Benjamin Paul Prather

1880 - 1947  (67 years)

• Name	Benjamin Paul Prather
  Born	29 May 1880	Urbana, Champaign Co., Ill.
  Gender	Male
  Died	21 Nov 1947	Aberdeen, Brown Co., S.D.
  Record Change	12 Apr 2009
  Occupation	Farmer
  Person ID	I29453	120k
  Last Modified	31 Jan 2016

  
  

  Father	Homer Silsby Prather,   b. 10 Jun 1853, Clermont Co., Ohio ,   d. 23 Sep 1905, Urbana, Champaign Co., Ill.  (Age 52 years)
  Mother	Jesse E. Marriott,   b. 18 Feb 1857, Champaign Co., Ill. ,   d. 13 May 1883, Champaign Co., Ill.  (Age 26 years)
  Married	06 Dec 1877	Champaign Co., Ill.
  Family ID	F14881	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Corda May Reese,   b. Champaign Co., Ill.
  Married	06 Sep 1902	Champaign Co., Ill.
  Children	1. Avery Montell Prather,   b. 31 May 1903, St.Joseph, Champaign Co., Ill. ,   d. Nov 1931, Dubuque, Iowa  (Age 28 years)
  Last Modified	28 Jul 2015
  Family ID	F14884	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Mae Rose Harrington,   b. 04 May 1888, Groton, Brown Co., S.D. ,   d. 11 Sep 1950, Aberdeen, Brown Co., S.D>  (Age 62 years)
  Married	01 Jan 1907	Aberdeen, Brown Co., S.D.
  Children	1. Homer Justin Prather,   b. 24 Feb 1908, Aberdeen, Brown Co., S.D. ,   d. 15 Jun 1981, Aberdeen, Brown Co., S.D.  (Age 73 years)  [Natural]   2. Living Prather  [Natural]   3. Raymond Howard Prather,   b. 10 Mar 1912, S.D. ,   d. 31 Jul 1962  (Age 50 years)  [Natural]   4. Frank Edward Prather,   b. 18 Feb 1914, Aberdeen, Brown Co., S.D. ,   d. Napa, Calif.  [Natural]
  Last Modified	28 Jul 2015
  Family ID	F14885	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

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• Notes

  Paul married Cordie in 1902, to which a son Avery was born in 1903. After their divorce in 1906, Paul removed to the plains of South Dakota where he met his 2nd wife, Mae. In his begining years in South Dakota Paul worked on a local farm, the "Lincoln Ranch". Near there he met Mae, of Brown Co., S.D. They married in 1907, and lived and farmed on rented land near Plana, S.D., (Cambria Township) In 1915 they bought 160 acres in Bath Township, raised their four children and lived there until Pauls death in 1947. Over the years paul and his family raised live stock. But on of Pauls specialities was the development of "Improved Brown County Yellow Dent Seed Corn". To develop this chamion seed corn he took a good ear of corn, cut off and discarded the tip and butt (small kernels), shelled the ear, "graded" the kernels, and planted the bigger plum kernels. The result was ears with bigger plum kernels. Paul sold this improved seed corn by the ear to farmer who came from miles around. During the dry weather periods of the 30's, their sandy S.D. plains soil blew easily, requiring extraordinary measures to ensure a crop. His name was listed as Benjamin Paul Prather on his birth Cert. but most other documents including his divorce documents list him as Paul Benjamin Prather.