Category Archives: Virginia Pryors

French Indian War Militia Men Connected to the Pryors

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Revolutionary War

Sept 1758, Albemarle Co. – Men who fought with the Militia in the French Indian War.
http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/albemarle/military/frenchindian/fiw_albemarle.txt
There are 3 Pryor men on this list (well, maybe 2 Pryors and 1 Prior).

Rich. Prior
Nicholas Pryor
William Pryor

I notices as I’ve searched out Pryor connections I kept stumbling upon this list. When I poked around a bit I found that several of the men had some pretty interesting connections to the Pryors, mostly to the line of Nicholas Pryor. Here goes…

Jas. Nevil, Capt.  – Captain James Neville was married to Lucy Thomas. After his death his widow, Lucy, married Abraham Childress. Yes, the same Abraham Childress who was the grandfather of young John and David Pryor who were orphaned in 1747. Abraham Childress, and the younger John and David Pryor all appear on records in Albemarle County.

Chas. Ellis , Capt. – Captain Charles Ellis was the father of Susannah Ellis who married Isaac Wright, and the Captain was also the grandfather of Elizabeth Wright who married the Capt. William Pryor who served in the American Revolution and settled in Amherst Co. Capt. William Pryor was born shortly before 1758 to the elder William Pryor living in Albemarle County. Ellis was deeded land in Albemarle County on Horsely Branch in 1759 (around the time of his service in the Militia).

John Hunter , Capt. – This may be the same man as Jno. Hunter who was recorded as a property owner living in Amherst County in 1769, surrounded by properties owned by neighbors of the Pryors in the same county. (Amherst Deed Book C, p. 18, 15 Jun 1769  JNO. DENNEE & wife ELIZ, Roann)

Cornelius Thomas , Lieut. – Cornelius is recorded as the son of Lucy Thomas (see James Neville above).

Ashcroft Roach – Ashcroft was the son of Henry Roach of St. Peter’s Parish, New Kent County. Henry was in that parish about the time Nicholas Pryor baptized his son William Pryor at the same parish in 1725.

Isham Davis – Brother of Abadiah Davis who married William Floyd. Researchers have stated Abadiah and William were the parents of Charles Floyd who went on the Lewis and Clark Expedition and also the parents of Nancy Floyd who married John Pryor — the parents of Nathaniel Pryor another Lewis and Clark explorer. Isham Davis owned property on Wilderness Swamp in Albemarle County in 1756.

Thos. Cotrell , Corp. – Thomas Cottrell owned property on the Buffalo River in Albemarle in 1750. He was born in Henrico County. His brother Gilbert Cottrell married an Elizabeth Pryor in 1760.

Solo. Carter  – Solomon Carter was a property owner on Puppy’s Creek in Albemarle County in 1767. He married Mary Ann Childress, daughter of Abraham Childress (again, the grandfather of John and David Pryor of Albemarle County).

Category: Virginia Pryors | Tags: , , ,

Solving a Samuel Pryor

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Charlotte County Court Grounds
Charlotte County Court Grounds

I think we may be able to figure out a stray Samuel Pryor that was floating around Virginia in the early years after the American Revolution.

There’s a Pryor will in Charlotte County, VA.

Will of Robert PRYOR written in Dec 1779, proved Apr 1780. Names wife Mildred Pryor, son Samuel PRYOR (a minor), Martha PRYOR, Prudent PRYOR, Mary PRYOR, and Elizabeth PRYOR daughters of Samuel PRYOR deceased.

Robert Pryor has been referred to as a son of Samuel Pryor and Prudence Thornton by other researchers and I seem to remember J. Gatewood Pryor in his book also states Robert was Samuel’s son.  While I can’t find any documents that name Robert as a son I may be willing to take that leap. Samuel Pryor is supposed to be the son of Robert Pryor and Virginia Betty Green, so it’s not unlikely that he would name a son after his father.

Robert Pryor in his will left his estate to his minor son named Samuel (again, this possibly follows the tradition of naming a child after one’s father).

Robert also included four Pryor women who were the daughters of another Samuel. Could this “other” Samuel in Robert’s will be his brother and the son of Samuel and Prudence? I’ve seen family trees that indicate that Samuel Pryor and Prudence Thornton had a son named Samuel, although I’ve found nothing about him. And again in the book by J. Gatewood Pryor he stated Samuel and Prudence had a son also named Samuel, although he mistakenly stated that it was the Samuel who married Frances Morton.  If this “other” Samuel only had female heirs (Martha, Prudent [sic], Mary, and Elizabeth) and was deceased by 1779, it’s not out of the question that researchers have not focused on his line, nor found out more about him.

And it is intriguing that this “other” Samuel named a daughter Prudent (or Prudence?), possibly after his mother Prudence Thornton Pryor.

I guess as we move forward to solve the Pryor lines in Virginia, we have to ask if other Samuel Pryors in the records are “this” Samuel Pryor.

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Nancy Pryor Marriage in York County, VA 1796

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Alas there are times when people are lost to the ages. Sometimes it feels like many of our female Pryors are lost. I have an idea of which line this Nancy Pryor belongs to.

