Individual Details

"The information on William's marriages came from Dewey Prather, a grandson, and is related in his family genealogy, which was collected by Sandy Prather Merritt of Barington, Illinois (circa 1980).

"According to Dewey Prather, 'When William left North Carolina in 1799, after his first two children were born, he traveled to Indiana with Basil, his father and his wife's family, the McCarroll's. Somewhere along the Kentucky and Indiana borders, he took a horse and "slipped away". He went to Breckinridge County (now lower Meade County) and soon "married", possibly his childhood sweetheart, Lucinda Ashcraft. They had a son, Robert ("Bob"), born in 1800 in Kentucky. Lucinda died shortly after and is buried in Ashcraft Cemetary in Brandenburg. "William went back to the McCarroll family, with his son Bob (born of Lucinda Ashcraft) at Prather, Indiana, in Clark County, Indiana. He stayed with his wife McCarroll and had several children -- John, Peggy, Cynthia, Rachel, Hiram, Susan, Mary, Bertha, Lettice and William. Around 1832, he started having family problems and left. William and son Bob and Bob's wife Elizabeth Pleasant went to Magnet, Indiana, which is in Perry County. There William "married" Rebecca VanMeter. He was scalped at English near Magnet, Indiana, but survived. Then William and Rebecca ("Becky") and son Bob and Bob's family canoed upriver and up Wolf Creek to Caseyville, now Paynesville, Kentucky. They went about 4 miles below and bought land. He was a farmer and Methodist preacher. He had a son, William Jennings "Bill Jenkins" Prather (born 1833) and Nanny Sue (born 1835). William was last seen on a boat at Brandenburg, Kentucky, with a load of mules bound for New Orleans. Word got back to Magnet, Indiana, to his wife, Rebecca VanMeter and son Bob that William had jumped boat and was met by two sons from North Vernon, which were his sons by his wife, Lettice McCarrol. "Mid-January of 1858, word came that he was seriously ill from exposure. Later, word came that he had died and for the families to meet the corpse at the boat in Brandenburg, Kentucky, to go to Jeffersonville, Indiana and Prather, Indiana for burial. When the families arrived at Jeffersonville, they learned that the grave hadn't been dug at Prather, Indiana, so they had a short service at the Livery Stable and told the families they could go home, that they would take his body back to North Vernon, Indiana for burial. I'm sure there must have been some family differences about where should be buried. In 1863, Lettice McCarroll Prather died and was buried next to William. This is probably what has confused some researchers since husband and wife are buried next to each other. It was probably assumed that no other "wives" existed and, in fact, there legally might have been no other
"wives". There is no mention of divorce from Lettice McCarroll and I don't
know if dates of "marriages" to Lucinda Ashcraft and Rebecca VanMeter exist
in the courthouses or if, in fact, they were simply not legally married. "An interesting fact is that William became known as a "Skipjack" around Indiana, which is a word used to describe fish that leap in and out of the water or play on the surface of the water.

Birth	15 Aug 1766	Rockville, Montgomery Co., MD
Marriage	17 Dec 1792	Iredell, Bosque Co., TX - Ary GAITHER
Marriage License	24 Jun 1797	Bath Co., VA - Lettice McCARROLL
Marriage	27 Jun 1797	Bath Co., VA - Lettice McCARROLL
Emigration	1799	NC to KY/IN
Marriage	Abt 1800	Lucinda ASHCRAFT
Military	1808	Clark Co., IN Militia - Major
Military	1812	War of 1812
Emigration	1816	to Jennings Co., IN
Census (family)	1850	Vernon, Jennings Co., IN - Lettice McCARROLL
Death	12 Apr 1853	of exposure - Jennings Co., IN
Obituary	11 May 1853	Western Christian Advocate
Alt name		William Ira PRATHER
Occupation		school teacher - NC
Occupation		mill owner - Clark Co., IN
Burial		Prather-Hinchman Cemetery, Vernon, Jennings Co., IN

Spouse	Ary GAITHER (1770 - 1794)
Child	Nancy PRATHER (1794 - 1832)

Spouse	Lettice McCARROLL (1777 - 1863)
Child	Ary "Amy" PRATHER (1797 - 1854)
Child	Chloe R. PRATHER (1799 - 1880)
Child	John Lloyd PRATHER (1801 - 1862)
Child	Margaret "Peggy" PRATHER (1803 - 1805)
Child	Cynthia PRATHER (1806 - 1834)
Child	Rachel PRATHER (1807 - 1852)
Child	Col. Hiram PRATHER (1809 - 1874)
Child	Susan M. PRATHER (1811 - 1890)
Child	Mary Ann "Polly" PRATHER (1813 - 1891)
Child	Bertha P. PRATHER (1816 - 1939)
Child	Lettice PRATHER (1818 - )
Child	William Jennings PRATHER (1821 - 1851)
Child	Ruth PRATHER (1823 - 1859)

Spouse	Lucinda ASHCRAFT ( - 1800)
Child	Robert "Bob" PRATHER of Magnet, Perry Co., IN (1800 - 1870)

Spouse	Rebecca "Becky" VANMETER (1812 - )
Child	William Jenkins "Bill" PRATHER (1833 - )
Child	Nannie Sue PRATHER (1835 - )

Father	Basil PRATHER twin, DAR (1742 - 1822)
Mother	Clorender [Chlorinda] R. "Cloe" ROBERTSON (1748 - 1812)
Sibling	John PRATHER ( - )
Sibling	Nancy PRATHER (1765 - 1853)
Sibling	Walter PRATHER (1768 - 1841)
Sibling	Thomas PRATHER (1769 - 1854)
Sibling	Basil Robertson PRATHER (1771 - 1823)
Sibling	Catherine PRATHER (1772 - 1844)
Sibling	Aaron PRATHER (1775 - 1825)
Sibling	John Asa PRATHER (1776 - 1850)
Sibling	Judge Samuel PRATHER (1780 - 1850)
Sibling	Lloyd Benton PRATHER (1782 - 1867)
Sibling	Rebecca PRATHER (1784 - )
Sibling	Rachel PRATHER (1787 - 1858)
Sibling	Sihon Simon PRATHER (1791 - 1844)
Sibling	Chlorinda "Chloe" PRATHER (1794 - 1888)
Sibling	Susanna [Susan] PRATHER (1798 - 1816)

Notes