SONGWRITER WITH PRYOR ROOTS… The noted gospel song writer Ira Stanphill is reported to be linked to the Pryors of Overton County, TN. Researcher Betty Joe Gentry has been in contact with other family members of this line. They report Ira was the son of Flora Engler and Andrew Stanphill. Flora’s parents were Mary Ellen Pryor and Jefferson Thompson Engler. Mary Ellen was the daughter of John Pryor and Candis (Candice?) Malone. Among other gospel songs, Ira Stanphill wrote “Mansion Over The Hilltop”.
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MORE ON THE MARION CO., TN PRYORS… Glen Pryor is continuing with his search for the father of Matthew Pryor of Marion Co., TN. He visited the public library to review documents. One paper that traced the Gaines family lists Matthew as the son of Green and that there is a will listed for Green that was supposed to have been probated in Caswell County, NC in 1783. Some papers written by Margaret Gott Vollheim (d. 1975) look to be the source for the claim that Green Pryor is the father of Matthew. She states that Matthew was her g-g-grandfather and that a Matthew was listed as the son of Green in a Gaines Family Bible and that the names of all of his children were listed in that Bible and the names matched those of my Matthew’s children. She also wrote that Ernest Pryor and Matthew Pryor III stated that Matthew was the son of Green.
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MYSTERIOUS MISSOURI PRYORS… In a previous issue of the TN Pryor newsletter it was noted that the Pryors in Buchanan Co., MO (possibly all from the line of trombonist Arthur Pryor) can not be found in records before the 1880 Census. A new line of Pryors in Morgan Co., MO has surfaced with similar questions. Two men who may be brothers: James/Henry Pryor b. 1857 and George Washington Pryor b. 1853. Where were they born? One census says IL, another LA, another MO. Where were they on the 1860 and 1870 Census? Both of these Pryors died after the initiation of death records in MO–Does anyone have access to their death records? Census records for these Pryor have been added to the MO Census records.
