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Category Archives: Virginia Pryors

Identifying Joseph Pryor by Signature?

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Vanessa Wood

You may have seen a question I posted 4 months ago on the Pryor Lastname Genealogy Facebook page. I asked who was the man identified as “Little” Joseph Pryor in Botetourt County, VA records. Oct 1784, “Little” Joseph Pryor cited for cohabitating with William Fulton’s wife. There was Joseph Pryor who married Mary Fleming and his son who was born after 1766. The Facebook conversation included speculation of who an elderly Joseph Pryor was who turned up in White County records around 1813. Then there’s the Joseph Pryor who lived in Jackson County, TN. I wish the Pryors had been a bit more creative with the names… it would make piecing together the genealogy puzzle so much easier! Who were all of these Josephs?

I started looking at signatures. I was curious to see if there were any documents on the web that were signed by Joseph Pryors with similar signatures.

The first two signatures are the Joseph Pryor Sr and Joseph Pryor Jr who were from Botetourt County records. In 1800 a Chancery Court suit was filed in Augusta County naming Joseph Pryor as a resident of Botetourt County. Joseph Pryor “the elder” was a plaintiff and there’s a deposition (although very short) given by Joseph Jr who states that the older Joseph was his father. This is the signature of Joseph Jr. in 1802.

Isn’t it interesting how different the same signature looks? I guess it depended on how you held the quill on a given day! The “J” though is very similar and the final “r” in Pryor is also very similar.

This is the signature of of Joseph Pryor Sr. Wow, very different than his son’s writing. Different J. Different P. Different curve on the Y.

The next Joseph Pryor I looked at was the Joseph in Greene County, TN who signed the marriage bond in 1799 for Catharine Pryor and Enoch Odle.

Enoch Odle left his “mark” in 1799 (see above Joseph’s signature) as he did in 1855 when he applied for his 1812 land bounty warrant, but Joseph Pryor signed the bond. Was Joseph Pryor one of the educated men from among the Virginia Pryors? I don’t think this Joseph Pryor’s signature looks a thing like Jr or Sr Pryor from Botetourt County, so can we rule out that they are the same man?

The Joseph Pryor who was in Tuscaloosa, AL left a family Bible and will. I don’t know who wrote the names into the Bible or even if they are contemporary inscriptions. The writing doesn’t compare with any of the Josephs noted above– there are green dots next to “J” and “P” that differ from the above samples.

Joseph in Alabama left a will but it’s signed with a “mark” rather than a signature. Was he unable to sign his name due to old age or infirmity? Or was he a different man than the one who was in Green County, TN?

I’d love to compare another signature. In 1801 Joseph Pryor signed a petition in Smith County to prevent consolidating part of Smith County with White County. Enoch Odle also signed or left his mark. Does anyone have a copy of this document?

Samuel Pryor and Frances Morton Pryor – More on The Goochland County Pryors.

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Vanessa Wood

I used to have dreams about all the John Pryors. Really, they were more like nightmares! Now my brain is trying to make sense of all the Samuel Pryors who were in Goochland County, VA. If you’re working on the Goochland Pryors, I suggest viewing a Chancery Court Case; Frances Pryor vs Excutor of William Pryor. http://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/case_detail.asp?CFN=075-1786-006

I believe this is Frances Morton who first married Nicholas Meriwether, and then in 1760 married Samuel Pryor at St. James Northam in Goochland County. Frances and Samuel are supposed to be the parent of Samuel Pryor who married Polly Curd. This younger Samuel was baptized at S. James Northam in March 1762.

The chancery suit fills in some blanks, but leaves other wide-open. It states that Frances was a widow and that her husband died in 1760-something. It actually says 176 and a big fat blank for the year. The suit states he had a child who was still a minor, which sounds right for young Samuel.

The suit is dated 1769 on the Library of Virginia website, however the actual documents state it was filed in 1762. Poor Frances must have been left with a very young baby and children from her previous marriage. Part of the suit is Frances trying to get money out of the sale of slaves and 484 acres she thought her husband had owned in Dinwiddie County, VA.

William Pryor, brother of Samuel and brother-in-law of Frances Morton Pryor, took over the task of the estate’s administrator. So, William was the William Pryor who married Elizabeth Hughes. It all becomes a tangled mess when William died in 1777 and his son Samuel (who the suit clearly states was the nephew of the Samuel who married Frances) takes over the administration of the estate.

