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| Last Name | First Name | Date of Birth | Date of Death | Age | Inscriptions/Relationship/Comments |
| Pratt | David | 30 May 1844 | 81-9-20 | DAR and Revolutionary War Standards | |
| Hannah | 17 Apr 1844 | 77-8-12 | Wife of David Pratt | ||
| Pratt | Hannah | 23 Feb 1820 | 22-10-17 | Daughter of David & Hannah Pratt | |
| Pratt | Sarah Jane | 4 Feb 1848 | 19 | Daughter of Ebenezer and Fanny Pratt |
Published On Tri-Counties Site On 7/24/2001
By Joyce M. Tice
Email: JoyceTice@aol.com
Subj: Pratt Cemetery
Date: 7/9/2001 9:39:22 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: laroc@epix.net (Robert P. & Gale M. LaRochelle)
Reply-to: laroc@epix.net
To: JoyceTice@aol.com
Joyce,
Today I found the Pratt cemetery. I copied the 4 legible stones
, there are 4 large stones, 4 med and abt 5 small stones in it , I have
the genealogy of the family from the Rockwell-Pratt linage that came to
Canton from Vt in 1804 and built the first frame houst in Canton in 1812.
David Pratt was a rev war vet. I can snail mail you their family
sheets if you wish. Regards Bob LaRochelle
DAVID PRATT –On last Saturday Bradford Chapter Daughters of the American
Revolution appropriately marked the long forgotten and neglected grave
of David Pratt, a Revolutionary soldier who for eighty years has slept
peacefully beneath a moss-grown mound within sight of the present concrete
road a scant mile north of town. The inscription on the old fashioned
marble slab that marks the grave, reads: “David Pratt died May 30, 1844
aged 81 years, 9 months and 20 days.” On a slab at the side of this
one is the inscription: “Hannah Pratt died April 17, 1844 age 77 years,
8 months and 12 days.” The old patriarch survived his wife but a
few brief weeks. Another slab near to these is inscribed: “Hannah
Pratt died February 23, 1820 aged 22 years, 10 months and 17 days.”
Thus establishing the fact that this little long forgotten cemetery is
perhaps, the oldest of record in this part of the state. From Crown
Point in Vermont, in 1803 there emigrated to what is now Canton Township,
David Pratt and his brother-in-law, Samuel Rockwell with their families.
Crown Point was the fortress among the Green Mountains, where Ethan Allen
demanded of the British that they surrender “In the name of God and the
Continental Congress.” These two families, until their emigration
to Pennsylvania were of the company that lived within the stockaded enclosure
called a fort and Samuel Rockwell had been one of the officers of the company
of soldiers stationed there. They were men of wealth and influence.
It is a matter of tradition that each one brought to his new home in the
“far west” the immense sum of ten thousand dollars to invest in various
enterprises in the land they were to enrich. Is of David Pratt we
shall speak first. He settled at a point one mile north of Mill creek,
just where the present concrete road turns to the right to sweep around
what the present generation calls “Leahy’s Hill.” Here he built a
log cabin, to be replaced in 1812 by a wonder house, built of three inch
planks, laid one upon the other and spiked down by nails made by the lord
of the manor in a blacksmith shop on whose site today grows an immense
elm tree, just on the other side of a little stream that purls down from
the heights of Armenia mountain. This house was still standing in
1860 and was torn down a few years later. David Pratt’s estate extended
from about where the passenger station stands now, northward to the north
line of the farm at present owned by Charles P. Newell. Minnequa
Spring lies just out-side of its eastern line, while the western line is
half way up the side of Armenia mountain. His children were Ebenezer,
Jonathan, Asa, David, Chester, Julius, Rachael (married Jesse Griffin),
Betsy (married William Roberts) and Hannah, who died in her 23rd year and
lies buried in the moss grown cemetery opposite the site of the old homestead.
Ebenezer Pratt, the oldest son of David, went back to Vermont and went
to college, graduating with a doctor’s degree and returned to the old home
to practice medicine. He later lived in the old homestead and there
reared a numerous family.
Maria married Peleg Hackett.
Lucinda married George Wells.
Clarissa married Elisha Rockwell.
Hannah married Isaac Rundell
Rhoda married Samuel Treadwell.
Pamelia married Rockwell Bailey.
Mary married Andrew Foley.
