Jeremiah Pratt marries Jennet Pratt February 16, 1790

 Dear Grandparents,

When family historians run across marriage records where each member of the couple's surname is the same, the first thought is often that the bride's maiden name has been lost to time. The second thought might be this is going to be cousin marrying cousin. Such were the ideas that occured to me when I found the record of the marriage of Jeremiah Pratt and Jennet Pratt February 16, 1790 by the Rev. Richard Ely.  They were married in the Second Congregational Church in Saybrook, Middlesex County, Connecticut. The second church was organized June 19, 1726 in an area that is now Westbrook, a town that was formed from Saybrook in 1840. Interestingly, Jeremiah and Jennet are not the only all Pratt couple whose marriage is recorded on the same page of the church records. A marriage between Nataniel Jones Pratt and Tempe Pratt is recorded on December 10, 1789.  So are Jeremiah and Jennet closely related?

Looking at the family tree of their daughter and my 3rd great grandmother Harriet (Pratt) Utley, we can see that there is more than one Pratt to Pratt marriage as Jeremiah's parents Edward and Mary were both Pratts also.

The following chart shows Jeremiah's and Jennet's parentage.

So Jeremiah's 3rd great grandparents are the same as Jennet's 4th great grandparents making them 4th cousins once removed. Interestingly, Jeremiah's mother, Mary Pratt, is not related to the others.

Jeremiah and Jennet are the parents of eleven children. My 3rd great grandmother Harriet Pratt was born 19 Oct 1806 in Burlington Flats, Otsego County, NY and died there 3 Jun 1892 aged 85. She married Philip Utley on 25 Nov 1827 and they were the parents of 8 children. She did not seem to suffer from having a number of Pratts in her family tree.

Love,

Cecily

PS for family members our relationship to Jeremiah and Jennet (Pratt) Pratt

their daughter 

Harriet Pratt and Philip Utley their daughter,

Eliza Harriet Utley and William Warner Cone, their son

Frederick Naaman Cone and Helen Brown Newton, their son

Charles Newton Cone and Hazel Bynon Allen my paternal grandparents