The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry Francis du Pont
5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur,
Delaware 19735
Telephone: 302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF
THE COLLECTION
Creator: Pratt family.
Title: Papers,
Dates: 1835-1975, bulk 1835-1865.
Call No.: Col. 314
Acc. No.: 93x118
Quantity: 76 items
Location: 17 J 5
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
These papers relate to James Pratt, Jr. (1810-1865)
and members of his family. Pratt was the
son of Polly Bigelow and James Pratt (1779-1885). The younger James Pratt was a carpenter and was
appointed to be a justice of the peace.
On September 14, 1837, he married Amy Tidd. Their nine children were born in Lowell,
Waldoboro, Springfield, or Bloomfield (which later became a part of Skowhegan),
Maine, all in Penobscot or Somerset Counties.
Son Henry Lyman Pratt also became a carpenter and
cabinet maker. He moved to Riverside,
California, in the early 1890s. Daughter
Emma married Levi Lysander Lamb. Other
children are mentioned in documents and letters. Their names are recorded in the family
register in this collection.
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
Consists primarily of bills and receipts pertaining
to household purchases, including groceries, shoes, sewing materials, spices,
fabrics, hardware, and tools. Several of
the documents related to Pratt's carpentry work. From 1859 to 1862, he kept records of jobs
performed, supplies purchased, and "street watches" in a standard
diary. Such activities as framing,
laying floors, hanging blinds, purchasing building materials, repairing
furniture, and constructing hog pens are noted.
Among the legal papers is a document empowering James Pratt as justice
of the peace and several deeds for property in Somerset County.
Several letters are also in these papers. One is to Amy Pratt from one of her daughters
describing her married life and household activities. The remainder are between Pratt's sons, Henry
and Charles. Henry expressed his
intention to move to California and later discussed his life on the west
coast. A trade card for H.L. Pratt,
Riverside, Cal. is also featured.
Miscellaneous items include bills for gravestones, a
recipe for staining wood in a mahogany color, a recipe for medical purposes, and
a family register written on a lithograph done by N. Currier.
ORGANIZATION
The items are in accession number order.
LANGUAGE OF
MATERIALS
The materials are in English.
RESTRICTIONS
ON ACCESS
Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.
PROVENANCE
Purchased from N. David Scotti.
ACCESS POINTS
People:
Pratt, James, 1810-1865.
Pratt,
Amy Tidd, 1813-1896.
Pratt,
Henry Lyman, 1842-1896.
Pratt,
Charles Summer, 1857-1916.
Topics:
Building materials.
Dwellings -
Maintenance and repair.
Framing (Building)
Groceries.
Hardware.
House
construction.
House furnishings.
Lumber trade.
Shoes.
Textile fabrics.
Tools.
Accounts.
Bills
of sale.
Deeds.
Letters.
Lithographs.
Receipts.
Carpenters.
Additional author:
Currier,
Nathaniel, 1813-1888.
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 17 J 5
All accession numbers begin with 93x118.
Folder 1:
.1 receipted
bill: James Pratt paid C. A. Williams & Co., Skowhegan, Nov. 13, 1835: for
flour, sugar, pork, molasses, coffee, syrup, a level, etc.; receipt signed by
J. H. Williams
.2 receipted
bill: Samuel & R. S. Wright paid J. Pratt, no place, Oct. 7, 1843-June 1,
1845: for digging potatoes, framing, stable and barn doors, boarding a
building, setting glass, making a settee, making a mill, use of threshing
machine, making a wash board, repairing a cradle and rocking chair, making a
birch table and a chest, making a reel and a coffin, making a sleigh thill,
making a bedstead, and other repairs
[note:
receipt in distressed condition; handle with care]
.3 receipted
bill: James Pratt paid A. S. Gatchell, Dec. 1843-April 1846, for making and
repairing boots and shoes; also paid for tea and molasses
.4 note:
from William Olmstead, Springfield, April 1, 1846, to Rufus Wright: “Please to
pay James Pratt”
.5 receipted
bill: James Pratt, Jr., paid A. & P. Coburn, April 1859-Dec. 1861: for
lard, molasses, coffee, pork, sugar, tea, sheeting and other textile fabrics,
shovel and files, salt, seeds, codfish and herring, starch, paper, chalk lines,
bowls and mugs, flour, ivory comb, syrup, pork, buttons, tea set, raisins, oil,
axe helve, matches, knives and forks, spoons, etc.;
receipt signed by G. S. Webb and J.
