Thomas Prather

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Notes:

In the 1820 Mason Co., Ky. census he was living next to his brother Ross.

Thomas married Ann Williams Stewart Stuart 04 Mar 1802, Mason Co., Ky.. Ann (daughter of John Daniel Stuart and Mrs John Stuart) was born Abt 1780, ,Washington, Md; died Bef Sep 1808, ,Mason, Ky. [Group Sheet]

Thomas married Sarah Wells 08 Aug 1808, Mason Co., Ky.. Sarah (daughter of Samuel Wells and Mrs Samuel Wells) was born Abt 1785, of, Mason, Ky. [Group Sheet]

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Feen married Elizabeth P. Lane 20 Jul 1845, Aberdeen, Brown Co., Ohio. Elizabeth was born , of Mason Co., Ky. [Group Sheet]

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Mary married Craven Lane of Mason Co., Ky. Craven was born , of Mason Co., Ky. [Group Sheet]

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Charles married Lucinda of Mason Co., Ky. Lucinda was born 03 Mar 1810, of Mason Co., Ky; died 20 Jul 1854, Fleming Co., Ky.; was buried , Stockton Cem.. [Group Sheet]

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Sarah married Jonathan Ward 19 Oct 1830, Mason Co., Ky.. Jonathan was born , of Mason Co., Ky. [Group Sheet]

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Mary married Moses A. Mullikin 14 Jul 1832, Mason Co., Ky.. Moses was born , of Mason Co., Ky. [Group Sheet]

Mary married Otho Durall 16 Jun 1835, Hamilton Co., Ohio. Otho was born , of Mason Co., Ky. [Group Sheet]

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Maria married William M. Goff 18 Jul 1839, Brown Co., Ohio. William was born , of Mason Co., Ky. [Group Sheet]

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Thomas married Jemima Pepper 25 Mar 1833, Mason Co., Ky.. Jemima was born Abt 1815, of, Mason, Ky. [Group Sheet]

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Ann married John Cole 17 Jan 1826, Mason Co., Ky.. John was born Abt 1804, of, Mason, Ky. [Group Sheet]

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Notes:

In 1830/1840 J.W. Prather owned a Steam driven Saw Mill in Hamersville, Ohio
and he is listed living in Clark Township, Brown Co., Ohio census during this
same time.
Source: The History of Brown Co., Ohio W.H.Beers & Co.

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There was also a man named Silas Prather Austin living in Brown Co. during
this same time frame. His connection to the family is not known.
Silas Prather Austin b. 1810 Married: Margaret McDaniel b. 1813 Ky.
In 1850 they lived in Decatur, Brown Co., Ohio
G.B.Prather (1996)
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In the bible record of his son Artemus Prather, John is listed as being born
19 Feb., 1816.

John married Nancy Ann Allen 23 Jun 1839, Brown Co., Ohio. Nancy was born 5 Jul 1817, KY; died 25 Oct 1887, Freesburg, Brown County, OH.; was buried , Rose Hill Cemetery, Feesburg, Brown, OH.. [Group Sheet]

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William married Rachel Stephenson 02 Dec 1841, Mason Co., Ky.. Rachel was born 1820, of Mason Co., Ky. [Group Sheet]

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Ross married Mary E White 27 Dec 1856, Mason Co., Ky.. Mary was born Abt 1830, of, Mason, Ky. [Group Sheet]

Ross married Mollie Roebuck Bef 1859, of Maysville, Mason Co., Ky.. Mollie was born , of Maysville, Mason Co., Ky.. [Group Sheet]

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William married Elizabeth Giles of Mason Co., Ky. Elizabeth was born , of Mason Co., Ky. [Group Sheet]

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Thomas married Susan Gatrell 11 Sep 1853, Mason Co., Ky.. Susan was born , of Mason Co., Ky. [Group Sheet]

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Elijah married Nancy Jane Argo 14 Feb 1852, Mason Co., Ky.. Nancy was born 10 Jun 1836, of Mason Co., Ky.. [Group Sheet]

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William married Emma M. Martin 4 Sep1872, of Brown Co., OH. Emma was born 25 Oct 1850, Brown County, OH.; died 18 Dec 1895, Brown County, OH.; was buried , Rose Hill Cemetery, Feesburg, Brown, OH.. [Group Sheet]

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Ella married William N Worrell 17 Sep 1882, Orange Co., Ind.. William was born , of Brown Co., Oh. [Group Sheet]

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John married Matilda Catherine Kate Bef 1871, Ky.. Matilda was born 21 Jun 1847, Ky.; died 08 Mar 1926. [Group Sheet]

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Notes:

Listed in 1870 Mason Co., Ky. census living Murphesville, Ky.

