The Deese-Pratt Conundrum: Untangling Two Mary Anns

 The Deese-Pratt Conundrum: Untangling Two Mary Ann's

The Problem

For over 46 years, genealogists believed that John Pratt married Mary Ann "Polly" Deese, and that their son was John W. Deese (born July 15, 1839). This conclusion rested on just two documents:

John Deese's 1915 death certificate listing his parents as "John Pratt and Mary Deese"

John W. Deese's 1873 marriage license showing his father as "John Pratt, dead" and mother as "Polly Deese, living"

However, a closer examination of census records and other documentation reveals a case of mistaken identity involving two different women both named Mary Ann.

The Evidence: Two Different Women

Mary Ann Adams (Born c. 1825)

The actual wife of John Pratt:

Born around 1825 to John and Nancy Adams

Married John Pratt on March 26, 1844 (she was 19, he was 32)

Appeared in the 1850 census in Sandy Point District, Anson County with John Pratt and four children

Became a widow when John Pratt died December 2, 1859 (age 47)

Received her dower (widow's portion) of land in June 1860, documented in Anson County Deed Book 16, page 155

Age 33 in the 1860 census (which would make her birth year approximately 1827)

Age 55 in the 1880 census, living with her children James, Eliza, George, and Jonas Pratt

Lived 29 years after her husband's death

Death date unknown

Mary Ann "Polly" Deese (Born c. 1808)

The actual mother of John W. Deese:

Born around 1808 (based on being age 72 in 1880)

Age 72 in the 1880 census, living in the household of her son John W. Deese and his wife Harriett Sellers.

Died around April 1888 (Anson County Commissioner Proceedings document a payment of $2.25 to John Deese for his mother Mary Deese's coffin)

Never actually married to John Pratt

The Key Discrepancy

The critical evidence lies in the 1880 census age discrepancy:

If Mary Ann Adams (John Pratt's actual wife) was 33 in 1860, she would have been approximately 53-55 years old in 1880

The Mary Deese living with John W. Deese was 72 years old in 1880

These cannot be the same woman—there's a 17-20 year age difference

What Actually Happened

The confusion stems from two issues:

John W. Deese's true parentage: While his 1915 death certificate and 1873 marriage license list "John Pratt" as his father, the census evidence suggests this may have been a legal fiction or error. John W. Deese was likely the son of Mary "Polly" Deese by another relationship, not by John Pratt.

Two women, same name, same county: Both Mary Ann Adams Pratt and Mary Ann Deese lived in Anson County, North Carolina during overlapping time periods, creating confusion for later genealogists who assumed they were the same person.

The Census Trail

1850: John Pratt and Mary Ann (Adams) with their legitimate children

1860: Mary Ann Pratt (widow, age 33) receiving her dower lands after John's death

1880:

Mary Ann Pratt (age 55) living with her grown Pratt children

Mary Ann Deese (age 72) living with her son John W. Deese and his family—two separate households, two separate women

1888: Mary Deese (mother of John W. Deese) dies; county pays for her coffin

Conclusion:

John Pratt married Mary Ann Adams in 1844. They had legitimate children together, including James, Eliza, George, and Jonas Pratt. John Pratt died in 1859, and Mary Ann Adams Pratt lived as a widow until at least 1880.

John W. Deese was the son of Mary Ann "Polly" Deese, a different woman entirely. While he claimed John Pratt as his father on official documents, the census evidence—particularly the age discrepancy—demonstrates this cannot be accurate. The nature of the relationship between John Pratt and John W. Deese remains unclear, but Mary Ann Deese, not Mary Ann Adams, was definitely John W. Deese's mother.

The 46-year genealogical error collapsed two distinct women into one, leading researchers astray for decades.