The family lived in the heart of Philadelphia, where Mr. Pratt earned enough to support his wife and four children, somewhat crowded into two rooms above the shop. In the larger room upstairs, two old blankets hung from a length of rope, with a bed on each side. The boys used the space nearest the door and the girls enjoyed a window that looked out on the street. On the ground floor, a narrow room extended all the way across the house behind the shoemaker shop, with a long table surrounded by two benches and two chairs occupying much of the floor space. The fireplace at one end provided warmth and a place for cooking, and supplies of leather goods were stored in shelves along the walls. Mr. Pratt sometimes worried about the future, but the other members of the family took it for granted that they would never lack anything they really needed.

Although Henry was the one who seemed to be interested in his father’s trade and loved to be at the shoemaker’s bench, the making and repairing of shoes and other leather goods just made possible the camaraderie and political discussions with customers and loungers that he really loved. He was small for his age, loved to be with people, and had many boyhood friends. Even when quite young, Henry joined in the discussions about the exciting political life of Philadelphia and its cultural and economic affairs. He worked rapidly and with great skill but despised taking orders and keeping records. Competition from other shoemakers in the city was intense and his father showed no inclination to retire and permit either of his sons to run the shop, so from an early age Henry’s ambition was to move away from home, own his own place, and live an independent life. Influenced by some broadsheets distributed by the Guild of Cordwainers, Henry planned to travel to Norfolk, Virginia, and later to settle in western North Carolina, where he’d read that a number of Quakers had established new homes. He was never insubordinate to his parents and didn’t want to cause them concern, so he shared his plans only with Ethan.