Notes for Thomas PRATER
The Following notes by Gary Benton Prather :
Thomas Prater was the 6th born child in his family. He was named after his first born brother who had died. Thomas's mother died at his birth and little is known about his childhood but we do know that he was taken, as a newborn, to relatives in the families North Wiltshire estates to be suckled and cared for. He may have been raised by these relatives until his father remarried or he may have stayed with these relatives until his adulthood.
We find Thomas living, as an adult, at Eaton Water House, Eaton Water, on the Cricklade, Wiltshire, England.
Thomas must have gained his position by the grace of other family members and his wife's dowry. He was not a wealthy person but he owned his own land at Eaton Water. His business was the woolen trade, farming, and ferrier. (Eaton Water was located on the banks of the Thames River where he owned a ferry.) Eaton Water was also a place that people, who used the river to transport their goods to the ports of London, could stop and feed their livestock and find food and lodging for themselves. Eaton Water was a part of the old family estates that also consisted of Latton Manor and Inglesham Manor, all of which sat along the banks of the Thames River in Northern Wiltshire on what is called the Cricklade. Stanton St. Bernard Manor is located in South central Wiltshire about 50 miles south of Eaton Water Manor.
Stanton St. Bernard Manor was owned by Thomas's father Anthony Prater. Anthony Prater, who was excommunicated, lost almost all of his property by the time of his death in the late 1500's .
Thomas lived at Eaton Water House when his son Thomas Prater (Prather) was born about 1604 and this Thomas came to America in 1622. Praters still live in nearby Manors today, but sadly , they know little about their heritage.
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