Category Archives: Tennessee Pryors

Williamson County Pryors Connected to Other TN Pryor Lines

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I received an email from a Pryor researcher who was looking at the Pryor families in Williamson County, TN. It caused me to take another look at these Pryors. Which Colonial (VA, NC, SC) Pryor lines are they connected to? Who are their relatives who were in other TN counties at the same time?

I’m inclined to believe the Pryors in Williamson County are connected to other Pryor lines in Tennessee. The patriarch of the Williamson County line was Luke Pryor.  Researchers have often speculated that Luke was born in South Carolina in about 1740. Sarah Pryor born about 1784 in SC has long been claimed as his daughter. Sarah married David Squire, Hugh McCabe, Daniel Carter, and Angus McPhail. Sarah McPhail age 78 is on the 1850 Census in Williamson County. She stated her place of birth was SC, which would put Luke Pryor in South Carolina in about 1772.

I’ve found a connection that may confirm Luke Pryor living in SC. In 1786 a Luke Pryor deeded land to John Waller Pryor in Marlboro County, SC. The land was surveyed by Alex. Craig. Mr. Craig piqued my interest because I found that an Alexander Craig was on the 1812 Tax List in Maury Co., TN (a county bordering Williamson Co.). In later years a younger Alexander Craig was living Williamson Co. In 1830 Hugh McCabe, and probably wife Sara Pryor, were counted in Maury County. This isn’t solid proof, but it’s a strong lead.

If you’re interested in the ancestry of Luke Pryor, I have another juicy lead– I’ve found John Waller Pryor (named in the Marlboro Ccounty deed above). I found an online family tree that included the marriage of a John Pryor to Mary Waller. This John Pryor left a will (I haven’t seen it) in Halifax County, NC. Could John Waller Pryor be the son of this Pryor union?

Through Williamson County Guardian Records it’s been determined that Luke Pryor was the father of John Pryor. John Pryor was born between 1760 and 1770, possibly in South Carolina and these records state he was the father of Henry B. Pryor born 1790. The odd twist is that we find that Henry B. was living in Pike County, AL in 1850, however Rhoda Pryor and Mary Ann Pryor were living in Jackson Co. with a William Pryor b. 1814 in TN.

The Jackson County connection leads one to wonder if William, Rhoda, and Mary Ann Pryor were related to any of the other Pryors in Jackson Co.  Jackson Co. residents Allen and Alfred Pryor were both born in SC and are of the right ages to be grandsons of Luke Pryor. Both Rhoda and Mary Ann married Crockers, and in 1850 there was a Sarah Pryor b. 1764 in NC living in the household of John Y. Crocker.

Allen Pryor died in Jackson Co., TN sometime between 1852 and 1860 Census. His wife Cinderella moved the family to Franklin County, IL.  Tabitha Pryor of Wilson County, TN (the widow of Thomas Pryor) was also in the same county by the 1870 Census. Cinderella’s son, Alfred, was counted as an “uncle” in Tabitha’s daughter’s household in 1920. While the relationship is a bit murky—he was probably a cousin not an uncle—this later census record connects the Wilson County Pryors to the lines that can be traced back to Luke Pryor in Williamson Co., TN.

Back to the Crockers. By the time of the 1870 Census John Y Crocker and wife Dorcas/Tabitha were living in Iron County, MO.  By 1880 Bird and Montz/Mounce Pryor, children of Alfred Pryor of Jackson Co., TN, were also living in Iron Co.  Jane A. Pryor Nelson, the mother of Matthew, John, and Solomon Nelson, also left Jackson County to settle in Iron County by 1880.  And it should be noted that Bird Pryor married Surena Crocker, a daughter of John Y. Crocker.

I’ve yet to identify a connection for William S. Pryor of Williamson Co., TN. He was appears on the 1820 Census and a few records between 1820 and 1820. He was born in 1775 or earlier. I have an inkling that he’s connected to the other Pryors in Williamson County, but as we all know, an inkling isn’t proof of anything in genealogy.

