She became a genealogical sleuth instead. You just have to dig. For example, there are 19th Century tombstones, stacked along the walls. When they're uprooted by vandals or toppled by age, they find a home here. The state didn't begin keeping such statistics on file in Frankfort until 1911, Prater said.
Tombstones are often the only reliable sources for dates of birth and death.
Fleming Circuit court clerk Nancye B. Farley is impressed with the genealogist, who keeps track of all court records prior to 1978. The files weren't always well-kept. They were in disarray in 1964, when Prater's grandfather, Leo Royse, was sworn in as county magistrate. In 1974, Prater took over the task. She's been working at the courthouse ever since, surrounded by some of Fleming County's most interesting characters and most infamous crimes.