USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Shrewsbury > Family register of the inhabitants of the town of Shrewsbury, Mass., from its settlement in 1717 to 1829, and of some of them to a later period > Part 15
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* Peter and Thomas Noyes, (on old records, Noyce, Noice,) shared in the di- vision of Sudbury meadows, in 1638, and may have been brothers. Deac. Peter Noyes d. there in 1657, and Thomas Noyes, in 1666. Peter Noyes, probably a son of Peter or Thomas, m. Elizabeth Darrell there, Nov. 30, 1654, and had Elizabeth, b. in 1655, and Peter in 1656.
A Joseph Noyes and Mary Darrell were m. there, in 1662, and had 8 chil. b. there, between 1662 and 1676; of them were Joseph, b. in 1663; James, 1664; Mo- ses, 1667; and John, 1674. Their mother d. in 1677, and their father m. Mary, wid. of Maj. Simon Willard, in 1680. His s. Joseph, m. Ruth Haynes of Sudbury, Dec. 20, 1693. Joseph, of Sudbury, sup. s. of Joseph and Ruth, m. Elizabeth Gilbert, Nov. 18, 1734, and were the parents of Daniel, who settled here.
Samuel, abovementioned, was a relative of Daniel, and s. (it is said) of Peter, of Sudbury. I cannot now trace his immediate ancestry.
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He next m. Anna, D. of Amos Pratt of Westboro', April 9, 1759 ; both ad. to chh. in 1810. He d. Nov. 25, 1826, aged 94, and his wife, Anna, without issue, Nov. 2, 1826, aged 89. Their lamps went out for want of oil.
NOYES, DANIEL (s. of Joseph of Sudbury) m. Ruth Reed there, Nov. 1, 1764. She d. here Dec. 2, 1812, aged 68. Chil. Elizabeth, b. May 9, 1766, and d. Sept. 14, 1787 ; Relief, Oct. 19, 1769, and d. Nov. 12, 1778 ; Sarah, April 2, 1774, and m. Jonathan R. Smith, in 1793 ; Luther, May 22, 1776, m. Azubah, D. of Samuel Smith, April 14, 1799, and settled in Oakham ; Asahel, July 8, 1780; Daniel Gilbert, June 22, 1784, and d. in 1786; Daniel Gilbert, Dec. 5, 1786; Eliza- betk, Feb. 5, 1789, and m. John Fay of Westboro', March 13, 1808.
He next m. Abigail, (Lynde) wid. of Lemuel Rice of Worces- ter, in 1816. They were ad. to this chh. in 1817, she, from that in Worcester. He d. Feb. 3, 1824, aged 83, and his wid. Abigail, April 6, 1837, aged 90.
NOYES, ASAHEL (s. of Daniel) m. Abigail, D. of Deac. Jonathan Fasset of Boylston, in 1802. She was ad. to chh. March, 1811, and d. the 29th of May following, aged 30 ; and he, Oct. 7, 1812, aged 32; both of consumption. Chil. Isaac Reed, b. Jan. 29, 1803, m. Sarah Flint, D. of Ebenezer Drury, Sept. 16, 1828, and removed to N. Y .; Benjamin, Aug. 4, 1805, and went to the South ; Asahel, bap. May 17, 1811, and d. infant.
NOYES, DANIEL G. (s. of Daniel) m. Hannah W., D. of Capt. Thomas Knowlton, May 27, 1817. Chil. Cynthia Elizabeth, b. April 21, 1818; Sarah Maria, July 12, 1820 ; Calvin Witherby, Nov. 13, 1827.
NOYES, RICHARD PRATT (from Sudbury) and his wife, Elizabeth Brown, had Samuel, b. March 14, 1815; Mary Ann,
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Feb. 18, 1817; Elizabeth, Dec. 5, 1819 ; Sarah Brown, Jan. 29, 1822; Samuel Brown, Dec. 29, 1823 ; James Richard, July 12, 1826.
