Henry Charles Pratt (17611838) was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, on May 14, 1761, one of six children born to

Matthew Pratt Matthew Pratt (September 23, 1734 – January 9, 1805) was an American "Colonial Era" artist famous for his portraits of American men and women. He was born in Philadelphia, Province of Pennsylvania to goldsmith Henry Pratt, (1708–1748) and R ...

(1734–1805) and Elizabeth Moore (1739–1777).

Career

He was a successful merchant-trader and real estate developer. He began his career as a merchant-trader after the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. In 1780 he travelled to the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

. From there, he imported flour and timber, and exported molasses, coffee, wine and gin.

Marriage and Children

He was married in 1778 to Frances Moore (b. d. 1785). They had four children: Thomas H. Pratt, (September 18, 1779 – June 18, 1812); Elizabeth Pratt Kugler, (May 24, 1781); Henry Pratt, (November 18, 1782 – July 13, 1784); and, Frances Henrietta, (August 25, 1784 – July 17, 1785). He then married Elizabeth Dundas on October 27, 1785. They had six children: Mary Ann, (August 3, 1786 – August 18, 1786); Anna Marie Dundas, (September 15, 1787); James Dundas Pratt, (April 23, 1789); Henry Pratt, (October 15, 1790); Sarah Clementina McKean, (December 1, 1791); and, Henry (September 13, 1793 – September 26, 1793). Elizabeth died in her 29th year. In 1794 he married his third wife, Susannah Care; she was 18 years old and he 33. They had four children: Edmond Pratt, (February 15, 1797); Henry Pratt, (December 6, 1798); Charles Moore Pratt, (July 7, 1800); and, Amanda Pratt, (April 21, 1802). Susannah died in 1816 at 40 years old. In total he had 14 children; of which only two outlived him.

Lemon Hill Estate

In 1799 Pratt purchased the 43 acres at a Sheriff's sale for $14,654. Originally part of Robert Morris' 300-acre estate "The Hills". Pratt designed the house himself and served as general contractor. Pratt named the estate Lemon Hill after the many lemon trees he found in Morris' greenhouse. He maintained the house and gardens as his showplace until he sold it in 1836, two years before his death.

Lemon Hill Lemon Hill is a Federal-style mansion in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, built from 1799 to 1800 by Philadelphia merchant Henry Pratt. The house is named after the citrus fruits that Pratt cultivated on the property in the early 19th century. ...

then had a succession of individual owners until 1844, when it was purchased by the City of Philadelphia.

Death

He died on February 6, 1838, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pratt, Henry 1761 births 1838 deaths Businesspeople from Philadelphia People from colonial Pennsylvania 18th-century American businesspeople Burials at Christ Church, Philadelphia Colonial American merchants 19th-century American merchants