Addison Pratt was born on 21 February 1802 in Winchester, New Hampshire. He was the son of Henry Pratt, a famous New England organ builder, and Rebekah Jewell. Addison, the fourth of twelve children, at an early age determined to follow the sea, and when he was nineteen years old he left home and went to sea. Visits home between whaling cruises led him to become acquainted with his sister’s close friend, Louisa Barnes. They were married 3 April 1831 and established themselves at farming at Ripley, New York where Addison had the occasional opportunity to captain a shipping boat on Lake Erie near their home. The Pratts had three children while living in Ripley.
Louisa’s sister Caroline and husband Jonathan Crosby had joined the Mormons and upon Louisa’s invitation went and taught the Pratts. Soon the Pratts became members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and according to expectations sold their farm and moved to Missouri with the rest of the members of their new faith. Later, after persecution of the Mormons in Missouri, the Pratts emigrated to Nauvoo, Illinois. While in Nauvoo, Addison mentioned to the Prophet Joseph Smith that he had been a whaler and had visited the Hawaiian islands. He told Joseph Smith that he believed the natives would be interested in the Book of Mormon. Soon, Addison Pratt was called with three other missionaries to go on a Latter-day Saint mission to Hawaii. Pratt’s mission focused on the Society Islands in the South Pacific and he would later return to the area three more times. After the Saints reached the Great Salt Lake, his wife and children joined Pratt at Tubuai in 1850.
The Pratts’ moved to the Mormon settlement of San Bernardino, California after returning to the United States. Addison was called on four missions all together. He served a few months in Tahiti before the mission closed due to French control. At the start of the Utah War, Brigham Young called saints on the coast to return to Utah. The Pratt family then divided: Addison and Fay stayed in California while Louisa, Ann Louise, and Ephraim returned to Beaver, Utah. Lois and Family and Ellen and family stayed with Louisa at different times. Although they corresponded, the Pratt family never reunited. Addison Pratt died in 14 October 1872 and Louisa died 8 September 1880.
Provenance:
The research materials for The Journals of Addison Pratt were donated by George and Maria Ellsworth. The bulk of these documents arrived in December 1997. Some documents were added to these papers from later donations from the Ellsworth family. Addison Pratt was the great, great-grandfather of Maria S. Ellsworth. This research was conducted in an effort to preserve Maria’s family history.
Scope and Content Note:
Research notes, drafts, typescript journals, drafts, maps, and correspondence used to write The Journals of Addison Pratt by S. George Ellsworth (published in 1990).
The first three boxes in this collection contain the research notes of Ellsworth on Addison Pratt. Boxes four through eleven contain multiple drafts and biographical notes used to write the book. Box twelve includes maps and more research. Box thirteen consists of correspondence regarding the research and publication of The Journals of Addison Pratt. Finally, boxes 14 and 15 deal with the final printing, marketing and distribution of the book
Inventory:
Box 1. Research
Fd 1 Plans for the Book
Fd 2 Prospectus
Fd 3 Editorial Policy
Fd 4 Provenance
Fd 5 Time lines
Fd 6 Chronologies
Fd 7 Journal Outlines
Fd 8 Ancestry
Fd 9 Ripley, New York, Presbyterian Church Records
Fd 10 Mark A. Ellsworth regarding Ripley, New York
Fd 11 Voyage Outlines
