George Robertson Bell Prather Sr. (10/1866-11/23/1927) was born in Harrodsburg, Mercer County, Kentucky. He was the son of James Newton Prather (1808-1849), an educator. Mercer County is in the center of the state. The family has an extensive and interesting history since arriving in America in the early 1600’s and were considered to be a prominent Kentucky family.
George married Alice Graham (10/1867-7/15/1905) who was born in Covington, Kenton County, Kentucky. Kenton County is in the northern part of the state bordering Ohio. They were married on 5/30/1890 in Montgomery County, Ohio. He was 23 and she was 22.
The couple lived in Kentucky until 1897 when they moved to Philadelphia PA where he entered into the wholesale food business, with a partner, known as J. R. Moler and Prather and Company. They had five children. Alice died at age 37 In Philadelphia and is buried in Odd Fellows Cemetery.
George relocated to Southern California after his wife’s death. He married Amelia A Stafford Foster (3/3/1872-3/30/1960) on 12/21/1905. He was 39 and she was 33. Amelia was born in San Francisco, the daughter of William H Stafford, a baker and a civil war veteran.
Amelia previously had married Fred F. Foster in 1892 where they made their home in San Francisco He was a bookkeeper. They had one son, George Millard. In 1904, the Foster’s relocated to Tustin for his health a few months before his death.
George bought property on Laguna Road (Highway 101) on land that was later a veterinary hospital on the south side of the highway near the future site of Tustin High School. He worked as a clothing salesman in a clothing store in Santa Ana
George and Amelia led an active social life. He held several offices in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F). Amelia became Grand Warden of the Rebekah’s, an auxiliary to the I.O.O.F. George was an active member of the Republican Party.
Tragically, George was killed by a hit and run driver while crossing the street in front of his house. He had been returning from a visit to George Jr’s home. He was 61. He was buried in Fairhaven Cemetery. The services were affiliated by the I O.O.F.
Amelia married Albert Frances Ostertag (7/20/1893-7/7/1949) on 6/22/1931. He was 67 and she was 59. Ostertag came to Los Angeles prior to 1930 and was manager for Consolidated Foods in Los Angeles. a wholesale food distributor. They met at a Rebecca function held at the Elks Club in Los Angeles, of which he was a member. The couple made their home in Long Beach. He died at age 86 after a long illness. Amelia outlived him by 10 years and died at age 87. Both are buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery.
George and Alice Prather’s Children
James G Prather (3/10/1892-10/4/1892) was born in Kentucky and died as an infant.
George Robertson Bell Prather Jr. (4/11/1894-9/13/1974) was born in Harrodsburg, Mercer County Kentucky. He was eleven years old when he came to Tustin with his father. He attended Tustin Elementary school and Orange High School. He married Ruby Alberta Swartz (6/29/1896-12/12/1975) on 3/31/1914. He was 19 and she was 17. She was the daughter of Charles Walter Swartz and Hattie Barbara Escher Swartz. Ruby lived with her grandparents P. W. and Anna Swartz. She graduated from 8th grade at Tustin Elementary school. Her parents had been divorced during Ruby’s childhood and her mother ran a boarding house in Santa Ana.
George Jr. first worked for H. Romer and Company, a general store at D St and Main which later was rebuilt and became the John Roach Building. In 1916 he began working at the Irvine General Store where he worked for 20 years before becoming a home delivery salesman for Arden farms (dairy products). For the next 20 years, his service route included east Santa Ana, Tustin and portions of the Irvine Ranch.
They rented a home on Bonita then purchased a home at 1061 Laguna Road (Highway 101) where they lived for 50 years. The house was on the north side of Laguna Road across from his father. The house was on a large lot that was filled with numerous fruit trees, as well as walnuts, tomatoes and chayotes. They raised chickens and sold eggs, as well as extra produce to the local market.
George’s hobby was gardening, and he especially enjoyed raising his prize-winning Dahlias. Ruby enjoyed playing cards and socializing with her many friends in Tustin and Irvine.
George died 13 months before Ruby, and they are buried in Fairhaven Cemetery.
They had one son, Charles Alwyn Prather (11/26/1914-9/14/1993). Being an enterprising youth, Charles opened a roadside stand in front of his parents’ home on Laguna Road when he was a teenager. Charles attended Tustin High School and worked at Smith Service Station (Shell Oil) across the street from the high school.
Charles married Lalla Avo Stovall (4/4/1916-7/20/1944) on 1/8/1934. He was 19 and she was 17. Lalla’s parents had moved to Santa Ana prior to 1920 from Fresno County. Her father Clyde Stovall (1869-11/20/1939) was the proprietor of a grocery store in Santa Ana and an amateur geologist.
Among Charles’ business ventures, he owned a Standard Service Station at Main and Chapman in Orange. He leased land and operated a service station, lunch counter and fruit stand at what was known as Culver’s corner. They also lived on the property. When the lease expired, he purchased land on Highway 101 at Jeffery Road and reopened the fruit stand and lunch counter. The fruit stand became a store where they shipped dates and olives, sold fresh squeezed orange juice and allowed customers to pick oranges. The store closed when the land was condemned for the 5 freeway. He had been in business at the two locations for 24 years. He also acquired rental property in Santa Ana and Laguna Beach.
