Samuel Edward

The published obituaries for Samuel Edward and Sarah Hester Pride Prettyman are part of the Milman E. Prettyman collection and are the primary sources used in this section to describe them.

Samuel Edward was born on Aug. 27, 1858, the son of Jacob Prettyman and Mary Anne Wingate. Samuel's father Jacob (born Oct. 6, 1837, died Nov. 6, 1906) named his son after his grandfather, also named Samuel Prettyman.

In that generation of our family, the historical information isn't as precise. The first Samuel Prettyman, according to Milman's research, was born after 1810 but before 1820. He died between 1842 and 1850 which gave him a short life span of between 32 and 40 years.

His wife, Elizabeth Lank, was born May 22, 1809 and lived for 82 years before her death on June 10, 1891. That meant she had connections to her grandson Samuel Edward and his son James Pride, our grandfather.

During the second Samuel's lifetime, several events occurred in Lewes that would have impacted on Samuel and Sarah and their children and grandchildren's lives. I'm offering these historical notes as a way for us to develop a better understanding of our family.

In 1869, the Junction and Breakwater Railroad was extended into Lewes. According to the Lewes historical website, at this time, Lewes expanded as a resort area with connections across the bay and upriver.

In 1875, seven years before our grandfather James Pride was born, the Lewes Union School, with a high school department, was established through the 10th grade. Four years later in 1879, the first graduating class included four women. The school was located where today's Beebe Medical Center sits.

In 1884, railroad repair shops located in Lewes moved to Georgetown. Their location at Lewes had increased the population and their removal, with the abandonment of lines of steamers, seriously affected the commercial prosperity of the town. Perhaps that's why our grandfather James turned to fishing to make a living.

Fishing and any boating presence on the water had its dangers. In March of 1888 when Samuel was 30 and James was six years old, many lives were lost and ships destroyed in the famous Blizzard of '88. A year later in April the Pilot boat Enoch Turley disappears with five pilots and five crew members during a storm.

By 1901, when Samuel was 43 and two years before James' marriage to Ida, the father and son could look out on the Delaware Bay and see the National Harbor of Refuge (outer breakwater) which was completed in December.

When Samuel died on March 14, 1925, his obituary appeared in the Evening Journal under the heading "Special to Every Evening."

The lead paragraph identifies Samuel as the father of state senator Jacob Prettyman. Samuel died at age 66 and was survived by two sons (Jacob born July 19, 1880 and our James Pride) and three daughters (Mrs. Elizabeth Millman, Mrs. Ruth Phipps and Mrs. Fannie or Walter E. Donovan).

"Mr. Prettyman had not been well for some weeks but was not in serious condition," the story said. "He spent Saturday evening with his son, Senator Prettyman, and about 10 o'clock started home. He had just reached there when he tottered against the door and fell dead on the porch. Two years ago, while Senator Prettyman was sitting as a member of the Legislature, his wife (Sarah) died."

For 12 years he had been a member of the Lewes Town Council and was one of the most promiment Democrats in Sussex County. The certificate on the right was issued by the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C., in June, 1924 and shows that Samuel was a member of the National Democratic Victory Club. His joining fee was $5.

Sarah Hester

Sarah Hester Pride married Samuel on Aug. 31, 1879. She died before Samuel on Jan. 31, 1923. In her obituary she is described as "one of the most highly esteemed women in Lewes" with "a host of friends throughout lower Delaware who were shocked to hear of her death."

She was born on Aug. 11, 1858, daughter of James and Mary Ellen Magee Pride. James M. Pride was born Oct. 22, 1829, and died Feb. 23, 1884. Mary Ellen Magee Pride was born Feb. 14, 1838 and died Aug. 20, 1904. Paynter and Lydia Magee were Sarah's grandparents. Sarah was one of nine children. The others are Lydia, Elizabeth, Jennie, James, Nannie, George, Birdie and Blanche.

The obituary references Sarah's survivors including all five of her children but this time Mrs. Ruth Phipps is listed as being in Philadelphia.

The Prettyman residence was in Lewes.

Franklin C. and Victoria W. Maull deeded to Samuel E. Prettyman on June 6, 1894, property on the Southeast Side of Shipcarpenter Street in Lewes. The financial exchange was for $250.

The house was on Third Street and various views of it have been handed down through the family.

The house is now part of the Shipcarpenter Square complex, a private community of restored 18th and 19th century homes between West Third and Fourth Streets and Park and Burton Avenues