Category Archives: Virginia Pryors

Thomas Pryor, Nephew of Major John Pryor of Richmond

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Although Major John Pryor of Richmond never had children he’s still one of those Pryors who seems to point to other Pryor relationships, helping to solve some of the VA Pryor riddles.

The Major’s will:

PRYOR, John (of the City of Richmond). Will proved there March 1823. Names wife, Elizabeth Graves; nieces, Dorcas Bryan, Elizabeth Taylor, Rebecca Taylor, Charlotte Morrison (of Williamsburg, Va.), Elizabeth Hazelwood; nephews, Thomas Pryor and Archer, William, Romert, John, and Pryor Hankins. Friend, Lewis Burwell. Not an heir, but mentions first wife was named Ann.

I’ve identified most of the heirs in his will [see my post]. Now I think I can ID his nephew Thomas Pryor.  I suspect it’s the Thomas Pryor on the 1820 Census in Rockingham Co., NC.  When I looked at this Thomas I found an Mrs. Elizabeth Archer who is cited as formerly a Pryor in an online tree (http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Pryor-380).  Elizabeth Archer is on the 1820 Census in NC on the line below Thomas Pryor.

I like that she married an Archer. Major Pryor was very well connected to prominent tidewater families – he married a Whiting and later a Graves.  His nephews mentioned in his will were from the tidewater Hankins family and were named after prominent families—Pryor and Archer.

Elizabeth Pryor Archer’s son Thomas D. Archer married in 1825 in Pittsylvania Co., VA, so I looked at the Pryors in that county.  In 1834 there was a John Randolph Pryor born in that county. Hmmm… Randolph… another prominent VA family, in fact they married into the Jeffersons (The President’s brother was named Randolph Jefferson). On the 1830 and 1840 Census in Pittsylvania County is Thomas Washington Pryor who was married to Nancy Graves Haynes—There’s the Graves surname again. My bets (and other researchers are drawing this conclusion) that Thomas Washington Pryor is the same Thomas who was in Rockingham County.

Both Thomas Washington Pryor and his son John Randolph Pryor migrated to Fayette County, IL. They are on the 1860 Census. Thomas states his place of birth as NC while his wife and children were born in VA.  There is also a Graves family and lots of Hankins families in Fayette County. The places of birth seem to indicate that the family had connections to both VA and NC.

I think these tidewater surnames that are associated with Major Pryor give us clues to these families even in Tennessee. In Knox County, TN there is a David Hankins, Eli Hankins, and George Graves recorded consecutively on the 1850 Census. Don’t think there’s a connection? Well, Eli Hankins named his son Pryor Hankins.  The Major’s sister, Elizabeth, married an older Pryor Hankins in VA and an online family tree notes that Eli was married to a Nancy Graves. Just so it doesn’t get lost in the text… Knox County. That’s going to become important in later posts!

The elephant is in the room. It’s the big question. If Major John Pryor is the uncle of Thomas Pryor, then who is the Major’s brother and father of Thomas?

Category: About TN Lines, Illinois Pryors, Virginia Pryors | Tags: , , , ,

Connecting Major John Pryor of Richmond to More Pryors!

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I’m not sure what to call this chart… David Pryor? Major John Pryor of Richmond? Christopher Pryor? Not sure because it has all of these men in it. I’ve found that keeping this chart has been quite helpful because sometimes keeping track of everyone feels like a dancing in a bowl of Pryor spaghetti– a tangled, mushy mess!

chart - david pryor

I don’t yet know the father the David and I don’t yet know his brother. I suspect Nicholas Pryor of Henrico County is David’s father. David died 1747 in Henrico County and Nicholas died in 1746. I have a suspicion but not enough proof to speculate that Edward Pryor may be David’s missing brother. Edward was in Henrico County on land described at a similar location as land owned by Nicholas and Edward was in Pittsylvania County.

To tame the “spaghetti”– I’ve drawn in arrows and bubbles where people seem to intersect.

  • Major John Pryor married Ann Beverly Whiting. When Anne’s brother Henry Whiting died his estate was handled by John C. Pryor, who I believe to be the Major’s nephew. We know for sure that the “paperwork” says John C. Pryor was Christopher Pryor‘s son.
  • While Major Pryor lived in Richmond, many of his heirs and their aligned families lived in James City, Gloucester, Elizabeth City, and in Williamsburg. These locations are also true for Christopher Pryor and his descendants.
  • Major Pryor died childless but among  his heirs were Archer Hankins and Thomas Pryor. I believe he is the Thomas Pryor counted next to Elizabeth Pryor Archer on  the Rockingham Co., NC census. Elizabeth’s son, Creed Taylor Archer, state she was a daughter of David Pryor and Mary Cunningham of Buckingham County, VA (the David Pryor marriage to Miss Cunningham is new to me and will be explored in another post).
  • Thomas in Rockingham County named his son John Randolph Pryor— was he named for the President’s brother John Randolph Jefferson who married Mitchie Pryor?