NOYES, DANIEL (bro. of the preceding) and his wife, Martha, from Sudbury, about 1829, purchased and settled upon what was once the Brewer farm, and had chil., not all b. here, but on record, as follows, Mary Elizabeth, b. Oct. 3, 1826 ; George Franklin, Oct. 4, 1828 ; William Addison, July 23, 1830; Weltha Maria, April 29, 1833 ; Ellen Louisa, Jan. 13, 1836 ; Martha Ann, July 28, 1838.
NELSON, DAVID * (s. of Deac. Jonathan of Upton, a native of Rowley) m. Susanna Bacheller, and came here from Upton, in 1760, with a family of children, viz : Abijah, who m. Sarah, D. of Asa Mixer, in 1790, lived in Leicester some years, and d. here, March 15, 1734, aged 72 ; no issue ; David ; Sol- omon, who m. Elizabeth Dunn of Northbridge, and removed to Ohio ; Daniel, who m. Sarah Smith of Orange, Vt., and with a family of chil. (no births on record here,) removed to Ohio ; Susanna, who m. Capt. Peter Salter, in 1784, removed to the Western part of N. Y., and had Isaac Harrington, Susanna Nel- son, Thankful Newton, Adam Harrington, and David Nelson ;
* Thomas Nelson and his wife, Joan, with sons, Philip and Thomas, b. in Eng- land, were in Rowley, in 1638, where he was made freeman, the 23d of May, in that year, and d. in England, in 1648, His s. Thomas, m. Ann Lambert, and had Thomas, b. in 1661 ; Jonathan, in I667; Gershom, in 1672; and Francis, in 1676. Francis m. Mary Ray, and had Solomon, b. in 1703 ; David, in 1707; and Jonathan, in 1713 .- Gage's History of Rowley.
It has been supposed by the descendants of David, that Solomon Nelson came from England, settled in Rowley, and was the father of Jonathan, afterwards of Upton, and g. father of David, who came with his family to this town. It may have been so ; but, it no where appears of record, that a Solomon Nelson from England, settled in Rowley, or that a Solomon Nelson in Rowley had a s. Jonathan.
Thomas, who m. Lambert, was from England, and was father of Francis, and g. father of Jonathan, b. in 1713, who was probably the Jonathan, who settled in Up- ton ; if so, David, b. about 1737, was a g. s. of Francis. Solomon, b. in 1703, (and he was the only Solomon there, until a later period) besides not having come from England, could hardly have had a g. s. born so early as 1737.
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Jonathan ; Josiah ; Amasa, b. Oct. 2, 1780 ; and Sarah, who m. Isaac Newton, in 1806. His wife, Susanna, d. Jan. 3, 1785.
The 2d wife of David Nelson was Susanna, D. of John, and sister of Samuel Brigham, whom he m. Nov. 24, 1785, and d. May 12, 1827, aged 90, and his wid. Susanna, March 12, 1830, aged 85.
NELSON, DAVID, Jun. (s. of David) m. Lucy Adams, of Northbridge. Chil. (no births on record here) Sarah, Lucy, Elizabeth, Melissa, Louisa, Mary, Harriet, Rinda, and Cla- rinda.
NELSON, Capt. JONATHAN (s. of David) m. Eunice, D. of Jasper Stone, March 8, 1798, and d. here, June 1, 1827, aged 54. Chil. Elizabeth, b. March 12, 1799, and m. Nahum Eager, in 1820 ; and next William W. Parker, and removed to Albany, N. Y. ; Jasper Stone, March 27, 1800, and d. Dec. 7,. 1821 ; David, June 6, 1801, and went to Illinois ; Sarah, June 8, 1803, and sup. m. John Putnam, Jun., of Grafton, May 5, 1829 ; Charles Lewis, Nov. 26, 1805, m. it is said, and remov- ed to Princeton ; Hannah Stone, Oct. 22, 1809, and went to Princeton ; Jonathan H., April 26, 1812, and m. Adaline Keyes, D. of Josiah Hemenway.