Pratt, Jr.
Folder 2:
.6 receipt:
James Pratt paid Bial H. Scribner, Springfield, April 5, 1847
.7 promise
to pay: William Tidd and James Pratt, Orono, Aug. 25, 1847, promise to pay J.
Washburn, Jr.
.8 receipted
bill: James Pratt paid S. W. Bacon, Oct. 1848-Jan. 1849, for tobacco, tin plates,
brandy, loaf sugar, gin, bitters, a flask, and medicine; receipt signed B. H.
Scribner
.9 certificate:
James Butterfield, Springfield, July 30, 1849 certifies that he has received
from James Pratt, Jr., two notes given by William P. Tidd, dated July 30, 1849;
and he also certifies that he will pay Pratt some money
[see also
.22]
.10 receipt:
James Pratt paid Sumner Paine for rent, Boston, Dec. 31, 1850
.11 receipted
bill: James Pratt, Jr., paid A. & P. Coburn for beef and apple [illegible],
Oct. 1852-Jan. 1857
.12 receipt:
James Pratt, Jr., paid Lewis H. Johnson, Skowhegan, Dec. 10, 1852
.13 receipt:
James Pratt paid S. W. Coburn, Sept.-Oct. 1853, for beef, lamb, huck[?];
payment received by James Lord
.14 receipt:
James Pratt paid A. Weston for unspecified work, Aug. 7, 1854-Oct. 10, 1855
Folder 3:
.15 settled bill: James Pratt, Jr., and Levi Emery, Bloomfield,
Jan. 15, 1856, settled their accounts from 1855: for work on house of E. L.
Turner, including a charge for clapboards and for lumber bought from Lord &
Abbott
.16 receipted
bill: James Pratt paid Isaac Dyer, apothecary and book-seller, Skowhegan, March
7, 1856: for books;
[printed
billhead]
.17 receipt:
James Pratt paid Joseph L. Patten, May 8, 1857
.18 receipt:
James Pratt paid on Francis Drew’s account, signed by R. S. [illegible],
Skowhegan, Mary 14, 1857
.19 memorandum
of purchases: books and shoes, with notes that some purchases were for Henry,
Frank, Horace, Eliza, and Melvina [children of James Pratt], 1855
.20 receipted
bill: James Pratt paid Lord White & Co., Feb. 1857-Jan. 1861: for lumber
and boards, rye, corn, apples, whet saw, cash payments, etc.; credit was given
for days of unspecified work
.21 receipted
bill: James Pratt paid H. D. Frost, May 26, 1859, for a pair of pants and a
vest
Folder 4:
.22 letter, James Butterfield, Springfield, Feb. 4, 1849, to James
Pratt, Jr., esq. About notes of William
P. Tidd; mentions that Tidd and his wife work hard and that “the old folks live
with them”; Pratt’s folks are well;
mentions Bial H. Scribner, and sends other news
[see also
.9]
.23 bill
to L. P. Hayward from J. Pratt, Oct. 1859 and Aug. 1861, for work on house and
fence; Henry helped work on the house
.24 receipt:
James Pratt paid J. Chace, Jr., Bloomfield, Dec. 1859, for a copy of Somerset
County map; receipt signed by S. W. Turner for Chace;
[printed
form]
.25 receipt:
J. Pratt paid S. J. Ballou & Co., Augusta, Dec. 3, 1860, for subscription
to Gospel Banner
[printed form]
.26 bill:
James Pratt, Jr., in account with Emery & Folsom, Oct. 10, 1860-Jan. 8,
1862, for a wide variety of goods, including oil, sugar, lard, beans, flour,
pork, tea, cod and other fish, textile fabrics (including cassimere, jean,
sheeting, cambric, etc.), thread, braid, buttons, beef, raisins, broom,
molasses, kerosene, boy’s cap, mustard, crackers, nails, screws and other
hardware, pocket knife, spices, spoons, a horse blanket, axe helve, etc.