Fd 12 Whaling, Alexander Starbuck Notes
Fd 13 The Bishop Museum, James Hunnewell
Fd 14 Whaling, Information on the Islands, Persons
Fd 15 Masonic Order
Fd 16 San Francisco to Salt Lake City 1847-1848
Fd 17 Journal History of the Church 28th October 1848
Fd 18 Henry Bigler Diary 1848
Fd 19 Salt Lake City 1848-1849
Fd 20 Salt Lake City to Los Angeles 1849
Fd 21 Dale L. Morgan regarding William B. Lorton
Fd 22 Through Pastoral California 1850
Fd 23 Polynesia
Fd 24 Ship Timoleon Log 1843-1845
Fd 25 Charles F. Winslow
Fd 26 Thomas W. Whitaker (1822-1886)
Box 2. Research
Fd 1 Tahitian Translations
Fd 2 French Polynesian Mission Publications
Fd 3 Messager de Tahiti
Fd 4 Politics, British/French/American Relations
Fd 5 London Missionary Society
Fd 6 United States Consul in Tahiti
Fd 7 Correspondence with Australian National University
Fd 8 Correspondence with Paris Evangelical Missionary Society
Fd 9 Correspondence
Fd 10 Orange County
Fd 11 Books on Related Topics
Fd 12 Early Biography on Addison Pratt
Fd 13 “First Pacific Island Missionary”
Fd 14 Research Notes
Fd 15 Research Notes
Fd 16 Research yet to be done. USU
Fd 17 Journal History 28 September 1848 Church Historian’s Office
Fd 18 D. K. Young’s History of Liahona Highschool - Tonga
Box 3. Research
Fd 1 French National Records: Selected Documents
Fd 2 French National Records: Correspondence, notes, research
Fd 3 Mission Personnel. Studies
Fd 4 Americans, British, French
Fd 5 Notes on Persons
Fd 6 Index of Names in Journal History
Fd 7 Name Index, notes
Fd 8 Journals, name index: alphabetical
Fd 9 Spelling guide
Fd 10 S. George Ellsworth: Early essays on Addison Pratt
Fd 11 Journal entries regarding Tubuai, Honolulu and Papeete, Tahiti
Fd 12 San Francisco ship passenger lists
Box 4. Hand copied journal and typescript of Addison Pratt by his nieces
Fd 1 Copy #1 “A Biographical Sketch of the Life and Meanderings of Addison Pratt”
Fd 2 Copy #2 December 1825
Fd 3 Copy #3 1844
Fd 4 Copy #4 1844 Nettie H. Rencher
Fd 5 Copy #5 1843 Commencing at Boston
Fd 6 Copy #6 1847
Fd 7 Copy #7 1847
Fd 8 Copy #8 1848
Fd 9 Copy # 9 1849-1850
Fd 10 Copy #10 1851
Fd 11-16 Typescript of Journals
Box 5. Biography
Fd 1 Front Matters
Fd 2 Preface
Fd 3 Chapter 1
Fd 4 Chapter 2
Fd 5 Chapter 3
Fd 6 Chapter 4
Fd 7 Chapter 5
Fd 8 Chapter 6
Fd 9 Years 1829-1843
Fd 10 Chapter 7
Fd 11 Chapter 8
Box 6. Biography
Fd 1 Chapter 9
Fd 2 Chapter 10
Fd 3 Chapter 11
Fd 4 Chapter 12
Fd 5 Chapter 13
Fd 6 Chapter 14
Fd 7 Chapter 15
Fd 8 Chapter 16
Fd 9 Chapter 17
Fd 10 Notes 1852-1872
Fd 11 Sources and Literature
Fd 12 Editing Notes
Fd 13 Addison Pratt Bible
Fd 14 Endnotes
Fd 15 Addison Pratt Family Papers inventories (These inventories include items of correspondence and other writings that can be found in Manuscript Collection #228b: The Addison Pratt Family Papers)
Box 7. Biography draft
Fd 1 Outlines, checklists
Fd 2 Front pages
Fd 3 Part One: “The Whale’s Way”
Fd 4 Chapter 1
Fd 5 Chapter 2
Fd 6 Chapter 3
Fd 7 Chapter 4
Fd 8 Chapter 5
Fd 9 Part Two: “Mission to Polynesia”
Fd 10 Years 1852-1872
Fd 11 Chapter 6
Fd 12 Chapter 7
Fd 13 Chapter 8
Fd 14 Chapter 9
Fd 15 Chapter 10
Fd 16 Chapter 11
Fd 17 Chapter 12
Fd 18 Chapter 13
Fd 19 Chapter 14
Fd 20 Chapter 15
Fd 21 Chapter 16
Fd 22 Chapter 17
Box 8. Biography notes
Fd 1 Part Three: “1852-1872” Epilogue, Appendices, Sources and Literature
Fd 2 Notes 1
Fd 3 Notes 2
Fd 4 Notes 3
Fd 5 Notes 4
Fd 6 Notes 5
Fd 7 Notes 6
Fd 8 Notes 7
Fd 9 Notes 8
Fd 10 Notes 9
Fd 11 Notes 10
Fd 12 Notes 11
Fd 13 Notes 12
Fd 14 Notes 13
Fd 15 Notes 14
Fd 16 Notes 15
Fd 17 Notes 16
Fd 18 Notes 17
Box 9. Journals: Press Copy with art work, maps, etc.
