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Pratt Family Cemetery
located at Gin Shop Hill Road & Bridge Street The Pratt Cemetery is one of the few cemeteries in the world guarded by a laser alarm system. The cemetery was renovated several times, thought the years by the Continental Gin Company. The last renovation was made in 1995 after several times the object of vandalism. "Only four of the 31 headstones were intact and were not defaced," said Robert Young Chairman of the Restoration Committee. The project cost about $35,000.00. The Weeping Willow Lamb motif of the wrought iron fence is the same pattern found at the Samuel Griswold Cemetery, in Griswoldville, Georgia. (Griswold Cemetery Photo 1 Photo 2) This pattern was used at the Trinity TV studios in Dallas, Texas. The original Casing was probably a casting from the Janey Foundry of Montgomery. The border of the fence pattern matches a pattern from the Janey pattern collection owned by Robinson Foundry. Some fence sections were recast in the 50's by Continental, noted by a flat surface on the back. The fence sections were recast by Robinson Iron for the restoration. Thanks to Robert Young and the cemetery renovation committee for a job well done. Click to Enlarge Map 1 Ormsby, Clarissa T. b. Jan. 1799 d. 9-2-1864 "Mrs. Clarissa Ticknor Ormsby, wife of Ebenezer Ormsby; born in Columbia, Conn., January 1799, and departed this life at Prattville, Alabama, September 2, 1864; She has joined loved ones gone before." (A sister of Mrs. Pratt and the mother of T. J. Ormsby, Site No. 21)2 Smith, Mary Elizabeth b. 1-3-1835 d.5-23-1859 "Mother"; Mary Elizabeth, wife of George L. Smith, and daughter of Ebenezer and Clara T. Ormsby; Bom January 3, 1835, Fell asleep May 23, 1859; "She was a gentle, loving wife and mother. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." (She was the first wife of George L. Smith.) 3 Smith, Mary Frances b. 6-20-1831 d.7-28-1852 "Sacred to the Memory"; Mary Frances, Daughter of Amos & Eliza L. Smith, who was born June 20, 1831 and died July 28, 1852.; "Peace ... to thy sweet youth" (She was also the sister of George L. Smith mentioned above. Amos Smith was a partner of Mr. Pratt and is the person who suggested the name of the community be "Prattville" rather than the original "Pratt's Mill.") 4 Pratt, Mary b. 12-5-1842 d.9-21-1843 "Died September 21, 1843, Aged 9 months and 16 days. Of Such is the Kingdom of God" (daughter of Daniel and Esther Pratt. Mary and Maria Pratt share a monument which was carved by J. Turner of Mobile.) 5 Pratt, Maria b. 8-22-47 d.5-14-1849 "Died May 14, 1849, Aged 20 months and 22 days"; (daughter of Daniel and Esther Pratt.) 6 Pratt, Daniel b. 7-20-1799 d.5-13-1873 Was born in Temple, New Hampshire; "Blessed are the Dead who die in the Lord, for they rest from their labors, and their works do follow them"; (inscription is on the north face of the monument After Revelation 14:13); (He was the founder of Prattville and Alabama's first great industrialist.) 7 Pratt, Esther Ticknor b. 1-24-1803 d.2-14-1875 "Wife of Daniel Pratt; was born in Columbia, Conn., January 24, 1803, Died 1875; Even so Father, for it seemeth good in thy Sight". (The inscription is on the west face of the monument shared with Mr. Pratt.) 8 Chandler, Dorcas P. b. 9-19-1795 d.4-19-1872 "Wife of Joseph Chandler, born in Reading, Mass.. Her trust was in God" (Daniel Pratt's sister; her monument was carved by H. W. Hitchcock of Montgomery.) 9 Kingsbury, Edith b. 1-22-1780 d.8-16-1855 "Bom in Windham, Conn., died at Prattville, Alabama. ...just is blessed" (She was Esther Pratt's mother. Her monument was carved by B. W. Young of Montgomery.) 10 Ticknor, Simon B. b.7-10-1809 d.4-11-1850 "I cried unto the Lord and He heard me" (Esther Pratt's brother. Monument was carved by J. Turner of Mobile.) 11 Hazen, George Ticknor b. 10-22-1859 d.6-24-1860 Aged 8 months and 2 days, son of Rev. James K. and Mary T. Hazen. (Rev. James K. Hazen was a minister at the Presbyterian Church. Mary T. Hazen was Simon (Site No. 10) Ticknor's daughter.) 12 Hazen, Herbert Allen b. 11-3-1863 d.10-10-1865 Son of Rev. James K. and Mary T. Hazen (He was brother to George Hazen, Site No. 11, and grandson to Simon Ticknor, Site No. 10.) 