If Goodspeed’s “very early day” occurred in the 1820s and early 1830s, it might well be more than coincidence that several members of the rather numerous Prather family were resident in Union Township along the Ohio River between 1829 and 1835. They removed to Meade County, Kentucky, just across the river until Robert Prather returned to upper Union Township shortly after 1850 with his numerous younger generation.
Four households of Prathers are recorded in Union Township in 1830:
• (1) Reese (Reason) Prather and wife, both over 70 years old – 1 male between 15 and 20 and 1 male under 5.
• (2) Widow Elizabeth Prather, between 30 and 40 – 1 male 15-20, 1 male 10-15 and 1 male and 1 female 5-10.
• (3) James Prather, 30-40 – 1 female 15-20 and 1 female under 5.
• (4) Robert Prather, 30-40 – 1 female 20-30, 1 male 5-10 and 2 males under 5.
These households provided a pool of 4 men over 15 years of age with possibly 2 more just under 15 years. With ordinary experience, these could form a respectable band of trail herders.
On 23 January 1823 in Perry County, Robert Prather, born before 1800 in Tennessee, married Elizabeth Horton. {NOTE FROM LOIS: Robert “Bob” Prather was the son of William (“Skipjack”) Prather and Lucinda Ashcraft.} Elizabeth Horton was a daughter of Anthony and Elizabeth Horton, born in New York before 1804. In 1817, Anthony Horton moved from Breckinridge County, Kentucky, where he had resided since 1804 to the south side of Section 33, T4S, R1W, just west of present Mt. Pleasant.
Robert and Elizabeth Prather settled in Meade County, Kentucky, where two of their children were born: Jonathan (1824) and William (1827). The births of three known children in Perry County document the period of their first residence here: Rensalear (1829), Reuben (1830) and Thomas (1834). Four more children were born in Meade County after 1835: Jackson (1836), Pleasant (1838), Richard (1840) and Cynthia (1842).
Robert Prather made his first entry/purchase of Congress land at Vincennes on 2 July 1829: 80 acres of the East half of the Southeast quarter of Section 2, T5S, R1W, 1 mile northwest of Rono. On 16 September 1830, he entered another 80 acres which cornered his original tract on the northwest: the West half of the Northeast quarter of Section 2, T5S, R1W. On 16 March 1833, he entered the South half of the North half of Section 1, T5S, R1W, measuring 90.62 acres. This tract had a quarter-mile front on the river and cornered the original tract at its northeast corner. This was the Prather homestead in the 1850s, but the time of construction of the house is not known.