| Notes |
- !He came to America on the "Providence Marie",arrived at Elizabeth Citties,VA.
in 1622-two years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.
Thomas Prater was born at Eaton Water, Wiltshire, England. (Sheffield Magna).
When he was a young man, England was expanding its control and development
of the Colonies in America.
The King of England knew he could not hold control of his distant domain
without the allegiance of his subjects that went there. So keeping with
the fuedal system, he offered property to those "born of Gentry" that
would go there to claim it. By doing this he knew that the younger children
born to those who held power and/or property by the grace of the King in
England would go to the Colonies to claim land for themselves. The younger
children of "the gentry" of England generally had very little inheritance,
this was do to the practice of giving the bulk of a fathers property to the
first born son in a family. (along with any titles).
Thus the only way a younger son could gain title, position, or property
was by marriage or by the grace of the King.
This new offering of the King, to give property to anyone born of gentry, was
well accepted by the young men of England who were looking to improve their
chances for success and prosperity.
Thomas Prater, being born of Gentry, was also inticed to come to America.
He had relatives which had already made the long trip to America. John
Powell was such a person. The name Powell is a variation of the name Powelett
(also spelled Paulet) which was an allied family of the Praters for several
generations in England. (Nunney Castle was purchased from the Paulets
by the Praters in the late 1500's,(Paulets were cousins of the Praters)
the Paulets were also intermarried with the Kingstons, Carews, Delamare,
and Courtney families who also had marriages to the Praters).
Thomas Prater, being under age, indentured himself to his cousin, John Powell
and gained passage to America where he worked with John Powell for five years
before getting married to Mary (Powell or McKay ? ) at which time he recieved
his property. ( Virginia )
Thomas was the founder of more than 98% of the Prater / Prather family lines
in America today. The other 02% were founded by other members of his family
that came here at a later time. Most of these other branches continued with
the spelling of Prater here in America while the lines from Thomas have been
found to use the spellings: Prather / Prater / Prator / Praytor / Prayter /
Prayther / Pratter / Prader / Preater / Praeter / Praetor & etc.
Most of these spelling variations occured during the early establishment of
and settlement of territories in Colonial times or shortly after the Rev.
War. The spelling variations came about mainly as a result of poor levels
of education of clerks, census takers, and the public in general.
Thomas Prater was only about 18 years of age when he came to the Colonies.
It must have been a major adventure for such a young man born and raised
on a Manorial Estate in Northern Wiltshire to board a ship to a new land.
He must have experienced many hardships.
It could be compared today with boarding a rocket ship to fly to a new
settlement on the moon.
On 18 Nov., 1620 there were an estimated 1200 settlers in Va. until
22 Mar., 1621 when the indians massacred 347 white settlers.
Thomas arrived only a few months after this event. He is enumerated in
a munster role ordered by King James I, which was conducted between
20 Jan., 1624 and 7 Feb., 1624. He was recorded at age 20 years.
Arriving Elizabeth Citties, Va. on the ship Marie Providence in 1622.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The hardships he faced on his journey to the Colonies is something that
we can not begin to imagine.
In a diary found which was written by a ship passage from England to America
a full 110 years after Thomas Prater came, describes the journey this way:
"From England there was great delays, the ship waited either to be passed
through customs or for favorable winds."
"When we weighed anchor, the real misery began for the voyage from England to
the Colonies."
Unless they have good winds, ship must sail from eight to twelve weeks, before
they reached the Colonial coast, even with the best wind, the voyage last for
seven weeks. There was much disease on board brought on largely by poor food
and lack of good drinking water and aggravated by frequent storms. Our misery
reached the climax when one gale raged for three nights and days so that every
one believed the ship would go to the bottom with all on board. As the gale
raged so that the waves were like mountain tops one above the other, and often
tumbled over the ship, one feared to go down. The ship constantly tossed from
side to side from the storm and waves, so that we could hardly walk, or sit,
or lie and the closely packed people in the berths thereby tumbled over each
other, both the sick and the well. It will be readily understood that many of
our people, none of whom haad come prepared for such hardships, suffered so
terribly that they did not survive."
He continued by reporting;"There were thirdy two children who died on the ship
during this journey." (The year; 1732)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Letters written by others who lived in James & Elizabeth Citties Counties
VA. in 1623. This will give you some insight as the hardships that Thomas
Prather (Prater) must have also suffered after arriveing at Elizabeth Citties
Co, VA.
Exerpts of Letters:
28 Mar., 1623. James City. George Sandys wrote:
I would to God, that some one of judgement and integritie whom you
trusted might bee sent out to give you a true informacion of our prceedings
and the state of this country.
New arrivals come without sufficient provisions, and the living are hardly
able to bury the dead; that "villaine Dupper" had posisoned most of the
passengers and spread the infection all over the colony with his sting bere;
the dispersal of the colony provoked unnecessary hardships; only 180 men could
be raised to encounter 1000 indians and of these 80 were fit onelie to carrie
burthens; and the colony deserved better officers than some of those it had
received.
30 Mar. 1623: James City. George Sandys wrote:
Indecision and cowardice in time of emergency, as well as lack of victuals and
munitions taxed the people in face of the enemy. It was less the execution of
the project than the project itself which was at fault. It is unjust to
upbraid the colonists with a falling off since Sir Thomas Dales time, for they
had not 500 men at their own disposure, both fed and apparreled out of England
as Sir Dale had. In fact the tenants sent on that son absurd condition of
halves, are neither able to sustaine themselves nor discharge their moyetie,
and are so delected with their scarce provisions, and finding nothing to
answer their expectation, that most give themselves over, and die of
melancholue, the rest running so farre in debt as keepes them still behind
hand, and manie (not seldome) loosseing their crops whilst they hunt for their
bellyes. The afflections of the clony has been caused by vaine glorie and
presumption at home. Having repulsed the indians so, the great King now sues
for peace. A fort was to be built upon a solid foundacion.
Until later, Good Hunting.
----------------------------------
Thomas came on the ship Marie Providence which landed at Elizabeth Citties,
Va. (near what is now Newport News). His name is recorded in various spellings
(Prater,Prether,Prator,Prather) but Prather is used more often in the Colonies
but Prater was used in England. He came to the colonies in 1622 from the
Latton / Eaton Water Estates, on the Cricklade, Wiltshire, England.
!He came to America on the "Providence Marie",arrived at Elizabeth Citties,VA. in 1622-two years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.
|
Prater/Prather Genealogy* 120,000+ Family Members
1604 - 1666 (61 years)