheridan about his assignment. He had been asked to take a group of Indians, who were being sent East for confinement, as far as Fort Leavenworth. Pratt wrote, "As my company is just moving to Concho, I do not care to go [to Leavenworth] for family reasons unless I could stay east a while, so have said I prefer to go with my company. If, in the care of these Indians east, the government requires an officer of my rank, I want to go, because I have been on duty in the Indian Territory eight years and desire a change. I know the leading Cheyennes from a two years' duty at Camp Supply, '72 and '73. Having had charge of Indian prisoners here since December and having sought out the offenses for which those from here are sent away, I am well acquainted with the Kiowas and Comanches going, their dispositions, etc." In closing, Pratt states his beliefs on how the Indian prisoners should be treated, which is consistent with all his later treatment and education opinions. "Most of the young men being sent away have simply been following their leaders, much as a soldier obeys his officers, and are not really so culpable. As, under the changes of administration, public opinion, etc., they will be returned to their people sooner or later, much can and should be done to reform these young men while under this banishment."

Pratt goes on to describe the last-minute changes that resulted in his transfer to Florida. "When this letter was written, as a part of the regiment Mrs. Pratt and I had all our household belongings packed and loaded in the wagons to go with the regiment [to Fort Concho}. At the last mment my discretion to decide whether to go with my regiment or as far as Leavenworth with the prisoners was withdrawn, and I was advised that I was to remain at Fort Sill until the prisoners went east and then accompany them as far as Leavenworth. The arrangement indicated that I would then rejoin my regiment, going by rail as near Concho as possible and then by stage on to the fort. This information lef us to let our household goods and my horses go with my company under care of its captain, which in the outcome proved to be material inconvenience and loss, for my two horses had to be sold in a region where horses had little value, and it was many months before we recovered a portion only of our household goods again."

Preparations to depart continued for some days. Pratt then writes, "Just before she was leaving Fort Sill, General Mackenzie informed Mrs. Pratt that it was not likely we would rejoin our company for some time, as I would probably be continued in charge of the prisoners and go east as their jailor. Two days after we started, Mrs. Pratt and the children left by the stage, went to the railroad, and to our home in Indiana to await developments.32,29
WitnessMay 1875
WitnessMay 1875
Military RecordJuly 1875In July 1875 in Fort Marion, Florida, Richard is noted in military records detached at Ft. Marion, Fla in charge of Indian prisoners. Pratt continued to be listed on the roster of Company D in this status through the August 1876 report.29
Military TransferSeptember 1876Richard received a military transfer September 1876 in Fort Marion, Florida, to Company I, 10th Cavalry. Still listed on detached service in charge of Indian Prisoners at Fort Marion. "Never joined company." This must have been an empty slot they could park him in. This status continued through the March 1878 report.
Military RecordApril 1878In April 1878 Richard is noted in military records Relieved from detached service, on leave of absence for 6 months. In April of 1878, the War Department released the Fort Marion Indian prisoners to the care of the Indian Bureau. Some of them were to go to Hampton Agricultural School for Negroes in Virginia, and it was arranged that Pratt would accompany them on the trip. In Virginia, he learned that he was not to accompany the remainder of the Indians back to Indian Territory, as he had hoped, which would have enabled him to take his household goods and family back to his regiment without expense. He wrote, "Being denied this, and not having had a leave of absence for a number of years, I asked for four months' leave, which was granted."20,33
Newspaper Mention1 May 1878The 1 May 1878 edition of the Jamestown Daily Journal, Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York, reported on Pratt's assignment at Fort Marion, Fla. From the article (image attached), "Capt. Pratt is now visiting in this city, and from him we have learned many interesting facts in regard to these Indian prisoners. He is a firm believer in the humanity of the Indians. He believes they are honest, when treated honestly; that they are treacherous when made the victims of white man's perfidy."

This was during Pratt's leave after completing his tour of duty at Fort Marion. Probably at this time, his son Mason rejoined his family after staying with Laura's brother Levant for the school year 1877-78.
Newspaper Mention13 July 1878The 13 July 1878 edition of the Jamestown Daily Journal, Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York, reported "Capt. R. H. Pratt is in the city."
Military RecordOctober 1878In October 1878 Richard is noted in military records
Newspaper Mention3 December 1878The 3 December 1878 edition of the Jamestown Daily Journal, Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York, reported on R.H. Pratt's first trip west to bring Indian children east for education, at this time to the Hampton Institute. See the story in the attached pdf of the paper, in Column 4, "The Indians at Hampton, Captain Pratt's New Class". Since the brother of Pratt's wife Laura was a well-known resident of Jamestown, the paper was interested in following Pratt's career.
Military RecordFebruary 1879In February 1879 in Hampton, Virginia, Richard is noted in military records on detached service in charge of Indian Youth. In August, 1879, the report wording changed to "on special duty with reference to Indian Education, absent from regiment since 1875."29
Note6 October 1879On 6 October 1879, in Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, the Carlisle Indian School was founded by Richard Henry Pratt. There is so much information available online about the Carlisle Indian School, that I will not try to reproduce it.