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Henry — Mary Francis Latham. Mary was born 02 Oct 1863, Maysville, Mason Co., Ky.; died 29 Sep 1954, Newton, Harvey Co., Ks.. [Group Sheet]

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Mary married James Edwards of Maysville, Mason Co., Ky.. James was born , of Maysville, Mason Co., Ky.. [Group Sheet]

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Goldie married Frank Tucker of Maysville, Mason Co., Ky.. Frank was born , of Maysville, Mason Co., Ky.. [Group Sheet]

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Henry married Dora Rachell Robinson of Maysville, Mason Co., Ky.. Dora was born 26 Apr 1862, Lawrence Co., Il.; died 05 Jul 1926, St.Francisville, Lawrence Co., Il.. [Group Sheet]

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• Occupation: Street Car Conductor
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Elijah married Margaret of Westpoint, Mo. Margaret was born , of Westpoint, Mo. [Group Sheet]

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Ida married Mr. Renick of Westpoint, Mo. Mr. was born , of Westpoint, Mo. [Group Sheet]

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• Occupation: Farmed Mesa Verde Valley
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Notes:

Refer to information written about his brother William.

Albert married Unknown Kan. City, Mo.. [Group Sheet]

Albert married Oregon of Westpoint, Mo. Oregon was born , of Westpoint, Mo; was christened , First Married at Age 14; died , Mancos, Colorado. [Group Sheet]

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Lester married Alice of Westpoint, Mo. Alice was born , of Westpoint, Mo. [Group Sheet]

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Daniel married Ada of Westpoint, Mo. Ada was born , of Westpoint, Mo; was christened , Was Blind. [Group Sheet]

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Archibald married Edith of Westpoint, Mo. Edith was born , of Westpoint, Mo. [Group Sheet]

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Notes:

In a letter I recieved from Ethel Irene Prater Jones Aug., 1994

"This is the family history of two of my great-uncles who homesteaded in the
Mancos, Colorado part of the Mesa Verde National Park."

William F. "Bud" Prater born 1855 died 1943
Albert "Al" Prater born 1867 died 1943
Oregon Prater born 1863 died 1952

William and Al were brothers. William was called "Bud" by the family....around
Mancos, Colorado he was referred to as "Bill".

Uncle Bud left home at the age of 18. I'm presuming he left from Kansas City
MO. or else Sedalia, MO.
The Praters had farms at both locations.
The story goes that he left home because the family forbid him to marry the
"rag pickers" daughter. That being the case he more than likely left from
Sedalia.
I can remember the rag pickers going down the alleys in Sedalia when I was
young. In those days if the family didn't approve of a marriage you didn't
marry!

The Praters were originally from TN. When Uncle Bud left home he went to
Mancos, Colorado via Texas and New Mexico and by the time he landed in
Montezuma County, Colorado he had a small herd of cattle.
In those days, all strays without a brand you could claim.
He homesteaded several hundred acres a feww miles from Mancos. Theis area now
borders the Mesa Verde National Park.
Uncle Bud also had another ranch in the same area. He later sold the big
ranch and some of that ranch I am told is now inside the Mesa Verde National
Park.
I was told by one of the oldtimers in mancos that he was paid a good sum of
money for this part of the ranch so that it could be taken in by the park.
He then bought a ranch bordering Uncle Al's ranch which was southwest of
Mancos.
During the Great Depression he had all his money in the bank in mancos and
lost it all when the bank went brke in the early 1930's. I don't know if he
lost the ranch near mancos or not. But I was told he still had the smaller
ranch near Mesa Verde and it had a cabin on it.

The Kelly's had a livery stable in Mancos and Uncle Bud and the Kelly's were
very good friends. At one time Mr. Kelly worked for Uncle Bud. In Uncle
Bud's later years he lived in a log cabin in back of the Kelly's big house.
It is still standing and is a nice large cabin.
I was told that the Kelly's got the small ranch near Mesa Verde and what
cattle Uncle Bud had left for looking after him in his later years.
Uncle Bud never married.

Just when Uncle Al followed Uncle Bud to Mancos, I don't know. But the story
gets better!

