Mary Prather ^{3 4 5 6}

   Other names for Mary were Mary Phater ⁷ and Mary Prater.⁸

  General Notes:

Mary was previously married to Peter Causey who was born in North Carolina about 1823. They are shown together in the 1870 census in Hurricane Township, Carroll County, Missouri with 5 children, Alice, Harriett J., Josephine, Asa, and Minnie, all born in Missouri.
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  Death Notes:

Her death certificate has some potentially misleading information on it. The informant was "R. T. Biggs" presumably her son, Richard Thomas Biggs. It states that she was "single" instead of "widowed". That was probably just an error on the part of the clerk filling out the form.

The death certificate also states that she was born in Atchison County, Missouri while all her census records indicate that she and both of her parents were all born in Illinois. The listing of Atchison County, Missouri may be incorrect information coming from her son, Richard, at a time of emotional distress but strangely on the 1910 census just 9 years earlier, Richard had indicated that his mother was born in Illinois. Some other researchers are showing that she was indeed born in Atchison County, Missouri but I have been unable to locate any birth document for her there.

Her son, Richard, also indicated that her father's name was "Mr. Prater" instead of the generally assumed "Prather". It is unknown which is the correct spelling of her maiden name. Her mother's surname was entered as "Sampson". I cannot find any marriage record either in Missouri or Illinois between a Prater/Prather and Sampson.
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  Noted events in her life were:

1. 1870 US Census, 9 August 1870, Hurricane Township, Carroll, Missouri, United States. ⁵ Page 3, Household 18
Hurricane Township, Carroll County, Missouri
Mary Causey..27..IL
(Living with husband and 5 children.)

NOTE - If her birth date was Nov 1840, then her age should have been 29 instead of 27.

2. 1880 US Census, June 1880, Wood Township, Carroll, Missouri, United States. ³ Page 345A, T9-0678
Wood Township, Carroll County, Missouri
Wife..Mary Biggs..39..IL..IL/IL..Keeps House
(Living with 2nd husband and 5 children; 3 from 1st husband and 2 from 2nd husband.)

3. 1900 US Census, 26 June 1900, Tina, Carroll, Missouri, United States. ⁴ Page 13A, Dwelling 251, Family 259, District 22
Tina, Carroll County, Missouri
Years Married: 22
Home owned with mortgage
Wife..Mary Biggs...59..Nov 1840..IL..IL/IL..9/6
(Living with 2nd husband, daughter, and granddaughter.)

NOTE - This census records indicates that she had a total of 9 children of which 6 were still alive. Those alive were probably the 3 children born to her 2nd husband, and the 3 youngest born to her first husband.

4. 1910 US Census, April 1910, Stokes Mound Township, Carroll, Missouri, United States. ⁶ Sheet 6A, Household 124, District 21
Stokes Mound Township, Carroll County, Missouri
Head..Mary Biggs..69..IL..Widowed
Daughter..Lena Viace..27..MO
Son-in-law..Albert Viace..45..MO
Granddaughter..Mary I. Viace..0..MO

5. Cemetery: Coloma Cemetery, 22 April 1919, Coloma, Carroll, Missouri, United States. ⁷ Find A Grave Memorial #113689187

Mary married Peter Causey about 1861. (Peter Causey was born in 1823 in North Carolina, United States ⁵ and died after 1 June 1870.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

1. 1870 US Census, 9 August 1870, Hurricane Township, Carroll, Missouri, United States. ⁵ Page 3, Household 18
Hurricane Township, Carroll County, Missouri
Peter Causey..47..NC
Mary Causey..27..IL
Alice E Causey..8..MO
Harriett J Causey..6..MO
Josephine Causey..5..MO
Asa Causey..3..MO
Minnie Causey..2..MO

Mary next married George W. Biggs, Sr on 14 March 1877 in Ridge Township, Carroll, Missouri, United States.^{1 3 4 8} (George W. Biggs, Sr was born in October 1820 in Indiana, United States,^{3 4 9 10} died on 28 February 1902 in Stokes Mound Township, Carroll, Missouri, United States ¹⁰ and was buried after 28 February 1902 in Coloma, Carroll, Missouri, United States ¹⁰.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

1. 1880 US Census, June 1880, Wood Township, Carroll, Missouri, United States. ³ Page 345A, T9-0678
Wood Township, Carroll County, Missouri
Self..George Biggs..59..IN..Farmer
Wife..Mary Biggs..39..IL..IL/IL..Keeps House
Daughter..Josephine Biggs..16..MO..At Home
Son..Asa Biggs..13..MO.. At School
Daughter..Jennie Biggs..8..MO..At School
Son..Charles Biggs..3..MO..At Home
Son..Richard Biggs..0..MO..At Home

NOTE - Josephine, Asa, and Jennie Biggs were children from Mary's first marriage to Peter Causey. The children appear with their parents in the 1870 census under the surname of Causey. Mary was remarried to George Biggs in Mar 1877 so what is not clear if the father of Charles Biggs who was born in 1877 was Peter Causey or George Biggs. Because the marriage was in March of 1877, I suspect that Charles was probably born late in 1877 and therefore George Biggs was the father.

2. 1900 US Census, 26 June 1900, Tina, Carroll, Missouri, United States. ⁴ Page 13A, Dwelling 251, Family 259, District 22
Tina, Carroll County, Missouri
Years Married: 22
Home owned with mortgage
Head..George W. Biggs..80..Oct 1820..IN..IN/IN
Wife..Mary Biggs...59..Nov 1840..IL..IL/IL..9/6
Daughter..Lena Biggs..19..Dec 1881..MO..IN/IL
Granddaughter..Bertha Redford..13..Feb 1887..MO..IN/IL..At School

NOTE - Based on the birth year of the granddaughter, her mother was probably one of Mary's children from her 1st husband. Lena Biggs could not have been the mother as she would have been less than 6 years old.