Many articles and sites about the Indian School as of this writing (2017) are highly charged with political correctness. So many discussions are really reflections of current feelings and positions, rather than history.

I am linking to three sites with excellent material about the school, much of it primary material.
Military RecordNovember 1879In November 1879 in Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Richard is noted in military records on detached service at Carlisle Barracks, Pa, with reference to Indian Education. Pratt was carried in Company I, on detached service, through the report of February 1883.
Census17 June 1880He appeared in the census 17 June 1880 at Indian School at Carlisle Barracks in North Middleton Twp, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Richard is listed as: as age 39, Captain in U.S. Army, b. New York and both parents born in New York.
Wife, A.L., age 35, keeping house, born in New York and both parents born in New York.
Mason, age 15, at school, born in Indiana.
Marion, 12, born in Indian Territory.
Nena (sic) age 8, born in Indian Territory.

I noticed in the list of teachers and other employees, another Pratt, E.G. Pratt, a nurse aged 61. She is from Massachusetts and both her parents as well. Pratt being a very common name, this is probably just coincidence, but noted.
Child Born25 August 1882On 25 August 1882 at Carlisle Indian School, in Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Richard and Anna had their last child, Richenda Henrietta. Presumably this was the female version of the name Richard Henry.
Military Promotion17 February 1883Richard received a promotion on 17 February 1883 to the rank of Captain. He was transferred to Company M, 10th Cavalry although he never joined the company. As of October, he was transferred on paper to Company L. Browsing through the reports through the years, it appears that Companies L and M were not operating companies; the officers were all on detached service in various locations and capacities.34
Residence1890As of 1890 Richard lived at Commander's Residence, Indian School, in Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania,
Military Promotion1 July 1898Richard received a promotion on 1 July 1898 to the rank of Major, and was transferred to the 1st Cavalry.35
Military RecordAugust 1898In August 1898 Richard is noted in military records
Military Transfer2 August 1899Richard received a military transfer 2 August 18999
Census1 June 1900He appeared in the census 1 June 1900 at Indian Industrial School in North Middleton Twp, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Richard is listed as: R.H. is listed as Head, born Dec. 1840, age 59, married 36 years, born in New York, Father born in Indiana and mother born in Ohio, Major, U.S. Army and Superintendent of school.
Wife Anna Laura, b. Feb 1844, age 56, 4 children, all living, born New York and father born New York, mother born Mass.
Nana, daughter, b. July 1872, age 28, b. Indian Territory, parents born New York.
Richenda H., daughter, b. Aug 1882, age 17, born in Pennsylvania and parents born New York, At School.
A servant, Eva Kee, age 24, from Maryland, is listed as HouseKeeper.

On this census, Charles Eastman is listed at the school, as Physician, and his wife Elaine Goodale (RH Pratt's biographer), whose occupation is listed as Literature, Poet.
Retirement17 February 1903He retired on 17 February 1903. "Pratt's forceful personality and frank opinions caused some to label him an "honest lunatic" and finally led to his forced retirement from the army on February 17, 1903, and his dismissal from Carlisle for insubordination on June 30, 1904. Pratt was promoted to major in July 1898, lieutenant colonel in February 1901, colonel in January 1903, and brigadier general on the retired list in April 1904, mainly on the basis of his Civil War record." From the Handbook of Texas Online, article on Richard Henry Pratt.
Photo Family Groupabout 1904About 1904, in Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania. Pratt Family, about 1904 This poor photo seems to be from a paper or magazine, and someone has cut Dick out. This photo also appears in Pratt's Genealogy, but is an even worse reproduction in my copy. But it's a great group. L. to R., Roxana, Mabel, two little girls who are family friends, Nana Pratt Hawkins, Sarah standing behind Marion, and Mason D next to Sarah. Sarah Ellen Roberts Crane, the elderly woman in dark dress, who is Mabel's mother. R.H. Prat holding Alex's hands, and Richenda Pratt.
Photo Family Group1905In 1905, in Pennsylvania. Possibly taken at Carlisle, or Harrisburg.
ResidenceJanuary 1907As of January 1907 Richard lived at Le Perrenoud, 836 E. 17th Ave., in Denver, Colorado, according to the Army List and Directory.
Newspaper Mention11 January 1908The 11 January 1908 edition of the Harrisburg Telegraph, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, reported that a strong effort will be made by leading men of Carlisle, Pa., to petition the Indian Commissioner to recaqll Gen. R. H. Pratt, now of Denver, Col., as head of the Indian School. See attached newspaper article.
Census21 April 1910He appeared in the census 21 April 1910 at 217 North Edgemont Street in Media, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Richard is listed as: Listed as Richard H., age 69, married 46 years, born in New York, father born in New York and mother in Ohio. Retired Army officer, renting. Wife Ann L., age 65, 4 children, all living, born in New York, father born in New York and mother in Massachusetts. Nana M. Allen, sister-in-law to wife, age 71, widowed, 1 child, living. Born in New York, father born in New York and mother in Massachusetts. Under occupation: "own income".