.27 receipted
bill: Alba [or Alva] Abbot paid J. Pratt, Skowhegan, April 1860-Oct. 1, 1864:
for a hollow tool, making o.g. conice [ogee cornice?] tool, hanging blinds,
work, laying floor, hog pen doors, setting glass, and lumber
.28 receipt:
James Pratt paid C. K. Turner, Feb. 1, 1861, to be accounted to John H. Webster;
with a penciled note at bottom dated Oct. 2, 1863, mentioning repairing a
cupboard and setting glass;
On
back: sketches of outlines of moldings and some calculations
Folder 5:
.29 note:
James Pratt, Skowhegan, March 20, 1861, promises to pay B. M. Hight; Pratt’s
signature has been removed, doubtless to show that the note was settled;
On back:
notes about work done by Henry
.30 receipted
bill, but whether to or from S. Parlin is unclear, although probably a bill
from James Pratt to Parlin, Skowhegan, May 1861: for a job of work, timber,
pine boards, job on platform, repairing and hanging blinds;
On back:
note about receiving a payment on the bill and other notes about this bill
.31 receipt:
J. Pratt paid S. J. Ballou & Co., Augusta, Me., Aug. 5, 1861, for
subscription to Gospel Banner
[printed form]
.32 receipted
bill: James Pratt paid W. Snow, charge made April 26, 1862, payment received
Feb. 17, 1864
.33 receipted
bill: Mrs. Amy Pratt, paid John Diggby, Mercer[?], Aug. 30, 1862, for Ladd
& Webster machine [a sewing machine]
.34 receipted
bill: James Pratt paid the Aqueduct Co. for use of water, Oct. 1, 1862; receipt
signed by A. Weston
.35 three
receipts glued together: James Pratt paid Skowhegan Post Office for box rental,
April 1863-July 1864; receipts signed by postmaster J. A. Philbrick
[printed
forms]
.36 receipt:
James Pratt paid Skowhegan Post Office for box rental, Oct. 1864-Jan. 1865;
receipt signed by George D. Eldridge for postmaster J. A. Philbrick
[printed form]
.37 receipt:
James Pratt paid H. D. Frost, March 4, 1864, for an overcoat
.38 promise
to pay: James Pratt promised to pay Emery & Folsom, Skowhegan, April 3,
1863; with Pratt’s signature removed to indicate payment;
[printed
form, with picture of an Indian maiden with bow and arrows, partially covered
by a U.S. Internal Revenue stamp]
Folder 6:
.39 receipted bill: J. Pratt paid Joseph Robinson, Skowhegan,
July-Aug. 1864, for work on his house
.40 receipted
bill: James Pratt paid Emery Folsom & Co., Skowhegan, July-August 1864: for
nails, lime, spikes, knobs, screws, lock, window rings, lead, linseed oil, door
handles
.41 account
with William Adkinson, Dec. 15, 1864-Jan. 2/3, 1865, for feet of stumpage and
hardwood
.42 receipted
bill: James Pratt paid Emery & Folsom, Skowhegan, Dec. 1860-April 1863: for
textile fabrics (flannel, sheeting, print, etc.), thread, molasses, codfish,
oil, apples, sugar, nails, tea, cloves, shovel, manure fork, lime, buttons,
socks, hose, comb, hoop skirt, wooden pail, broom, handkerchief, soap, cheese,
braid, etc.; the bill was partially paid
by work, including setting glass and hanging blinds
.43 receipt:
J. Pratt, Bloomfield, paid S. J. Ballou & Co., Augusta, Me., Jan. 1, 1864,
for subscription to Gospel Banner
[printed form]
.44 receipt:
James Pratt paid F. A. Williams & Co., for a pair of scissors, no date
.45 small
part of a letter from J. Pratt to one of his children: about some incident,
mentioning a white horse, covered carriage, townspeople standing around the
bank with lanterns, and rogues who ran off, with the sheriff after them
.46 account
of gallons of Medford rum, Dec. 6-16, no year; mentioning amounts given to
Knight and Jewell
.47 bill:
L. J. R. Crocker owed to James Pratt, no date, for crease and groove tools, a
smooth plane, wood for tools, and labor on a coffin
.48 a
medical recipe for an unnamed problem, although the list of ingredients is
headed by a “discription [sic] of
complaints”; the list of ingredients is long (includes thistle root, yellow ash
bark, rhubarb, and other roots and barks); the recipe also calls for gin
.49 bond,
James Pratt to Samuel Pratt, both of Skowhegan, January 2, 1862: Samuel sells
all his goods and real estate to James for $2000, and James is to support
Samuel and his wife Elizabeth; witnessed by A. S. Emery
[James
Pratt, Jr.’s father James had a brother Samuel Pratt (1792-1881), whose wife
was Elizabeth Gardner. This uncle and
aunt are the Samuel and Elizabeth Pratt referenced in this document. See also acc. 93x118.54, a deed dated the
same day.]