NELSON, JOSIAH (s. of David) m. Sophia Goddard of Worcester, June 28, 1812, and had Henry Harrison, b. Jan. 23, 1813, and d. Feb. 10, 1815; Luther, March 31, 1816 ; Henry, Feb. 20, 1819; Jasper Stone, June 2, 1822.
NELSON, AMASA (s. of David) m. Levinah, D. of Dan- iel Mixer, Oct. 27, 1805. · Chil. Louisa, b. April 20, 1806, and d. Jan. 26, 1811 ; Amasa, Nov. 16, 1807 ; Samuel Free- man, Oct. 9, 1809 ; Louisa Rebecca, March 31, 1811 ; Cyn- thia Levinah, Jan. 3, 1813, and d. -; Marietta, Leonard, Jubal, Adam Harrington, Julia Ann, Lucy, and Eliza.
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NICHOLS, Capt. JOSEPH (sup. from Westboro') came here about 1804, built and lived on the place now of Silas May- nard, and removed from town about 1812. There is no record of a birth or a death in his family while here. The births of some of his younger chil., but not those of the older, are record- ed in Westboro'-whence it may be inferred he lived there but a few years, before he came here. By the record there it appears that " Joseph Nichols d. Sept. 15, 1796, and his wife, Judith,
Aug. 21, 1796." Probably they were the parents of Capt. Jo- seph, the name of whose wife is sup. to have been Thankful. Miri-Ann, b. Aug. 24, 1796 ; Joseph, Dec. 8, 1798; Caroline, June 3, 1801 ; and Louisa, April 25, 1803, are there called the chil. of Capt. Joseph and Thankful Nichols. His D. Pamelia, m. John Meacham, Jun. of Watertown, May 7, 1809, and his s. James, m. Abigail Cloyes of Framingham, in 1811, and removed to Westboro', where he had Abigail, who d. here unm. March 28, 1839, aged 26, and Maria, June 24, 1839, aged 16.
OLIVER, STEPHEN (a native of Roxbury) m. Mary, D. of Jedediah Tucker, Jun., Dec. 2, 1798. She d. here, Nov. 26, 1842, aged 65. Chil. (no births on record here ;) the fol- lowing are, at Westboro', where he lived a few years, and came here about 1818; William, b. March 13, 1810; Marshall, June 16, 1812 ; Stephen, April 26, 1814; and perhaps Mary Ann, who m. Dexter Pratt.
PRATT, ELEAZER m. Ruhamah Tomlin of Westboro', Jan. 15, 1729, and was living on house lot, No. 1, in 1728. Chil. Hannah, b. May 1730; Ruhamah, April 16, 1732, and sup. m. Thomas Frost of Westboro' in 1760; Mary, Dec. 11, 1734, and sup. m. Silas Frost of Westboro', in 1761 ; Sarah, Oct. 11, 1736, and m. Jacob Knowlton of Hardwick, in 1759 ; Rufus, Oct. 2, 1738, m. Hannah Ball of Westboro', May 11, 1763, and settled in Hardwick ; Reuben, Sept. 7, 1741, and sup. m. Ruth Williams of Westboro', in 1768 ; Eleazer, Oct. 20, 1743, and m. Mary Druce of Grafton, Sept. 26, 1776.
Eleazer Pratt was set off to Westboro', in 1762.
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FAMILY REGISTER.
