Individual Details

James Isom Prater was apparently born out of wedlock to Letty Prater. 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

Many online genealogies show him as the son of William Prater (c.1824) #25602, but this is highly unlikely, since he does not appear on this William's 1850 Census listing.

Other genealogies have him as the son of William R. Prater (b.c.1823) #23382 and Sarah McCoy. The 1870 Census of this William shows that James Isam Prater could not have been the son of William Prater and Sarah McCoy, although they indeed had a son James. Their son James was, by the 1870 Census, still living with them in 1870. The 1900 Census for James Isam shows him with a son Pleasant (b. Feb 1870). So unless the Census is wrong (and it frequently is), then by default James Isam would have to be the son of the third alternative parentage -- an unknown father and Lettie Prater. Lettie was the sister of the William Prater #23382 previously mentioned.

Birth	Calc 1848	Pike Co., KY
Census	1850
Marriage	Bef 1869	Lucinda McCOY
Census (family)	1870	Mouth of Pond Creek, Pike Co., KY - Lucinda McCOY
Census (family)	1880	Peters Creek, Pike Co., KY - Lucinda McCOY
Death	Aft 1900

Spouse	Lucinda McCOY (1848 - 1900)
Child	Pleasant PRATER (1870 - 1889)
Child	Celista Jane PRATER (1871 - 1901)
Child	Keziah PRATER (1875 - 1880)
Child	Cylvania PRATER (1876 - 1880)
Child	Vinnie PRATER (1882 - 1901)
Child	Louziana PRATER ( - )

Father	Benjamin "Ben" McCOY (1823 - 1880)
Mother	Letta "Lettie" PRATER (1826 - 1880)
Sibling	Daniel PRATER (1845 - 1850)
Sibling	Lindsey PRATER (1849 - 1880)
Sibling	Benjamin P. "Ben" PRATER (1852 - 1898)
Sibling	William 'Anderson' PRATER (1854 - 1882)
Sibling	Joseph "Joe" PRATER (1854 - 1926)
Sibling	Henry PRATER (1859 - 1882)
Sibling	Ance PRATER (1865 - 1916)

Notes