This letter was written by Henry Davis, the grandfather of Naomi Elmirick. She owns the originals. Naomi is listed in references. My personal notes are in italics. Edited for readability only and not accuracy of detail. Copyrighted August 4, 1999 by Angela Whaley

Hillery Pratt, son of John and Mary Pratt, was born in Monongalia County March 3,1827. He,was wed in Tyler County to Mary Weekley, daughter of John and ____ (Gatrell) Weekley. To Hillery and Mary, the following children were born - all in Tyler County, the county in which Hillery and Mary were married:

Freeman, Margaret, John, Melvina and Jackson

The first four children,above named, were wed in Ritchie County, and all had at first lived in the Goose Creek area. Jackson Pratt was never married. Freeman Pratt wed Fanny Davis [sic](My Note:Freeman married Sarah Cathryn Pratt, Fannie's sister.), daughter of Daniel Davis of lower Goose Creek.

Freeman and Fanny [sic], Together with the youngest members of the family, went to North Dakota in 1906 and never returned to their native soil to dwell.

Margaret Pratt wed Elam Wyatt, and for many years, they lived on Goose Creek, about a mile below the mouth of Long Run.

John Pratt, son of Hillery and Mary (Weekley) Pratt , aged 25, was wed to Louisa A. Duff, aged 17, daughter of Isaiah and Eliza Jane Duff, May 9, 1874, by the Rev. George A. Woofter.

Melvina M. Pratt, aged 21, daughter of Hillery and Mary (Weekley) Pratt, was wed to Levi J. (Jasper)Webb, aged 26, son of Sylvester and Elizabeth (Nutter) Webb, by Rev. John Norris. Date of marriage,...

Jackson Pratt, youngest child of Hillery and Mary (Weekley) Pratt, was born, June 29, 1859;died, March 5, 1901. I have never heard that this Jack Pratt was ever married. His stone marker is in the Ellefritts (or Cantwell) Cemetery, on Goose Creek, and not far from the entrance gate.

Note - The above Margaret (Mag) Pratt was 23 years of age, and Elam Wyatt, son of Edmund and Nancy Wyatt, was 32 years of age when they were wed by REV. 5amuel D. Thompson, May 27, 1878.

Hillery Pratt served In the Union Army during the Civil War, serving in Co. F, 6th [sic](Should be the the 14th)W.Va. Volunteer Infantry . During his service in the army, his wife, Mary, took care of their five children.

Hillery's brother Perry Pratt also served In the Union Army from Tyler County, and he, like his brother Hillery, left 5 children behind to be cared for by his wife, Hannah (Weekley) Pratt. Perry was killed in the Battle Of Gettysburg [sic](should be Halltown, Va. This unit never went to Penn.), while carrying the American flag.

So far, I have not found the blood relationship - if any- between Hillery's first wife and Perry's wife (My note: first cousins). However, Perry's wife was a sister to James Weekly - note the way he spelled his name- of Tyler County, who wed Isabelle Weekley - no relation.

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Hillery Pratt's first wife, Mary (Weekley) Pratt, died January 5, 1872. Hillery later wed Deborah Ellen Hissem. From the Ritchie County records, we find that Hillery Pratt, aged 46, and Deborah Ellen Hissem, aged 46, were wed , March 19, 1876, by the Reverend George Woofter. This was Hillery's second marriage and Deborah Ellen's third marriage.

Deborah Ellen Slocum was first wed to Tom Nutter of the noted Nutter Farm Clan. Tom was gunned down by a deputy sheriff by the name of Lowther, and was one among the four Nutter brothers who met,with tragic deaths, three of whom died with their boots on. After Tom's death, Deoorah Ellen wed Joab Hissem, a marriage soon terminated by Joab's death. However there was born one son to Joab and Deborah Ellen - Andrew (Bub)Hissem. Some time after Joab's death, Deborah Ellen wed Hillery Pratt, as mentioned above.

Hillery Pratt was buried in the Mount Zion Cemetery at the head of Marietta Run. His first wife, Mary (Weekley Pratt is buried by his side. The inscription on their monument reads as follows Hillery Pratt, born March 7, 1827; died March 30, 1901. Mary Pratt, born Dec. 28, died Jan. 15, 1872. There was also listed the company and regiment in which Hillery served during the Civil War.

