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Here is the latest I found: Thomas Clinton Pratt born in 1935 to Simon and Ruth Pratt who lived in Emporia Lyons Kansas at 1427 Merchant Street 5A Institution NYA8 Simon born in 1887 Ruth born in 1906 Sibling Charles born 1922 Sibling William born 1925. I don't have any other information but possibly Thomas Clinton Pratt has passed away but don't know for sure. I went back to the 1940 Census to find this at the suggestion of a member and this was the closest I could find to maybe being the right person. Does this help? I don't know how to trace their movements after this Census. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks for all the help so far. About ready to give up short of paying about $700 or more for an investigator.
I had found this information before but had trouble finding out their movements after the Census to I was just going around in circles trying to find anything I could but was getting more and more confused.
Thanks
Ruth
You know where Ruth and Thomas were in 1971?
If you have something other than the name of the city (which would be a physical address) then you can post those and also give your source.
It's not worthwhile to let details from a free site "create" details for you. Whatever you get from a free site needs to be confirmed with a "real" document be it newspaper article or obituary or college yearbook, etc. Otherwise you are using clues that may not be accurate.
Thomas would be age 82 so his brothers are likely deceased. With 4 names (other than Thomas) and years of birth, obituaries can be searched for. I think Ruth was known to be in California in 1971 (?) so she would have died after 1971. If you have no personal knowledge of the others then there are no clues as to when Simon and his other two sons died.
Up to you to have a monetary budget but in my opinion there are too many stones left to turn over to declare a dead end.
Ruth, so now you remember that your Tom was born in Kansas? Have you recalled Tom's brother's name?
As I said earlier, the Ruth Pratt that we found who died in California was NOT born in 1906. So, while this may *seem* like a match, that doesn't mean that this is the right family.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth Hermann
Here is the latest I found: Thomas Clinton Pratt born in 1935 to Simon and Ruth Pratt who lived in Emporia Lyons Kansas at 1427 Merchant Street 5A Institution NYA8 Simon born in 1887 Ruth born in 1906 Sibling Charles born 1922 Sibling William born 1925. I don't have any other information but possibly Thomas Clinton Pratt has passed away but don't know for sure. I went back to the 1940 Census to find this at the suggestion of a member and this was the closest I could find to maybe being the right person. Does this help? I don't know how to trace their movements after this Census. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks for all the help so far. About ready to give up short of paying about $700 or more for an investigator.
I had found this information before but had trouble finding out their movements after the Census to I was just going around in circles trying to find anything I could but was getting more and more confused.
Ruth, I gave you this information last week. But, as Howard and I discussed here then, the dates don't line up with the Tom Pratt we found had died near San Bernardino, Calif. and you couldn't remember any other information about Tom or his family to help us match them up.
Have you now you remember that your Tom was born in Kansas? Have you recalled Tom's brother's name to confirm this is the same family in the census?
Unless that is the case, while this may *seem* like a match, that doesn't mean that this is the right family any more than it did last week.
It also doesn't bring you any closer to finding where your Tom is today either. So, keep trying to remember more details about Tom, such as the town that Tom lived in when you knew him, his brother's name and where his brother lived in N. California, where Tom went to college, where Tom mentioned he grew up, etc.
If you don't mind my asking, how long did you know Tom, and what was your relationship to him?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth Hermann
Here is the latest I found: Thomas Clinton Pratt born in 1935 to Simon and Ruth Pratt who lived in Emporia Lyons Kansas at 1427 Merchant Street 5A Institution NYA8 Simon born in 1887 Ruth born in 1906 Sibling Charles born 1922 Sibling William born 1925. I don't have any other information but possibly Thomas Clinton Pratt has passed away but don't know for sure. I went back to the 1940 Census to find this at the suggestion of a member and this was the closest I could find to maybe being the right person. Does this help? I don't know how to trace their movements after this Census. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks for all the help so far. About ready to give up short of paying about $700 or more for an investigator.
I had found this information before but had trouble finding out their movements after the Census to I was just going around in circles trying to find anything I could but was getting more and more confused.
In a private message, you mentioned that Tom was born in November. You've said elsewhere his birth year was 1935.
This is the ONLY Tom Pratt in California who fits those dates:
Social Security Death Index:
Thomas A. Pratt
Last Residence:
92393 Victorville, San Bernardino, California, USA
BORN: 17 Nov 1935
Died: 9 Apr 1998
State (Year) SSN issued: Pennsylvania (1951-1953)
As I said earlier, Victorville is the next town over from Apple Valley where a Ruth Pratt died a few years before this.
But note that the middle initial and the state where the social security number was issued is different from the Tom C. Pratt born in Kansas.
Ruth, so now you remember that your Tom was born in Kansas? Have you recalled Tom's brother's name?
As I said earlier, the Ruth Pratt that we found who died in California was NOT born in 1906. So, while this may *seem* like a match, that doesn't mean that this is the right family.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RosieSD
In a private message, you mentioned that Tom was born in November. You've said elsewhere his birth year was 1935.