Folder 7: Diary
.50 Diary used as memorandum book by James Pratt, Bloomfield, Me.;
the volume was printed for use as a diary in 1859, but Pratt did not use the
volume as that; he used it to record work, cash paid, and other notes; the
entries are dated 1860-1863. A
multi-page entry beginning on the page for June 6 is account of “amount laid
out on moveing [sic] & rep. [repairing] house.” Pump fixtures, lathing, hair, stone,
underpinning, and other goods are services are mentioned, although mostly the
references are just to “bills.” Other
interesting accounts are headed “cost of our potatoes” and “cost of ¾ acre
corn” (both in the memorandum section of the diary); costs included plowing,
lime, seed, hoeing, etc. Work for
Christian Society meeting house and for Village of Skowhegan are also recorded.
Folder 8: Certificate and deeds
.51 certificate: James Pratt of no. 7 range 3 appointed to be
Justice of the Peace and of the Quorum for Penobscot County, Maine, by John W.
Dana, governor, July 29, 1847. Signed by
Secretary of State Ezra B. French, and also by Governor Dana.
[printed
form; seal of state of Maine blind-embossed on paper]
.52 Deed:
Samuel Pratt and George Pratt, both of Bloomfield, Somerset County, Maine, sell
a parcel of land to James Pratt, April 9, 1860; signed by Samuel and George
Pratt, and by James B. Dascomb, Justice of the Peace
[printed
form]
[Note:
Samuel and George Pratt are brothers.
James Pratt is their nephew.]
.53
Deed: Samuel Pratt and George Pratt, both of Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine,
sell a parcel of land to James Pratt, Nov. 29, 1862; signed by Samuel and
George Pratt and with the mark of Polly Pratt, and by James B. Dascomb, Justice
of the Peace
[printed
form]
.54 Deed:
Samuel Pratt of Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, sells half a farm, with
buildings, stock, and farming tools, to James Pratt, Jan. 2, 1862; signed by
Samuel Pratt and by James B. Dascomb, Justice of the Peace
[printed form;
see also 93x118.49, a bond dated the same day.]
.55 Deed:
Samuel H. Paine of Madison, Somerset County, Maine, sells a parcel of land to
Amy Pratt of Skowhegan, April 18, 1867; signed by Samuel H. Paine, and his wife
Margaret S. C. Paine; witnessed by Sheldon Reed and Justice of the Peace James
Bell.
[printed
form, with U.S. Internal Revenue stamps]
.56 Quitclaim
deed: Albert J., Henry L., and Anna E. Pratt, and Emma A. Lamb, all of
Massachusetts, sell the homestead of their father James Pratt in Skowhegan, to
their mother Amy Pratt, April 12, 1867; signed by all the Pratt children, and
witnessed by E. W. Fiske
[printed
form, with U.S. Internal Revenue stamp]
Folder 9:
.57 letter, S. J. Ballou & Co., Gospel Banner, Augusta, Me., March 6, 1862, to J. Pratt: encloses
duplicate receipt.
