George Stewart Pratt

George Stewart Pratt, son of Frederick Pratt and Mary (LNU) born about 1867, Toronto, Canada, died 08 Mar 1954, Mobile CO, AL, married 11 Mar 1896, Victoria, Ontario, Canada, Catherine Mary Cook, dau of John Cook and Ellen (LNU), born about 1872, Canada, died 25 Nov 1950, Mobile CO, AL.

The family immigrated to the United States from Lindsay, Ontario, Canada through Detroit on 18 Oct 1911 and were naturalized in 1917.

It is told that the Pratt family saw a brochure about the lush orange groves in this area and bought land sight unseen and came by boat to St. Johns Park.

In his Detroit Border Crossing documents, he said that his destination was his own farm at Espentola (Espanola), FL. In the 1911 Census of Canada, he is shown as an engineer, pump house. His boarder documents show his occupation as that of a stationary engineer.

In the 1920 census, his occupation is given as "laborer - general farming," with the family listed as living in the St. Johns Park area.

In Apr 1923, he was serving as the manager of the cola bottling works in Bunnell which had just moved into a new building at that time.

The family moved Summer Haven prior to June 1928 where he was employed as bridge tender at the Matanzas Inlet Drawbridge. Summer Haven is the settlement on the south side of the inlet which is located in St Johns CO.

The family later moved to Alabama. They were the parents of five children;

1. Vivian Pratt, born about Dec 1901, Victoria, Ontario, Canada, married Oct 1925, Jacksonville, Duval CO, FL, Clarence Boykin. They lived near Mobile, AL and after her husband's death she returned to Florida and resided with her son. Issue;

(1) Joe Boykin

2. William James Stewart Pratt, born 22 Dec 1903, Victoria, Ontario, Canada, died Mar 1979, Mobile CO, AL

3.Harold Pratt, born about Aug 1905, Victoria, Ontario, Canada, died 05 Jun 1928, Summer Haven, St Johns CO, FL, buried Hope, now Flagler Palms Memorial Gardens, Flagler CO, FL.

Harold met death by drowning, the accident occurring at Summer Haven at a point a short distance south of the Matanzas Inlet in St Johns CO.

Young Pratt was employed in hauling sand by boat from the beach at Summer Haven to the Matanzas bridge. While specific details of the fatality were not available owing to the fact that there were no witnesses, it is assumed that the boat was overloaded or else sprung a leak and that it suddenly sank before young Pratt, who could not swim, was able to extricate himself from the boat or attract attention from the shore by cries for assistance.

The first information that the young man was downed came with the discovery of the oars belonging to the boat, which were found floating near the spot where the boat was accustomed to leave with its load. Mr. Pratt, Sr., immediately communicated with C. D. Tolan, in charge of the U. S. Coast Guard station at Flagler Beach, requesting him to come to Summer Haven, prepared to make a search for the body.

Mr. Toler promptly requisitioned a crew of me to assist him, consisting of James Alonzo Tatum, Kenneth Biddle, Charlie Walker, and Kenneth Lambert, and arrived at the scene of the accident about 1:45 P.M. The rescue crew donned bathing suits and waded out into the surf with a large net which they dragged over a large area before finally locating the body about 3 o’clock. It had apparently been submerged for five or six hours which would place the time of the accident at about 9:30 Tuesday morning, which was approximately the time young Pratt was expected to leave Summer Haven with a load of sand.

4. Byron Henry Pratt, born 14 Aug 1909, Victoria, Ontario, Canada

5. Maurice Pratt, born about 1914, St Johns CO, FL

 

Source: The First Families of Flagler by Mary Ketus Deen Holland who cites as her sources, Census, and Published Articles.

Additional sources used by the compiler were: Ontario, Canada Births, 1869-1909; Ontario Canada Marriages, 1857-1924; 1911 Census of Canada, Victoria, Ontario; Detroit Border Crossings and Passenger and Crew Lists, 1905-1957;

1920 United States Census, St Johns Park, Flagler CO, FL; 1930 United States Census, Matanzas, St Johns CO, FL; Alabama Deaths, 1908-1959; and

The Flagler Tribune, Bunnell, Florida, 05 Feb 1925, 07 Jun 1928

Please send questions, corrections or additions to Sisco Deen, P.O. Box 637, Flagler Beach, FL 32136 or email him at Sisco_Deen@hotmail.com