PRATT, AMOS (from Westboro', sup. bro. of the preced- ing, and, of Hezekiah, John and Isaac of Westboro',) m. Anna, D. of Elnathan and Mary Allen, Dec. 12, 1722. She was ad. to this chh. in 1727 and he, in 1734. There is no record here of the death of either of them. Chil. Elnathan, b. Dec. 8, 1723 ; Amos; Oct. 18, 1725 ; Isaac, July 27, 1727 ; Alpheus, Sept. 7, 1731 ; Mercy, Aug. 31, 1733, and sup. m. Jotham Death, March 5, 1751 ; Anna, May 14, 1738, and m. Samuel Noyes, in 1759 ; Mary, Oct. 19, 1742, and may have been the Mary Pratt, who was pub. to Solomon Fay, July 24, 1761, both then called of Shrewsbury.
PRATT, JOSIAH m. Sarah Wilson, Oct. 8, 1724, and had Joseph, b. here, Aug. 16, 1725.
Thomas Pratt, and Sarah, his wife, of Hassanamisco, were ad. to this chh. in 1724, and he dis. Dec. 12, 1731, in order to lay- ing the foundation of a chh. there ; his wife, Sarah, was dis. to that chh. in March of the next year .- Chh. Records.
PRATT, ELNATHAN (s. of Amos) m. Abigail, D. of Maj. Joseph Mixer, April 26, 1748. She d. Sept. 10, 1808, aged 78, and he, Jan. 20, 1813, aged 89. Chil. Abigail, b. June 10, 1749, and d. infant ; Seth, March 24, 1751 ; Joseph and Benjamin, March 22, 1753; the latter d. infant ; Benja- min, Aug. 1, 1755 ; Abigail, in 1758, and m. Samuel Smith, in 1778 ; Nathan, Nov. 11, 1759 ; Thankful, Oct. 6, 1761, and m. Caleb Parker, in 1781 ; Bulah, Oct. 11, 1763, and m. Peter Cary ; Zilpah, -; Sarah, Oct. 22, 1765, and m. Jona- than Harrington, in 1783 ; Shepard, July 28, 1773.
PRATT, ISAAC (s. of Amos) m. Hepzibah Brown, Sept. 21, 1749. They were ad. to this chh. in 1763. Chil. Amos, b. Sept. 23, 1750 ; Samuel, Nov. 4, 1752; Alvan, Sept. 23, 1754 ;, Sene, (Asenath) March 28, 1757, and d. infant ; Sene, Oct. 1, 1759; Vienna, Feb. 17, 1762; Emerson, April 19, 1764 ; Vashni, July 26, 1768, m. Joanna, D. of Daniel Tucker, Sept. 30, 1798, and settled in Marlboro', Vt. ; Annis, Oct. 8, 1771 .-
24
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FAMILY REGISTER.
PRATT, ALPHEUS (s. of Amos) m. Lydia, D. of Maj. Joseph Mixer, Jan. 23, 1753. Chil. Lydia, b. July 4, 1753, and m. Elnathan Allen, Jun., in 1773; Stephen, April 30, 1755, and m. Lucy, D. of Jed. Tucker, Jun., Sept. 8, 1783 ; Ebene- ezer, Feb. 27, 1757 ; Anna Saphira, March 23, 1759; Mary, June 24, 1761 ; Asa, bap: May 24, 1764 ; Orlin, bap. March 30, 1766 ; Levi, bap. July 5, 1772 ; Nathaniel, bap. Dec. 19, 1773. The parents removed to Marlboro', Vt., and d. there.
PRATT, Capt. SETH (s. of Elnathan) m. Margaret Stacey of Hopkinton, in 1772. Chil. Joseph, b. May 26, 1774; Han- nah, Nov. 30, 1775, and m. Schuyler Fisher, March 8, 1798 ; they went to Richfield, N. Y .; Abigail, May 3, 1777, and m. Amasa Holden, in 1797 ; they went to Penn Yan, N. Y .; Elna- than, Nov. 16, 1778, m. Cornelia, D. of Levi Bush of Worces- ter, and settled there, and d. in Alton, Ill., in 1833 ; Nymphas, Dec. 24, 1780 ; Margaret, Aug. 20, 1782, and m. Daniel Hol- den ; Relief, June 20, 1784, and m. Moses H. Felton of Barre ; Seth, April 5, 1786 ; Alice, Aug. 6, 1791, mn. Phineas Hay- wood, and d. in 1812, aged 21.
