Individual Details

He married two women, including a Nancy Robinette. He was not married to Lettie Prater.

Benjamin McCoy and Letty Prater carried on a long-term affair and most if not all of Letty's children are believed to belong to Benjamin McCoy. Records for Letty's children either name Benjamin as their father, or allude to Benjamin being their father. Letty lived with Benjamin for many years, and when Benjamin got married, Letty moved out but lived nearby. Ben was first married to Phoebe McCoy on 31 Oct 1839, Pike Co KY. They had John, Phoebe, Ellen, Massey, Ulysses, and maybe one other daughter. It's believed Ben and Phoebe may have divorced and possibly that Phoebe took the baby girl with her...just speculation at this point, but nevertheless, Phoebe is not in the household by 1850 and Letty is there with three sons (William Prater b. 1818 was supposedly Letty's brother and he did have a son named James born abt 1848, but it is believed that the two James' are different people) -- Tamara Maggard, Genealogy.Com Pike Co., KY Forum 1/16/12

Birth	Calc 1823	VA
Marriage	31 Oct 1839	Phoebe McCOY
Census (family)	1850	Pike Co., KY - Letta "Lettie" PRATER
Marriage	28 Sep 1851	Pike Co., KY - Nancy ROBINETTE
Census (family)	1860	Pike Co., KY - Nancy ROBINETTE
Census (family)	1870	Pike Co., KY - Nancy ROBINETTE
Census (family)	1880	Pike Co., KY - Nancy ROBINETTE
Death	Aft 1880

Spouse	Letta "Lettie" PRATER (1826 - 1880)
Child	Daniel PRATER (1845 - 1850)
Child	James Isam "Jim" PRATER (1848 - 1900)
Child	Lindsey PRATER (1849 - 1880)
Child	Benjamin P. "Ben" PRATER (1852 - 1898)
Child	William 'Anderson' PRATER (1854 - 1882)
Child	Joseph "Joe" PRATER (1854 - 1926)
Child	Henry PRATER (1859 - 1882)
Child	Ance PRATER (1865 - 1916)

Spouse	Phoebe McCOY ( - 1846)
Child	Living
Child	John Riburn McCOY (1840 - 1859)
Child	Ellen McCOY (1845 - 1860)
Child	Ulysses McCOY (1846 - 1860)

Spouse	Nancy ROBINETTE (1833 - 1870)
Child	Elizabeth "Eliza" McCOY (1858 - 1906)

Father	Samuel McCOY ( - 1823)
Mother	Elizabeth DAVIS ( - 1823)

Notes