PRAY, Amasa

Other Events and Attributes:

• Obituary: Amasa Pray One by one the old landmarks are being swept away, and the last old citizen to be carried to his narrow house was Amasa Pray, who, on Wednesday last, under the auspices of the Masonic fraternity, was interred in the Odd Fellow’s cemetery. For two years previous to the day of his death the deceased had been gradually sinking. A native of Maine, a merchant of Boston and an early resident of Santa Barbara, where he owned a large amount of real estate, he sold out and came to Santa Cruz in 1864. In company with his son-in-law, H. H. Hobbs, he opened a storee in the brick building on the hill, the property of Jacques Leslie. Subsequently they moved their goods into the Santa Cruz Hotel. In company with W. H. Moore, Mr. Pray erected the Pacific Ocean House, they being the owners of the wooden building that was burned down, and in fact the landlords as successor to Bradley & Stevens, their successors being Olds & Co. In the room now occupied by Mr. Ostorlaus, Pray & Hobbs merchandised for a number of years. Mr. Pray sold his interest in the Ocean House to H. Holley, he practically having constructed the building that covers the alley way and now occupied on the lower floor by W. H. Hobbs, and which he owned at the time of his demise. The deceased took no active part in the enterprise with which he was identified, but he served the people faithfully and wells school trustee and member of the city counsel, was in candidacy on two occasions as supervisor, once as supervisor at large and once as supervisor of the district in which he lived, and he was a railroad director at the time the Santa Cruz road was transferred to Stanford & Co. For some three years previous to his death he was engaged in the real estate business in company with his brother-in-law, Samuel Drennan. He was a warm-hearted, genial man, and we shall long miss from our streets the pleasant face, so ever ready to give a friendly salutation to all.
• Census: 25 Aug 1850, Dorchester, Norfolk, MA, USA
• Census: 27 Jul 1860, Dorchester, Norfolk, MA, USA
• Arrival: 1864, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
• Census: 9 Jun 1870, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
• Residence: 1880, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA

Notes:

Census:
Amasa Pray / 34 / Male / Occu - Wood Warf / Born in Maine-Miriam Pray / 27 / Female / Born in Maine-Charles A Pray / 9 / Male / Born in Mass-Francis A Pray / 7 / Female / Born in Mass-Amasa Pray / 4 / Male / Born in Mass

Census:
Amasa Pray / Age 41 / Sex M / Occupation: Wood & Coal Merchant / Real Estate $10,000 / Personal Estate $11,000 / Birthplace Maine

Census:
Pray Amasa / Age 53 / Male / White / Occupation Retired Merchant / Real Estate Holdings $25,000 / Personal Holdings $5,000 / Born in Maine / Male Citizen over 21

Amasa married FERNALD, Miriam on 2 Oct 1839 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Miriam (daughter of FERNALD, Oliver and HEARD, Olive) was born in Nov 1824 in Great Falls, Androscoggin, Maine USA; died on 11 Aug 1906 in 28 Union Street, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
Scanned/transcribed record in Ancestry lists as 2 Sep 1839, but reviewing book clearly shows chronological order, and that dates go ... 30 Sep ...OCT...1...2...etc

1. PRAY, Charles A was born about 1841 in Massachusetts, USA; died before 1860.
2. PRAY, Frances was born in 1843 in Massachusetts.
3. PRAY, Amasa was born on 28 Feb 1846 in Massachusetts; died on 5 Jan 1914.
4. PRAY, Frederick Hall was born on 14 Apr 1851 in Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA; died on 17 Jun 1909 in Mission Hill Sanatorium, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA; was buried on 19 Jun 1909 in IOOF Cemetery, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Co, CA.
5. PRAY, Miriam Fernald was born on 25 Nov 1856 in Massachusetts, USA; died on 7 Dec 1941 in 3222 Piedmont Ave, Berkeley, Alameda, CA USA; was buried on 9 Dec 1941 in Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, Alameda, CA USA.
6. PRAY, Frank Pierce was born about 1857 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; died on 3 Nov 1897 in 741 Chestnut Street, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA.
7. PRAY, Charles Fernald was born on 25 Oct 1862 in Massachusetts; died on 5 Dec 1868 in Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA.

David married Sarah. Sarah was born in 1794; died on 7 Jan 1890 in Sanford, York, Maine. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]