Addison Pratt
Encyclopedia
Addison Pratt was an early Latter-day Saint convert and missionary
. Pratt preached in French Polynesia
from 1844 to 1848 and from 1850 to 1852, and is recognized by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the first Mormon missionary
to preach in a language other than English
.
, New Hampshire
. Raised a farmer, he was employed as a whaler
in New England
for more than a decade. He married Louisa Barnes
, born in Warwick, Massachusetts
, early feminist, an early contributor to the Women's Exponent, author of her own famous memoirs, and sister to Caroline Barnes Crosby, another influential early frontier woman writer and feminist.
After being taught by Caroline Barnes Crosby and Jonathan Crosby, early Mormon converts, the Pratts converted to Mormonism
and joined the Latter Day Saints in Indiana
, Missouri
, and later moved to Nauvoo
, Illinois
. Years later, the Pratts persuaded the Crosbys to join them in missionary work in the Pacific Islands.
, Noah Rogers and Knowlton F. Hanks to create a mission in the Pacific Islands
. They were the Church's first foreign language speaking missionaries. Hanks died en route and was buried at sea. Pratt disembarked at Tubuai in the Society Islands
on April 30, 1844, and began teaching in the Hawaiian language
, noting its similarity to the local dialect of Tahitian
. He later preached in Tahiti
and other nearby islands and atolls.
in 1847. In December of 1847 he was made president of the newly formed San Francisco Branch of the LDS Church. Pratt resigned the presidency of that branch about a month later and left to join his family in Utah. He then went to Utah and rejoined his family. He traveled to San Bernardino in 1849, and by early 1850 had made his way to San Francisco. His wife Louisa was called to serve a mission with and went from Utah to San Francisco with a group of Mormon missionaries heading to Hawaii in 1850. Pratt and his family returned to Tubuai in 1850. In May 1852, the French
government restricted the preaching of Mormonism in the islands, and Pratt and his family were held under house arrest until they eventually were able to return to California. Pratt declined invitations from Mormon leaders and entreaties of his wife Louisa to follow the practice of plural marriage
. As a result, Pratt and his wife were separated and estranged for much of his later life. Pratt died in Anaheim, California
and is buried there.
Pratt was present at the discovery of gold in California, working on Sutter's Mill
at the time of discovery. He worked in the gold fields in 1848, waiting for winter to pass so that he could be re-united with his family in Salt Lake City. Pratt's journal chronicles this time period, including his interactions with Samuel Brannan
and members of the Donner Party
. After the Donner Party tragedy the year before, Pratt elected to pursue an alternate route over the Sierras when traveling eastward to Salt Lake City.
After spending the winter of 1849 in Salt Lake City with his wife and daughters and teaching a class in Tahitian to prospective missionaries, Pratt and Jefferson Hunt
blazed a route from Salt Lake City southward through present-day Las Vegas and San Bernardino, and then northward to Sacramento. The trail they carved would be followed by many settlers and Forty-niners. For much of its distance, that route is now followed by I-15.
The Hunt and Pratt group is notable for being the first to discover gold and silver in Southern Nevada, recommending to Brigham Young the colonization of Southern Nevada, including Las Vegas specifically, and most famously for a group of malcontents that split with Pratt's and Hunt's leadership. They sought to cross the Sierras farther north and became known as the infamous Death Valley party. That group of prospectors became impatient with the slow progress of Mormon leadership and elected to abandon the larger group. Those staying with Hunt made the journey without serious incident. Later, some members of the Death Valley party rejected their new leaders and rejoined the Hunt party after one of Hunt's scouts discovered them nearly starved to death.
Lois Barnes Pratt, Addison Pratt's daughter, married John Hunt, son of Jefferson Hunt
. The two settled Navajo County, Arizona Territory. Through Ida Frances (their daughter), Pratt's posterity include Smiths (by Asahel Henry Smith, son of Jesse N. Smith), Udalls (by David King Udall
), Kartchners and other early Arizona clans. Through daughters Ellen Saphronia Pratt McGary and Frances Stevens Pratt Dyer, Pratt's descendants figure prominently in the history and settling of Orange County and San Bernardino County, California.