So if we do a head count on the 1850 Census of this branch of the Pryor family tree… here’s who I believe are connected:

  • Henry B. Pryor of Pike Co., AL
  • Allen and Alfred Pryor of Jackson Co., TN
  • Jane A. Pryor Nelson of Jackson Co., TN
  • Dorcas/Tabitha who married John Y. Crocker of Jackson Co., TN
  • Rhoda and Mary Ann Pryor who lived with William Pryor and wife Alsey in Jackson Co., TN
  • Thomas Pryor in Wilson Co., TN. His widow and children moved to Franklin Co., IL and interacted with the widow and children of Allen Pryor (see above)

Is there anyone else on the 1850 Census that I forgot?

 

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Pryor And Rector Family Virginia Connections

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I remarked in an earlier post that I was leaving the Rectors for another day.  Well, today’s the day.

The Rectors were German immigrants that settled in colonial Virginia. Though my research and the research of others, we have turned over numerous connections to the Pryors in Virginia and later in Tennessee.

My own Pryor line is descended from John Pryor and Massie Taylor who were married in Campbell Co., VA in 1812 and settled in Sumner Co., TN. Massie’s sister Spicy Taylor married a William Pryor in 1809 and settled in Overton Co., TN.  John and William Pryor are probably brothers, sons of an older John Pryor from VA (I’ll refer to him as John Sr. throughout the rest of this post).

John Sr. AND a Rector were first documented together in 1790..

On 15 March 1790, John PRYER witnessed the following deed “from Murrell CUNNINGHAM of Campbell to William BURNETT of Campbell, for 30,000 weight of nett, inspected tobacco, 1 Negro woman, Fanny, and 9 children viz. Sam, London, Lymas, Agness, Betty, Charlotte, David, Coye, and William. Signed – Murrell CUNNINGHAM. Wit – John PRYER, Charles RORK,  Martin RECTOR (X his mark) . This bill of sale was recorded Apr 1, 1790.” (Campbell County Virginia Deeds, 1784 – 1790 published by T.L.C. Genealogy (Miami), p. 72, referencing deed book page 474)

The following year Martin Rector appears on another document.  Edward Deckey, believed to be Edward Dickey is also a signer. Edward Dickey was the father of Sally Dickey, the first wife of Hezekiah Taylor,  a brother in law of both John and William Pryor (Hezekiah was Massie and Spicy Taylor’s  brother.

Petition dated August 1, 1791 Connected Campbell Co. Signers:
John DECKEY, Edward DECKEY, Wrenny CREWS, Martin RECTOR, Thomas OGLESBY, Murrell CUNNNINGHAM.

I suspect it was John Sr. who witnessed Jacob Rector’s will in 1779.  John’s known children were William born 1761-1770, John born 1780-1789, and probably Elizabeth Pryor Harris born about 1780.  The ages of his children help to determine that John Sr. was an adult and alive at the time of Jacob Rector’s will.

John PRYER with Gideon MARTIN, Jane PRESTON, Thomas STOVALL witnessed the will of Jacob RECTOR in Bedford County VA on 26 Oct. 1779. John Pryer along with Gideon Martin proved the will by oaths on 22 Nov. 1779. John Pryer along with David Martin and Thomas Stovall inventoried the estate of Jacob Rector on 3 Dec. 1779, returned 22 January 1781. “Prier” also used at one place in the record. (Abstracts of Bedford County Virginia Wills, Inventories and Accounts by Joida Whitten, Taylor Publishing Company (Dallas), pp. 101 and 113, referencing will book pp. 359-60 and 387.)

Another connection that helps to place John Sr. and Martin Rector in the same community: their minister, William Flowers.

Martin RECTOR and Sarah MARTIN, bond 20 December 1804. Consent David Martin, father of the bride. Martin Rector (b) and David Martin (b); David Martin Jr. (w) and James Martin (w). M. R. 25 December 1804 by William Flowers. Marriages of Campbell County, Virginia, 1782-1810 By Lucy Harrison Miller Baber, Hazel Letts Williamson.

If you search the records of Fentress and Overton County, you’ll see Flowers families who migrated to Tennessee from Virginia. William Flowers of Campbell County performed not only the marriage of Martin Rector—he also married Elizabeth Pryor to John Harris in 1800,  and another Hezekiah Taylor from Campbell Co., VA who married Polly Oglesby in 1807 (this Hezekiah died in Canada during the War of 1812).

The Pryor and Rector connections continue in Roane and Anderson Counties, Tennessee.