Capt. Pratt removed to Barre, about 1806, and d. there, April 5, 1829, aged 78; and his wid. Margaret, in Sept. following, aged 83.
PRATT, BENJAMIN (s. of Elnathan) m. Sarah, . D. of Joseph Temple, Aug. 15, 1776, and had Zilpah, bap. March 22, 1778 ; Reuben, bap. Oct. 22, 1780 ; Mary, bap. Feb. 5, 1782 ; John Gilbert, bap. May 15, 1785, and removed from town.
PRATT, NATHAN (s. of Elnathan) m. Dolly, D. of Ste- phen Parker, Feb. 10, 1786. They were ad. to this chh. in 1788. She d. Nov. 16, 1834, aged 72. He, extensively known as "master Pratt," and a long succession of years, an efficient and praiseworthy school-master, d. May 11, 1847, aged 872. Chil. Martha, b. July 22, 1780, and m. Seth Hemenway,
-
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in 1800; Lewis, Oct. 19, 1783 ; Caleb, July 19, 1786, mate and supercargo of a vessel, taken prisoner on the high seas by the Spaniards, and carried to St. Domingo, where he d. of yellow fever, Oct. 22, 1809 ; Thankful, May 15, 1788, and d. infant; Thankful, April 15, 1791, and m. Luke Knowlton Rice, in 1811; Samuel Austin, Aug. 9, 1794 ; Phebe, Jan. 18, 1797, and d. unm. Oct. 30, 1830; Nathan, July 5, 1800; Dexter, Aug. 10, 1803, and m. Mary Ann Oliver ; and she dying, he m. again in N. Y., went to Mexico, and d. there, at Valadolid, some years since ; Otis, May 15, 1806, m. Elizabeth Putnam of Sutton, and settled there.
PRATT, SHEPARD (s. of Elnathan) m. Catharine Walker of Worcester, in 1801, and ad. to this chh. in 1822. Chil. Wil- liam Walker, b. Jan. 13, 1803 ; Mary, Feb. 9, 1804, and m. Levi Green, in 1825 ; Joseph Harvey and Henry Benjamin, Sept. 16, 1807 ; the former m. Emily, D. of Ephraim Gould- ing of Grafton, and the latter, Mary P., D. of Benjamin Brig- ham, April 6, 1830 ; Leander Shepard, May 19, 1812, and m. Martha, D. of Deac. Albert Stone of Grafton ; Catharine, March 19, 1814.
PRATT, JOSEPH (s. of Seth,) m. Martha Goulding of Grafton, D. of the 2d wife of Col. Job Cushing, Oct. 3, 1796. She was ad. to this chh. in 1804. He d. Sept. 20, 1843, aged 69. Chil. Charles Leland, b. Jan. 2, 1797; John Goulding and Sarah Brigham, Aug. 21, 1798 ; Joshua Goulding, Jan. 24, 1801, and sup. m. Martha Arms of Deerfield, in 1825; Ed- ward Ayers, Oct. 29, 1802, and sup. m. Mary Ann Stratton of Princeton, in 1827 ; Catharine Hill, bap. Dec. 7, 1804, and m. Abraham Wheelock, in 1830. And perhaps others, but not on record here.
PRATT, NYMPHAS, Esq. (s. of Seth) m. Submit, wid. of Edward Kingsbury of Brookfield, and D. of Jonah Howe, Esq., May 22, 1805. Chil. William, b. Jan. 30, 1806; Caro- line, Feb. 8, 1808, and m. Dr. Lawson Myrick of Brookfield,
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Jan. 29, 1829 ; Abigail, July 7, 1811, and m. Simon H. Allen, in 1835 ; Allice, July 13, 1813, and d. infant ; Charlotte Maria, Nov. 23, 1814, and m. Dr. William Curtis of Brookfield, Jan. 1, 1840 ; Frances Submit, April 4, 1821.
