Jonathan Prather

   Other names for Jonathan were Jonathan Prater and Johnathan Prather.

  Research Notes:

From http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:3143362&id=I631750859 and http://www.2fools.net/book-0001/0003-0016.html :

Jonathan was born in Virginia and later moved to Maryland in about 1652/58. His name is recorded in several documents with it spelled several different ways. Land documents tended to list his name as Jonathan Prether, but when he signed the document he signed Jonathan Prater. He is also recorded in such documents as Prater, Prator, Prether, Praither, and Prather. Such was the level of education those days. Most people "sounded out" the spelling and then spelled that way. The names Prater and Prather are the most commonly used spellings in documents concerning Jonathan.

When Jonathan died his wife remarried to John Smith; a very wealthy Planter. He was very good to Jonathan's children and when he died he willed them a Plantation he called "Orphan's Gift" which was located near the city of St. Mary in Maryland. John Smith's will was proved 13 Oct 1707. Jane (Prather) Smith's will was proved 7 Dec 1713.

Jonathan Prather's Coat-of-Arms was registered with the College of Heraldry and has proven to be the continuing and long established "Prater Family" whose ancestrial estates were located on Eaton Water, in the county of Wiltshire, England. The Eaton Water Estates include Latton Manor and Inglesham Manor which are located along the head waters of the Thames River, North of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. Jonathan used the "Prater" coat-of-arms on some of his documents.

Jonathan Prather was transported by water from Virginia up Chesapeake Bay and the Potomic River to Swan Creek, then to Calvert County, Maryland (now Prince George's County) with four men and one other woman; Alexander Forcarson, Robert MacKay and wife, William Woodrose, William Mill, and William Jones, in a small vessel owned by young George Reed of Calvert County, Maryland. We suspect that the "other woman" was Lyle Jane MacKay, sister of Robert.

Vol. I, p. 35 "Calendar of Wills - Maryland"
Jonathan Prather and wife Jane, on Swan Creek, built their home on their estate they called "Prather Hall Plantation".

They did not live there long and disposed of it to George Gouldsmith, who in his Will of April, 1666, bequeathed Prather Hall to his daughter, Mary Gouldsmith.

This "Prather Hall" was located near the present site of Ft. Washington, near what became Swan Creek Road and the Potomic River (about 10 miles south of the present Capitol building, Washington D.C.).

Many incorrect records exist that claim that Jonathan was born in England, but these were assumptions made by people who were involved in the "early" research of our family. Research continues. It was also reported that Jonathan Prather and Thomas Prater (the father of Jonathan) were not of the same family. ......but even these earlier researchers have stated that Jonathan was from Latton, Wiltshire, and Thomas was from Eaton Water, Wiltshire. Little did they know that these two places are in fact the same estate. Eaton Water, Latton Manor, Inglesham Manor all adjoin one another and were owned by John Prater in 1547, and later by his son George who died in 1564. Their property was so vast that it bordered three county lines in Northern Wiltshire.

"Eaton Water" was located in the area known today as Eaton Hastings / Lechlade / Inglesham, and also included Latton Manor which is located along the bank of the Thames River in North central Wiltshire (about 4 miles north of Swindon).

We now know that Jonathan was born near Newport News, VA, and was the son of Thomas (Prater) Prather of "Eaton Water, Wiltshire, England" who landed in Elizabeth Cities, Virginia in 1622. Thomas was between 18 and 20 years old when he came to what is now America. Thomas was born in Eaton Water, on the Criklade, Northern Wiltshire, 1602/1604. His son Jonathan was his heir in America. Jonathan Prather's estate was valued at 13,750 pounds at his death. Jonathan, and his wife Jane, lived in their home near the present site of Ft. Washington on the Potomac River, Swan Creek Road, about 10 miles due South of the U.S. Capitol Building. It was called "Prather Hall".

Jonathan married Lyle Jane McKay in 1663 in Prather Hall, Prince George's Co., Maryland, (United States). (Lyle Jane McKay was born in 1638 in Virginia, (United States) and died on 7 Dec 1713 in Prince George's Co., Maryland, (United States).)