William PRYER, S#362 2-1-1811, E#812 1-21-1811. 5 acres on Piles Turnpike  Road on Rocky Branch of Little Emerys River . SCC: Reuben Williams, John RECTOR. Recorded 2-22-1811. Lifted 1-22-1812 by William PRYOR. Ansearchin’ News, East Tennessee Surveys, 1807-1813, Roane County.

On the 1830 Census there there’s a Rector living near Harris PRYOR; John RECTOR is enumerated on the line below Harris.
Martin Rector’s estate is described in this case in Roane Co., TN, revealing the names of his heirs.  Martin Rector. No Pryors mentioned.
http://www.tngenes.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=132:rector-martin-a-david-martin-rector-estate-case-roane-county-tn-1833-&catid=42:transcriptions&Itemid=54

The most confounding connections are the Pryors and Rectors who appear out side of  Roane, Anderson, and Morgan Counties in Tennessee.

– John Pryor b. 1833, son of James and Nancy Pryor in Overton Co. married a Kitty Rector.
– John T. Pryor b. 1788 in KY is mentioned with “T” Rector in a 1823 Gasconade Co., MO will.
– Philip Pryor b. 1791 in NC (son of Matthew Pryor Sr.)  married a Miss Reeter. Since there were no Reeters in TN, it’s speculated she was a Rector.

Category: Tennessee Pryors, Virginia Pryors | Tags: , , ,

MAP: Sumner County Before It Was Split

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I was spurred by an email from another researcher to look  for a map of early Sumner County, Tennessee.

The researcher sent the transcription of the 1802 indenture made by Mourning White, widow of Richard Pryor, for land on Caney Fork (on the Cumberland River) in Smith County.  When I looked for Caney Fork I was reminded of how complex the county boundaries were in the 1800’s.

Time for another one of my rough maps.

Cane Creek lies in the center of the map, in White and Putnam Couties. Neither of these counties had been formed in 1802, so it’s likely that Cane Creek was entirely in Smith County at the time of the indenture.

Before the indenture, these counties and many others were still part of Sumner County. Sumner was one of the first counties in Tennessee and it was broken apart over the years to form several other counties, which in turn were divided into still more counties. The above map shows roughly in yellow the boundaries of the original Sumner County.

Looking at the map and looking at the Pryors again, William Pryor born 1761-1771 in VA and first recorded in White Co., TN in 1809 (3 years after White County was formed from Smith County). It’s likely that William is was in Smith Co. from it’s formation in 1799; his oldest son William was born in TN in 1791.   Smith County was formed from Sumner County so it’s possible that he’s the William Pryor in the early records of Sumner County.

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William Pryor of Botetourt County, A Bit About Texas & Kentucky, and the Tennessee Connections

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Back to the Botetourt County Pryors (Pryors in Botetourt County, VA and Later in Kentucky). I heard from Betty who’s researching William Pryor, one of Austin’s Colony who settled in Austin’s Colony– before Texas was a Republic or a state, back when most of Texas was Mexico. Betty also reminded me that William made out his will and clearly stated he was born in Botetourt County. VA!

William’s will is in the courthouse in Bellsville, TX. It begins, “IN THE NAME OF OMNIPOTENT GOD, AMEN. I William Pryor, a native of Bottertot County in the state of Virginia, one of the United States of the North, and now a colonist of Austin’s Colony…” It’s dated 1832.

All we know of William Pryor is that he was born in Botetourt County, VA, was in Stewart Co., TN by 1804, moved to Clarke Co., AL in 1816, went to Texas in about 1824 and then died in San Felipe, TX in 1832.

William’s In Laws:

We’ve been able to fill in some of William’s kin. Betty found a court document showing that William became the guardian of Sampson Trammell’s minor children, helping to connect his wife to the Trammells (Sampson is likely her father).  

William’s Brother?

One more piece to the puzzle: Betty found the March 2, 1849  death notice from the Nashville Christian Advocate:  “REBECCA PRYOR wife of JAMES PRYOR, died Pike Co., Ill., Jan. 7, 1849; moved from Christian Co., Ky. to Stewart Co., Tenn., to Pike Co., Illinois.” A James B. Pryor was buying land in Pike County in 1840 and there’s a James Pryor on the 1850 Census in Pike County. He’s a postmaster (that’s a topic for yet another post on the Pryors!), born 1778 in VA, living  near a Sarah Pryor Conner age 27 who was born in KY (possibly Christian County, KY?). So this is probably the James Pryor who was on the census with William Pryor in Stewart County and he’s certainly the right age to be William’s brother!