I admit that I got most of my information on the Goochland Pryors from other researchers years ago. Having access to records online makes it easier to fact check. Some of what I have isn’t fact checking. My notes have Col. Samuel Pryor and Prudence Thornton were the parents of William Pryor b. 1726 who died in 1777. William married Sarah Wood. I have the Samuel and Prudence were the parents of Samuel Pryor, but I have no information on that Samuel.

My other notes state Col. William Pryor and Sarah Wood were the parents of Dr. Samuel Pryor who married Frances Morton.

Something’s not right. I think from the ages of Col. Samuel and Prudence Pryor’s children– it’s more likely the Samuel who married Frances Morton was their son. He would have been born in the 1730’s or very early 1740’s. So, did William Pryor and Sarah Wood also have a son named Samuel? Which Samuel?

Any thoughts?

Category: Virginia Pryors | Tags: Goochland County, Virginia

Sorting Out Samuel Pryor – Yes, There’s More than One!

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Vanessa Wood

I’ve done a lot of back-tracking through my research as I’ve worked on the Pryors. I’ve had to do a extreme turn. For years I’ve assumed there was one Samuel Thornton Pryor in Goochland Co., VA. Good grief, there’s actually a whole lot more. So, I think it’s time to share all the Samuels. As usual, open to ideas to make sure everyone is matched up to their correct family.

Col. Samuel Pryor, born about 1698-1699. Married to Prudence Thornton. Recorded in the 1735 Goochland Co. Vestry Records as a processioner. He died about or before 1763, a 1763 deed of Thornton Pryor stated that his father, Samuel, was already deceased.

Samuel Pryor, born about 1700. I see other researchers online have used “A Pryor Family Narrative,” by J. Gatewood Pryor, 1995, to show Col. Samuel Pryor had a son named Samuel. I suspect he did, but not the Samuel Pryor who married Frances Morton Meriwether as derived from this book. A 1777 Will of Samuel Pryor in Goochland County names wife Sarah, sons Samuel, William and John, daughters Sally Payne (Sarah?), Patty (Martha?), and Mary.

Samuel Pryor, born about 1740. Married Frances Morton Meriwether in 1760. He was the son of William Pryor and grandson of Col. Samuel Pryor. There’s a record of an estate of Samuel Pryor inventoried in 1766—I would like to see this record because I suspect it was Col. Samuel Pryor’s estate. A 1768 Chancery Court Case involves Samuel Pryor, executor and administrator of William Pryor’s estate. I think he’s the same Pryor counted on the 1789 Tax List and named in a 1792 Chancery Court Case, Samuel Pryor vs. Henry and Lucy Wood.

Samuel Thornton Pryor. born about 1775. He married Sally Drumright. Their children were Peggy (wife of Richard Clarke), Rebecca (wife of William A Underwood), Samuel Thornton Pryor, Martha W (wife of John M Drumright), Nancy (wife of Degrasse Drumright), and Fanny. This Samuel was named the executor of his father-in-law’s estate (Thomas Drumright) in a 1815 Chancery Court Case. Samuel died before 1835 when another Chancery Court case was filed that named all his children as heirs. I suspect this Samuel.

Is there another Samuel Pryor or is this Samuel Thornton Pryor born about 1775? I’m working with the concept that perhaps Samuel Thornton Pryor b. 1775 was the son of John Pryor and Mary Dennis. John died in Amelia County in 1785 and there is a son named Samuel in his will. John’s daughter, Mary, married Alexander Bolling. There’s a 1797 Chancery Court Case that names both a Samuel Pryor and a Bolling in Goochland County: “Samuel Pryor vs Stephen Southall.” I’m wondering if there were 2 Samuel’s because there’s a will for a Samuel Pryor proved in Amelia Co., May 27, 1790, nameing brothers Richard, Luke and Philip Pryor who were also named in John Pryor’s 1785 will.

Samuel Pryor baptized at St. James Northam in 1762 married Mary Curd and was in Kentucky by 1800. He died around 1812-1813 in Kentucky. Of course he had a son named Samuel (the father of noted judged William S. Pryor).

