Milton Prater - United States Colored Troops, Company A, 27th Regiment

Sources vary on whether Milton J. Prater (Prator) was born in Virginia or Ohio.  The earliest record of his life found was the 1850 census where he lived in Urbana, Champaign County, Ohio.  He was a black male, 14 years old, living with Martha Mass, 50, a mulatto.  Since no relationships were given in that census, one cannot be sure if Martha was Milton's mother or not.

Ohio Penitentiary, Columbus, O.

 He did run into some trouble with the law when he was about 19 or 20.  According to the official records of the State General Assembly, Volume 54, Milton Prator (alias Roberts) was sentenced for forgery at the March term, 1855, by the Court of Common Pleas of Champaign County.  He pleaded guilty to the first of ten counts and a no contest on the other nine counts.  
The judge gave him three years in the Ohio Penitentiary, the shortest term allowed, but suggested to the prosecutors that he be paroled after one year due to his youth, previous good character, and the "trifling nature of the forgery."  That suggestion was overlooked for awhile, but parole was finally granted to him on July 4, 1857.

He could not be located in the 1860 census, but he was named on the Civil War Draft Registrations in June, 1863 for Champaign County.

His name is #19 near the bottom.

He reported that he was 27, colored, a laborer, single and born in Ohio.  Just a few months later, on December 24, 1863, he joined Company A of the 27th Regiment of the United States Colored Troops.  This group was immediately sent, after a brief training, to Camp Casey in Washington, D.C. for garrison duty.  Eventually, they were sent into battle and experienced skirmishes at City Point and Petersburg, Virginia, where the regiment "distinguished itself for unsurpassed gallantry and good conduct upon the battlefield." (Official Report)  They also were in North Carolina part of the time and that is where Milton was mustered out on September 21, 1865.

USC (United States Colored) Infantry

The records (Ohio Marriages) show that Milton Prator married Louisa Jane Woodley on September 17, 1865, in Logan, Ohio.  And she did appear in the 1870 census in Champaign, County, but without Milton!  The enumerator wrote: "Prater, Louisa, 32, black, with children, Bruner, 2 and Robert 4/12.  Where was Milton?  He could not be found in the 1870 census either.

In 1880, he and Louisa were enumerated together in Defiance County.  Milton Prator, 45, black, and Louisa, 42, mulatto, had children Bruner F., 13; Robert P., 10; Milton E. 8; Cora M. 6; Walter, 3; and William F, 1. Milton worked as a laborer.

However, we know that Milton and Louisa were in Defiance by 1875 because the Defiance Democrat reported on April 29th of that year that a sale of their home was ordered to repay a judgement against them by Martin Knoll.  In the years from 1880 - 1883, the Prater name was in the newspapers quite a bit for delinquent taxes, judgements against them for money owed, and a grand jury indictment against Milton for larceny and threatening in a menacing manner.  Two sheriff's sales were held to disperse of their property in payment for debts owed.  It was a sad time for them, but the marriage stayed together, and they continued to live in Defiance.

Good deeds should not go unnoticed.  The Defiance County Republican Express reported on March 10, 1888:
"The eighteen months old son of Mr. and Mrs. M. F. Heller accidentally walked into the cistern at their home on Jefferson street Thursday, through a trap door that had been left open.  The women folks gave the alarm and James Blair and Milt. Prator, colored, who were sawing wood near by, ran to the relief of the child.  A ladder was placed into the cistern and Mr. Prator descended and took the child from the water and handed him up to Mr. Blair.  He was nearly drowned when rescued.  A physician was called and after working with him a few minutes, he was resuscitated."

Milton Prater reported his war service of two years on the 1890 Veterans Census.  He was in the 5th Ward, Defiance at the time.

Line 4.  The small note indicated that he was promoted to Corporal, but the official Civil War records said it was rescinded.

 In 1900, the Prater family lived at 602 Nicholas Street.  Milton was not employed, but Louisa worked as a washerwoman.  Their children Cora, 24, worked as a teacher, and Walter still lived at home.  William Mumford, a hay baler, lived with them.  In 1902, the family suffered through a house fire; it was surely a devastating event.

On July 30, 1903, the Defiance Weekly Express reported on page 1 an event involving Cora, Milton's daughter.  

 The next summer, on August 15, 1904, Milton Prater died at the age of 69.  He was buried in Old Riverside, Block 14, Section B, Lot 68.  A G.A.R. Post 22 marker once marked the graveside, according to the tombstone index prepared in 1976 by the Defiance County Genealogical Society.

His obituary was brief and appeared in the Defiance Democrat:

"Milton Prator, colored, a well known resident of North Defiance, died last night after an illness of two weeks.  He was aged 69 years, 10 months and 1 day, and was born in Champaign County, this state.  He had resided her for 31 years.  The deceased leaves a wife and several children."

"The funeral of Milton Prator occurred at 1:30 this afternoon.  Rev. Smucker conducting the service.  Interment made in Riverside Cemetery."

No mention was made of the Bishop Post participating. Buried with him were his wife, Louisa, and son, Walter.

Walter, sadly, was shot and killed the next summer.  The Defiance Express reported on August 7, 1905 that Walter, 35, was shot dead by Theodore Broady of Bellefontaine.  It was alleged that Walter was a cocaine "fiend" and he had become infatuated with a woman, Mrs. Elizabeth Randolph, who did not return his affections.  Walter burst into her home, chased her up the stairs and then dragged her down by her hair.  He was about to strike her with a hatchet when Broady shot him.