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Generation
No. 15
15. THOMAS15 PRATHER/PRATER (THOMAS PRATER14 (GENTLEMAN), ANTHONY THOMAS PRATER13, GEORGE PRATER12 (ESQUIRE), JOHN PRATER11, WILLIAM PRATER (ESQUIRE) (DE10 PRAERS?), --- PRATER (DE PREERS /9 PRAERS), --- PRATER (DE8 PREERS/PRAERS), --- PRATER (DE7 PRAERS?), --- PRATER (DE6, --- PRATER (PRETOR) (DE5, ROBERTUS PRETOR (PRATER) (DE4, WILLIAMUS PRETOR (PRATER/DE3 PRAERS), GUILLIUMUS (WILLIAMUS) JOHONNIE2 PRATER, --- DE PRESBYTER (PRESTER/DE1 PRAERS).) was born Abt. 1604 in near Eaton
Water, Wiltshire, England, and died Abt. 1666 in Near Elizabeth
Citties, Virginia. He married MARY (MCKAY) OR (POWELL) 1627 in Virginia. She was born in England,
and died in Near Elizabeth Citties, Virginia.
Notes
for THOMAS PRATHER/PRATER:
The following info is by H. Martin Prather, Jr., found on his
website at
http://martin.prather.net
Information for Thomas Prater and his ancestors was extracted (OK,
copied!) from this site, and by information generously provided
by one of our cousins -
Gary Benton Prather
9198 Williams Pl.
Frisco, Texas 75034
Thomas Prater was born in Eaton Water, Wiltshire, England. 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
feudal 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,
due to the practice of giving the bulk of a father's property to
the first born son in the 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 enticed to come to
America. He had relatives who 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). Also, the Paulets
were intermarried with the Kingstons, Carews, Delamare, and
Courtney families who also had marriages with the Prathers.
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
of McKay ?) at which time he received his property (Virginia).
Thomas was the founder of
more than 90% of the Prater / Prather family lines in America
today. The other 10%
were founded by other members of his family that came here at a
later time. most other branches continued with the spelling
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.
Most of these spelling variations occurred during the early
establishment of and settlement of territories in Colonial times,
or shortly after the Revolutionary 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 18 years old 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.
He came on board the ship Marie Providence which landed at
Elizabeth Citties, Virginia (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, while
Prater was used in England. He came to the Colonies in 1622 from
the Latton / Eaton Water Estates, on the Cricklade, Wiltshire,
England. Thomas was one of three brothers who came to the
Colonies between 1620 and 1623.
On Nov 18, 1860, there were an estimated 1200 settlers in
Virginia, until 22 March, 1621 when the indians massacred 347
white settlers. Thomas arrived only a few months after this event.
He is enumerated in a muster 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 passager 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
clomax 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)
More
About THOMAS PRATHER/PRATER:
Baptism (LDS): December 25, 1606, St. mary's Church, Marlborough,
Wiltshire, England
Burried: Virginia
Fact 5: Came to colonies in 1622, landed in Virginia
Occupation: Plantation
Notes
for MARY (MCKAY) OR (POWELL):
Mary's last name was probably McKay or Powell
Some members of the family (in earlier times -- 1960's) used the
name McKay to gain membership in the DAR, but indications are
that her name may have been Powell. Records have NOT been found
that tell us her true name, research continues, another name is
possible.... Mary Ara Eord Powell ???
Powell was a variation of Powelett (Paulet), a family that had
been allied to the Praters in England for generations. Re: Lord
St. John, William Paulet of Nunney, Somerset, England. Praters
bought Nunney Castle from their cousin Wm. Paulet.
Children of THOMAS PRATHER/PRATER and MARY (POWELL) are:
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