The home appears to contain two living quarters, the other occupants being a stockbroker, Henry Major, and his wife Maud, and their six children.
Photo Family Groupabout 1912About 1912 MD Pratt and family and his parents
CensusJanuary 1920He appeared in the census January 1920 at 7982 Prospect St in San Diego, San Diego County, California. Richard is listed as: Listed as Richard, age 79, renting, born in New York, father born in Indiana, mother born in Ohio. Wife Anna M., age 75, born in New York, father born in Connecticut, mother in Massachusetts.
Witness1 December 1920
Photo Family Group1922In 1922, in La Jolla, California.
Death15 March 1924He died on 15 March 1924 at Letterman Army Hospital, Presidio of San Francisco, in San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, Death Certificate Number 15166.1
BurialHe was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section SE, Site 1405B, in District of Columbia. From the Arlington National Cemetery website:
"Richard Henry Pratt was born at Rushford, New York, December 6, 1840. He grew up from 1846 in Logansport, Indiana. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted in the 9th Indiana Volunteer Infantry and later served with the 2nd Indiana Volunteer Cavalry and the 11th Indiana Volunteer Cavalry and was mustered out of the Volunteer Service in May 1865.
After two years in the hardware business, he reentered the Army in March 1867 as Second Lieutenant in the 10th United States Cavalry, a black regiment which had only white officers. He was promoted to First Lieutenant in July. He took part in several Indian Wars on the Frontier and in 1875 was detailed to Fort Marion, St. Augustine, Florida. Over the next three years he was successful in his attempts to educate his Indian prisoners, and in 1878 he was sent to organize an Indian Branch of the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia. That experiment was less than successful and in 1878 he obtained permission to convert a portion of Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania to an Indian School. The school opened in October 1879 with 82 Sioux children and was formally recognized by Congress in 1882. The course at Carlisle combined academic work with vocational training in a broad range of fields and the unique "outing" system, which placed students in White homes and schools or jobs for a year to further their adjustment to white society. The school was a model for many reservation schools built later. The school grew steadily, and in his 25 years as Superintendent he had charge of some 5,000 Indian children of more than 70 tribes.
He was promoted Captain in February 1883; Major in July 1898; Lieutenant Colonel in February 1901; and Colonel in January 1903. He retired from the Army in February 1903 and in April 1904 he was advanced to Brigadier General on the Retired List. He died at San Francisco, March 15, 1924, and was buried in Section 3 of Arlington National Cemetery. His wife, Anna Laura Mason Pratt, 1844-1922, is buried with him. His private memorial reads:

"Veteran Of The Civil War
Friend And Counselor Of The Indians
Founder And Superintendent Of the Carlisle Indian School (1879-1904)
Erected in living memory by his students and other Indians"

The Carlisle Institute in later years fielded a formidable football team, coached in 1899-1904 and 1906-1915 by Glenn S. "Pop" Warner and led in 1911-12 by All-American Jim Thorpe. The school had an enrollment of about 1,000 at the time of its closing in 1918.
Obituary19 March 192419 March 1924, Logansport, Cass County, Indiana, Logansport Pharos-Tribune Obituary:. Richard Henry Pratt, retired brigadier general, who died at San Francisco a few days ago, was a former Logansport resident. As a young man he resided at Seventh and North streets and after leaving Logansport often returned to visit with his mother. He was the founder of the Carlisle Indian school in Pennsylvania.

General Pratt was a relative of the late Judge D.D. Pratt of this city.

[Note, HK, I have not found this connection to D.D. Pratt. Perhaps that was an assumption.]
Obituary22 March 192422 March 1924, Washington, District of Columbia, Evening Star Obituary:. Rites for Gen. Pratt at Covenant Church

Well Known Indian Educator Who Died in California Is Buried at Arlington

Funeral services for Brig. Gen. R. H. Pratt, U.S.A., retired, well known as an Indian educator, who died in San Francisco, Calif., Saturday, March 15, were held at the Church of the Covenant, Presbyterian, at 1-:30 o'clock today. Rev. Dr. Charles Wood, pastor, assisted by Rev. Dr. Morgan, president of the Dickinson College of Carlisle, Pa., officiated. Interment, with full military honors, was in the Arlington cemetery.

Active pallbearers, all graduates of the Carlisle Indian School, were as follows: Charles S. Hood of Oregon, Louis McDonald of Oklahoma, Howard Gansworth of New York, Fred Teak of Minnesota, Dennison Wheelock of Wisconsin, and Thomas Sloan of Nebraska.

