William Basil Prather (1731 - 1803)

Born 3 May 1731 in Queen Anne Knolls, Prince George's, Maryland

Ancestors

Husband of Priscilla (Swearingen) Prather — married 18 Feb 1749 (to Sep 1756) in Frederick County, Province of Maryland

Husband of Frances (Meriwether) Prather — married 26 Feb 1789 in Jefferson County, Kentucky

Descendants

Died 21 Jan 1803 at age 71 in Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky, United States

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Biography

Captain Basil Prather served with Frederick County Militia, Maryland Militia during the American Revolution.

Basil Prather is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A092405.

"He was an exceedingly handsome man of 6 ft. 3 in. tall, finely proportioned, almost the ideal soldier."

William Basil was born in Prince George's County in Maryland in 1731. His parents were Thomas Sprigg Prather and Elizabeth Clagett.

French and Indian War 1754 to 1763

This was a conflict that pitted two of history’s greatest empires, Great Britain and France, against each other for control of the North American continent. Swept up in the struggle were the inhabitants of New France, the British colonists, the Native Americans, and regular troops from France and Britain. While the major fighting occurred in New York, Pennsylvania, Canada, and Nova Scotia, the conflict had far greater implications overseas and ignited the Seven Years’ War worldwide. Contention increased in the Ohio Valley. British colonists from Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania saw themselves competing with French colonists coming down from Canada. Caught in the middle, American Indian tribes began to take sides with those who they often viewed as less threatening to their way of life. As tensions between the British and French escalated in the 1750s, both sides began to build forts in the Ohio Valley and prepare for war. Then on May 28, 1754, a young British American colonist, George Washington, fired the first shot of the French and Indian War at the Battle of Jumonville Glen. This battle ignited an all-out war in the frontier that eventually spread back to Europe and around the world. "Basil's father was a Capt. in the Maryland Militia and a surveyor. During the French and Indian War; his father was one of the most conspicuous commanders of the Maryland forces, becoming a Colonel in 1756, and Commander in Chief of the Frederick Militia in 1763. After the formation of the new [American] Republic, he served on the Committee of Observation. Basil, along with his brothers, served in the colonial forces during this war.

Life after the French and Indian War

Following the French and Indian War, Basil Prather was one of the very early explorers into what was to become Kentucky. In 1775, in the company of his nephew Thomas Prather and others, they explored the area near present Springfield and Harrodsburg, Ky. where they staked out a claim of 3,000 acres.

Basil continued his explorations and land speculations until the outbreak of the Revolution when he returned to Maryland in early 1776 and was commissioned as Capt. in the Militia. "By the order of the Frederick County Committee of Observation, Feb. 5, 1776, BASIL PRATHER recommended as Captain."

In the summer BASIL PRATHER and a friend and fellow explorer, Van Swearingen, were commissioned in the Continental Army when the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment was formed by Congress, 15 July 1776. Van Swearingen was made Capt. and BASIL PRATHER was made First Lieutenant. Their assignment was to protect the frontier from British/Indian armies.

On 23 Nov. 1776 the 8th PA. was ordered "-to march, with all possible expedition, by the nearest route, to Brunswick New Jersey, or to join Gen. Washington wherever he maybe." This was a grueling and ill-fated march in the deep of winter and the regiment was greatly reduced, for, at the end of it, the muster rolls reveals that out of the original number of 684 men, "36 were prisoners of war; 14 missing; 51 dead; 126 deserted." There were also many wounded and all were suffering the effects of combat and the terrible winter march. "Quibbletown, 28 Feb. 1777 -"I desired the doctor by all means to visit them. They were raised about the Ohio, and had traveled near 500 miles -- for 150 miles over the mountains, never entering a house, but building fires and camping in the snow." "Considerable numbers have died. A Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel among the dead----." The muster rolls list 10 Companies and Capt. Lt. BASIL PRATHER was in command of one of them.

