Addison Pratt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Addison Pratt
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| Born | February 21, 1802 |
| Died | October 10, 1872 (aged 70) |
| Spouse(s) | Louisa Barnes Pratt |
Addison Pratt (born February 21, 1802 – died October 10, 1872) was an important early member and missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He traveled far to share his beliefs.
Addison Pratt taught in French Polynesia from 1844 to 1848 and again from 1850 to 1852. He is known as the first Latter-day Saint missionary to preach in a language other than English.
Contents
Addison Pratt's Life Story
Addison Pratt was born in Winchester, New Hampshire. He grew up working on a farm. For over ten years, he worked as a whaler in New England. Whalers hunted whales for their oil and other products.
He married Louisa Barnes. Louisa was a writer and an early supporter of women's rights. She wrote famous memoirs and contributed to a newspaper called the Woman's Exponent. Her sister, Caroline Barnes Crosby, was also an important writer and pioneer.
Addison and Louisa learned about the Latter-day Saints from Caroline and Jonathan Crosby. They joined the Church in Indiana and Missouri. Later, they moved to Nauvoo, Illinois. Years later, the Pratts convinced the Crosbys to join them in missionary work in the Pacific Islands.
Missionary Work in Polynesia
When Addison Pratt was a young man, he worked on a whaling ship. He once left his ship in Hawaii. He lived near Honolulu for several months. This made him one of the first Europeans to live in the Hawaiian islands. During this time, he learned to speak the Hawaiian language.
In October 1843, Pratt suggested to Joseph Smith, the Church leader, that missionaries should go to the Polynesian islands. He thought the people there would be open to their message. Smith sent Pratt, Benjamin Franklin Grouard, Noah Rogers, and Knowlton F. Hanks to start a mission in the Pacific Islands.
These men were the Church's first missionaries to speak a foreign language. Sadly, Hanks died on the way and was buried at sea. Pratt arrived at Tubuai in the Austral Islands on April 30, 1844. He began teaching in Hawaiian. He noticed it was similar to the local Tahitian dialect. He later preached in Tahiti and other nearby islands.
A Pioneer's Journeys
Pratt came back to the United States in 1847. In December 1847, he became the leader of a new Church group in San Francisco. About a month later, Pratt left this role. He went to join his family in Utah Territory.
He traveled to San Bernardino, California in 1849. By early 1850, he was back in San Francisco. His wife, Louisa, was asked to serve a mission with him. She traveled from Utah to San Francisco with other missionaries going to Hawaii in 1850.
Addison and his family returned to Tubuai in 1850. In May 1852, the French government made it harder for Latter-day Saints to preach in the islands. Pratt and his family were kept under house arrest. Eventually, they were able to return to California.
Addison and Louisa had different ideas about some important church practices. This led to them living apart later in life. Pratt died in Anaheim, California and is buried there.
Pratt was in California when gold was discovered. He was working at Sutter's Mill at that time. He worked in the gold fields in 1848. He was waiting for winter to pass so he could reunite with his family in Salt Lake City.
Pratt kept a journal during this time. It tells about his experiences, including meeting Samuel Brannan and members of the Donner Party. After the Donner Party's terrible journey the year before, Pratt chose a different route over the Sierras when traveling east to Salt Lake City.
After spending the winter of 1849 in Salt Lake City with his wife and daughters, Pratt taught Tahitian to future missionaries. Then, Pratt and Jefferson Hunt created a new route. It went from Salt Lake City south through what is now Las Vegas and San Bernardino. Then it went north to Sacramento. Many settlers and gold seekers used this trail. Today, much of this route is followed by I-15.
The Hunt and Pratt group was the first to find gold and silver in Southern Nevada. They suggested to Brigham Young that Southern Nevada, including Las Vegas, should be settled. This group is also known for a group of people who left Pratt's and Hunt's leadership. They wanted to cross the Sierras farther north. This group became known as the famous Death Valley '49ers party. They became impatient with the slow progress of the main group and decided to leave. Those who stayed with Hunt completed the journey safely. Later, some members of the Death Valley party rejoined the Hunt party. One of Hunt's scouts found them nearly starving.
Addison Pratt's Legacy
Addison Pratt's journals are very important for historians. They show what life was like for a whaler and sailor in the 1800s. They are also one of the few original writings about the discovery of gold and the Donner Party. His journals are a valuable resource for the history of California, Polynesia, and the Latter-day Saints.
Lois Barnes Pratt, Addison Pratt's daughter, married John Hunt. John was the son of Jefferson Hunt. Lois and John settled in Navajo County, Arizona Territory. Through their daughter, Ida Frances, Addison Pratt's family includes members of the Smith, Udall, and Kartchner families. These were important early families in Arizona. Through his daughters Ellen Saphronia Pratt McGary and Frances Stevens Pratt Dyer, Pratt's descendants played a big part in the history and settlement of Orange County and San Bernardino County, California.
Notable Descendants
Addison Pratt has several well-known descendants:
- Frank Grouard, adopted son, scout and adopted brother of Sitting Bull, scout to General Crook
- John Hunt Udall, great-grandson, Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona
- Jesse Addison Udall, great-grandson, Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court
- Don Taylor Udall, great-grandson, Arizona State Legislator
- Nick Udall, 2nd great-grandson, Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona
- Gordon Harold Smith, 3rd great-grandson, U.S. Senator from Oregon
- other members of the Udall Family