The honorary pallbearers were: Lieut. Gen. Nelson A. Miles, U.S.A., Maj. Gen. John L. Clem, U.S.A., Brig. Gen. Anson Mills, U.S.A., Col. Charles A. Williams, U.S.A., Judge Stanton J. Peelle, Senator Charles Curtis of Kansas, Representative M. Clyde Kelly of Pennsylvania, Dr. L. Webster Fox of Philadelphia, Judge Edward W. Biddle of Carlisle and Philadelphia, Dr. Robert S. McCombs of Philadelphia, and Guy Le Roy Stevick of San Francisco.
Last Edited4 April 2023

Citations

  1. [S75] Mason Delano Pratt, Genealogy of Richard Henry Pratt and his wife Anna Laura Mason Pratt (San Francisco, California: Privately Printed, availble online https://archive.org/details/genealogyofricha00prat/page/6/mode/1up, May, 1943). Hereinafter cited as Pratt Genealogy.
  2. [S299] Dr. Jehu Z. Powell, Editor, History of Cass County, Indiana (Chicago, New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1913), p.290. Hereinafter cited as History of Cass County, Indiana.
  3. [S86] , 1850 Census Online, As viewed on ancestry.com.
  4. [S303] Elaine Goodale Eastman, Pratt, The Red Man's Moses (Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, October 1, 1935), p.15. Hereinafter cited as Pratt, The Red Man's Moses.
  5. [S85] , Census Online, Viewed on ancestry.com.
  6. [S624] "U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865", online database, Ancestry.com ( : viewed 2017), M540 roll 61; National Park Service
  7. [S75] Mason Delano Pratt, Pratt Genealogy, p.32.
  8. [S75] Mason Delano Pratt, Pratt Genealogy, p. 32.
  9. [S75] Mason Delano Pratt, Pratt Genealogy, p. 33.
  10. [S625] U.S. Army, "Buffalo Soldiers (9th and 10th Cavalry), Returns from Regular Army Cavalry Regiments, 1866-1916", digital images of nara microfilms m744, 16 rolls, record group 391, ancestry, 201 images 1866-1872, Ancestry.com (Ancestry.com), June 1867 return, signed off 23 Oct 1867; citing Image 32 of 201 on Ancestry.com, also Image 33
  11. [S625] U.S. Army, "Buffalo Soldiers (9th and 10th Cavalry), Returns from Regular Army Cavalry Regiments, 1866-1916", digital images of nara microfilms m744, 16 rolls, record group 391, ancestry, 201 images 1866-1872, Ancestry.com, July 1867 return. Image 39
  12. [S625] U.S. Army, "Buffalo Soldiers (9th and 10th Cavalry), Returns from Regular Army Cavalry Regiments, 1866-1916", digital images of nara microfilms m744, 16 rolls, record group 391, ancestry, 201 images 1866-1872, Ancestry.com, Aug 1867 Return
  13. [S625] U.S. Army, "Buffalo Soldiers (9th and 10th Cavalry), Returns from Regular Army Cavalry Regiments, 1866-1916", digital images of nara microfilms m744, 16 rolls, record group 391, ancestry, 201 images 1866-1872, Ancestry.com, Dec 1867, Image 57
  14. [S625] U.S. Army, "Buffalo Soldiers (9th and 10th Cavalry), Returns from Regular Army Cavalry Regiments, 1866-1916", digital images of nara microfilms m744, 16 rolls, record group 391, ancestry, 201 images 1866-1872, Ancestry.com, 31 Dec 1867, image 60
  15. [S625] U.S. Army, "Buffalo Soldiers (9th and 10th Cavalry), Returns from Regular Army Cavalry Regiments, 1866-1916", digital images of nara microfilms m744, 16 rolls, record group 391, ancestry, 201 images 1866-1872, Ancestry.com, January 1868, image 63.
  16. [S625] U.S. Army, "Buffalo Soldiers (9th and 10th Cavalry), Returns from Regular Army Cavalry Regiments, 1866-1916", digital images of nara microfilms m744, 16 rolls, record group 391, ancestry, 201 images 1866-1872, Ancestry.com, Image 97/201 on ancestry.com
  17. [S630] Anna Laura Mason Pratt, "Memories of Frontier Army Life", article, Cumberland County Historical Society, Gardner Digital Library (gardnerlibrary.org), p.78; citing prior publication in Cumberland County History (Summer/Winter 2006, Volume 23, Issues 1-2)
  18. [S626] Richard H. Pratt, Battlefield and Classroom, An Autobiography, republished by university of oklahoma, 2003 (N.p.: Yale University Press, 1964), p.39
  19. [S626] Pratt, Battlefield and Classroom, An Autobiography, p. 39
  20. [S625] U.S. Army, "Buffalo Soldiers (9th and 10th Cavalry), Returns from Regular Army Cavalry Regiments, 1866-1916", digital images of nara microfilms m744, 16 rolls, record group 391, ancestry, 201 images 1866-1872, Ancestry.com
  21. [S626] Pratt, Battlefield and Classroom, An Autobiography, p. 41
  22. [S630] Pratt, "Memories of Frontier Army Life", p. 82.
  23. [S625] U.S. Army, "Buffalo Soldiers (9th and 10th Cavalry), Returns from Regular Army Cavalry Regiments, 1866-1916", digital images of nara microfilms m744, 16 rolls, record group 391, ancestry, 201 images 1866-1872, Ancestry.com, Various images from this time period, ancestry.com
  24. [S626] Pratt, Battlefield and Classroom, An Autobiography, p. 46
  25. [S626] Pratt, Battlefield and Classroom, An Autobiography, p. 49
  26. [S629] Frances M. A. Roe, Army Letters from An Officer's Wife 1871-1888 (N.p.: D. Appleton and Company, 1909), pp 52+
  27. [S626] Pratt, Battlefield and Classroom, An Autobiography, pp. 49-51
  28. [S627] U.S. Army, "Buffalo Soldiers (9th and 10th Cavalry), Returns from Regular Army Cavalry Regiments, 1866-1916", digital images of nara microfilms m744, 16 rolls, record group 391, ancestry, 230 images 1873 - 1880, Ancestry.com (Ancestry.com); citing Image 3, ancestry.com
  29. [S627] U.S. Army, "Buffalo Soldiers (9th and 10th Cavalry), Returns from Regular Army Cavalry Regiments, 1866-1916", digital images of nara microfilms m744, 16 rolls, record group 391, ancestry, 230 images 1873 - 1880, Ancestry.com
  30. [S626] Pratt, Battlefield and Classroom, An Autobiography, p. 54
  31. [S626] Pratt, Battlefield and Classroom, An Autobiography, pp. 104-106
  32. [S626] Pratt, Battlefield and Classroom, An Autobiography, pp. 106-108
  33. [S626] Pratt, Battlefield and Classroom, An Autobiography, p. 192
  34. [S632] U.S. Army, Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, "Returns From U.S. Military Posts, 1800-1916", digital images of nara microfilms, record group 94, microfilm publication m617, 1,550 rolls), Ancestry.com (Ancestry.com); citing Image 54.
  35. [S632] U.S. Army, Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, "Returns From U.S. Military Posts, 1800-1916", digital images of nara microfilms, record group 94, microfilm publication m617, 1,550 rolls), Ancestry.com