There’s a York County, VA marriage…

Thomas Sands to Nancy Pryor
Bondsman: Edward Brook (signed “Brooke”)
Witness: Ben. Waller, Jr.
August 23, 1796,  p. 426

I suspect this Nancy Pryor is related to Major John Pryor of Richmond.

1. Major John Pryor’s sister was Mary Pryor who married James Quarles. When Mary died, James married Dorothy Waller.

2. The Waller’s were a prominent family in Virginia (as were Major Pryor’s family). Benjamin Waller Sr. was the son of a Dorothy King. Was Benjamin Sr. the father of both Benjamin Waller Jr. and Dorothy Waller Quarles?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Waller

3. The will of John Tayloe Corbin was witnessed by Benjamin Waller of Williamsburg in 1793. Major John Pryor was connected to the Tayloes through his horse trading:

A  publication of a horse pedigree in The American Farmer states a horse named Federalist raised on the estate of John Tayloe, deceased, was sold to Major John Pryor by William Beale Jr. (published April 17, 1829, but the sale possibly occurred 10 to 20 years earlier). The America Stud Book, Vol. 1 states Federalist was bred at Mt. Airy.

I’m keeping a note of this Nancy Pryor as a possible niece of Major John Pryor.

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More on the Last of the Chancery Court Records

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Quill and Ink


I need to revisit the last post. I found something that helps to ID one of the Pryors in the court records– Henry Lee vs. John Pryor, filed 1799 in Henrico Co., VA.

From Elizabeth Pryor Harper’s book:

JOHN PRYOR, Maysville & Mason County, 1780 Major John Prior Nov 14 1796 William Wood and Alexander D Orr, Article of agreement for division of land on Lawrence Creek in Mason County, Kentucky. The claim was in name of John Pryor witnessed by Henry Lee D S 2 p Endorsed William Wood, and A D Orr.

Bear with me…

1784 Land Grant in Fayette Co., KY- To John Pryor 6000 acres on Lawrence Creek in Fayette Co., KY. 24 Oct 1784

You see the Mason County deed and earlier Fayette county land grant  appear to be about the same land on Lawrence Creek.

“Major John Pryor” in most cases refers to the old John Pryor in Richmond who died without issue. We know from Maj Pryor’s Revolutionary War Pension Application that he received land in Kentucky (see post) and that he sold of most of the land. It looks like his acquaintance Henry Lee was a witness to his land sale and a few years later filed suit in Richmond.

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

The Last of the Virginia Chancery Court Records

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Uniform

I’ve enjoyed reading through the Virginia Chancery Court records. Unfortunately there are 5 cases that involve Pryors that are in the index but aren’t online. I decided to Google the names to see if I could tell which Pryors were involved in the cases.

1. Thomas Booth vs. John Pryor, filed 1793 in Henrico County. I believe this is Major John Pryor of Richmond who died without issue. In 1837 Elizabeth Dandridge the widow of John Dandridge swore out an application for his Revolutionary War pension. She was the daughter of Thomas Booth. They married in 1782 and in attendance were the groomsmen Chief Justice John Marshall** and Major John Pryor (he was about 32 years old in 1782). She also states Colonel Edward Carrington and Mrs. Elizabeth Carrington of Richmond were also in attendance.
http://revwarapps.org/w6993.pdf
** John Marshall was the first Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court.

2. John Pryor vs. John Beckley, filed 1792 in Henrico County. John Beckley was connected to the Pryors in Albemarle County and Amherst County, VA. Susannah Harding born around 1720 married first Charles Ellis who died around 1760 in Albemarle County. Her second husband was John Beckley. Capt. Charles Ellis was associated with the Pryors: (1) 1756 Military Orders – Peter Jefferson, county lieutenant of Albemarle militia, Albemarle county, June 6, 1756, order to Captains Charles Ellis, Nicholas Pryor, James Sanders, James Budar, Joshua Fowler, and Richard Trout. D. S. E, 51, (2) 1758 Militia – Albemarle County, Sept. 1758, Richard Prior, Nicholas Pryor and William Pryor. Other names: Capt. Charles Ellis (see 1756 Military Orders above), (Virginia Colonial Militia, page 66.) Of note, Charles Ellis was the father of Susannah Ellis who married Isaac Wright, Ellis’ grand-daughter Elizabeth Wright married Capt. William Pryor whose account of military service was recorded in 1832, (3) And possibly connected to will of John Clayton (copy made by Christopher Pryor), 1774, of John Clayton (1694-1773) probated in Gloucester County, Virginia and witnessed by John James Beckley. Who is this John Pryor? Without reading the case it’s hard to tell, but I suspect he’s related to headright Nicholas Pryor who’s descendants settled in Albemarle and Amherst Counties.

3. Major Pryor vs. Joseph Watkins, filed 1764 in Chesterfield County. I suspect this is not Major John Pryor of Richmond as he was born in 1750, so he was likely too young to have filed a suit in 1764.

The last two… sorry I haven’t figured out who they are.

4. John Pryor vs. Henry Lee, filed 1799 in Henrico County

5. James Bennett vs. Samuel Pryor, filed 1785 in Henrico County. Additional surnames in the record are Duke and Holland.

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