Note that my father's aunt Orma in her monographs spelled the name Reitter
but stated that Sarah's father's name was Frederick.
After her husband Uriah Prather's death she left Rossville, Illinois and went
to (?returned to) Jeffersonville, Indiana. This is according to my father's
cousin, Elsa Edwards. However, she also had claimed the Rosses lived in
Jeffersonville (Clark County) when in fact they lived in Jefferson which is
8 miles west of Frankfort and is near the Illinois border. Other local family
sources say that her father, Frederick, died when Sarah was young and that at
age 7 she accompanied an aunt and uncle to Scioto County, Ohio and later to
Illinois. A Frederick Ritter was in Vermilion County, Illinois in the 1840
census and along with other Ritters bought land.
Sarah married Abraham Endsley May 19, 1861. The family in California state
she died in Scasley, Ohio, however, no such place exists according to
correspondence with Ohio authorities and I am sure they meant Scioto. There
is a Sarah Prather burried in Miller Cemetery, Ross Township, Vermilion
County listed as being born in 1822 (this is her birth year) and died 7
August, 1883 at the age of 60 years, 11 months and 22 days. These dates match
our Sarah.
Her first marriage abstract shows that permission for her marriage was given
by James Ritter, relationship not given, I assume he was a brother.
Elsa Edward's notes state that when both Frederick and Sarah died, the Ritter
children were cared for by several relatives in Illinois.
Vermilion County marriage records show a George Ritter, 1838, Henry, 1838,
John 1827, John 1836, Michael 1841. Relationships unknown at this time.
The 1860 and 1870 census shows Sarah born in Virginia although Elsa Edwards
FGS shows Pennsylvania. The 1880 census shows Sarah Endsley, age 60, born in
Virginia and both parents born in Virginia. She was living in Rossville,
Vermilion County, Illinois with her son, Edward Endsley, age 16, a farmer,
born in Illinois and his father born in Indiana and his mother born in
Virginia. Sarah was listed as being divorced. Also listed in the household is
Milton Prather, son, age 26 who was then crossed out as being a duplicate
recording.
The biography of Sarah's son, George Prather, in the "History of
Vermilion County" states that his father, Uriah Prather, was reared to
manhood in Vermillion County, Indiana and was there married to Sarah Ritter,
who was born in Lancaster County, PA, a daughter of John Ritter. He removed
from the Keystone State to Ohio where both he and his wife spent their
remaining days. During her childhood Mrs. Prather came to Illinois with a
cousin and was reared by an aunt and uncle here. For four or five years the
father of our subject (Uriah) engaged in farming near Danville and then
removed to a farm two and one-half miles east of Rossville.......He died
while in the prime of life, passing away in January 1855 at the age of 32
years and eleven months. Mrs. Prather survived him and reared her family of
six children, five sons and a daughter, all of whom are yet living with the
exception of one son.
We, therefore, have two different accounts of the parents of Sarah Ritter. One
from our family here in California via her daughter, Sarah Prather Ross,
stating that Sarah Ritter's father was Frederick Ritter; the other account is
from her son, George Prather, stating that her father was John Ritter of
Lancaster County, PA. All of Sarah's census records show her as being born in
Virginia and of her parents also being born in Virginia. I, therefore, have
accepted Frederick and Sarah as her parents and that she was born in Virginia.
Scioto County, Ohio, is on the border of Virginia.
A review of Sarah's census records show that in 1880 she gave her age as 60,
suggesting 1820 as a birth year. In 1860 she gave her age as 36, suggesting
1824 as a birth year. She appears to have been born between 1820 and 1824,
the burial record gives 1822. All census records show her as being born in
Virginia and both parents as being born in Virginia. Her birth could have
been in virginia even though the 1820 and 1830 census shows Frederick in
Scioto County, Ohio which is on the border of Virginia.
Music by
Barry Taylor, Victoria, B.C, Canada