Anna Laura Mason

F, #1548, b. 12 February 1844, d. 7 August 1927

Parents

FatherBartolomew Belden Mason (b. 16 December 1803, d. 20 October 1881)
MotherMercy Moore Whitcomb (b. 19 May 1805, d. 29 August 1876)

Family: Richard Henry Pratt (b. 6 December 1840, d. 15 March 1924)

SonMason Delano Pratt+ (b. 23 January 1865, d. 14 October 1947)
DaughterMarion Cora Pratt+ (b. 2 October 1868, d. 15 October 1952)
DaughterNana Laura Pratt+ (b. 27 July 1871, d. 5 December 1957)
DaughterRichenda Henrietta Pratt+ (b. 25 August 1882, d. 23 October 1915)

Biography

Birth12 February 1844Anna Laura Mason was born on 12 February 1844 in Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York.1
Census30 July 1850She appeared in the household of Bartolomew Belden Mason in the census 30 July 1850 in Ellicott, Chautauqua County, New York. Bartolomew is listed as
Photo Family Group1856In 1856, in Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York. Bartolomew Mason Family
Census1 August 1860She appeared in the household of Bartolomew Belden Mason in the census 1 August 1860 in Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York. Bartolomew is listed as
Visitabout November 1863About November 1863 Laura paid a visit to her sister Harriet Pickard in Delphi, Indiana. It was during this visit that she met Richard Henry Pratt.
Marriage12 April 1864Richard Henry Pratt and she were married on 12 April 1864 at the home of her sister Harriet Pickard in Delphi, Carroll County, Indiana, Officiated by James W. Greene.
Child Born23 January 1865On 23 January 1865 at the home of Laura's sister Harriet Pickard, in Delphi, Carroll County, Indiana, Richard and Anna had their first child, Mason Delano. His biographer, Elaine Eastman, writes that during his first year of married life, he "was granted one leave of two weeks, and a second of twenty-four hours in which to greet his first-born son." (p.19)
Letter20 April 1865
WitnessJuly 1867
Child Born2 October 1868On 2 October 1868 in Fort Arbuckle, Indian Territory, Oklahoma, Richard and Anna had their second child, named Marion Cora Pratt. The name Marion came from Laura's older sister, and was used again in the next generation when Mason D. named a daughter after his sister Marion.
MovedFebruary 1869As of February 1869, Anna moved to Medicine Bluff Creek, Indian Territory, In February, the Medicine Bluff Creek camp was well enough established that the families could move to join their husbands. The first day, the party traveled 10 miles. Laura describes in her memoirs, "...we gathered around our evening camp fire -- five ladies, three babies, two four-year-old boys, a little girl the same age as the boys, and nurse girls who were also our cooks, thus representing five families. Soldiers were both drivers and guards. A small weak escort to travel through a wild country with, but we had planned to camp the next night at a mail station where were half a dozen more soldiers. And the third day we expected to meet our husbands and the additional escort that was advisable in that locality."