13 Fay, William H. b. 6-9-1830 d.8-30-1831 "Bom at Washington, Alabama; died at Coosada, Alabama" (inscription is on the north face of E. O. Fay monument. Due to the early date that this child died, she is probably not buried here. We assume this marker is just a "memorial" to her.)16 White, Caroline Amanda b. c.1821 d. 8-30-1845 "Aged 24 years; died at Rocky Mount"; (Information is on West face of monument.); (Inscription on North face reads, "Lovely and pleasant were they in their lives, and in their deaths they were not divided."); (monument shared with her sister, Catherine Hills. Harriet Fay was also a sister.) 17 Hills, Catharine L. b. c.1820 d. 8-18-1845 "Aged 25 years; died in Selma, Alabama" (information is on the east face of the monument shared with her sister Caroline White) 18 White, Elizabeth b. 1-1-1786 d.9-17-1866 "Our Mother, Sacred to the Memory of Elizabeth White; died at Selma, AL in the 81st year of her age; Blessed are the pure in Heart" (She was the mother of Caroline Amanda White, Catharine Hills, and Harriet Fay. This monument was carved by J. N. Montgomery.) 19 Gray, Martha M. b. c.1815 d. 7-15-1850 Wife of Joshua Gray and daughter of Isaac and Alice Cowan, formerly of Augusta, Maine; "AEt.35"; (died at age 35); "in the land of peace, I sorrow no more." (sister of Amelia Cowan Site No. 20. monument by G. P. of Augusta Maine.) 20 Cowan, Amelia A. b. c.1826 d. 7-5-1852 Daughter of Isaac and Alice Cowan of Augusta, Maine; "AET.26"; (died at age 26); "in heaven there is rest" (sister of Martha Gray, Site No. 19) 21 Ormsby, T. J. b.1829 d.4-9-1862 "T. J. Ormsby, CSA"; (There is also a flat government marker which reads "1st Serg. Co. H, 3rd Ala. Cavalry, Prattville Dragoons, 1829-1862." This member of the "Prattville Dragoons" was shot and killed by the Yankees outside of Corinth, Miss. on April 9, 1862, two days after the Battle of Shiloh. He was the son of Clarissa Ormsby (Site No. I) 22 Smith, Edward Clarence b.6-11-1854 d.10-18-1854 Son of Dr. Samuel Parish & Adelaide J. Smith; "Suffer little children to come unto me" (Dr. S. P. Smith was the son of Thomas Smith who was in Autauga County prior to Pratt's arrival. Dr. Smith's daughter, Julia Adelaide Smith, married Merrill Pratt, Daniel's nephew and adopted son. This is a new replacement marker.) 23 Smith, Ids Moore b. 8-19-1855 d.7-21-1861 Daughter of Dr. Samuel Parish & Adelaide J. Smith; "For of such is the Kingdom of heaven" (sister of Edward, Site No. 26. 'This is a new replacement marker.) 24 DeBardeleben, Mary Ann b. 1-20-1805 d.8-19-1872 Second wife of Henry DeBardeleben; Bom in Whitehall, New York; "She was a tender mother here, and in ... Lord did fear, we trust our loss will be her gain, and that with Christ she's gone to reign." (She was the mother of Henry DeBardeleben, Jr. who married Ellen Pratt, Daniel's daughter.) 25 Gulick, John W. b. 6-17-1805 d.12-23-1847 "In Memory O'Born in Monmouth County, New . Jersey; "Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace." (monument carved by J. Tumer of Mobile.)26 Cooke, George b. 3-17-1793 d.3-26-1849 Born in St. Mary's County, Maryland; died in New Orleans, Louisiana; age 56 years and 9 days; West face: "His body here rests awaiting the resurrection of the just. As a man he was humane, philanthropic, and ardent in his affections. In the various relations of life he was all that loving and admiring friends could desire. His eulogy is with those who knew him best. His genius still lives in his productions of art." South face: "As a member of the Church of Christ he was inflexible in faith, fervent in spirit, tolerant to all. In the full assurance of a blessed immortality through the merits of Jesus, he calmly resigned his spirit to Him who gave it. -The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. Ps 112-6." East Face: This monument is erected by her who, for thirty three years, in adverse and prosperous fortune, was the partner of his joys and sorrows; and whose greatest consolation on earth is the hope and prospect of a reunion beyond the grave." (Mr. Cooke was a prominent artist who was sponsored by Mr. Pratt. This monument was carved by J. Turner of Mobile.)27 Coe, Elizabeth Victorie b. 4-14-1841 d.2-10-1846 Daughter of George W. and Elizabeth A. Coe; "Sleep on sweet babe and take thy rest, God calls the hour, He thought it best." (George Coe was born in Conn. He was the son of Ebner Coe who was born in Maine.) This Stone was found around the Larry Puckett Chevrolet Dealership construction site, the object of vandalism. 