{"id":5862,"date":"2016-06-24T21:52:31","date_gmt":"2016-06-25T04:52:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blackenedroots.com\/blog\/?p=5862"},"modified":"2023-12-08T15:54:14","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T23:54:14","slug":"g-i-prettyman-1887-1977","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blackenedroots.com\/blog\/g-i-prettyman-1887-1977\/","title":{"rendered":"G.I. Prettyman (1887\u20131977)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"George<\/a>George Irvin Prettyman (or G.I. Prettyman, as my grandfather told me he liked to be called) was my grandfather’s uncle. I recently learned that a\u00a0cousin was\u00a0looking for some information on G.I.\u00a0and his wife Frances, and I discovered that while I had some new information for him, a lot of what I had was contradictory and could use some dedicated research. For instance, my grandfather\u00a0William Prettyman once told me that his uncle G. I. Prettyman didn’t make it past the fourth grade, as he was\u00a0needed to help out at home on the farm.\u00a0However, a<\/span>ccording to a contemporaneous biography (Minnesota and Its People, 1924, by\u00a0Joseph Alfred Arner Burnquist),<\/p>\n

[G.I.] “was reared and educated in Hewitt, attended the grade and high schools of the town, and then took a course in a commercial college at Little Falls, Minnesota.\u00a0<\/span>He was then sixteen years old and after completing his education entered the banking business and continued in it until 1911…”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I’m hoping that relatives reading this summary of what I’ve learned about G.I. Prettyman may be able to contribute considerably more than I’ve presented here. Please leave a comment below if you have additional information or stories about G.I. Prettyman or his family.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Let’s start with the most comprehensive single source of information that I’ve so far found. This biography of G.I. Prettyman can be found on page 119 of Minnesota and Its People (Burnquist, 1924):<\/p>\n

\"George<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

GEORGE I. PRETTYMAN. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Banking, the mortgage loan business and service abroad during the World war have thoroughly filled the time of George I. Prettyman, mayor of Wadena, Minnesota, since he was a boy of sixteen. His business training has been a diversified and thorough one and has made him prominent in all the interests with which he has been connected. His war record was distinguished and has placed him in the highest position that his community has to offer to its worthy sons. He was born in Douglas county, Minnesota, on July 14, 1887, the son of Alfred M. and Mary A. (Horan) Prettyman. both his parents being natives of Minnesota. The father was a farmer for a number of years in Minnesota and now resides at Hewitt. Todd county. Minnesota. The mother died in June, 1905. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>George I. Prettyman was reared and educated in Hewitt, attended the grade and high schools of the town, and then took a course in a commercial college at Little Falls, Minnesota. He was then sixteen years old and after completing his education entered the banking business and continued in it until 1911, when he joined the firm of Schanke & Co., of Mason City, Iowa, which conducted an extensive bond, mortgage and banking business. In 1914 he was made a vice president of the company and remained with it until 1920. Mr. Prettyman then sold out his interest, moved to Wadena and bought a one-third interest in the F. E. Gore’s Mortgage Company, of which he is now the vice president. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>On August 8, 1917, Mr. Prettyman was married to Frances Essex, and of this marriage two children have been born: Mary Lorraine, born February 24, 1920; and Donna Maxine, born August 8, 1923. In July, 1918, Mr. Prettyman enlisted for service in the World war as a private and was afterward promoted to sergeant. He served in France until May, 1919, was in the Army of Occupation and was discharged on May 28, 1919. He then returned to Mason City, Iowa, where he continued until January, 1920, and then came to Wadena. In March he was elected mayor of the town. The Gores Mortgage Company, of which he is one of the proprietors, owns fifteen farms in the county of Wadena and operates some of them. Mr. Prettyman and his wife are Protestants in their religious belief, while in politics he is a member of the republican party. He belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the American Legion, and the Lions Club, and was secretary of the latter organization for two years. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Setting this biography aside for now, let’s look at what\u00a0other historical sources of information are available for G.I. Prettyman.<\/p>\n

The first appearance of G.I. Prettyman in a historical document that I know of is his entry on the 1895 Minnesota state census for Woodside township, in Otter Tail county, Minnesota. He is 7 years old and is living at home on a farm with his father (32-year-old Alfred Minus [“Minos A.”] Prettyman), mother (28-year-old Mary A. Prettyman), his older brother (9-year-old Roy A. Prettyman), his two younger brothers (5-year-old Austin [“Ostin”] C. Prettyman and 9-month-old Clarence Prettyman), as well as three other people:<\/p>\n