Family/Spouse: Jacqueline Jo Otto. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Aaron William Mockridge - Prather

Family/Spouse: Sharon Hull. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Stories and Notes: See Notes

Notes:

Stories and Notes:
Born in Manchester, Iowa, he got his education through the eighth grade there. His father, Avery, died when he was 5. Harold earned money as a teenager mowing the lawn at the Oakland cemetery in Manchester where his father, is buried.

Employment as a teenager included working for the Union Pacific Railroad in Green River, Wyoming in the "oil house" when he was 16. He quit there because of the poor working conditions and failure of the RR to provide housing, as promised.

Next, he moved to Omaha, Nebraska where his mother and step father, Perry Helm, lived. He got a job working for the "Table Supply and Meat Company" as a truck driver. Later, Harold signed up with the Nebraska State Guard. When the Nebraska Guar d became part of the National Guard, he joined the Navy where he completed his tenth grade equivalency.

Harold's tours of duty included; Idaho; Astoria, Oregon; Bremerton, Washington; Seattle, Washington; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Marianna Island, Guam; Great Lakes, Illinois; San Pedro, California; and several Navy ships (see "Naval Records for Harol d Martin Prather"). During his tours of duty, his son, Harold Martin Prather, Jr. was born to his first wife Anna Mae Catherine Rausch.

Subsequent to the end of his relationship to Anna Mae, Harold moved with his son, mother, and step father, Perry Helm, to Seattle, Washington, in 1955. There he met and married Polly Ann Reynolds. Issues from this marriage include a son (Jeffre y Scott Prather) and daughter (Raejean Prather).

Through his late thirties he was active in auto racing and was one of the principal founders and President of STAR (Sea-Tac Auto Racing Association); an association of early model ('49 to '53) stock cars.

He remained an avid sports fan, but especially partial to football.

Harold married Dolores D. Lautenschlager in 1965 where they lived in retirement in Des Moines, Washington.

Harold married Anna Mae Catherine Rausch. Anna (daughter of John N. Rausch and Catherine Mary Pottebaum) was born on 18 Aug 1927 in Luxemburg, Dubuque County, Iowa, United States; died on 21 Dec 1985 in Dubuque, Dubuque, Iowa, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Eclipse Lumber Company
• Stories and Notes: 3 Dec 1931; Manchester Press

Avery married Matilda Mea Graham on 11 Sep 1926. Matilda (daughter of John Wilbur Graham and Louise Adeline Brown) was born on 21 Jan 1908 in Manchester, Delaware County, Iowa, United States; died on 20 Jun 1994 in Seattle, King, Washington, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

John married Catherine Mary Pottebaum on 29 May 1906 in Luxemburg, Dubuque County, Iowa, United States. Catherine (daughter of Henry Potterbaum and Theresa Westendorf) was born on 19 May 1883; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Farmer
• Stories and Notes: See Notes

Notes:

Stories and Notes:
Benjamin Paul Prather, for many years a prominent farmer in Brown County, South Dakota, was born in Urbana, Illinois, May 29, 1880. He was the son of Homer Silsby and Jessie Emma (Marriott) Prather who were born in Ohio and Illinois, respectivel y.

"Paul" Prather married Cordie May Reese in Urbana, Illinois, in 1902, to which a son Avery Montell Prather was born in 1903. After their divorce in 1906, Paul removed to the plains of South Dakota where he met his second wife-to-be, Mae.

In his beginning years in South Dakota Paul worked on a local farm, the "Lincoln Ranch". Near there he met Mae Rose Harrington of Brown County, SD. They married in 1907, and lived and farmed on rented land near Plana, SD, Cambria Township. In 19 15 they bought 160 acres in Bath Township, raised their four children (Homer, Jessie, Raymond, Frank), and lived until Paul's death in 1947.

Over the years Paul and his family raised live stock, including hogs, a few cattle, milk cows, horses, and chickens. One of Paul's specialities was the development of "Improved Brown County Yellow Dent Seed Corn". To develop this champion seed c orn 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 plump kernels. The result was ears with bigger plump kernels. Paul sold this improved seed cor n by the ear to farmers who came from miles around.

During the dry weather periods of the 30's, their sandy South Dakota plains soil blew easily, requiring extraordinary measures to ensure a crop: these included the spreading of manure and straw using horse power to keep the soil in place. Horse s were used extensively in farming in those days. In 1938 a new house was built on the farm. Daughter Jessie applied her talents in the drawing of the house plans. Paul liked trees and so planted many around the homestead.

At a later date, Paul and Mae purchased a second quarter section of farm land. Years later it was subdivided into two 80 acre parcels and deeded to sons Frank and Raymond. Frank farmed as a close neighbor to his parents until 1946 when he sold h is land and moved to California. Raymond farmed about 6 miles from Paul and Mae's farm until his death in 1962.

After Paul's death from a heart attack at age 67, Mae moved to Aberdeen, SD, and son Homer worked and lived on the farm briefly.

Benjamin married Cordie May Reese on 6 Sep 1902 in Urbana, Champaign County, Illinois, United States. Cordie was born on 30 Jul 1884 in St. Joseph, Champaign County, Illinois, United States; died on 26 Jul 1962 in Masonville, Delaware, Iowa, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Old Address: Masonville, Delaware, Iowa, United States
• Occupation: Housewife
• Stories and Notes: 26 Jul 1962; Manchester Press

Notes:

Old Address:
Harold Martin Prather, Sr. (her grandson) visited her in Masonville occasionally in the late 40's.

Occupation:
She was noted for her ability to prepare large meals for hungry hands. She always had a warm house and warm heart for those in need.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Description: 1917, Manchester, Delaware County, Iowa, United States; Medium in Height and Build with Blue Eyes and Dark Brown Hair with a crippled left arm and left leg 3.5 Inches shorter than right leg
• Occupation: 1917, Manchester, Delaware County, Iowa, United States; Farmer

John married Louise Adeline Brown on 28 Oct 1903 in Manchester, Delaware County, Iowa, United States. Louise (daughter of Detrick Brown and Jane Helm) was born on 11 Jul 1882 in Saint Olaf, Clayton, Iowa, United States; died on 12 Jul 1977 in Independence, Buchanan, Iowa, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Henry married Theresa Westendorf. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]