The next day, the weather abruptly changed and they were enveloped in snow and wind, a type of storm called a Norther in that area. They feared that the mules would give out and they would perish there on the plains. With much struggle all the wagons reached the mail station, although the wagon with the tents had been abandoned on the road. They had one tent for 16 travelers. Laura writes, "Our guard built a fire nearby and they had enough work that night to keep themselves from freezing and from sleep, as our tent blew down three times and caught fire twice." The next day it was too cold to travel, and most of the food was on the wagons that had not yet been retrieved. By the next day, the supply wagons were brought up, and coffee and biscuits were made and relished, and soon the band of husbands and escorts arrived to meet them.

At the time the Medicine Bluff Creek camp, soon to be called Camp Wichita, and then Fort Sill, was a tent camp. Laura relates that Pratt was proud that he had built the only house so far, for his family. Pratt relates in his autobiography, "We officers had built for our families log and mud-daubed huts, having mud roofs and only the ground for floors. They were in a long line facing our companies on the other side of the parade ground." Laura remembers, years later, "It was built of logs, the bark on. The spaces between the logs were filled with mud; a mud roof covered with canvas, and a snug warm house was the result. Soon I began the work of interior decorations...I purchased at our suttler's store a few bolts of [unbleached] muslin, sewed it into proper widths and lengths, and behold, we soon had a lovely ceiling and sidewalls, and pleasing background for our few pictures and hanging bookshelves." At the time of their move to Ft. Wichita, their son Mason was 4 and their daughter Marion 7 months old.2,3
WitnessSPRING/SUMMER 18694
WitnessOctober 18695
WitnessJune 1871She lived with Richard Henry Pratt in June 1871 in Fort Sill, Indian Territory.6
Child Born27 July 1871On 27 July 1871 in Fort Sill, Indian Territory, Oklahoma, Richard and Anna had their third child, a daughter named Nana Laura. Nana named after Laura's sister, and Laura after her mother. Nana is pronounced with a long a, as Nay-na.
WitnessJuly 18727,8,9
TravelMay 1875In May 1875 Anna Laura Mason traveled in Logansport, Cass County, Indiana, Anna Laura and her children travelled to Logansport, to await instructions from her husband who was arranging for the transport of the Indian prisoners from Fort Sill to Florida. Unfortunately all their household goods were already under way to Fort Concho, Texas. At the time Laura was 31 years old, and her children were aged 10, 7 and 4.
WitnessMay 187510,11
TravelMay 1875In May 1875 Anna Laura Mason traveled Anna Laura and her children met her husband in Indianapolis, to join him on the train trip to Florida. The Indians were a great object of curiosity and the train was mobbed with sightseers at every stop. They traveled via St. Louis, Louisville, Nashville, Atlanta and Jacksonville, then by steamer to Tocoi, and then the Tocoi and St. Augustine Railroad to St. Augustine.
WitnessAugust 1877
Newspaper Mention1 May 1878She was mentioned in a newspaper report about Richard Henry Pratt when 1 May 1878 edition of the Jamestown Daily Journal, Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York, reported on Pratt's assignment at Fort Marion, Fla.
Newspaper Mention13 July 1878She was mentioned in a newspaper report about Richard Henry Pratt when 13 July 1878 edition of the Jamestown Daily Journal, Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York, reported "Capt. R. H. Pratt is in the city."
Census17 June 1880She appeared in the household of Richard Henry Pratt in the census 17 June 1880 at Indian School at Carlisle Barracks in North Middleton Twp, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Richard is listed as
Child Born25 August 1882On 25 August 1882 at Carlisle Indian School, in Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Richard and Anna had their last child, Richenda Henrietta. Presumably this was the female version of the name Richard Henry.
Visit6 December 1888On 6 December 1888 Capt and Mrs. Pratt visit her brother Levant Mason.
AnecdoteApril 1892April 1892: In the spring of 1892, Mrs. Pratt was invited to join the Carlisle Fortnightly Club, a women's literary group founded six years earlier in 1886. The club...stated its object as "the pursuit of study as a means of mutual improvement and culture," and members were required to research, write, and present a paper before the membership. Mrs. Pratt, known as Laura, read her first paper to the club in the spring of 1893, and by 1896 was serving a term as club president. During her thirteen years in Fortnightly, laura Pratt presented a total of nine papers. (Information provided by Barbara Houston as Editorial Note to Laura's "Memories of Frontier Army Life" in the Cumberland County History journal.)
Memoirs13 March 1899In 1899 Laura Pratt gave a talk in Carlisle, which has been preserved as Memories of Frontier Army Life. The document is in the Carlisle Collection (Box 16a) at the Military History Institute, US Army War College, at Carlisle, PA. It has been published in Cumberland County History, a journal of the Cumberland County Historical Society, in the Summer/Winter 2006, Volume 23, Numbers 1 and 2. It is available online at the Gardner Digital Library, Memories of Frontier Army Life.
Census1 June 1900She appeared in the household of Richard Henry Pratt in the census 1 June 1900 at Indian Industrial School in North Middleton Twp, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Richard is listed as
Photo Family Group1905In 1905, in Pennsylvania. Possibly taken at Carlisle, or Harrisburg.
Census21 April 1910She appeared in the household of Richard Henry Pratt in the census 21 April 1910 at 217 North Edgemont Street in Media, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Richard is listed as
Photo Family Groupabout 1912About 1912 MD Pratt and family and his parents
CensusJanuary 1920She appeared in the household of Richard Henry Pratt in the census January 1920 at 7982 Prospect St in San Diego, San Diego County, California. Richard is listed as
Witness1 December 1920
Photo Family Group1922In 1922, in La Jolla, California.
Death of Spouse15 March 1924On 15 March 1924, Anna suffered the loss of her spouse
Pensn App Civil War28 April 1924Anna filed a Civil War Pension Application on 28 April 1924 in New York as follows:Application No. 1218835, Certificate No. 951673.
Death7 August 1927She died on 7 August 1927 in Atherton, San Mateo County, California,1
Obituary30 August 192730 August 1927, San Francisco, California, San Francisco Chronicle Obituary:. Gen. Pratt's Widow
Palo Alto, Aug 29. Private funeral services were held at the Guy Leroy Stevick home in Atherton yesterday for Mrs. Anna L. Pratt, widow of General Richard Henry Pratt, founder of the Carlisle Indian School. Mrs. Pratt died Saturday night at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Stevick. She was 83 and a native of New York. The body is to be taken East tomorrow for burial in the National Cemetery at Arlington. Surviving Mrs. Pratt are one son, Mason D. Pratt of San Francisco, and two daughters, Mrs. Stevick of Atherton, and Mrs. Edgar M. Hawkins of Rochester, N.Y., who will accompany the body East.
Burial3 September 1927She was buried on 3 September 1927 at Arlington National Cemetery, Section SW, Site 1405B, in District of Columbia.12
Last Edited28 March 2024