PRATT, WILLIAM (s. of the preceding) grad. B. U., 1825, m. Elizabeth S. Sikes of Worcester, May 27, 1830, and settled here in the practice of the law. Chil. Henry Sikes, b. March 2, 1831, and d. March 10, 1837; Clara Caroline, March 2, 1833 ; Mary B., Feb. 26, 1835, and d. in 1836.
He removed to Worcester, in 1835, and d. there, Feb. 2, 1839, aged 33.
PRATT, LEWIS (s. of Nathan) m. Hannah, D. of Capt. Thomas Harrington, Feb. 21, 1802, removed to Bridport, Vt., and d. leaving a numerous family, Nov. 1844, aged 61 ; and his wid. Hannah, in April, 1845, aged 59.
PRATT, SAMUEL AUSTIN (s. of Nathan) m. Harriet, D. of Joshua Cornish of Boston, Aug. 16, 1815. Chil. Caleb, b. Dec. 25, 1815 ; Maria, June 4, 1817; Charles Henry, Jan. 2, 1819 ; Samuel Austin, Jan. 16, 1822 ; Dolly, July 30, 1825; George Dexter, Dec. 28, 1829.
PRATT, NATHAN, Jun. (s. of Nathan) m. Sarah, D. of Arunah Harlow, Sept. 9, 1824. Chil. Sarah Ellen, b. June 5, 1824; Edward Henry, Nov, 4, 1826 ; Emeline, Dec. 19, 1828; Abigail, Oct. 8, 1831 ; Clarissa, Aug. 3, 1835 ; Harriet Mar- tineau, June 24, 1837; George Harlow, March 12, 1839; and Alvan Stewart, Aug. 10, 1841.
PRATT, WILLIAM W. (s. of Shepard) m. Mary, D. of William Adams of Watertown, in 1825. She d. Feb. 2, 1845, aged 41. Chil. Lowell Adams, b. Nov. 24, 1828 ; Eveline Hannah, May 12, 1831; Eliot William, July 6, 1838; Em- mons Walker, June 6, 1841.
His 2d wife was Martha Ware, D. of John Mason, Jun.
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PRATT, EPHRAIM, * b. in 1687, (s. sup. of Ephraim and Elizabeth of Sudbury,) m. Martha, D. of Deac. Samuel Wheelock, July 9, 1724, and was living on house lot, No. 44, in 1729. They made a public profession of religion in 1726, and had 8 chil. b. and bap. here, viz: Tyrus, b. Oct. 1, 1725 ; Silas, on the town, and Cyrus, on the chh. record, Dec. 28, 1726 ; Ephraim, Feb. 7, 1728 ; Noah, Jan. 19, 1729 ; Micah, April 25, 1731, and said to have d. at the age of 103, where, unknown ; Abel, July 10, 1732; Rachel, April 24, 1735 ; Olive, April 15, 1739, and bap. in 1742.
He removed to Shutesbury, but when unknown, and d. there, in May, 1804, aged 116.
* Joshua and Phineas Pratt came to Plymouth in 1628-the former was 30 years of age, when he left England ; the latter m. Cuthbert Cuthbertson in Plymouth, and removed perhaps to Weymouth, but at last to Charlestown. The records there contain the following : "Phineas Pratt, Sen., one of the first planters in New Eng- land, joiner, d. April 19, 1680."
Joshua Pratt, Plymouth, 1628. His grandson, Ephraim Pratt, b. in East Sudbury, Nov. 1687, lived to be 116 years of years, and d. in Shutesbury, Mass., in May 1804. Michael, (this probably should be Micah,) a son of Ephraim, d. in 1826, aged 103 .- Farmer.
