The descendants of David Pryor of Buckingham County, VA have claimed him as the father of Mitchie Pryor who married Thomas Jefferson’s brother. I think I’m swayed to that idea… well maybe. His descendants have used him as their “Patriot” ancestor to gain admission to The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). Are we sure it’s the same David Pryor in the military records?
David Pryor at Valley Forge, PA
I found David Pryor on the Valley Forge muster rolls (http://valleyforgemusterroll.org/muster.asp). The encampment at Valley Forge was from December 1777 into the spring of 1778. It’s interesting that he was with Virginians in the North, however the record also had a piece of information that was kind of a treat… he was innoculated for Small Pox. There’s more about Washington ordering the innoculation of his troops on the Army Heritage website www.armyheritage.org— he had to get Gov. Patrick Henry’s approval because Virginia didn’t allow innoculations. I never realized soldiers getting their shots went back that far.
I was excited to find that Ancestry now has the the Revolutionary War rosters index. It makes it soooooooo much easier to find people. I wanted to see when David Pryor first appeared on a roll. The first entry indexed is dated 1775, however when I reviewed it the handwritten record says 1777. The actual first record is dated May 1778, and the last record is dated March 1779 at Camp Middlebrook (NJ).
David Pryor in Capt Charles Fleming’s Company
A Muster Roll of Capt. Charles Fleming’s Company in the seventh Virginia Regiment of foot command Alexander McClenachan Esq. from the first day of December 1777 to first day of May 1778
Commissioned: Feb 29 1778, Capt. Charles Fleming, on furlough Virginia
May 2, 1778, Lieut. Mayo Carrington
December 28, 1778 Ensign John White. On command Country Store
NOTE: There are 66 men named in this company, I’ve added ** next to men who are also named on the last roster (1779) that included David Pryor:
Claiborne Davenport (**Clay Davenport)
Robert Richardson
David Bradley (**)
Terry Calloway
William Mosby (** furlough)
Jesse Farmer
Thomas Smith (** furlough)
Elijah Smith (**)
James Burnett
John Arthur
John Welch (** furlough)
Edmond Archdeacon
James Kerr (**)
Daniel Scott
Otey Prosper (**)
Abraham Stovall (**)
Isaac Winfree
John King
Thomas Ligon
Samuel Wooton
M…? Spencer
Richard Tankersley
David Caldwell
William Cheatham
William Butler
Fontaine Tankersley
Robert Taylor (**)
Travis George
Joseph Terrell
John Coupland (Copeland?) (**)
Lewis Orange
Larkin Smith (**)
William B___?
William Harrison
William Cowley
James Archdeacon
Jacob Aikin (**)
George Taylor (** furlough)
Obadiah Cochran (** furlough)
Nathan Russell (** furlough)
John Chavor? (** furlough)
Edward Pedefow
John Pool
William Roberts (**)
John Caldwell
Solomonn Newcom
Jesse Thomas
David Pryor (**)
Philemon Davidson
Augustine Bryant
Charles Stephens
Samuel Howard
Jacob Agee
Samuel Glover (**)
William Stone
Jacob Strouse
Eleazar Haywood (** furlough)
William Brown
John Taylor
Jacob Alford
William Colquitt
William Sims
Thomas Burrough
Frederick Smith
Matthew Worley
James Bedford
May 8th 1778 then mustered Capt Charles Fleming’s Company as specified in the above Roll
Sons of the American Revolution
There are 3 Sons of the American Revolution applications on Ancestry. Two were filed in 1926 and one was filed in 1944, piggybacking on the 1926 information. All 3 are descendants of John Cannon Pryor, who they state was a son of David Pryor. Is that a good guess of did they have some documentation that showed that? The applications use the Revolutionary War rosters to prove service, however when it comes to the relationships they are pretty loosely documented. One applicant used the Virginia Magazine of History to “prove” David’s father was William of Amherst County and that they were descended from Robert Pryor of Gloucester County. I have my doubts.
In Conclusion…
My conclusion (for now) is that the military record is of one David Pryor. David Pryor was in the 7th Regiment at Valley Forge and on the rosters. The Valley Forge site states the 7th Regiment was from VA. I’m willing to think this may be David Pryor of Buckingham County, however there’s nothing in the Rosters that state he was from that county nor does it hint at any other county.
