No. 35

The Elders in 1826 Henry Marries Miss Pratt

Dear Stewart,

Your grandparents were married in September 1826. This was at the home of Ira Pratt, located at 22 West Morris Street in Bath, New York.

Mary Ann Pratt was 18 and her groom, Henry, was 25. Guests included Col. William Howell Bull and Gen. Otto F. Marshall, who later became a state assemblyman. These men were experts with husbandry, the proper feeding of land, the community, their flock, and each other. They also were right with the schedule. Sheep needed regular feeding. Regular salt. Predictable salt. Sunday was a day of worship. Days were tight. So were friends. Trust was more of a natural resource than hay, lumber, or wheat.

Leaning against the window frame, the bride and her maids gathered in her childhood bedroom. They turned her around and tugged at her corset, commanding her to suck it in, but all she heard was to suck it up, this reality that her groom was tight with Dudley. That Dudley was clever, planning for expansion to Buffalo to connect with the Erie Canal. With each tug cracking her back, her eyes shot to the landmarks outside: The school, the steeple, the lawn, the hills. The people she’d miss, the loss of friends, who preserved her hope, meaning, and life as a young girl. She shut her eyes.

After cake, leaning against the door frame on the porch, Henry thought he was joining the men. Dudley handed him a cigar. Gen. Marshall and Col. Bull were debating honey, its proper ventilation. Then, without taking a breath, they switched to the business of sheep, keeping feed scraps dry and the joy and regiment of salt.

Henry, taking a deep breath, let his mind crack up on the thought of proper ventilation, in general, for now he was joining his bride. What about the proper care and feeding of his girl, a safe home and carriage, good water, fresh dresses, her craft, servants, and friends and experts close at hand, including those in the assembly, whom he trusted more than Dudley to see what was coming.

He went back into the house, letting the screen slam, to tell his girl that they would be back in a year or two, he promised, and that he would start with that, letting Dudley know he was already planning his exit, giving him time to preserve and sustain his store. Upon learning this, Mary Ann really did want to reach up to his neck, show her approving smile and kiss him, but could only pivot her back to him with a cry for help to loosen her ties.

—Miss Minnie

2025 Copyright Christine Friesel