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
. Pratt preached in French Polynesia
French Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
from 1844 to 1848 and from 1850 to 1852, and is recognized by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the first Mormon missionary
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
to preach in a language other than English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
Life
Pratt was born in WinchesterWinchester, New Hampshire
Winchester is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,341 at the 2010 census. The primary settlement in the town, where 1,733 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Winchester census-designated place...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. Raised a farmer, he was employed as a whaler
Whaler
A whaler is a specialized ship, designed for whaling, the catching and/or processing of whales. The former included the whale catcher, a steam or diesel-driven vessel with a harpoon gun mounted at its bows. The latter included such vessels as the sail or steam-driven whaleship of the 16th to early...
in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
for more than a decade. He married Louisa Barnes
Louisa Barnes Pratt
Louisa Barnes Pratt was a prominent advocate for women's vote and other related causes in the 19th century as well as a Latter-day Saint missionary....
, born in Warwick, Massachusetts
Warwick, Massachusetts
Warwick is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 750 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, early feminist, an early contributor to the Women's Exponent, author of her own famous memoirs, and sister to Caroline Barnes Crosby, another influential early frontier woman writer and feminist.
After being taught by Caroline Barnes Crosby and Jonathan Crosby, early Mormon converts, the Pratts converted to Mormonism
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
and joined the Latter Day Saints in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, and later moved to Nauvoo
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Years later, the Pratts persuaded the Crosbys to join them in missionary work in the Pacific Islands.
Polynesia
While working aboard a whaling ship as a young man, Pratt had jumped ship in Hawaii and spent several months living near the village of Honolulu; he was one of the first men of European descent to live in the Hawaiian islands. During that time, he learned to speak the Hawaiian language. Years later, in October 1843, Pratt recommended to Joseph Smith, Jr. that the Church begin missionary work among the Polynesians, whom he expected to be receptive. Smith sent Pratt, Benjamin Franklin GrouardBenjamin Franklin Grouard
Benjamin Franklin Grouard was one of the earliest Latter Day Saint missionaries to the Society Islands, which now constitute French Polynesia.Grouard was born in Rockingham County, New Hampshire...
, Noah Rogers and Knowlton F. Hanks to create a mission in the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
. They were the Church's first foreign language speaking missionaries. Hanks died en route and was buried at sea. Pratt disembarked at Tubuai in the Society Islands
Society Islands
The Society Islands are a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. They are politically part of French Polynesia. The archipelago is generally believed to have been named by Captain James Cook in honor of the Royal Society, the sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands;...
on April 30, 1844, and began teaching in the Hawaiian language
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
, noting its similarity to the local dialect of Tahitian
Tahitian language
Tahitian is an indigenous language spoken mainly in the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is an Eastern Polynesian language closely related to the other indigenous languages spoken in French Polynesia: Marquesan, Tuamotuan, Mangarevan, and Austral Islands languages...
. He later preached in Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
and other nearby islands and atolls.
Pioneer
Pratt returned to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1847. In December of 1847 he was made president of the newly formed San Francisco Branch of the LDS Church. Pratt resigned the presidency of that branch about a month later and left to join his family in Utah. He then went to Utah and rejoined his family. He traveled to San Bernardino in 1849, and by early 1850 had made his way to San Francisco. His wife Louisa was called to serve a mission with and went from Utah to San Francisco with a group of Mormon missionaries heading to Hawaii in 1850. Pratt and his family returned to Tubuai in 1850. In May 1852, the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
government restricted the preaching of Mormonism in the islands, and Pratt and his family were held under house arrest until they eventually were able to return to California. Pratt declined invitations from Mormon leaders and entreaties of his wife Louisa to follow the practice of plural marriage
Plural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
. As a result, Pratt and his wife were separated and estranged for much of his later life. Pratt died in Anaheim, California
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
and is buried there.
Pratt was present at the discovery of gold in California, working on Sutter's Mill
Sutter's Mill
Sutter's Mill was a sawmill owned by 19th century pioneer John Sutter in partnership with James W. Marshall. It was located in Coloma, California, at the bank of the South Fork American River...
at the time of discovery. He worked in the gold fields in 1848, waiting for winter to pass so that he could be re-united with his family in Salt Lake City. Pratt's journal chronicles this time period, including his interactions with Samuel Brannan
Samuel Brannan
Samuel Brannan was an American settler, businessman, and journalist, who founded the "California Star" newspaper in San Francisco, California...
and members of the Donner Party
Donner Party
The Donner Party was a group of American pioneers who set out for California in a wagon train. Delayed by a series of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada...
. After the Donner Party tragedy the year before, Pratt elected to pursue an alternate route over the Sierras when traveling eastward to Salt Lake City.