Sarah died at 17 in 1848 and is buried in the “Old Pratt Cemetery”.
Cyrus learned the printer’s trade at Tioga, in Tioga County,
went west and became one of the editors of the Chicago Tribune. He
died forty-five years ago.
Ebenezer died in infancy.
Reuben studied law and located in Wellsboro. Was a captain
in the Sixth Pennsylvania Reserves and died in the service.
Of the grandchildren of Dr. Ebenezer Pratt we shall speak very briefly. They were numerous and were scattered all over Bradford and Tioga counties. By intermarriage they became identified with many of the more prominent families. Tow of them, John E. Rockwell and A. P. Hackett are residents of Canton borough at this time. The most noted of Dr. Pratt’s grandchildren was Mary Elizabeth, the daughter of George and Lucinda Wells. She married Norton Rockwell, was left a widow at an early age and became an authoress of note. One of her books, published in 1870, is entitle “Rose Thorpe’s Ambition,” and is founded on the life of her aunt Rhoda, who married Samuel Treadwell. The scene of the story is the old Pratt homestead, and the quotation from Lowell that heads this article is used to describe the view from the door step of the old mansion house. She died in March 1915 in Philadelphia where she had lived for many years.
We will now take up the genealogy of the Rockwell family. Samuel Rockwell, the brother-in-law of David Pratt (he had married David’s sister [error: David married Samuel’s sister.]) came from Crown Point at the same time as the Pratts. His first settlement was made at what is now known as Long’s Mills near Troy. A few years later he bought some land from David Pratt and moved to the site of the present Rockwell’s mills, just north of Mill Creek on Troy Street. The mill site has been in the possession of the Rockwell family ever since and is at present owned by Martin Rockwell, who operates the property under the firm name of H. Rockwell & Son. [Still in possession and operation of Rockwell descendants in 2010.] The sons of Samuel Rockwell were: Elias, Samuel, James, Calvin, Luther, Laban, Myron, Hiram and Rufus. One daughter whose name we have been unable to learn, married the father of the late Horatio Parsons. [Error: The daughters name was Hannah and she married Eli Parsons and Horatio was not their son.]
Elias and Samuel were men grown when the family came to Canton and they bought a tract of land whose east and west lines were the same as the Pratt estate, joined the Pratt land on the north and extended to the north line of the farm at present owned by George W. Rockwell, a grandson of Elias.
The sons of Elisha were: John (living on South Main, Canton), Mellville (who lived near town and died last year), Ebenezer (who died many years ago), Elisha (who died at his home in Canton a few years ago) and Simeon and Silas who died in youth. There were two daughters, Fidella (who married Samuel Coons) and Mary (who married Jacob Horning).
The sons of Jacob were George W., who lives on the old place, Richard who died a few years ago at East Troy, Samuel who lived near Troy and died recently, Robert a resident of this borough and Albert who died in Elmira a number of years ago. There are two daughters living: Nancy the wife of A. P. Hackett and Rose the wife of James Crandall, both of this borough.
Of these two patriarchal families the writer well remembers “Old Uncle Elias.” He died in the brick house still standing on Troy Street, just this side of Rockwell’s mills. He was a county commissioner in 1834, was a surveyor by profession, was a captain of militia and a wealthy man at the time of his death.
Dr. Ebenezer Pratt! The man of whom we stood in awe as long ago as we can remember. Tall, spare, white head, clothed in black from crown to toe and never without the heavy cane with its massive gold head. Stiff and erect as a poker, he took precedence of everyone by right. Stern, unsmiling, he yet had a personality that inspired love more than fear. Although in later years bereft of all his property, his word was law and his advice was sought and heeded, not only by his sons but by the entire countryside.
We have gone into this genealogy somewhat at length, as a contribution to local history, a history that should be preserved. We are indebted greatly to our old friend John E. Rockwell, who is “Uncle John” to more folks in Canton and vicinity than he can count and if he has an enemy in the whole world that enemy is careful to keep quiet about it. He would not last long around here.
Every Pratt and every Rockwell in Bradford and Tioga counties can trace his lineage back to either David or Samuel, and with many of them the branches of the family trees are intertwined. [Untrue: there are other Rockwell and Pratt’s not related to this line in Bradford and Tioga County.]
We hope we have not wearied you with this long talk about two of our “first families.
The Canton Sentinel 6/19/1924
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