Priscilla Elizabeth (Van) Swearingen

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/152615872/priscilla-prather

“The first of the sons of Colonel Thomas Sprigg and Elizabeth (Clagett) Prather to marry was Bazel Prather, as when he was under 18, he fell deeply in love with a neighbor girl, Priscilla Swearingen, the daughter of Van Swearingen, Sr., of Frederick County, Maryland, and they were married February 18, 1749, and he brought her to Richard’s Choice to live, and before Bazel was 19, he was a father, their son Henry Prather being born November 18, 1749 at Richard’s Choice, Conococheague Manor, Frederick County, Maryland.

“Capt. Bazel and Priscilla (Swearingen) also had a son Richard Prather, born at Richard’s Choice, about 1754 who later went to Nelson County, Kentucky, and married Mary Churchill and had issue.

“Bazel and Priscilla (Swearingen) Prather and their two sons, Henry and Richard continued to live at Richard’s Choice after Colonel Thomas Sprigg and Elizabeth (Clagett) Prather moved to Conococheague Manor, and in 1755, Richard Prather [Bazel%E2%80%99s brother, not his son] married on June 25, Lucy Jacques, daughter of Denton Jacques, Sr., and he brought her to Richard’s Choice to live, and here their first child, a son, was born March 23, 1756 and named Bazel Prather.

“This was during a tragic period for the settlers, as the French were having the Indians make incursions into this territory to discourage the English settlers, and drive them back eastward. Colonel Thomas Sprigg Prather and the other male settlers erected log fortifications or stockades for the safety of the settlers to escape into and to fight from, but many homes were still unprotected and were fair game for the savages. According to tradition handed down by Richard and Lucy (Jacques) Prather, when Bazel their son was about 6 months old, which would have been about September of 1756, Lucy was warned by another settler that the Indians were about to attack. She took Bazel and got on her horse, leading their cow, and fled into the stockade, after telling Priscilla (Swearingen) Prather to hurry after her to the stockade. Priscilla gave her baby, Richard (then about 2 years old), to her son Henry (then about 7 years old) to carry as he ran for the stockade, and she would follow at once. Henry carrying his infant brother ran and managed to get to the fortification, but Priscilla never reached there as the Indians killed her before she could reach the stockade.

“Afterwards when the Indians had departed, Lucy returned home to find the house burned to the ground, the stock all slaughtered or stolen, and all of the crops either burned or stomped into the ground. Priscilla was buried in the Prather graveyard at Richard’s Choice. Bazel left his two sons with their grandparents, Colonel Thomas and Elizabeth (Clagett) Prather, and he remained with Richard (his brother) and helped him rebuild his home and get the crops started, and then he also went to live with his father and mother.”