After spending the winter of 1849 in Salt Lake City with his wife and daughters and teaching a class in Tahitian to prospective missionaries, Pratt and Jefferson Hunt
Jefferson Hunt
Jefferson Hunt was a U.S. western pioneer, soldier, and politician. He was a captain in the Mormon Battalion, brigadier general in the California State Militia, a California State Assemblyman, and a representative to the Utah Territorial Legislature.-Early years:Hunt was born to John Hunt and...
blazed a route from Salt Lake City southward through present-day Las Vegas and San Bernardino, and then northward to Sacramento. The trail they carved would be followed by many settlers and Forty-niners. For much of its distance, that route is now followed by I-15.
The Hunt and Pratt group is notable for being the first to discover gold and silver in Southern Nevada, recommending to Brigham Young the colonization of Southern Nevada, including Las Vegas specifically, and most famously for a group of malcontents that split with Pratt's and Hunt's leadership. They sought to cross the Sierras farther north and became known as the infamous Death Valley party. That group of prospectors became impatient with the slow progress of Mormon leadership and elected to abandon the larger group. Those staying with Hunt made the journey without serious incident. Later, some members of the Death Valley party rejected their new leaders and rejoined the Hunt party after one of Hunt's scouts discovered them nearly starved to death.
Legacy
Pratt's journals are an important source for historians, vividly illustrating the life of a whaler and seaman in the 19th century, being one of only a few primary sources on the discovery of Gold and the Donner Party, and are otherwise important as a resource for California history, Polynesian history and Mormon history.Lois Barnes Pratt, Addison Pratt's daughter, married John Hunt, son of Jefferson Hunt
Jefferson Hunt
Jefferson Hunt was a U.S. western pioneer, soldier, and politician. He was a captain in the Mormon Battalion, brigadier general in the California State Militia, a California State Assemblyman, and a representative to the Utah Territorial Legislature.-Early years:Hunt was born to John Hunt and...
. The two settled Navajo County, Arizona Territory. Through Ida Frances (their daughter), Pratt's posterity include Smiths (by Asahel Henry Smith, son of Jesse N. Smith), Udalls (by David King Udall
David King Udall
David King Udall, Sr. was a representative to the Arizona Territorial Legislature and the founder of the Udall political family. His great-grandsons Mark and Tom currently represent the Colorado and New Mexico in the United States Senate, respectively.-Childhood years:David King Udall was born in...
), Kartchners and other early Arizona clans. Through daughters Ellen Saphronia Pratt McGary and Frances Stevens Pratt Dyer, Pratt's descendants figure prominently in the history and settling of Orange County and San Bernardino County, California.
Legacy
Pratt has a number of noteworthy descendants:- John Hunt UdallJohn Hunt UdallJohn Hunt Udall was mayor of Phoenix, Arizona from 1936-38. He was a member of the Udall political family....
, great-grandson, Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona - Jesse Addison UdallJesse Addison UdallJesse Addison Udall was a member of the Udall political family who served as chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court....
, great-grandson, Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court - Don Taylor UdallDon Taylor UdallDon Taylor Udall was a member of the Arizona State Legislature from the Udall political family.Born and raised in Arizona, he was the son of David King Udall and Ida Frances Udall....
, great-grandson, Arizona State Legislator - Nick UdallNick UdallJohn Nicholas Udall usually called Nick Udall was mayor of Phoenix, Arizona from 1948–52. He was a member of the Udall political family and was also a nephew of Spencer W. Kimball, the 12th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Udall was born and raised in Arizona...
, 2nd great-grandson, Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona - Gordon Harold Smith, 3rd great-grandson, U.S. Senator from Oregon
See also
- California Gold RushCalifornia Gold RushThe California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
- Donner PartyDonner PartyThe Donner Party was a group of American pioneers who set out for California in a wagon train. Delayed by a series of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada...
- History of Tahiti
- Sutter's MillSutter's MillSutter's Mill was a sawmill owned by 19th century pioneer John Sutter in partnership with James W. Marshall. It was located in Coloma, California, at the bank of the South Fork American River...
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in HawaiiThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in HawaiiThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was established in the Hawaiian Islands in 1850 following the Edict of Toleration promulgated by Kamehameha III, giving the underground Hawaii Catholic Church the right to worship, and at the same time allowing other faith traditions to begin...
- Udall familyUdall familyThe Udall family is a U.S. political family rooted in the American West. Its role in politics spans over 100 years and four generations. Udall politicians have been elected from four different states: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oregon...
- WhalingWhalingWhaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...