Lalla Avo died in at age 27 of leukemia and is buried in Fairhaven Cemetery. Their children Charles Jr and Jeanette were 10 and 8 years of age at the time.
Prather married Beatrice Agnes Rowe (11/14/1926-11/10/1992) on 1/14/1945 in Las Vegas NV. He was 31 and she was 18. She was the daughter of Clifford and Julia Rowe. Her father owned a butcher shop. After graduating from Lincoln High School in Manitowoc Wisconsin, she came to California and was working at Baum’s Café in Santa ana (owned by her uncle and aunt).
They made their home at 110 S Lyon, Santa Ana, and then purchased a home at 845 W Main St in Tustin in 1950. In 1958, they were forced to move when the house was condemned for the 55 freeway. In 1958, they moved to a home on a large lot on Irvine Boulevard (now in the City of Irvine) which they called “The Ranch”. Surrounded by Orange groves they raised fruit and vegetables. As development encroached, they made their final move to a home in Tustin on Lambeth Way.
Charles died 10 months after Beatrice at age 78. Both are buried in Fairhaven Cemetery. They had three children: Clifford, Susan, and Sharon.
The story of Charles Prather’s children follows:
Charles Alwyn Prather Jr. (8/4/1934-) Both Charles and his sister Jeanette were in the same class from elementary school through High School. After graduating from Tustin High School in 1953, he joined the Army for a two-year enlistment and was stationed in Germany. He graduated from Orange Coast College and then worked as a civilian computer technician at the El Toro Marine Base until retirement. He married Sylvia Ogden (4/28/1941-3/11/2012) on 6/16/1962. She was born in England. They had two sons John Patrick Prather (7/24/1964-7/21/2009) and Robert Edward Prather (7/15/1971-5/20/2018). Sadly, Sylvia, John and Robert all suffered and died from inherited Frontotemporal Dementia . This disease evidently was inherited through Sylvia’s family and is not curable. Charles has three grandchildren and one great grandchild. He lives in San Diego.
Jeanette Prather ( 10/20/1935 -12/31/2011) attended Tustin High School and Santa Ana College. She was very active and outgoing at both schools. She was active in all sports, cheerleading, baton Twirler and was Miss Tustin in 1953. She was also a pirate princess at the Orange County Fair in the summer of 1953. She married Fredric Ansel Calvin (4/19/1934-) on 5/22/1954 in Orange CA. They had four children: Steven Fredric Calvin (1956-2007), Daniel Wayne Calvin (1958-2023), David Michael Calvin (1959-) and Rhonda Michelle Calvin (1960-) Calvin’s have 10 grandchildren and as of this writing, 15 great grandchildren.
Clifford Rowe Prather ( 9/9/1947- ) attended Tustin/Irvine elementary and graduated from Tustin High School in 1965. He graduated from Cal Poly Pomona majoring in horticulture in 1970. He worked as an agricultural specialist for Hines Nursery in Irvine until retirement. He also served on the Board of the Orange County Farm Bureau for many years. He met Teresa Arciniega (10/14/1948-) at work and they were married on 12/16/1978 in Orange, CA. They had one daughter Monica Patricia Prather (4/2/1988-) They currently live in Orange, CA and are expecting their first grandchild as of this writing.
Susan Ann Prather (5/15/1949- ) attended Tustin/Irvine elementary and graduated from Tustin High School in 1967 and Santa Ana College majoring in business in 1969. She married Kenneth “Ken “Dean Honaker (3/8/1947-) from Montana/Washington on 3/27/1971 in Laguna Beach. He had just served four years in the Navy as a corpsman with the Marine Corps. He served in Viet Nam until he was wounded and was reassigned to the El Toro Marine Base when they met. They bought their first home in Mission Viejo where they lived when their children: Lisa Marie Honaker (5/29/1978) and Jeffrey Charles Honaker (9/14/1980) were born. Ken worked at Mission Hospital as a registered nurse after graduating from Saddleback College and the University of California-Irvine. Susan worked for the Capistrano School District then finally the Simi Valley school system in various clerical positions. The family moved to Simi Valley in 1991 due to a new employment opportunity for Ken. They have four grandchildren
Sharon Michelle Prather (9/11/1952- ) attended Irvine School and graduated from Mission Viejo High School and was in the first four-year class to graduate. She graduated from Saddleback College where she was homecoming queen and attended Cal State Fullerton where she was an arts major. She worked for Disney Corporation in the art department where she met Chris Martens (8/21/1954-) and who she married on 11/5/1983. They have two daughters; Chelsea Martens (12/9/1987-) and Cassandra Martens (2/8/1994-) They currently live in Simi Valley.