Fd 1 Contents, Preface, Chapter 1
Fd 2 Chapters 2-4
Fd 3 Chapters 5, Part Two essay, and Chapter 6
Fd 4 Chapters 7-8
Fd 5 Chapters 9-10
Fd 6 Chapters 11-12
Fd 7 Chapters 13-14
Fd 8 Chapters 15-16
Fd 9 Chapter 17, Part Three essay
Fd 10 Endnotes, Sources and Literature
Fd 11 Press Copy maps and artwork (Photographs removed and put in Ellsworth photograph collection)
Box 10. Addison Pratt Journals typescript/ AP random chapters with editorial markings
Fd 1 Typescript pp. 1-108
Fd 2 Typescript pp. 109-220
Fd 3 Typescript pp. 221-323
Fd 4 Typescript pp. 324-430
Fd 5 Typescript pp. 431-496
Fd 6 Random chapters with editorial markings 1
Fd 7 Random chapters with editorial markings 2
Fd 8 Random chapters with editorial markings 3
Fd 9 Work copies
Fd 10 Addison Pratt Memoirs signatures 1-9
Fd 11 Miscellaneous drafts
Box 11. Addison Pratt Journals draft used in the study of AP’s spelling and other drafts
Fd 1 Chapter 6
Fd 2 Chapter 7
Fd 3 Chapter 8
Fd 4 Chapter 9
Fd 5 Chapter 10
Fd 6 Chapter 11
Fd 7 Chapter 12
Fd 8 Chapter 13
Fd 9 Chapter 14
Fd 10 Chapter 15
Fd 11 Chapter 16
Fd 12 Chapter 17
Fd 13 “The Unchronicled Years, 1852-1872”
Fd 14 Epilogue
Fd 15 Maps and Map Summaries
Box 12. Maps and other research
Fd 1 New England Map 1
Fd 2 General maps
Fd 3 Whaling Voyages Map 2
Fd 4 Timoleon Voyage Map 3
Fd 5 Island Tubuai Map 4
Fd 6 French Polynesia Map 5
Fd 7 Tahiti Map 6
Fd 8 Island Anaa Map 6-A
Fd 9 The Tuamotu Archipelago Map 6-B
Fd 10 San Francisco Across Mountains to Carson Sink Map 7
Fd 11 City of Rocks to Salt Lake City 1848 Map 8
Fd 12 Forty-niners from Salt Lake City to California Map 9
Fd 13 Pastoral California 1850 Map 10
Fd 14 MTC Display on Addison Pratt
Fd 15 Jacket
Fd 16 Family Chronology
Fd 17 Donald Jackson Submission
Fd 18 Artwork and copied documents for publication
Fd 19 Correspondence with Pauline Udall Smith
Fd 20 Correspondence with Patrick O’Reilly
Box 13. Correspondence
Fd 1 Correspondence about Autobiography
Fd 2 Correspondence: Letters Sent 1954-1965 regarding research and publication
Fd 3 Correspondence: Letters Received from Publishers
Fd 4 Correspondence: Letters Received from Lois Hunt West, Nettie Hunt Rencher, Ida Mae Wrathall, and Mae C. White
Fd 5 Correspondence: Letters Received from Institutions
Fd 6 Post-publication correspondence and reviews
Fd 7 C. Jay Larson Correspondence regarding Addison Pratt Monument in Tubuai
Box 14. University of Utah Press
Fd 1 Contract
Fd 2 Marketing
Fd 3 Correspondence
Fd 4 Design and production process
Fd 5 Design and production process
Box 15. Oversize
Fd 1 picture of LDS Temple in Tahiti and article on Tahiti in Time Magazine
Items 18 mat-boards for MTC Display on Addison Pratt and other missionaries in Tahiti
For more information: 435/797-2663; Manuscript Librarian.
Special Collections & Archives, Merrill Library, Utah State University Libraries, Utah State University 84322-3000