In the late summer of the 1777 Washington was preparing to defend against the impending approach of Burgoyne's^[1] army when he formed the famed "Rangers" under the command of his close friend Col. Daniel Morgan^[2]. This small unit was originally conceived to be a force of picked riflemen to be used to combat the Indian units under Burgoyne's command. Three companies were formed from all the 8th Pennsylvania and detached from the reg. to Col. Morgan's command. These three companies were commanded by BASIL PRATHER, Van Swearingen, and John Hardin. It was this force that so decimated the British ranks in the desperate fights at Freeman's Farm, in the latter days of Sept. and early Oct., that the Continental Army had its first victory when Gen. Burgoyne surrendered on Oct. 17th.^[3]" These same companies were also with Morgan, and greatly distinguished themselves in the series of actions that resulted in the surrender of Gen. Burgoyne at Saratoga." BASIL PRATHER was also with these same companies when the 8th Penn. was engaged in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown and spent the winter of 1777/78 encamped with Gen. George Washington at Valley Forge. On 5 March 1778 the 8th was ordered to Pittsburgh and to once again engage in the protection of the Western frontiers. During their march to Pittsburgh, they were engaged in actions against hostile Indians and continued engagements with hostiles around Pittsburgh.

BASIL PRATHER resigned from the 8th Pennsylvania and joined the forces of Virginia which were engaged along the Ohio against the British and Indians. He was placed under the command of Gen. George R. Clark. BASIL PRATHER was made a Capt. of Virginia and in 1781 he was Adjutant Gen. at Fort Nelson, the present site of Louisville, Ky. Basil received many grants of land in Ky. and Ind., some of which were as far south as Hickman on the Mississippi. At the time his southern lands were in Chickasaw country and his descendants could not take possession of these lands until after 1830. The lands in Indiana were recorded: "To Basil Prather for consideration of his Military Service from the Commissioners of the Illinois Grant."

After the Revolution, Capt. Basil was engaged in the acquisition of land and traveled between his father's home in Maryland and his new home at the falls of the Ohio (near Louisville). He also maintained a residence in Pennsylvania on the Monongahela. In

1789 Captain Prather met Frances Meriwether of Virginia at a ball given in the fort at Jeffersonville, across the river from Louisville on the Indiana side. She was much younger than he but they were married 26 Feb. 1789 in Louisville.

He then purchased the 300-acre tract on Beargrass Creek where he built a large Mansion which was a Louisville landmark for over 150 yrs. Basil Prather was known for his hospitality and courteous demeanor. On May of 1790, he was elected one of the Trustees of the Town of Louisville. He died in 1803. He was a man of commanding character and ability. Records state: "He was an exceedingly handsome man of 6 ft. 3 in. tall, finely proportioned, almost the ideal soldier." Basil served as a patriot throughout the war, declining any pay for his services.

His estate was administered by Basil's half brother, Capt. Thomas Prather. Thomas became one of the most prominent business and social leaders of Ky. He founded the old Bank of Ky. and was the first president of it. It is said that he was Kentucky's first millionaire and his home stood on old "Prather Square" in downtown Louisville.

Basil's son was also named Thomas and he served as a soldier in the war of 1812 and fought under General Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans. He lived out his life at Louisville in his father's home.

The home had 3 floors with 18 rooms on the first two floors and the third floor was a Ballroom. No room had less than 22 sq. feet. The ceilings were 14 feet high. It also had very spacious cellars. It burned in 1944. Basil's home was called "Fox Hill" and it required 14 servants when Basil lived there. The old home has been rebuilt and is a historical landmark. It is now part of Creation Park and known as the Ben Collings Mansion. (Ben Collings owned and rebuilt the "Fox Hill Mansion" after it burned-1944) (RESEARCHED BY THE HISTORICAL SOC. OF LOUISVILLE, KY.) (taken from their files by: Gary Benton Prather)"^[4]

"The Basil Prather estate was partitioned after his death, with numerous owners over the years until they were acquired for the temporary Camp Taylor operation during World War I. Ben Collings permanently reassembled them after the war.

