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STUDY OF THE WILL OF GEORGE GOULDSMITH. WRITTEN 1-_DAY OF APRIL 1666 and
PROVED JULY 20th 1666 (CONTINUED).
_____Ephraim Stout Lillard was a triple Prather descendant. He was born
3 Nov. 1894 in Danville, Ky., the son of Ephraim Wallace Lillard and Laura
James Stout. Ephraim d. 15. Oct. 1965 in Washington, D.C. He started working
on Prather genealogy when he was 15 years old and continued until just
before his death. Ephraim was on the staff of the Library of Congress and
his address was 213 A Street, N.E., Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. When
Ephraim realized he would not complete his book he agreed for Kathryn Bonner
to have his records with the understating she would complete and publish
the book. I have written to and talked with Kathryn several times. When
I talked with her last, I got the impression that she will not publish
a Prater/Prather book. Ephraim's records are not available to us for research.
_____First lets take up George Gouldsmith's will, a copy of the abstract
is found as Ref. 1 hereinafter. In the abstract is found .... dau. Mary,
'Prater's Hall' on Swan Creek and 500A. 'Surveyor's Point' on Gunpowder
River'. .... Now lets compare the information in the abstract with
the information found in a copy of the original of George Gouldsmith's
will , from which the abstract was made, PREROGATIVE COURT (Wills) Liber
1, pp. 254-257, George Gouldsmith, 20 July 1666, Maryland Hall of Records,
Annapolis, Md. A part of page 256 is found hereinafter as Ref. 2. You will
find in Ref. 2 the following .... Next I give and bequeath unto my Daughter
Mary two hundred acres of land lying on swan Creek called by the name Procters
Hall .... If you look closely you will see the name is Procters
not Praters.
_____I have in my records a copy of a land patent by George Gouldsmith
and Nathaniel Proctor, LAND OFFICE (Patents) Liber 4, pp. 448-449,
George Gouldsmith and Nathl. Proctor's patent of Proctor's Hall, 15 February
1669. This is the " Procters Hall" mentioned in George
Gouldsmith's will. A part of page 446 is found hereinafter as Ref. 3.
CONCLUSIONS:
- That Eva Hampton Prather, using the incorrect information in Ref. 1,
made the statement....... a lady called Jane probably a daughter of
George Gouldsmith.... and this has been repeated many times.
- That both Eva Hampton Prather and Ephraim Stout Lillard, using the
incorrect information in Ref. 1 referred to "Procter's Hall"
in Ref. 2 as" Prather's Hall" and this has been repeated
many times.
- We doubt there ever was a place called "Prather's Hall" built
by Jonathan and Jane Prather.
- That Jonathan Prather was married when he and Jane went to Maryland
ca. 1658 as he was listed for 100 acres when he assigned his rights to
land to George Reade, on 6 Oct. l658, for transportation (Liber Q, p. 202).
- Jonathan and Jane probably had possession of land in Maryland that
he did not patent as their son Jonathan Prather (Jr.) parented 100 acres
in May 1684 .... being land whereon Jane Prather mother of the said
Jonathan Prather (Jr.) formerly lived upon .... LAND OFFICE (Patents)
Liber 22, p. 32, Jonathan Prather, Certificate, 1684, Hall of Records,
Annapolis, Md. This patent was issued to Jonathan Prather (Jr.) 26 years
and eight months after Jonathan Prather (Sr.) assigned his rights to land
for transportation on 6 Oct. 1658. Jonathan and Jane Prather's last child
Elizabeth Prather was b. ca. 1678 and this was 6 years before her brother
Jonathan (Jr.) received his land patent. Jonathan (Sr.) died before 21
Aug. 1680 in Calvert County, Md., this was about 4 years before Jonathan
Prather (Jr.) received his land patent. PREROGATIVE COURT (Testamentary
Proceedings) Liber 12, p. 108, Jane Prather widow of Jonathan ,
7 Aug. 1680. Jane Prather Smith, Jonathan (Jr.'s) mother died before 7
Dec. 1713 in Prince George's County, Md. and this was about 29 years after
Jonathan (Jr.) received his land patent. PREROGATIVE COURT (Wills) Liber
13 (MdHR), 2-32-11, pp.
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