Book Description

My grandfather, Reverend Edgar Cannon Prettyman, first self-published 'THE PRETTYMAN FAMILY - In England And America - 1361-1968' over forty-five years ago. This book has since become the main reference book for Prettyman and related family historians. However, a very limited amount of copies were created and distributed. Now with the help of Amazon self-printing and e-book distribution, everyone can receive a quality copy of this family classic. My grandfather spent 35 years of his life visiting churches, libraries, museums, and state archives in order to gather as much history as he could find on the family. He also greatly depended on other historians in the family to fill in the missing pieces. While he, with his own words, admits that there is missing information and maybe even incorrect information within its pages, this collection was the first of its kind. Even today, there is not one source of information on the family. Many of today's family historians have gathered additional information on their branch of the family and posted this information on various websites and blogs. However, there is no one book or one website that puts all the information together. This book will become the cornerstone of the website "prettymanfamily.org," which in 2015 will allow all family members to update the history of the Prettymans in one place, interactively. There have been many famous members of the Prettyman family since its beginnings. The first known recording of the family was in the charter of Bacton Manor in 1361 in Suffork County, England. The manor was previously owned by King Henry VIII, Anne of Cleves, and Queen Elizabeth. In 1361 the charter declared that John Pratyman owned property there. John's grandfather was knighted by King James I in 1603. John's wife, Margaret, was King James V of Scotland's great great granddaughter. It is believed that the family replaced the 'a' in Pratyman with an 'e' to honor Queen Elizabeth. This practice was common. Sometime before the Prettyman family arrived in America, the second 't' was added to the name, forming the name 'Prettyman'. The additional 't' may have been an indication of relations to the Driffield family and is a direct relationship to Sir John Prettyman, knight. Queen Victory and President Lincoln appointed Dr. John Shepard Prettyman as consul to Glasgow, Scotland. The family is first known to exist in American just fourteen years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. John Prettyman was a plantation owner in the Lord Baltimore Colony. According to my grandfather's discoveries, there seems to be no record on exactly when he arrived in America, although he, or his relatives may have come to America on one of two ships lead by Caption Thomas Yong "to make discoveries and explore inhabited land." Many members of the Prettyman family were founders of the modern Methodist religion including Reverend William Prettyman. Multiple members had associations with presidents in the White House; Thomas Gray Prettyman built George Washington's coffin; Dr. John Sheppard Prettyman was one of the first advocates for supporting Abraham Lincoln's run for the presidency; Arthur Prettyman was a loyal valet to President Roosevelt for many years until the president's death. Elijah Barrett Prettyman was Chief Justice for the U.S. Appeals Court in Washington, D.C. The courthouse was named in his honor.