This is the ONLY Tom Pratt in California who fits those dates: Social Security Death Index:
Thomas A. Pratt
Last Residence:
92393 Victorville, San Bernardino, California, USA
BORN: 17 Nov 1935
Died: 9 Apr 1998
State (Year) SSN issued: Pennsylvania (1951-1953)
As I said earlier, Victorville is the next town over from Apple Valley where a Ruth Pratt died a few years before this.
But note that the middle initial and the state where the social security number was issued is different from the Tom C. Pratt born in Kansas.
Rosie:
The last post by the Op was what she found in the 1940 census. The middle name in the census is "C" (Clinton).
The Thomas Pratt who died in 1998 is on Find A Grave and the grave marker only has his name which remotely implies he was never married or divorced and not remarried when he died at age 63. I acquired burial records and I can confirm that specific Thomas Pratt is buried in that cemetery in Kingman, Arizona. Why there and not Victorville is unknown. An obituary or funeral record for this Thomas Pratt can confirm or eliminate him as a possible if it contains names or the name of who paid for the funeral.
Ruth is also using her own age as being 8 years younger than Tom (1971) in estimating his birth year as being 1935.
Rosie:
The last post by the Op was what she found in the 1940 census. The middle name in the census is "C" (Clinton).
The Thomas Pratt who died in 1998 is on Find A Grave and the grave marker only has his name which remotely implies he was never married or divorced and not remarried when he died at age 63. I acquired burial records and I can confirm that specific Thomas Pratt is buried in that cemetery in Kingman, Arizona. Why there and not Victorville is unknown. An obituary or funeral record for this Thomas Pratt can confirm or eliminate him as a possible if it contains names or the name of who paid for the funeral.
Ruth is also using her own age as being 8 years younger than Tom (1971) in estimating his birth year as being 1935.
The list of details seem more cloudy than not.
Yes, I know. I was just repeating the information you and I'd found for Ruth last week.
Ruth, do you know for certain that Tom spent at least part of his childhood in Kansas? Or are you making the assumption based on the two names (ruth and tom)?
Some additional questions to mull over:
- When you knew Tom in 1971, was he married, divorced, or had he never been married?
- Do you know if Tom attended college at some point?
OK, I used the father's name on the Census, Simon, to do a search.
I searched for a Simon Pratt living in Pomona, California (where Ruth remembers Tom's mother living) and this turned up:
Simon E Pratt
Gender: Male
Residence Year: 1959
Street address: 273 Weber Pma NA 9-7900
Residence Place: Pomona, California, USA
Occupation: Retired
Spouse: Ruth A Pratt
Publication Title: Pomona, City Directory, 1959
As I mentioned earlier, I have also found a Tom C. Pratt in the same Pomona city directory, living at the same address. His occupation is listed as "time keeper."
Here is that listing:
NAME: Thomas C Pratt
RESIDENCE YEAR: 1959
STREET ADDRESS: 273 Weber Pma NA 9-7900
RESIDENCE PLACE: Pomona, California, USA
OCCUPATION: Time Keeper
PUBLICATION TITLE: Pomona, City Directory, 1959
So, this *may* be the same family as the one on the 1940 Census.
But, that still doesn't tell us where Tom went after 1971.
Ruth, can you answer the question about whether your Tom was married, divorced, or had never been married when you knew him in 1971?
There are marriage and divorce records available for Tom Pratts, but it would help to narrow things down if you could provide that information. If we can find a wife for Tom (especially after you knew him) that might be helpful.
OK, I wanted to check to see whether I could find middle initials for the Simon and Ruth who lived in Emporia Kansas. The Census didn't list those.
Here is their information from the Emphoria City Directory in 1940 -- the middle initials line up with the Ruth and Simon in Pomona:
Simon E Pratt
Gender: Male
Residence Year: 1940
Street address: 427 Merchant
Residence Place: Emporia, Kansas, USA
Occupation: Switchman
Spouse: Ruth A Pratt
Publication Title: Emporia, Kansas, City Directory, 1940
The next step is to run the names for the brothers listed on the Census. I know it is sort of a backwards approach, but if we can find the children or spouses of one of them, it may lead us to Tom.
The names on the Census were:
Charles Pratt (18 in 1940, so birth year approx 1923)
William Pratt (15 in 1940, so birth year approx 1925)
On the 1940 census, his occupation is listed as railway operator.
From that information, I found his service card with the railroad (shows right address in Emporia so I know it's him).
Birth date on that card is October 2 1883.
Used that information to find his social security death record:
Simon E Pratt
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 2 Oct 1883
Birth Place: Kansas
Death Date: 25 May 1970 Death Place: San Bernardino, California
This aligns with what Ruth knows, since when she new Tom in 1970, his mother was not married.
This also gives us some other hints, like a place to look for family plots in a cemetery.
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