One of Uncle Bud's neighbors were the Morefields. They came from Illinois and
homesteaded next to Uncle Bud. Mr. Morefield was a man of 48 and brought his
14 year old bride, Oregon, to Mancos.
Both Uncle Al and Uncle Bud were sweet on the young Oregan Morefield and a
feud developed between them. Finally, Uncle Al moved to Portland, Oregon and
worked as a conductor on the street cars.
I believe that was what he died in Kansas City for my Grandfather, Elijah
Prater was a conductor in Kansas City.
Then the first thing you know....Oregon leaves and divorces Morefield and
tells Morefield that she's going back to Illinois and take care of her ailing
mother.
Instead she goes to Portland and marries Uncle Al Prater.
Shortly after after they returned to Mancos and settled on a ranch.
The brothers, William and Al, didn't speak to each other after that.
Now this is about the time that my folks, Wilford Prater and Edith Marriott
Prater Gray, decided to go to mancos and live on one of Uncle Bud's ranches.
All the neighbors thought that our family came from Kansas City to settle the
feud between the brothers.
I was told that they were soon on good terms again.

My mother thought the move to Colorado would be great! She loved the
thou8ghts of living in the west and on a cattle ranch at that!
But I can't say that was exactly what my father wanted! He never had much use
of farming/ranching maybe a garden but not to make it farming or cattle
raising.
Mancos is where I spent my first year of school. The school house was near
the ranch and was called the "Arney" school and some called it the "Prater"
school. I got sick and the folks had to leave to take me out of the high
altitude. That was the first thing the doctors thought of in those days if
you got sick and lived in a mountainous area. You just had to leave the high
altitude!
So we left for Kansas City and that is the last time we ever saw either one of
the uncles. I'm surprised Papa never went back. It was probably one of those
thing he was always going to do and never did. He was pretty close to Uncle
Bud.
As a child I remember going to dinner at Uncle Al's place. I guess the reason
I remember it is because a creek ran through the front yard and the sheep
grazed in front to keep the grass short. Just how long we lived on the ranch
I don't remembr. Maybe a year or a little more. I didn't go to the 2nd grade
there.

I remember leaving from the train depot in mancos. That depot building was
moved to Buena Park, California and is now the train depot at Knotts Berry
Farm Amusement Park.

The longest canyon in the Mesa Verde Park is the "Prater Canyon".
Just as you go through the first tunnel - on your left is the Prater Canyon.
Then there is the Morefield Canyon and White Canyon. Uncle Al married
Oregon Morefield.

Oregon Morefield had several Children by her first husband Mr. Morefield.
These daughters were still with her when she and Uncle Al were married. I
think Uncle Al had been married and his first whife died before he came to
mancos. There were no children by his first marriage.

You pick up the "Prater Trail" in the Park just as you enter the camping area.
It's 7.5 miles long and a good steep hike. I hiked it in August of 1994 when
I was 79 years old so I know ...... and it's rugged. And I'm in good shape!

To reach the "Prater Homestead" - go west out of mancos on Hwy. #160 about 2
miles. Turn left on Road #38 and follow the road for two or threee miles
along the Mancos River. The homestead is to the left and goes as far as the
Ute Indian reservation and takes in part of the Mesas Verde to the west.

Vern Koppenhafer family now owns the old homestead at as of this date....1992.

When we returned to Kansas City we went by way of Pittsburg, Kansas where my
mother's sister and brother-in-law lived. theis was Gertrude and Alfie
Ducan. (transcribed here by: Gary Benton Prather (1997)

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Notes:

Buried:
Lee Summit Cem.

Nancy married William Henry Kreeger 01 Sep 1875, Mo.. William was born 05 Aug 1847, Westpoint, Mo.; died 30 Apr 1930, Lee's Summit, Mo.; was buried , Lee's Summit Cem.. [Group Sheet]

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Wyonia married William Henry Milne Independence, Buchanan, Ia. William was born 03 Jul 1870, Independence, Buchanan, Ia; died 05 Apr 1948, At Home, Bentley, Ks. [Group Sheet]

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Jennie married David Kilpatrick of Harvey Co., Ks. David was born , of Harvey Co., Ks. [Group Sheet]

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William married Anna J. Harvey 02 Sep 1908, Harvey Co., Ks.. Anna was born , of Harvey Co., Ks. [Group Sheet]

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Mr. Beula Edwards Malosh (Mrs. Wayne) 911 DuBois St. Lawrenceville, IL.

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Leroy married Bula Lona Mezo 06 Sep 1914, Vincennes, In.. Bula was born , of Vincennes, In. [Group Sheet]