Sidney Scott Prather (1/11/1898-5/28/1972) was born in Pennsylvania. A popular and talented boy, He won several medals for his readings in his teens. In 1/1918, Scott and half-brother Millard Foster was granted a permit to operate a motorcoach (jitney line) between Tustin and Santa Ana. Also in 1918, he went to Army basic training in Texas but was not sent to an encampment or overseas.
He married Effie Alberta Kuykendall ( 9/11/28/1904-7/25/1982) in 10/1920. He was 22 and she was 17. Effie was the daughter of Phillip and Mary Kuykendall. Scott and Effie lived at 1310 W Fifth St in Santa Ana.
He became the owner of the Orange County Rock and Gravel Company in 1922, laying sidewalks and curbs for housing tracts. His brother-in-law, Melvin Kuykendall, an employee, was killed on the job. In 1923 Scott filed for bankruptcy.
The 1940 Census finds him divorced and living in San Diego working as a cook and in 1950 operating a newsstand. He enlisted in the Navy on 12/7/1941 and was discharged 3/26/1942.
Scott suffered from epilepsy and was a patient at Patton State Hospital until he was released to his son’s custody in Arizona where he died and was cremated.
Effie moved to Riverside County with her mother and son. She married William Orice Middleton (11/1/1904-7/15/1971) on 7/5/1941. Effie died at age 77 in Orange California
Scott and Effie had a son, Richard Scott Prather (9/9/1921-2/14/2007). Richard attended Riverside College. He served in the Merchant Marines during World War II. He then became a well-known novelist. He married Tina Alma Hager, the daughter of Jack and Kathleen Hager. Tina was a divorcee who was born in Canada. He died in Sedona Arizona at age 85 outliving her by three years.
Newton Basil Prather (1/1899-1900) died as an infant.
Alice Lillian Prather (4/10/1901-12/11/1907) was born in Pennsylvania. She died of diphtheria in Tustin and is buried in Santa Ana Cemetery. The Tustin schools were closed for a while because of the epidemic.
George and Amelia Prather’s Children
Fred Foster Prather (11/3/1906-2/20/1979) graduated from Tustin High School in 1925. He was on the basketball and baseball teams and was a member of the honor society. He was the student body president and president of the alumni association. He continued to play baseball after he graduated. He married Ethel Osterman on 11/6/1927 in the home of her parents John and Lillian Osterman. (See John Osterman Family Profile) Ethel was a graduate of Santa Ana College. They made their home in El Toro where he operated a service station.
At some point Foster went to work for his brother-in-law, Bennie Osterman. They lived on the ranch. Ethel stayed busy with her social activities and was a member of the PTA.
Clyde and Alice had two children: Clyde Jr and Joyce.
George’s Stepchild
George Millard Foster (2/17/1899-12/22/1989) was George Prather’s stepson. As stated above, he partnered with his stepbrother, Scott, to start a stagecoach business in 1918.
He married Thelma Joyce “Valentine” Benjamin (2/14/1900-1/18/1976) on 2/17/1919. Their first home was on D Street. She was born in Humboldt County. They later made their home in Tulare County. He died at age 90. She died at age 75. Both are buried in Woodlake District Cemetery Tulare County. George and Thelma had two children as follows:
George Millard Foster Jr. (8/13/1919-12/13/2000) attended Tustin High School, graduating in 1939. He played four sports and was on the CIF Championship Basketball team in 1937. He married Elizabeth Jean Campbell (7/19/1921-7/21/2015), a classmate at Tustin High School , on 10/20/1940. Elizabeth was born in Taft, Kern County. The Campbells moved to Tustin prior to 1930. He worked in the oil fields.
George Millard Foster
George and Elizabeth settled in Tustin. He enlisted in the Air Force on 1/5/1944 but saw no action in World War II. He opened the Beacon Boat Shop in Newport where he repaired yachts. He then went to work for the Defense Contract Administration from which he retired. They later bought property in Tulare County where he grew oranges and olives.
He died in Woodlake, Tulare County at age 90. Elizabeth outlived him by five years, passing away at age. 95. They are buried in Woodlake District Cemetery. They had two sons and a daughter
Glenna J “Jean “Foster Shafer (6/29/1923-4/19/1988) attended Tustin High School. She married Arthur Edward Shafer (8/23/1925-7/7/1987) before he enlisted in the Navy. He served in the Navy from 3/10/1943-12/27/1945. Arthur was the son of Benjamin Shafer, a commercial fisherman residing in Newport Beach. After military service, Arthur and Glenna lived in Newport Beach with her parents where Arthur was a fisherman. Around 1960, they moved to Humboldt County where he operated a service station. They were reportedly divorced in 1966, the same year their house was destroyed by a fire.
Glenna died at age 64. In Santa Rosa, California where her son Larry lived. She is buried in Santa Rosa Memorial Cemetery. Arthur died a year earlier in Bakersfield California.
Created 5/8/2025. Researched by Vicki Gray and Susan Honaker (daughter Charles Prather Sr.) and Clifford Prather (son of Charles Prather Sr.)