The farm had been used to grow tobacco at some points, but by Collings' ownership, it was a horse farm. It was also used as an orchard, and a few fruit trees still remain. The Prather graveyard still remains on the property."^[5]

Spelling is probably Bazzel

Also found on Find A Grave website:

Capt Basil Prather Photo added by The Meriwether Society,...

Picture of Plantation Home Added by foxhull

Capt Basil Prather BIRTH 3 May 1731 Queen Anne Knolls, Prince George's County, Maryland, USA DEATH 21 Jan 1803 (aged 71) Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA BURIAL: Prather Cemetery Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA MEMORIAL ID 9744753 · View Source

Military

Capt. Basil Prather

Capt. Thomas Prather, served in the Maryland Militia during the French and Indian War. He was one of the most conspicuous commanders of the Maryland forces, becoming a Colonel in 1756, and commander in Chief of the Frederick Militia in 1763. After the formation of the new Republic he served on the Committee of Observation. His son, Basil Prather, also served in this war.

After the war, Basil Prather came to Kentucky and was one of its earliest explorers.

In 1775, in the company of his nephew Thomas Prather and others, they explored the area near present Springfield and Harrodsburg, Kentucky., where they staked out a claim of 3,000 acres.

War of the Revolution

War came to the colonies in April of 1775 with the conflict between Patriots in Massachusetts and British Regulars at Lexington and later at Concord.

Basil continued his explorations and land speculations until the outbreak of the Revolution, when he returned to Maryland in early 1776 and was commissioned as Capt. in the Militia ("By order of the Frederick County Committee of Observation, Feb., 5 1776, Basil Prather recommended as Captain" )

Independence was declared by the Continental Congress the 4th of July 1776.

In the summer Basil Prather and a friend and fellow explorer, Van Swearingen, were commissioned in the Continental Army when the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment was formed by Congress, 15 July, 1776. Van Swearingen was made Captain and Basil Prather was made First Lieutenant. Their assignment was to protect the frontier from British/Indian armies.

On 23 Nov., 1776 the 8th Pennsylvania. was ordered:"To march, with all possible expedition, by the nearest route, to Brunswick, New Jersey, or to join Gen. George Washington where ever he may be." This was a grueling and ill-fated march in the deep of winter and the Regiment was greatly reduced, for at the end of it, the muster rolls reveals that out of the original number of 684 men, "36 were prisioners of war; 14 missing; 51 dead; 126 deserted." There were also many wounded and all were suffering the effects of combat and the terrible winter march.

"Quibbletown, 28 Feb., 1777 (Gen. George Washington) "I desired the doctor by all means to visit them. They were raised about the Ohio, and had traveled near 500 miles for 150 miles over the mountains, never entering a house, but building fires and in camping in the snow."

"Considerable numbers have died. A Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel among the dead." The muster rolls list 10 companies and Capt. LT. Basil Prather was in command of one of them.

In the late summer of 1777 Gen. George Washington was preparing to defend against the impending approach of Burgoyne's army when he formed the famed "Rangers" under the command of his close friend Col. Daniel Morgan. This small unit was originally conceived to be a force of picked riflemen to be used to combat the Indian units fighting under Burgoyne's command. Three companies were formed from all of the 8th PA. and detached from the Regiment to Col Morgan's command. These three companies were commanded by Basil Prather, Van Swearingen, and John Hardin It was this force that so decimated the British ranks in the desperate fights at Freemans Farm, in the latter days of Sept. and early Oct., so that the Continental Army had its first victory when Gen. Burgoyne surrendered on Oct., 17th. These same companies were also with Morgan, and greatly distinguished themselves in the series of actions that resulted in the surrender of Gen. Burgoyne at Saratoga."

Basil Prather was also with these same companies when the 8th Pennsylvania. was engaged in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown and spent the winter of 1777/1778 encamped with Gen. George Washington at Valley Forge. On 5 Mar, 1778, the 8th Pennsylvania. was ordered to Pittsburgh and to once again engage in the protection of the Western frontiers. During their march to Pittsburgh they were engaged in actions against hostile Indians and continued engagements with hostiles around Pittsburgh.

