Print Bookmark
PRAY, Amasa

PRAY, Amasa[1]

Male 1817 - 1881  (64 years)


Personal Information    |    Sources    |    Event Map    |    All    |    PDF

  • Name PRAY, Amasa 
    Birth 1817  North Berwick, York, Maine, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2] 
    Gender Male 
    Census 25 Aug 1850  Dorchester, Norfolk, MA, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [3] 
    • 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 27 Jul 1860  Dorchester, Norfolk, MA, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • Amasa Pray / Age 41 / Sex M / Occupation: Wood & Coal Merchant / Real Estate $10,000 / Personal Estate $11,000 / Birthplace Maine
    Arrival 1864  Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [4] 
    Census 9 Jun 1870  Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [5] 
    • 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
    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.  [6] 
    Residence 1880  Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [1] 
    Death 23 Aug 1881  Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [7] 
    Burial 24 Aug 1881  IOOF Cemetery, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Co, CA Find all individuals with events at this location  [8] 
    Person ID I2317  Hugh Byrne and Nanette Asimov Lines
    Last Modified 20 Nov 2023 

    Father PRAY, David   d. 1877 
    Mother Sarah,   b. 1794   d. 7 Jan 1890, Sanford, York, Maine Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 96 years) 
    Family ID F3810  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family FERNALD, Miriam,   b. Nov 1824, Great Falls, Androscoggin, Maine USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 11 Aug 1906, 28 Union Street, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 81 years) 
    Marriage 2 Oct 1839  Boston, Massachusetts, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [9] 
    • 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
    Children 
     1. PRAY, Charles A,   b. Abt 1841, Massachusetts, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Bef 1860 (Age < 18 years)
     2. PRAY, Frances,   b. 1843, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location
     3. PRAY, Amasa,   b. 28 Feb 1846, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 5 Jan 1914 (Age 67 years)
     4. PRAY, Frederick Hall,   b. 14 Apr 1851, Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 17 Jun 1909, Mission Hill Sanatorium, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 58 years)
     5. PRAY, Miriam Fernald,   b. 25 Nov 1856, Massachusetts, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 7 Dec 1941, 3222 Piedmont Ave, Berkeley, Alameda, CA USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 85 years)
     6. PRAY, Frank Pierce,   b. Abt 1857, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 3 Nov 1897, 741 Chestnut Street, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 40 years)
     7. PRAY, Charles Fernald,   b. 25 Oct 1862, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 5 Dec 1868, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 6 years)
    Family ID F52  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 20 Nov 2023 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 1817 - North Berwick, York, Maine, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 2 Oct 1839 - Boston, Massachusetts, USA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsCensus - 25 Aug 1850 - Dorchester, Norfolk, MA, USA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsCensus - 27 Jul 1860 - Dorchester, Norfolk, MA, USA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsArrival - 1864 - Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsCensus - 9 Jun 1870 - Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - 1880 - Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 23 Aug 1881 - Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - 24 Aug 1881 - IOOF Cemetery, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Co, CA Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 
    Pin Legend  : Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  • Sources 
    1. [S11] Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1880 United States Federal Census, (Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005), Online publication - Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005. 1880 U.S. Census Index provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints © Copyright 1999 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. All use is subject to the limited use license and other terms and conditions applicable to this site.Original data - United States of America, Bur.

    2. [S1309] Frederick Hall Pray-in the Massachusetts, U.S., Birth Records, 1840-1915--, Birthplace of father: North Berwick, ME-.

    3. [S8] Ancestry.com, 1850 United States Federal Census, (Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005), 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.

    4. [S511] Amasa Pray Obituary, 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.

    5. [S1308] Amasa Pray in the 1870 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.

    6. [S511] Amasa Pray Obituary.

    7. [S213] Santa Cruz Sentinel, (Santa Cruz, CA 1850s to present), 8-27-1881, Pg 2, Col 5.

    8. [S262] Santa Cruz Evening News, Aug 1881: “…Amasa Pray, who, on Wednesday last…was interred in the Odd Fellows cemetery.”.

    9. [S1304] Meriam Fernald-in the Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988.


This site powered by The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding v. 15.0, written by Darrin Lythgoe © 2001-2025.

Maintained by Hugh Byrne. | Data Protection Policy.