Edward Pratt, 1762-1817, Cheever Family Record, Ink and Watercolor on Paper

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Property from the Collection of Leslie and Pe...

By Nye & Co.

Jan 21, 2026

Set Reminder 2026-01-21 10:00:00 2026-01-21 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Property from the Collection of Leslie and Peter Warwick, Middletown, NJ: Unreserved https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/nye/property-from-the-collection-of-leslie-and-peter-warwick-middletown-nj-unreserved-21860
Discover a remarkable offering from the Collection of Leslie and Peter Warwick of Middletown, New Jersey. This unreserved auction presents an opportunity to acquire pieces selected over decades of thoughtful collecting. Join us on January 21, 2026, for a sale rich in character, craftsmanship, and charm. Nye & Co. info@nyeandcompany.com

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• Lot Description
  Edward Pratt
  1762-1817
  Cheever Family Record
  Ink and Watercolor on Paper
  Dated 12/30/1799, Chelsea, MA.
  
  The family record is a pear tree with pears for the eleven children. Each child has a separate limb and pear. If the child lived, the branch remained green and the pear ripened as shown by a partially red pear. If the child died, the branch is yellow and the pear never ripened and stayed yellow as in both children named Sally. Flanking the hearts at the bottom are two symbols: One on the left there is an anvil, shovel, and flail. On the right is a hay rake, a oxen yoke, and a hemisphere with an S inside it.
  
  Signed by Edward Pratt, the. The paper has an English watermark of a Shield and Fleur-di-lis with GR (or George Rex) underneath the shield. See Gravell, Miller & Walsh Ed. 2 page 201 #925 for the Shield & Fleur-de-lis but without the GR.
  
  Associations: The image in family record of genealogical trees springing from paired heart was specific to three areas of Massachusetts: eastern and central Middlesex County; Cape Ann in eastern Essex County- and coastal southeastern New England. Although no print source has yet been found for this motif, related images of Adam and Eve in Paradise were used as frontispieces for seventeenth century gardening books. Broken or withered branches on such family trees were Analogous to the period term "cut off', meaning to come to an untimely end. Both Sally Cheever and her younger sister and namesake died at a young age. *The youngest child, Sally, died before she was born due to a mistake in the date of her death.
  Between 1766 and 1790, Mrs. Cheever gave birth to 11 children. Her first-born daughter, Anna, married Thomas Pratt, first cousin of Edward Pratt who painted this record. The vital statistics of all the people in the family record:
  
  Artist: Edward Pratt (1762-1817)
  Parents: Joshua Cheever d. 1/ 15/ 1813, Chelsea at 73
  Abigail Eustis d. 2/1809, Chelsea at 63
  Children:
  1. Joshua d. 3/8/ 1816, Chelsea 40.
  2. Anna (Cheever) (Pratt) Stowers d. 7/9/1864 North Chelsea at 96
  3. William d. 3/2/1813 at 43
  4. Abigail (Cheever) (Hatch) Bucknam d. 7/4/1845 Chelsea at 74
  5. Sarah or Sally d. 1/20/1786 at 12
  6. Polly
  7. Elizabeth (Cheever) Cook d. 5/20/1810 Cambridge at 32
  8. Lois (Cheever) Mixer d. 11/1/1805 at 24
  9. Margaret (Cheever) Grant d. 8/20/1821 Cambridge at 38
  10. Nathan d. 9/5/1837 Chelsea at 52
  11.Sarah or Sally d. 1/10/1790, aged 10 days
  
  Joshua Cheever also a gentleman who died 1/25/1813 leaving an estate of $5,500 and his father was Nathan Cheever also a gentleman and a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Co. His grandfather was the Rev. Thomas Cheever F Malden, MA and his great-grandfather was Ezekiel Cheever, the famous master of the Boston Latin School.
  
  
  Provenance: George Samaha, Milan, Ohio;
  Martha Wood, Detroit Michigan;
  Gary and Martha Ludlow, Lyndhurst, Ohio.
  
  Exhibition: New York, American Folk Art Museum, Every Picture Tells a Story, September 17, 1994 to January 15, 1995.
  
  Literature: Peter Benes, Fruit of the Tree of Life: New Discoveries, New England Historic Genealogical Society, (Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2023), p. 132, fig. 120.
  Sight: 14 3/4 x 9 1/4 in. (37.5 x 23.5 cm.), Frame: 17 3/4 x 12 1/2 in. (45.1 x 31.8 cm.)

  Condition

  Condition reports are not provided in catalog descriptions. The absence of a condition report does not guarantee that the lot is in good condition or free from damage and wear. We encourage you to requisite a condition report and/or additional photos prior to bidding on any lot.  We also recommended asking for a shipping quote before bidding as well. CASH, CASHIER CHECK, MONEY ORDER, AND WIRE TRANSFER ARE ONLY METHODS OF PAYMENT ACCEPTED FOR JEWELRY.
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