By comparing Hillery's marriage record and his war record, it can be seen that there is a discrepancy in dates. His marriage record would indicate his date of birth to be in 1830, while the record on his monument shows that he was born in 1827. I rather believe that the monument record is correct. Next to Hillery's grave, and to the north a stone marks the grave of his second wife, Deborah Ellen Pratt with the following inscription "Deborah Ellen Pratt, born Jan. 13, 1829; died Jan. 25, 1905. Then, at the north of Deborah's grave is a smaller stone marking the grave of her oldest daughter, Columbia (Nutter) Smith, born July Feb. 1, 1906.

Note - I might mention here that Columbia Smith, the oldest daughter of Tom and Deborah Ellen Nutter married James Smith, a brother of Narcissa (Aunt Sis) (Smith)Douirlass. Narcissa and James were children of Mary Ann (Duff) Smith - Mary Ann being a sister of my grandfather, Isaiah Duff.

Perry Pratt, brother of Hillery Pratt, was also born in Monongalia County, March 3, 1831; died at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in 1863. He was wed to Hannah Weekly, sister of James Weekly, and they don't seem to be any relation the other Weekley branch who spell their names with the last syllable thus, "ley". Hannah (Weekly) Pratt was born May 18, 1835; died Jan. 12, 1881.

Hannah Pratt was left a widow when Perry fell at the battle of Gettysburg [sic]in 1863. The five daughters of Perry and Hannah at that time were Margaret Pratt who later married John Davis, a son of my father's half brother Ben. Elizabeth (Bette) wed Lewis Davis, Jane wed Anthony Davis, and Sarah wed Jaccob Davis - The last three Davises were brothers of my father, Daniel Davis. The fifth daughter, Belle, married a Cumberledge. A few years later a half sister of the above Pratt girls married Wm Davis, my father's cousin. Her name was Rhoda, who, at the age of 97,, lives in Greenwood, W.Va. (Oct. 1967)

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Freeman Pratt bought some land at the mouth of Long Run from some of the Stewarts, who,at one time. owned a large tract of land extending from the mouth of Long Run down Goose Creek, comprising land that was later owned by the Shrivers, Welches, Wyatts, Whitehairs, Melvins, Frank Davis, and taking in the Victory School site and extending over the hill to the south to the present railroad.

I remember the old log schoolhouse which stood at the mouth of Long Run - the school house where my mother, her brothers, and sisters attended school. About the mid 90's, this school was discontinued, and the school was then was held in a frame school building at the mouth of Short Run . The log schoolhouse was along the road and at the left, leading from the Long Run crossing to the Baptist Church. Freeman Pratt lived in a little log house, just back of the old log schoolhouse. The log schoolhouse has long been gone, but the Freeman Pratt log house may now be standing, unless it has recently been torn down.

The ground for the erection of the log schoolhouse and for the erection of the Baptist Church was donated by the Stewart families who were the real pioneers here. It may be said that the Stewarts were the founders of this Baptist church, as about 23 names of the early Stewart Clan graced the original Church rolls. The Church was founded about 1856. Tne old log schoolhouse and the Baptist Church were very modest institutions that was dear to the hearts of our kin and their neighbors who lived in that community.

The funeral of my grandmother, Eliza Jane Duff, was held in the old Baptist Church In 1900. The church house had been rebuilt just two years before her funeral. My grandfather Isaiah Duff's funeral was held in 1895, in the old hewed log church on Long Run, less than a mile above it's mouth. This hewed log church had been erected for use by both the Methodists and United Brethren.

The Baptist Church building - a building of frame construction - is still in use, and has been very neatly kept by the few good members who now attend there. Henry Cantwell - deceased- had built his house at the spot where once stood the old log Schoolhouse. Henry's daughter, Goldie Hissem - recently widowed by death - now lives in the home. Henry Cantwell had bought this place from Freeman Pratt, and he later secured the adjoining Ellefritts farm. This latter farm is now held by the Cantwell heirs - Henry's children.