28 Carmichael, Mary M. b. 2-22-1833 d.6-2-1848 (Originally she had a metal marker which matched the marker for her brother Dougal Carmichael, Site No. 30. These two children were possibly relatives of the Methodist minister Dougal Carmichael. This is a new replacement marker.) 29 Carmichael, Dougal b 8-14-1837 d.6-30-1848 (brother of Mary Carmichael, Site No. 28) 30 Leithhead, James b. c.1804 d. 9-28-1841 "Aged 37 years; native of Galashiela, Scotland." (He was a wheelwright who was brought in by Pratt to install machinery in the grist mill.) 31 McCrae, Christian b. 5-12-1775 d.1-14-1844 Born in Cumberland County, North Carolina; moved to Alabama in 1818; daughter of Alexander and Isabella McCrae. (This is a new replacement marker.)
(Cemetery View) Starry Starry Prattville, by Tommy Brown 2002
Eulogy Of Daniel Pratt, Wednesday 14, 1873 in The Advertiser and Mail, Montgomery, Alabama The Late Daniel Pratt The announcement of the death of this singularly pure and upright man will be received with emotions of profound sorrow throughout the entire State. For several years past he has been in declining health, but with the Indomitable will which was one of his characteristics he continued to transact an amount of business under which many of younger years would have given way. His last illness was of about three weeks duration and terminated fatally at haft past four o'clock yesterday morning. Mr. Pratt was born at Temple, New Hampshire, in the year 1799, and was nearly seventy-four year of at the time of his death.-- More than forty year ago he located at what is now the flourishing town of Prattville, but which then contained not a single habitation. He soon utilized the fine water power afforded by the beautiful stream on which he first fixed his hopes of future usefulness to himself, family and State. From an humble beginning in the manufacture of cotton gins he soon realized sufficient means to enable him to erect one of the most extensive establishments of the kind In the United States, and his name to connection with that special branch of manufacturing is known almost wherever cotton is planted and raised. He established on the same stream a splendid cotton factory, woolen factory and other branches of Industry. He was a man of unbounded liberality. His magnificent donations were confined to no sect or creed, Do place or people. It descended upon and blessed the needed everywhere within the bounds of Its beneficence. But there were no orientation in his gifts. His right hand knew not what the left did. Had he boarded all the earnings of his long and useful life he would have left behind him an estate worth a million instead of thousands. Hs was a patriot too, in the highest and widest sense of the word. He loved his country for herself alone, and not as latter day patriots do, for what could be made out of her offices of trust and profit. He was no office seeker. Content to fill the sphere to which he reigned supreme, the world had no recompense of reward sufficiently tempting to lure him away from the hearts and homes of his family and friends. Had those friends commanded his services he would have held them, as he did his purse, at their service; but he sought no man's vote for the sake of a promotion which he neither needed nor coveted. A Northern man by birth, he was in life a standing refutation of the charge that Northern men are not respected at the South. The universal esteem of all who knew him, was the chiefest jewel in the crown of Honor, which formed the pride and ornament of his riper years. His death, therefore, is a severe blow, not only to his family, but to his country. It is a greet public calamity; and while we tender his family our sympathies in this hour of trial and deep gloom, we cannot refrain from extending to each and every citizen of Alabama a similar recognition of the loss which in this Instance we have one and all sustained. -END
05/09/2007 |
c1965