[printed
letterhead: Gospel Banner: A family paper, devoted to religion, literature and
news, … Revs. H. C. Leonard and R. A. Ballou, editors]
.58 tax
bill to Amy Pratt from Levi Powers, collector, Madison, May 26, 1868
[printed
form]
.59 receipted
bill: Mrs. J. Pratt paid Skowhegan Post
Office for postage and box rental, Jan. 1870-Jan. 1871, signed by postmaster
[printed
form]
.60a-b letter with envelope: from [Emma Augusta Pratt Lamb], Fitchburg,
Mass., April 10, 1867, to mother Amy Pratt, Skowhegan, Maine: husband Lysander
is kind and considerate husband; have set up housekeeping, having bought the
previous tenants’ furniture, but now have to move again; Ida boarding with them
while she works in shoe shop; hopes for a visit; and other news.
Folder 10:
.61 receipt: Henry Pratt, on account of James Pratt, deceased,
paid money due; signed by Folsom & Allen by Emery, Skowhegan, July 12, 1865
.62a letter,
Office of Surgeon-General, Boston, April 4, 1868, to Henry L. Pratt: “your
claim for bounty has been settled. You
will please call and sign a receipt….”
[printed
form, with space for additions]
.62b letter,
Office of Surgeon-General, Boston, April 9, 1868, to Henry L. Pratt: will
forward his discharge and check.
[printed
letterhead, decorated with seal of Massachusetts]
.63-.64 two trade cards from 1891, for H. L. Pratt, carpenter
& cabinet maker, Main Street, Riverside, Cal. “Office and store fitting a specialty. Manufacturer of the ‘Step Ladder Chair,’
solid oak, antique finish, a pretty chair and a four-step ladder combined.”
Folder 11:
.65 letter, from Henry, Skowhegan, May 18, 1890, to brother
Charlie: plans to leave next week for move to Colorado or back to California;
would like to stop and visit on the way; Frank helping carpenters at oil cloth
factory; and other news
.66a-c letter and envelope, from Henry, Riverside, Cal., Feb. 15, 1891, to
brother Charlie [Chas. S. Pratt], Waterville, Maine: hopes Charlie is well again;
had letter from brother Albert, mostly about politics; encloses business card
[see .63-.64 above]; makes small tables, fall-front desks, and bread boards, in
addition to the step ladder chair and custom jobs; wife Mari is doing well,
too; describes furniture in their home (Henry made some of it); discusses
orange crop
.67 receipted
bill: Mrs. Charles S. Spratt [sic, i.e. Pratt], paid Edward E. Barker,
Norridgewock, Maine, May 7, 1918, for four post and one marker [grave marker];
[printed and
illustrated billhead: Edward E. Barker, manufacturer of and dealer in granite
and marble cemetery work, illustrated with picture of a tombstone
[Charles
Sumner Pratt died in 1916.]
.68 receipt:
Charles S. Pratt, Waterville, paid Edwin W. Marble, Skowhegan Monumental Works,
Skowhegan, Me., Aug. 31, 1915: for one grave tabled for Mrs. Vina L. Hill
[At the time
of her death on July 6, 1915, Melvina Louise Pratt was the widow of Green S.
Hill and was a seamstress.]
Folder 12:
.69 quitclaim: Benjamin Osgood gives a quitclaim to his right and
tittle to a lot he had bought of Hannan[?] Dennis in consideration of money
paid by James Pratt, attested by James Butterfield, Springfield, May 16, 1845
.70 certificate
of marriage: the names of bride and groom have been crossed out (Benjamin S.
Potter[?] and Ann M. Downey[?], but their wedding took place in Lee, Maine, on
Dec. 5, 184[torn]; the minister’s signature has been removed.
.71 receipted:
Benjamin Pratt paid S. D. Currier on account, Waldoboro, Oct. 1, 1843
.72 letter,
Levi, Rockport, Jan. 8, 1860, to brother [probably James Pratt, Jr.]: has no
ill feelings toward brother or his family; has been “doing a little something
in the stone business”; have name son “after the infidel agitator Garrison, we
call him Lloyd”; have two girls and six boarders; gives news of sister Malvina;
will go to Charlestown to work on pedestal of statue of Henry Clay to go to New
Orleans; wife’s twin sister died last summer; and other news.
