Pratt, Everett: South Dedham to Norwood

Simeon Pratt (1808-1886)

Charlotte Everett Pratt (1817-1896)

Simeon Pratt was born on February 13, 1808 in Roxbury. He was the son of William and Mary Wyman Pratt.

On September 22, 1836 he married Charlotte Everett. Charlotte was the daughter of Moses Everett and Nancy Rhodes Everett of South Dedham (lot 94). The couple had nine children: Austin, Harriet, Edwin, George, Martha, John, Charles, Annie, and Henry. Several of their children passed away young.

Simeon Pratt was a currier of leather, working in the tanneries of South Dedham. Currying leather was hard manual labor that required great skill. A currier would often work on a variety of hides including ox, cow, calf, goat, sheep, pig, and deer. After the tanning process, the currier would dress, finish, and color the tanned hide to make it strong, supple, and waterproof. After currying, the leather would be passed on to tradesmen who made saddles, bridles, shoes, and gloves.

The family resided on Vernon Street.

Simeon & Charlotte Pratt home on the northwest corner of Vernon & Maple Sts.

The Pratt family home as it appeared in 2012.

Simeon Pratt died on November 24, 1886 of paralysis. His widow, Charlotte Everett Pratt, died of apoplexy on April 30, 1896. She had been ill only 2 days. Her obituary in the Norwood Advertiser & Review stated that she was “born and bred in Norwood, she resided here all her life. She was a fond mother to one daughter and four sons, and a loving wife.”

They are interred in lot 47 along with their son, Charles Herbert Pratt, his wife Carrie Lillian Pratt, and their daughter, Annie Pratt Smith.