Citations

  1. [S75] Mason Delano Pratt, Genealogy of Richard Henry Pratt and his wife Anna Laura Mason Pratt (San Francisco, California: Privately Printed, availble online https://archive.org/details/genealogyofricha00prat/page/6/mode/1up, May, 1943). Hereinafter cited as Pratt Genealogy.
  2. [S630] Anna Laura Mason Pratt, "Memories of Frontier Army Life", article, Cumberland County Historical Society, Gardner Digital Library (gardnerlibrary.org), p.78; citing prior publication in Cumberland County History (Summer/Winter 2006, Volume 23, Issues 1-2)
  3. [S626] Richard H. Pratt, Battlefield and Classroom, An Autobiography, republished by university of oklahoma, 2003 (N.p.: Yale University Press, 1964), p.39
  4. [S626] Pratt, Battlefield and Classroom, An Autobiography, p. 39
  5. [S630] Pratt, "Memories of Frontier Army Life", p. 82.
  6. [S626] Pratt, Battlefield and Classroom, An Autobiography, p. 46
  7. [S626] Pratt, Battlefield and Classroom, An Autobiography, p. 49
  8. [S629] Frances M. A. Roe, Army Letters from An Officer's Wife 1871-1888 (N.p.: D. Appleton and Company, 1909), pp 52+
  9. [S625] U.S. Army, "Buffalo Soldiers (9th and 10th Cavalry), Returns from Regular Army Cavalry Regiments, 1866-1916", digital images of nara microfilms m744, 16 rolls, record group 391, ancestry, 201 images 1866-1872, Ancestry.com (Ancestry.com); citing Image 187, ancestry.com
  10. [S626] Pratt, Battlefield and Classroom, An Autobiography, pp. 106-108
  11. [S627] U.S. Army, "Buffalo Soldiers (9th and 10th Cavalry), Returns from Regular Army Cavalry Regiments, 1866-1916", digital images of nara microfilms m744, 16 rolls, record group 391, ancestry, 230 images 1873 - 1880, Ancestry.com (Ancestry.com); citing Images 62, 63, ancestry.com
  12. [S287] Find a Grave Website, online www.findagrave.com, Anna Laura Mason Pratt entry

Bartolomew Belden Mason

M, #1549, b. 16 December 1803, d. 20 October 1881

Parents

FatherWheaton Mason (b. 1781, d. 26 May 1850)
MotherOctavia Belden (b. 16 November 1781)

Family: Mercy Moore Whitcomb (b. 19 May 1805, d. 29 August 1876)

