Jared Pratt and his wife first settled in the Prattsburgh area in 1800. In 1802, Capt. Joel Pratt, Jared Pratt's uncle, and William Root, of Albany, purchased the township from the Pulteney estate. The town was officially formed on April 12, 1813, and named after Captain Pratt. During Prattsburgh's peak, it was a thriving place, boasting such businesses as the J.H. Frost Wagon Shop, Mrs. Clark's Millinery, Crossman's Blacksmith Shop, and Clary's Cooper Shop. The number of established schoolhouses and churches in town is proof of how very important education and religion were to the early settlers. Even today, Prattsburgh's rich agricultural history is still evident. Prattsburgh's success gave rise to Wheeler, a town of industries such as Renchan's Mills, a hotel, school, and general store. The remainder of the Sir William Pulteney estate became the town of Pulteney--another thriving community in its day --home to a rickshaw factory, a rattan basket factory, and many vineyards.