BASIL PRATHER resigned from the 8th PA. and joined the forces of Virginia which were engaged along the Ohio against the British and Indians. He was placed under the command of Gen. George R. Clark.

BASIL PRATHER was made a Capt. of the Virginia. and by 1781 was Adjutant Gen. at Ft. Nelson, the present site of Louisville, Kentucky.

Basil Prather served as a patriot throughout the Revolutionary War, declining any pay for his services.

Life after the Revolutionary War

After the Revolution, Basil Prather was engaged in the acquisition of land and traveled between his father's home in Maryland and his new home at the falls of the Ohio (near Louisville, Kentucky.). He also maintained a residence in Pennsylvania. on the Monongahela. Basil Prather received many grants of land in Kentucky. and Indiana Territory. for his services, some of which were as far south as Hickman on the Mississippi. The lands in Indiana were recorded: "To Basil Prather, for consideration of his Military Service for the Commissioners of the Illinois Grant."

Basil Prather and the Fountain family founded Louisville, Kentucky. Basil built his plantation home near Louisville and called it "Fox Hill". Basil is buried near the old home he built and which is now known as the Ben Collins Mansion. Basil is buried in the garden of his plantation home (now called Joe Creason Park and part of the Louisville Zoo complex in Louisville, Kentucky).

Family

Bazel was married to Priscilla Swearingen, daughter of Van Swearingen. She died during an Indian attack on the settlement in 1756.

They had two sons.

1. Richard b. 1754

Basil was married again in 1789 to Frances Meriwether.

They had the following known children:

Research Notes

At a ball given in the fort built on the site of Jeffersonville, Captain Basil Prather, a widower, met Fanny Meriwether, of the pioneer family, and shortly afterward they were married. His bride was years younger than himself. They settled on a farm in the Bluegrass district, living in opulence. Their daughter, Martha Meriwether Prather, married Dr. Warwick Miller, a son of Judge Isaac Miller, of Pennsylvania, who was an early settler. Capt. Prather died in 1803.^[6]

2 Marriages: Priscilla Unknown (d: 1756) and Frances 'Fannie' Meriwether, married: 26 Feb 1789 in Louisville KY

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.wikiwand.com/en/John_Burgoyne
2. ↑ https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Daniel_Morgan
3. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saratoga_campaign?oldformat=true#/media/File:Surrender_of_General_Burgoyne.jpg
4. ↑ [1]
5. ↑ https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Joe_Creason_Park
6. ↑ Louisville's first families: a series of genealogical sketches Author Jennings, Kathleen

• Volume 27 of the Register of the Kentucky Historical Society in January 1929
• Tombstone Inscriptions
• Fox Hill: the old Bazil Prather homestead
• http://history.ky.gov/pdf/Publications/Ancestors_v39n3_pt3.pdf p.163

• Historical sketches of Kentucky: embracing its history, antiquities, and natural curiosities, geographical, statistical, and geological descriptions; with anecdotes of pioneer life, and more than one hundred biographical sketches of distinguished pioneers, soldiers, statesmen, jurists, lawyers, divines, etc.

by Collins, Lewis, 1797-1870 Published 1848, copyright: 1847 See: https://archive.org/details/historicalsketch00colluoft.

• Source: S-2142475756 Repository: #R-2147357987 Ancestry Family Trees: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network. Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=1545140&pid=368 - Repository: R-2147357987 http://www.Ancestry.com

• Source: S-2142494922 Repository: #R-2147357987 U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 By Yates Publishing Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004.Original data - This unique collection of records was extracted from a variety of sources including family group sheets and electronic databases. APID: 1,7836::0

Acknowledgments

• WikiTree profile Prather-429 created through the import of Mulkerin Family History Site.ged on Dec 15, 2011, by Samantha Mulkerin. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Samantha and others.

• Thanks to Brent Biggs for starting this profile. Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Brent and others.
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9744753/basil-prather