I’m working on another chart of all the Pryors that lived in or passed through Pittsylvania County. Looks like that may answer some of our questions!

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

The Kin of Major John Pryor of Richmond, VA

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CHURCH HILL RICHMOND VA

I keep trying to piece together the family of Major John Pryor of Richmond. If you’ve heard any loud frustrated sighs, that’s probably me. The Major had no children so what I’m curious about is who were his siblings and who was his father. This week I’m taking another look at his family tree with some of the new information I’ve found.

First Wife: John Pryor married Anne Beverly Whiting, the daughter of Thomas Whiting and Ann Sewall. Anne was a socialite with dwindling fortunes. They married in 1796 when the Major was in his late forties, over-weight and in poor health and Anne was in her teens.  The marriage dissolved when Anne ran off with her French tutor, Mr. Fremon. In 1811 Major Pryor asked the Virginia Legislature for a divorce, however there is no evidence that they ever granted a divorce, in fact there is strong paper evidence they said “no.”

Second Wife: The Major was a creature of  habit– he married twice and each time married considerably younger women. In 1815 at the age of 65 Major Pryor married Elizabeth Quarles Graves, who was about 15 years old. They remained married until his death in 1823. There is a fat file of depositions which were collected in the 1850’s when Elizabeth applied for a Widow’s Revolutionary War Pension. A deposition from Sarah Hatcher of Richmond states she was the daughter of Methodist minister Edmund Lacy who married John Pryor and Elizabeth Graves. She said she remembered the ceremony because of the “disparity” of their ages. Sarah also remembered that John was related in some manner to Elizabeth. A letter in the file written and signed by Elizabeth herself states she was the grand-daughter of the “reputed” Major James Quarles. A while ago I figured out that Major James Quarles was married first to Major John Pryor’s sister, Mary Pryor, and Elizabeth was a daughter born to Major Quarles and his second wife Dorothy Waller. Therefore, Major Pryor and his wife were related, but not by blood.

There is some other connection between the Virginia Pryor families and the Wallers. I’m not exactly sure how it came about. Here are some more posts where the name Waller was discussed. So this is another connection that remains on the back-burner for now.
https://tennesseepryors.com/virginia-pryors/nancy-pryor-marriage-in-york-county-va-1796/

https://tennesseepryors.com/tennessee-pryors/williamson-county-pryors-connected-to-other-tn-pryor-lines/

Sister, Mary Pryor Quarles: The Major’s marriage to his brother-in-law’s daughter (It starts to sound like a soap opera!) is supported by the Revolutionary War Pension application made by Patsy Minor Quarles the wife of Robert Quarles and also the mother of Pryor Quarles. Patsy states that Robert’s mother was Mary. http://revwarapps.org/w9868.pdf. There is  still a question whether Mary was a sister or an aunt– Major Pryor named his nieces and nephews in  his will, however Robert Quarles was still alive at the time was not named in the will.

Sister, Elizabeth Pryor Hankins, born about 1755. Elizabeth probably pre-deceased the Major as she was not named in his will although her children were named:

  • Archer Hankins b. 1771 – 1780. He was the presiding justice in James City. He’s on the 1830 Census in James City.
  • Pryor Hankins b. 1782. In 1810 Pryor was counted in York County and in 1830 and 1850 he was counted in James City, VA.
  • Dorcas Hankins b. 1785-1790. Dorcas married John Bryan and is named as Dorcas Bryan in Major Pryor’s will. Researchers state her husband died in 1806 which I believe pushes her year of birth back to around 1785 – 1790. Dorcas is a head of household on the 1810 and 1820 Census in York Co., VA (probably Williamsburg area). There are several Hankins households near Dorcas on census records and Pryor Hankins administered the estate of her step-son Frederick Bryan.

A Hankins Mystery:

There are Hankins families on the 1850 Census in Knox County, TN. Eli Hankins was married to Nancy Graves and had a son they named Pryor Hankins. I suspect there is a connection to the Hankins, Graves, and Pryor families from Richmond, VA. Are other Pryors in Knox County related to the Richmond Pryors? Well, I may have the answer to this in my next post!

Nieces, Elizabeth Taylor and Rebecca Taylor – These nieces were probably daughters of the Major’s sister, Sally Pryor Taylor, who was deceased by 1800 per the Major’s will. I do not not know which Taylor married Sally Pryor.

Niece, Mrs. Charlotte Morrison (of Williamsburg, VA) was counted on the 1850 Census in York County. Charlotte was the widow of George F. Morrison.

Nephew, Thomas Pryor. I believe he is the Thomas Pryor on the 1820 Census in Rockingham County, NC. He was counted one line above Elizabeth Pryor Archer. They both have connections to Pryors in Pittsylvania County, VA. There’s a whole lot more on Thomas in one of my next posts!