SonLevant L. Mason (b. 25 December 1826, d. 13 February 1911)
DaughterHarriet A. ("Hattie") Mason+ (b. 12 November 1828, d. 11 June 1903)
DaughterMarion Elizabeth Mason (b. 12 March 1836, d. 1922)
DaughterNana L. Mason (b. 19 July 1838)
DaughterAnna Laura Mason+ (b. 12 February 1844, d. 7 August 1927)

Biography

Research NoteMDP in his Pratt Genealogy notes that there were three more daughters who did not survive to grow up. About Bartolomew's daughters, MDP writes, "All four of B.B. Mason's daughters found their way to Indiana during, or prior, to the Civil War. Harriet settled in Delphi and married Benjamin Pickard, who Laura was visiting in 1864 when Richard Henry Pratt was home for several months on recruiting duty. They met and were married in Harriet's home and where, just before the close of the war, the compiler of this genealogy [i.e., The Pratt Genealogy] was born. There never was a more devoted pair of lovers than Henry and Laura. Letters between them when separated contained the most endearing terms, even up to the time of Henry's death sixty years later. The other two sisters, Marion and Nana, were business women -- dressmakers on a grand scale with many employees and catering to the wealthy ladies of the day. Marion's establishment was in LaFayette while Nana's was in St. Louis, Mo. Marion married Henry Amos Jennings. Nana married William L. Allen. Nor surviving children resulted, nor were the marriages nearly as successful as the business enterprises."1
Birth16 December 1803Bartolomew Belden Mason was born on 16 December 1803 in Rensselear County, New York.1
Marriage28 October 1825He and Mercy Moore Whitcomb were married on 28 October 1825 in Springville, Erie County, New York,
Census30 July 1850He appeared in the census 30 July 1850 in Ellicott, Chautauqua County, New York. Bartolomew is listed as: as Belden Mason (age 46, Tailor), with Mercy (45), Levent (23, Jeweler, Value of real estate $500), Harriet (23), Marian (14), Nancy (12), and Laura (6).
Photo Family Group1856In 1856, in Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York. Bartolomew Mason Family
Census1 August 1860He appeared in the census 1 August 1860 in Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York. Bartolomew is listed as: as age 56, Pedler, value of personal estate, $100. With Mary, age 55, Housekeeper, Personal estate $150. Nancy L., age 24, seamstress, and Laura, age 13.
Death of Spouse29 August 1876On 29 August 1876 Bartolomew Belden Mason suffered the loss of his spouse, Mercy Moore.1
Census7 June 1880He appeared in the census 7 June 1880 in Randolph, Cattaraugus County, New York. Bartolomew is listed as: listed as Belden B., age 76, Boarder, Widowed, born in New York, Father born in Rhode Island, Mother born in Conn.2
Death20 October 1881He died on 20 October 18811
Last Edited19 January 2017

Citations

  1. [S75] Mason Delano Pratt, Genealogy of Richard Henry Pratt and his wife Anna Laura Mason Pratt (San Francisco, California: Privately Printed, availble online https://archive.org/details/genealogyofricha00prat/page/6/mode/1up, May, 1943). Hereinafter cited as Pratt Genealogy.
  2. [S83] , 1880 Census Online, Viewed on ancestry.com, S.D. 11, E.D. 32, page 8.

Mercy Moore Whitcomb

F, #1550, b. 19 May 1805, d. 29 August 1876

Parents

FatherDille Whitcomb (b. 7 September 1766, d. 12 July 1808)
MotherMercy\Marcy Moore (b. 8 March 1772, d. 27 January 1854)

Family: Bartolomew Belden Mason (b. 16 December 1803, d. 20 October 1881)

SonLevant L. Mason (b. 25 December 1826, d. 13 February 1911)
DaughterHarriet A. ("Hattie") Mason+ (b. 12 November 1828, d. 11 June 1903)
DaughterMarion Elizabeth Mason (b. 12 March 1836, d. 1922)
DaughterNana L. Mason (b. 19 July 1838)
DaughterAnna Laura Mason+ (b. 12 February 1844, d. 7 August 1927)

Biography

Birth19 May 1805Mercy Moore Whitcomb was born on 19 May 1805 in Wendell, Massachusetts.1
Marriage28 October 1825Bartolomew Belden Mason and she were married on 28 October 1825 in Springville, Erie County, New York,
Census30 July 1850She appeared in the household of Bartolomew Belden Mason in the census 30 July 1850 in Ellicott, Chautauqua County, New York. Bartolomew is listed as
Census1 August 1860She appeared in the household of Bartolomew Belden Mason in the census 1 August 1860 in Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York. Bartolomew is listed as
Death29 August 1876She died on 29 August 1876 in New York1
Last Edited27 December 2017

Citations

  1. [S75] Mason Delano Pratt, Genealogy of Richard Henry Pratt and his wife Anna Laura Mason Pratt (San Francisco, California: Privately Printed, availble online https://archive.org/details/genealogyofricha00prat/page/6/mode/1up, May, 1943). Hereinafter cited as Pratt Genealogy.