Category: Virginia Pryors | Tags: Amelia County, Goochland County, Samuel Pryor and Prudence Thornton

Henrico County Family: Exploring Pryor and Woodson Connections Through DNA

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Vanessa Wood

I’m lukewarm over the Ancestry DNA test. At best it’s “helpful.” The test I’m moderating has returned results that include Woodson ancestors. Ancestry doesn’t pinpoint a branch to search and only identifies them as possibly 5th to 8th cousins. My experience with the Ancestry results tells me that they are likely further back than 8th cousins and their years of birth are far enough back to indicate they are more than 8th cousins.

I’m working off a fairly well researched family tree. There are no lines other than the Pryors who trace back to Goochland and Henrico Counties in Virginia. There are some “missing links” like wives surnames and families on other lines of the Tree, however the Pryor line has numerous connections with the Woodsons and it seems the most likely to match this line. Wouldn’t be nice if Ancestry’s DNA results told us exactly which generation and individual it connect’s with— Hey, I don’t need a name just whether it’s gr-gr-gr-grandma on side of the Tree or gr-gr-gr-grandpa on the other side of the Tree.

Here’s the Pryor branch of the Tree:

10. Nicholas Pryor born abt 1665, md Susannah —–?
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9. children of Nicholas Pryor:
David Pryor born bef 1715, md Miss Childress
William Pryor born abt 1718, md Margaret —–? (possibly Lafoon)
John Pryor born abt 1689, md Mary New
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8. children of John Pryor:
Rebecca Pryor born aft 1708, md Robert Woodson
Ann Pryor born abt. 1710, md John Wright
8. children of David Pryor:
David Pryor born abt 1738, md Susannah Ballew
John Pryor born abt 1740, md —–?
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7. children of John Pryor:
William Pryor born abt. 1765, md Spicy Taylor
John Pryor born abt 1780, md Massie Taylor
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6. son of John Pryor:
Allen L Pryor b. 1816, md Elizabeth Talley
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5. grand-child of John Pryor, not married to a Woodson and spouse has no Woodson connections
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4. great grand-child of John Pryor, not married to a Woodson and spouse has no Woodson connections
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3. great-great grand-child of John Pryor, not married to a Woodson and spouse has no Woodson connections.
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2. great-great-great grand-child of John Pryor, not married to a Woodson and spouse has no Woodson connections.
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1. Test Subject: great-great-great-great grand-child of John Pryor

10 generations and unknown surnames in the 8th and 10th generations. Did John Pryor b. 1740 marry a Woodson? Did Nicholas Pryor at the top of the Tree marry a Woodson?

So which Woodsons are reported connections? I got 3 matches (these were all low quality without Ancestry leaf hints) to Robert Woodson born about 1630-1660 who married Rachel Watkins. I had another hit to Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Woodson. Then another match to Elizabeth Woodson b. 1703 (daughter of Benjamin Woodson). It’s hard to know if these are correct… Ancestry’s system relies on the creator of a tree to input correct information, so some research is needed to see if these matches are for the same Elizabeth Woodson and to determine if her father was Robert or Woodson.

Category: Virginia Pryors | Tags: Henrico county, Nicholas Pryor line, Woodson

Location of Major John Pryor’s Haymarket Gardens in Richmond, VA

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Vanessa Wood

richmond-map

I’ve wondered for some time where the Haymarket Gardens amusement park was located in Richmond, VA. This was the house and park owned by Major John Pryor, retired Revolutionary War soldier and ex-husband of Anne Beverly Whiting. I stumbled upon a map of Poe’s Richmond. Yes, that’s the same guy who was the founder of modern mystery fiction, author Edgar Allen Poe. Who knew that Poe would even remotely tie into the Pryors!

Ann Beverly Whiting, the future mother of explorer John C Fremont lived there. President Jefferson’s cousin stayed there and to some accounts was treated more like a servant than a house guest. Major Pryor’s Revolutionary War Widow’s pension file has a sworn statement in it that Rev. Edmund Lacy, a methodist minister, performed Major Pryor’s second marriage to Elizabeth Quarles Graves at Haymarket Gardens.

The map states “1799 site of Pryor’s or Haymarket Gardens, was on Petersburg R. R. Station location, Byrd and 7th Sts.” I’ve added a small red dot to mark the location above. Major Pryor died in 1823, while Poe was living in Richmond. I wonder if the Haymarket was still in operation at that time or if had already closed to make way for the railroad station.

I wonder where Major Pryor was buried. Centenary Methodist is a 200 year old church in the Richmond.

Category: Virginia Pryors | Tags: Map, Revolutionary War, Richmond