My last post was the 1788 deed between John Kitchen and John Pryor in Campbell County, VA. I took a look for John Kitchen to see if there were any clues that throw a light on John Pryor. I found that John Kitchen was a Revolutionary War vet and lived long enough to file for a pension. Gotta love those pension applications!
Not only do I love pension applications, but I love how specific John Kitchen was in the facts of his application. He was born April 25, 1757 in Bedford County. This is interesting because in 1788 he sold John Pryor his land in Campbell County (formed from Bedford County) and he was himself in Henry County. The application says Kitchen lived in Bedford County until the Revolution and then moved to Henry County where he was drafted in 1781. His story is like so many of the stories out of this region of VA– he marched to Guilford Courthouse in NC and to the Troublesome Iron Works. Kitchen moved to Anderson County, TN and after he died in 1845 his wife Mary, submitted a document stating her maiden name was Mary Whitten. (see the pension application)
I was rather curious about John Kitchen in Tennessee. Where did he live? Who was he living with? I found him on the 1805 Tax List in Anderson County. There were Pryors too in Anderson County: Samuel Pryor and wife Fanny Ferguson. These are the Pryors who I suspect are related to Harris Pryor of Bedford County, VA (they named a son Harris Pryor), and they lived near a Rector family (John Pryor witnessed will of Jacob Rector in Bedford County, VA). Samuel Pryor died in Anderson County around 1815 (year his wife was appointed adminstratrix of the estate).
Here are some of the families of interest on the Anderson County census records.
1830 Census, Anderson Co., TN
page 190 John Kitchen 1000000001 – 001011001 (Oldest male 70 to 80 years – John Kitchen sold land to John Pryor in Campbell Co., VA in 1788)
page 346 William PRYER 20001-20001 (Oldest male 20-29 y.o. born 1801-1810. William is probably the son of Frances Ferguson Pryor.)
page 346 Rebecca PRYOR 11-01101 (oldest female 20-29 y.o., born 1801-1810)
page 346 Benjamin Lockett 1010001 – 112102 (oldest male 40-49 y.o., botn 1781-1791. Benjamin was married to Acy/Alsey PRYOR, daughter of Samuel Pryor and Frances Fanny Ferguson. Alsey is on the 1840-1860 Census in Roane Co., TN)
1850 Census Anderson Co., TN
Subdivision 16, page 19b, house 274 Drury L. Bradley 39 farmer VA, Nancy 39 TN, William 16 TN, John T. 13 TN, Margaret E. 9 TN, Samuel 7 TN, Andrew 6 TN, Drury 3 TN, Timothy R. 4/12 TN, Martha Thompson 74 VA, Sir PRIOR 42 mu farmer male TN. (This family counted near many of the families who were near Rebecca PRIOR on the 1840 Census in Anderson Co.)
Subdivision 16, page 60, house Christopher Hitch 37 merchant KY, Katharine 35 TN, William 15 tN, Harriet 14 TN, Caroline 11 TN, John 10 TN, Sarah 8 TN, Lloyd 5 TN, Phellaney Whitten 21 TN, Barton Mynatt 25 doctor TN, PRIOR BOWLES 24 farmer TN (Possilby related to Pryor Mynatt in Grainger and Knox Co., TN. Prior Bowles was the son of Martin Bowles, he married in 1854 in Lee Co., VA. John Kitchen of Campbell/Bedford County, VA married Mary Whitten.)
Page 60a, house 833 William Howet 48 none (occupation) VA, Sarah Howit 35 TN, Nancy 29, Pryor L 21 TN, James M 18 TN, Emmaline J 16 TN
Page 60b, house 834 Susan Stuksberry 45 TN, John 28 TN, Nancy 20 TN, Elizabeth 18 TN, Aletha 16 TN, Polly Kitchens 90 NC deaf. ( Polly Kitchen was the widow of John Kitchen of Henry Co., VA. John Kitchen sold John Pryor land in Campbell Co., VA in 1788.)