The late Dr. Stearns of Sudbury, in a genealogical manuscript, says Ephraim Pratt, b. in 1687, was s. of Ephraim and Elizabeth Pratt. Thus it appears, Joshua of Plymouth, had a son, Ephraim, who settled in Sudbury. Eleazer, Amos, Josiah, Isaac, Thomas, and Henry Pratt, were probably relatives, perhaps some of them brothers, of Ephraim of 1687. Some of them may have been sons of Thomas and Lydia Pratt, who had Daniel, b. in Sherburne, Jan. 1, 1686; Thomas of Sherburne, I suppose to have been a son of Joshua of Plymouth, and brother of Ephraim of Sudbury. This, whether correct or not, may aid further investigation.
Whatever relates to one of the human race, who, in latter times, lives to the re- markable age of 116 years, and what still more extraordinary, retains his mental and bodily faculties to a degree rarely possessed by any, who have passed their eightieth year, is of exciting interest, and induces me to subjoin an extract from Dwight's Travels, Vol. 2d, page 358. The Rev. Dr. Dwight, President of Yale College, visited Pratt in Shutesbury, and remarks :
"He was born at Sudbury, Mass., in 1687; and in one month from the date of our arrival (Wednesday, Nov. 13, 1803,) would complete his one hundred and six. teenth year. He was of middle stature, firmly built, plump, but not encumbered with flesh ; less withered than multitudes at seventy ; possessed of considerable strength, as was evident from the grasp of his hand and the sound of his voice, and without any marks of extreme age. About two months before, his sight became so impaired, that he was unable to distinguish persons; his hearing, also, for a short
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time had been so imperfect, that he could not distinctly hear common conversation. His memory was still vigorous, his understanding sound, and his mind sprightly in its conceptions.
"The principal part of the time, which I was in the house, he held me by the hand, cheerfully answered all my questions, readily gave me an account of himself in such particulars as I wished to know ; observed to me, that my voice indicated, that I was not less than forty-five years of age, and that he must appear very old to me, adding, however, that some men, who had not passed their seventieth year, probably looked almost, or quite as old as himself. We were informed, partly by ·himself, and partly by his host, that he had been a laborious man all his life ; and particularly, that he had mown grass one hundred and one years successively-the preceding summer he had been able to perform this labor. During this season his utmost effort was a walk of half a mile ; in this walk he stumbled over a log and fell ; immediately afterwards he began evidently to decline, and lost, in a con- siderable degree, both his sight and hearing; in the summer of 1802, he walked without inconvenience two miles, and mowed a small quantity of grass.
" Throughout his life he had been uniformly temperate ; ardent spirits he rarely ·tasted, cider he drank at times, but sparingly. In the vigorous periods of his life, he had accustomed himself to eat flesh, but much more abstemiously than most other persons in this country. Milk, which had always been a great part, was now the whole of his diet.
" He is naturally cheerful, and humorous ; apparently unsusceptible of tender emotions, and not much inclined to serious thinking. According to an account which he gave his host, he made a public profession of religion near seventy years before our visit to him, [it will be seen that it was seventy-eight years before] but was not supposed by him, or by others acquainted with him to be a religious man. He conversed easily, and was plainly gratified with the visits and conversation .of strangers.
" When he was ninety-three years old, he made a bargain with his host, who told us the story, that he should support him, during the remainder of his life, for £20.
" He was never sick, but once, and then with the fever and ague ; it is scarcely necessary to observe, that a man one hundred and sixteen years old, without re- ligion, was a melancholy sight to me.
"Three or four years before this time I saw in a newspaper an advertisement written by a person, who professed and appeared to be acquainted with him and his concerns, in which it was said, that his descendants, some of whom were of the fifth generation, amounted, probably, to more than 1500."
I must apologise for not omitting the last paragraph but one, in the Dr's account of Mr. Pratt ; to entertain the thought, that he was " without religion," was un- charitable ; to say so unqualifiedly was usurping the throne of the Almighty, and passing judgment uncalled for and without knowledge.
