Hon. James M. Pratt, of Fenton Township,
was born April 7, 1822, in Aurora, Erie Co.,
N. Y. John C. Pratt, his father, was born
in Northampton, Hampshire Co., Mass., April
8, 1787, and his parents were natives of the
same place where he was born. The family
emigrated, in 1808, with ox teams from the Bay
State, to Erie Co., N. Y., where they were early settlers. John C. Pratt, on attaining suitable age,
bought land of the Holland Company. It was in
heavy timber, and he was engaged in clearing a farm
when the War of 1812 with Great Britain came on,
and he enlisted, remaining in the military service
until the close of the conflict. He returned to his
farm, and soon afterward built a saw and flour mill
on Buffalo Creek. He abandoned his agricultural
projects, and devoted his entire attention to his milling interests. Later he bought a saw and grist mill,
situated on the same stream, at a distance of a mile,
and continued to operate inth establishments until
1835, when he came to Whiteside County and made
a claim in what is now the townshipp of Lyndon. He
went back to his native State, disposed of his property
and made arrangements for a permanent removal to
Illinois. In 1837 he started for Chicago, by way of
the lakes, traveling from there with teams to Lyndon.
A log house had been built on his claim, of which
the household took possession. The senior Pratt at
once entered upon the improvement of a farm, on
which he passed the remainder of his life, dying in
December, 1843. His wife survived him until
March 9, 1879. Four of their 13 children are now
living. Mr. Pratt, of this sketch, is the oldest;
Amanda is the wife of Joseph Shorett and lives in
Iowa; Lucius H. lives in Lyndon; Thurston resides
in Iowa.
Mr. Pratt was 15 years of age when he accompanied his parents to Whiteside County. He resided with them until the death of his father, and
continued to live with his mother until his marriage.
Nov. 17, 1844, he was married to Lucinda Emery.
She was born May 1O, 1828, in Moriah, Essex Co.,
N. Y., and is the daughter of John and Lucinda
(Tarbell) Emery. In the year following his marriage
Mr. Pratt settled on his farm, and has been a resident thereon since.
He had become the owner of 80 acres of land on
section 26, in what is now Fenton Township. On
this he built a log house, and began to operate as a
farmer. He has been successful in his efforts, and
the results of his energetic attention to his business
show the value of his judgment in directing his transactions. He is now the owner of a magnificent tract,
containing 800 acres in excellent condition for prosperous farming.
Mr. Pratt has been correspondingly active in the
relation of a good citizen to the general welfare. He
was the first Supervisor of Fenton Township, has
held the position several terms, arid has been Chairman of the Board. He has held other offices in
the township, and in 1872 was made the first President of Whiteside Agricultural Society, serving in that capacity for seven years. In 1869 he was appointed Postmaster at Pratt, and still "holds the fort" (1885). In 1879 he was elected as one of the Representatives of the 11th Senatorial District which included Whiteside and carroll counties, and performed service which reflected the greatest credit upon himself and his constituents.
Eight children are included in his family circle; Marietta M. is the wife of S.S. Chamberlain of Harrison Co, Iowa; John C. resides in the same county, as do Dora V and Cyrus E; Allen M is a citizen of Fenton Township; Ella J, James C and Manson W also live in their native township.
In the coming years, when succeeding generations seek for mementoes of those whose activity in the progress of Whiteside county rendered them prominent, the portrait of Mr. Pratt, presented her will be hertily appreciated.
Portraits and Biographical Whiteside Co
James M Pratt is a native of Aurora, Erie Co NY, and was born Apr 7 1822. At the age of 15 he came to Lyndon, Whiteside county, with his parents, and has been a resident of the county ever since. His father, John C Pratt, visited Lyndon first in 1835, and made his claims, and two years afterwards brought on his family.
James M remained in Lyndon until the fall of 1854, when he moved to his present farm in Fenton farm in Fenton. On the 17th of November 1844, he married Miss Lucinda Emery, and the following have been the children of this marriage: Beancy L born Aug 19 1845; Mariette M, January 27 1848; John C February 11 1851; Dora V April 13 1853, Cyrus E January 27 1855; Allen M November 12 1856; Ella J October 21 1858; James C October 2 1860; Manson W November 30 1863; Richard E March 17 1866; Volney P and Viola J Twins August 8 1868. Of these, Beancy L, Richard E, Volney P and Viola J are dead. Marietta J married S S Chamberlain and is a resident of Dunlap Iowa; John C married Susan Mahany and lives in Fenton; Dora V married Wallace Thompson and lives in Fenton; Curus E married Anna Reisinbigler and lives in Fenton, Ella J, James C and Manson W are still with their parents at the homestead in Fenton. Mr Pratt is a man of fine executive ability, clear judgment, ready tact and of unswerving integrity, and hence was early looked to as a proper person to hold offices of public trust and confidence.
At the first election after the township organization he was elected Supervisor, and has held tha office at different times for a period of about 12 years. For some of the time he was chairman of the Board of Supervisors. He has also been Commissioner of Highways for the town of Fenton, aggregating 14 years. To his energy and influence the Society owes much of the success which has attended it. At the establishment of the Postoffice at Pratt, in November 1869, he was appointed the first Postmaster and has continued in the position from that time.
Mr. Pratt's farm consists of 1010 acres in a body, lying on sections 22, 23 and 26, besides 60 acres of wood land on Rock River. A large part of the former has been brought under a good state of cultivation, and produces abundantly. The possession of this extensive tract of land makes him next the larges land owner in the town, if not in the county. For several years he has been devoting considerable of his attention to raising fowls, and now has the finest varieties and the largest number of any man in Whiteside. His fowls have taken teh premiums at every fair where they have been exhibited. Mr. Pratt is one of the self made men of the county, and travels on the broad gauge in religious matters.
Bent & Wilson History of Whiteside County Page 200-201