 

 

 

Category: Virginia Pryors | Tags: , , , ,

Family Trees in the Works for Goochland and Henrico County Pryors

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Goochland Pryor Charts

I know I’ve been hung up in Virginia lately and I’ve also been a bit “charty.” It doesn’t look like either of these conditions will be clearing up soon. I now have 4 Family Trees on my wall for Pryors who have connections to Goochland County. I’m still hoping that as I solve the puzzle of the Virginia Pryors families we’ll have answers for our Tennessee Pryor lines.

Why 4 Charts?

Why 4 Family Trees and not 2 or 6? I’m working off of lines that have been discussed in blog posts, lines that have source information that confirms a connection or alliance.  So far I’ve got the Goochland/Henrico County Pryors boiled down to 4 groups with the oldest known records in the 1720’s and the most solid information on individuals born around 1740.

Who are the Groups?

Group I – Samuel Pryor and Prudence (Thornton)
Records of a Samuel Pryor in Goochland County begin in 1735. Researchers have attributed Samuel as a son of Robert Pryor and Virginia Betty Green of Gloucester County– naming tradition makes this a possibility (Samuel named a son Robert). There is a disconnect in the records of Samuel and his suspected father Robert Pryor: Robert was granted land in Gloucester County in 1692– Are there later records of Robert? Samuel may have held land in both Goochland and neighboring Hanover County. Samuel witnessed a will in Hanover County in 1717 which if Samuel was 21 years old, could mean he was born in 1696 or earlier.

Group II – John Henry Pryor of Orange Co., NC
John Henry is connected to Goochland County by researchers who state he was a brother of Samuel (Group I) and a son of Robert Pryor and Virginia Betty Green.  Again, if naming tradition comes into play, John named his eldest son Robert and another son named Green. John Henry died in Orange Co., NC and because of the surplus of John Pryors in VA, I’m not positive that he is the same man on any document in VA. However, his son Robert owned land in Halifax Co., VA (later Pittsylvania County), his children married into the Perkins family from Henrico County (their spouses were niece and nephew of William Harding who was surety for Nicholas Pryor’s estate in Henrico Co.)

Group III – John Pryor (and Mary New)
John was first mentioned on a deed in 1722 in Henrico Co. Henrico is one of the oldest counties in VA– In 1728 Goochland Co. was formed out of Henrico which probably explains why thereafter this John Pryor was named in Goochland County records. John Pryor died in Goochland County in 1755 (per his will) and left only two living daughters. Although there were no male heirs he may have had siblings because Harris Pryor b. 1740 was a witness to John Wright’s will (son in law of John Pryor and Mary New).

Group IV – Nicholas Pryor
Nicholas Pryor died around 1746 when his wife petitioned the court in Henrico County requesting letter of administration (William Harding was surety, see Group II above). Nicholas’ children were in Henrico Co., and in Arbemarle County in the 1740’s when it was formed out of the northern part of Goochland Co. and in Pittsylvania Co.  Nicholas’ oldest children were born in 1710-1715, which means Nicholas could be the headright who obtained land Henrico Co. in 1688.

It looks like a lot less Pryors to contend with when they get condensed into groups.

 

Category: Virginia Pryors | Tags: , , ,

John Pryor on Beaver Dam in Goochland – There’s More…

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I think I’m developing a crush on the Virginia DOT. I recently found a report they’ve published on old road records. This publication has the best-selller title: Goochland County Road Orders 1728-1744 (I guess it’s a title only a genealogist could love).

Thank you DOT, I now have the earliest records of ANY Pryor in Goochland County. This man appears to be the John Pryor on Beaver Creek (see John Pryor and Mary New – This John Pryor on Beaver Creek Dam).

1729 John PRIOR appointed surveyor of the road from Lower Beaver Dam Bridge to Little Licking Hole Creek. 17 Feb 1729

And there’s more. We now have the names of more of John Pryor’s neighbors and their positions on specific waterways.

1729 Surveyor of the Roads. On the motion of Ebenezer Adams on behalf of himself and others it is ordered that a road be cleared from Bever dam Bridge near John Prior’s to pass by John Wright’s Plantation cross Wild Boar swamp near Elk lick by William Owen’s Plantation cross the North Branch of the Bird to Elk ford on the Bird to end at Martin King’s. John Prior is appointed Surveyor of the said road from Bever dam Bridge to John Rights; John Laine from John Rights to Great Licking hole, Martin Dunken from Great Licking hole to the South branch of the Bird, John Bostick from the South branch of the Bird to Elk ford, Martin King from Elk ford to the River. [17 March 1729, O.S. p. 221]

Does anyone else have records of Pryors in Goochland County in the 1720’s? Was Samuel and Prudence Pryor there in the 1720’s or did their line show up in Goochland County later (a Samuel Pryor is in the vestry records in 1735).

Category: Virginia Pryors | Tags: ,
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