William’s Nephew?

Civil war records for William Pryor of White Co., IL reveal he was born in Stewart County, TN (about 1802) as well as his son James in 1825. William married Martha Ross, probably a relation of Captain Ross who was in charge of the 1809 Tax List in Stewart County. We know from the will in Texas that William who died in San Felip had one son named Trammel J. Pryor and he was removed from the Austin Colony on criminal charges and disowned in his father’s will, it’s clear that William born 1802 is not his son —perhaps a son of the James or John Pryor who were also on the 1809 Tax List of Stewart County.

More Nephews?

Geography plays a part in figuring out the kin of William of San Felipe.  The land William settled in Stewart County, TN was in an area that is now a National Park called the Land Between the Lakes.  Bordering this area of TN is Trigg and Christian Co., KY. Rebecca’s death notice and the early deed both indicate a connection to Christian Co.  James Pryor who was in Stewart Co. and later was in Pike Co., IL, may be the same James Pryor who was on the 1840 Census in Trigg County.  A Mary Pryor was on the  1820 Census in Stewart County and was living in Trigg Co., perhaps an indicator that William b. 1804 and James b. 1803 (Mary was living with him) and John b. 1813 are William’s nephews.

Who is William’s Father?

There weren’t too many Pryors in Botetourt at the time William was born (about  1770).  The contenders are Luke, Joseph, and John Pryor.  I haven’t seen any information on children born to Luke Pryor and his wife Susannah. John Pryor is likely the John Pryor who was the father of Nathaniel Pryor (based on one report that he moved to Botetourt with his brother in-law John Floyd).  Joseph Pryor died in Bourbon Co., KY in 1812, mentioning his son William in his will.  Betty and I are leaning toward Joseph as the father of William Pryor of San Felipe

* Joseph had a son named William. We know from census records and marriages that other children of Joseph and Mary Pryor were born between 1766 and 1784. The right time span for William of San Felipe.

* Joseph’s son William was alive in 1812 (at the time of his will).  William died well after that date in San Felipe.

* There was no William Pryor recorded as a head of household in Bourbon County in 1810 until a much younger William was recorded on the 1850 Census.  This fact leave open the possibility that William was living elsewhere, even at the time of his father’s will when he would have been an adult head of household.

* William had one son named Trammell J. Pryor. “Trammell” was carrying on the name of his mother’s side of the family. “J” may have been for “Joseph” or another “J” name on his father’s side of the family.

I’m not completely convinced that William Pryor was the son of Joseph Pryor and Mary Fleming, but for now they seem to be the most convincing set of parents I have for him.

Category: Kentucky Pryors, Tennessee Pryors, Texas Pryors | Tags: , ,

Who is John Prior in Jackson County, TN in 1820?

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I know it’s hard to believe… we’ve missed a Pryor in the census records. I found this week a John Prior on the 1820 Census in Jackson County, TN. Just for the doubters and folks who want to be sure it’s not a “Price” or a “Poor” I’ve posted his name below. The handwriting sure looks like P-r-i-o-r.

The oldest male in his household was over 45 years old, so we can guess that this John Pryor was born before 1775.

 

  • John Pryor born 1757 who lived in Knox Co. and later with a son in  Jefferson Co.  He is in Sullivan Co., TN on the 1830 Census. The 1820 Census for Knox County is missing. All of this Pryor family is also missing from census records in 1820, so it’s a good guess to believe they were living in Knox County. Based on available information I’d have to rule out this John Pryor.
  • John Pleasant Pryor born 1770 in North Carolina.  I haven’t found him on the 1820 Census in NC nor in TN.  He is in Smith County, TN in 1830.
  • John Pryor who married Ruth Sherrill was born about 1773.  He’s on the 1820 Census in White Co., TN and in 1830 in Sangamon Co., IL. Was the family counted twice in 1820 — once in White County and then also in Jackson County?
  • John H. Pryor, son of Luke D. Pryor of Williamson Co., TN. John was born 1760-1770. The only

Any ideas folks?

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