[Stone
cutter Levi B. Pratt, born circa 1815, was married to Eveline, and their son
was named Lloyd Garrison; there were also daughters Katy and Lily. Levi was a brother of James Pratt, Jr., who was
probably the recipient of this letter.]
.73 trade
card: L. Parker & Co., dealers in mahogany and fancy woods, also veneers of
all kinds, Boston.
Principals in
firm: L. Parker, S. Cutter, W. H. White.
Also lists kinds
of woods available.
.74 “Receipt for stain wood mahogany Colour.”
.75 Oakland
Cemetery, Coventry, Kent County, Rhode Island: two documents attached:
(1)
Certificate that Annie A. Nuttall
purchased a lot, Sept. 6, 1927.
(2)
Certificate for perpetual care of cemetery lots, fee paid by Gertrude
N. Pratt and Chester G. Nuttall, May 12, 1975.
The documents were evidently
given to Mrs. Charlotte M. Gleason.
Loose in box:
.76 “Family
Register,” lithographed by N. Currier, 152 Nassau St., N.Y. In color.
The register
provided spaces for names of parents and children, and when and where born,
married (no room for name of spouse), and died.
The last date recorded on this was the death of Charles Sumner Pratt,
Nov. 16, 1916, in Waterville, Maine. The
name of James Pratt’s wife, Amy Tidd, was written on a separate slip of paper
and pasted over another name.
The register
is illustrated with pictures: a family group for “Family Names”; a couple with
a baby for “Born”; a couple being married for “Married”; and a widow and child
at a tomb for “Died.” Columns entwined
with roses separate the different sections.
The names recorded on
this document are below; some of the dates were smeared and difficult to read:
Parents:
James Pratt,
born Sept. 7, 1810, in Bloomfield; married Sept. 14, 1837, in Palermo; died in
Skowhegan, March 7, 1865.
Amy Tidd,
born Oct. 23, 1813, in Pleasant Valley, New Brunswick.
Children:
Albert J.,
born Nov. 6, 1868, in Lowell; married in Waltham, Mass., March 24, 1863[?].
Emma A.,
born May 21, 1840, in Lowell; married in Crinton[?], Mass., Dec. 25, 1866, ceremony
performed by C. M. Bowers; died Sept. 30, 1870, in Fitchburg, Mass.
Henry Lyman,
born June 26, 1842, in Waldoboro; married in Boston, Jan. 23[?], 1872.
Ann Eliza,
born May 17, 1844, in Springfield; married in Skowhegan on July 3, 1873[?].
Vina Louisa,
born June 5, 1846, in Springfield; married in Skowhegan on Aug. 11, 1865.
Frank, born
Aug. 30, 1849, in Bloomfield.
Horace Mann,
born Aug. 4, 1853 in Bloomfield.
Alma L.,
born March 18, 1855, in Bloomfield.
Charles
Sumner, born Feb. 21, 1857, in Bloomfield; married in Waterville in 1889[?],
died Nov. 16, 1916, in Waterville.
From other records, it is known that
Emma married
Levi Lysander Lamb (1841-1921);
Henry Lyman
married Maria Welts, and he died in California in 1896. He had served in the Civil War.
Alma married a man
surnamed Reed (sister Alma Reed is mentioned in will of Vina Pratt Hill; Alma
lived in Madison, Maine).
Frank married a
woman named Mae; when Vina wrote her will, Frank was dead, but she left
something to her sister-in-law.
Other people
mentioned in Vina L. Pratt Hill’s will, who may or may not be family members:
Blanche McKinnon;
nieces Bertha Lamb (of
Chicago), Abbie Pratt (of Somerville, Mass.), Helen Pratt (of Skowhegan), and
Louise Pratt (of So. Windom, probably daughter of Horace Mann Pratt who also
lived there);
Loantha[?] Pike of
Cornville[?]; and
Maud Caldwell of Madison;