It is a " melancholy sight" to see to what extent, spiritual pride, want of chari- ty, and the denunciation of those, as unbelievers, and " without religion," who do not confess and profess to the liking of some, has alienated man from his fellow man, and made him the persecutor of his race for religion's sake.
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FAMILY REGISTER.
PRATT, EPHRAIM, Jun. (s. of the preceding) m. Abial Leland, here, Oct. 10, 1752. They owned the chh. covenant in 1754. Chil. Miriam, b. March 19, 1754; Abel, Feb. 14, 1756, and d. infant ; Ephraim, Jan 19, 1757 ; Susanna, Nov. 8, 1759, and d. Nov. 18, 1780 ; Rachel, July 15, 1761 ; Lucy, Oct. 8, 1763, and sup. m. John Kendrick of Warwick, in 1782; Abel, March 7, 1766, and d. infant ; Moses, Aug. 12, 1768 ; Aaron, Feb. 12, 1771. He is said to have removed to Gardner.
An Ezekiel Pratt was in Hardwick, before 1759; a Lt. in the French war.
An Ephraim was also there, in 1779.
PRATT, EPHRAIM, Jun. (s. of Ephraim and Abial) m. Rebecca Goodenow of Paxton, in 1777, and had Mary, Abel and Daniel, who was b. Feb. 7, 1782; all bap. here, Dec. 12, 1783.
He removed, it is said, to the Western part of N. Y.
PRATT, HENRY whose wife was Ann, had Mary, bap. here, Oct. 21, 1742.
POTTER, JOHN m. Martha Jewett, in Sudbury, March 4, 1719, and were both then called of that town. When they came here, is unknown, probably late in life ; there is no record here of birth, baptism or death of their chil. He was living in the S. part of the town, in 1760 ; his wife, Martha, d. here, June 2, 1761, aged 71. He was ad. to this chh. in 1763, and d. March 22, 1771, aged 87 and 7 mos.
Daniel Potter, who, in 1745, then called of Brookfield, m. Abigail, D. of Gershom Wheelock of this town, may have been his son.
PATTEN, JOHN and his wife, Elizabeth, were ad. to this chh. from that in Billerica, in 1754, and had Hannah, b. here, Sept. 2, 1753.
PEARSON, JOHN, whose wife was Anna, probably lived in the N. P. They had Sarah, b. Dec. 2, 1753 ; Josiah, June
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FAMILY REGISTER.
24, 1756 ; Joseph, June 8, 1759 ; Anna, June 30, 1762 ; Lua cinda and Dorinda, Jan. 22, 1765 ; Frances, July 22, 1767.
Jane Pearson, pub. to Silas Whitney of No town, near Lan- caster, March, 1758.
Phebe Pearson m. Amos Spring, Oct. 11, 1759.
PRESCOTT, EBENEZER, whose wife was Jerusha, had Patience, b. Nov. 6, 1750, d. infant ; Joseph, March 6, 1753.
PERRY, DANIEL, whose wife was Mary, had Joseph, b. Feb. 11, 1766.
PARKER, JOHN m. Experience Cloyes of Framingham, Feb. 18, 1731. They were ad. to this chh. in 1732. Chil. John, b. Jan. 28, 1732 ; Experience, Oct. 8, 1733 ; Ananias, bap. Sept. 21, 1735; Abigail, b. Dec. 1, 1736. The parents were dis. to the chh. in Framingham, in 1738.
PARKER, THOMAS and Bathsheba Smith, both of Sud- bury, were m. there, Feb. 20, 1738, and ad. to this chh. in 1741. Chil. Kezia, b. Dec. 9, 1738, and d. infant; Elizabeth, Dec. 24, 1739 ; Kezia, Sept. 16, 1741. " The parents were dis. to the chh. in Grafton, in 1742, where they now dwell."-Chh. record of that date.
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