Three of Colonel Thomas Prather’s grandsons were named Basil Prather (he had other grandsons named Basil but they did not carry the Prather surname.) The reason for the sudden popularity of the name is unknown but it remained popular for at least 2 more generations causing endless confusion among genealogists. There are 5 known Basil Prathers among Thomas’ great grandsons and at least 2 among his great great-grandsons.
Basil was not a common name in colonial Maryland or South Carolina or in early American Kentucky and Indiana. It was uncommon enough that several genealogists have assumed that these men were the same person. In particular the Basil Prathers of Kentucky and Indiana have been conflated, possibly because their timelines and geography overlap. But that is just plain sloppy research. Even basic research into land records, wills and marriage records show that there are multiple men of the same name.
And don’t get me started on the more than 5 William Prathers and the ridiculous conflation between generations in Kentucky and Indiana. Really, don’t people do even the most basic timeline for their research subject? And then they invent bigamy, crazy long distance voyages and other “legends” to account for the contradiction’s their sloppy research has created.