Louisa Barnes Pratt

Who was Louisa Barnes Pratt?

Louisa Barnes Pratt was a prominent advocate for women's vote and other related causes in the 19th century as well as a Latter-day Saint missionary.

Louisa Barnes was born in Warwick, Massachusetts a daughter of Willard Barnes and his wife Dolly. When she was a fairly young child her family move to Quebec. Her father served in the British forces during the War of 1812 although in her autobiography she alleged he was a supporter of the United States. Barnes was raised in the Episcopalian faith, although she did not formally get baptized in that church until age 14.

In her school studies after returning to Massachusetts one of her classmates was Rebekah J. Pratt. This eventually led to her meeting Rebekah's brother Addison. After being in Massachusetts for four years Louisa returned to Canada. After she had been in Canada for a year and a half Addison came to visit. They married on April 3, 1831 in Canada. Shortly after their marriage they moved to Buffalo, New York.

Pratt joined the Latter Day Saint church along with her husband Addison Pratt in 1835. They were introduced to the church by her sister Caroline Crosby and her husband Jonathan Crosby who stopped by their home in western New York on their way to Kirtland, Ohio to gather with the body of the Latter Day Saints. In 1843 Addison left to serve a mission in Polynesia. Pratt stayed behind at Nauvoo to care for their four children, and was not reunited with Addison until after her arrival at Salt Lake City in 1848. She was set apart as a missionary to serve in French Polynesia with her husband in 1849. While in Tahiti Pratt told a congregation that the Tahitians were descended from the Nephites. This is the first recorded statement to this effect, related to theories about Hagoth's journey recorded in the Book of Alma.