In the Chancery Court Records of Goochland County I found more Pryors who are new to me. There is as suit titled William Smith and wife Sally v. Samuel Pryor, and another suit titled Samuel Pryor v. William Smith and wife. Thank goodness, everyone decided to sue eachother… it certainly helps us Pryor researchers figure out who is who!
The first of the suits was filed in 1799. Samuel was the son of Col. William Pryor and Sarah (nee Wood). Samuel was also the executor of his father’s estate. His answer to one of the cases gives us a date for his mother’s death: Mrs Sally Pryor died intestate on August 7, 1791. Sally’s children and Samuel’s siblings named in the suits are
MARTHA PRYOR and her husband William Morton
MOLLY PRYOR and her husband Nelson Harris
SALLY PRYOR and her husband William Smith
JOHN PRYOR
There’s another Goochland County Chancery suit titled Sarah Payne vs. George Payne Sr. (1779) states Sarah Payne to be the daughter of William Pryor, deceased. Sarah was the wife of Matthew Payne, also dec’d. I searched online and found several references to Sarah Pryor who married Matthew Payne in 1753. So was Sarah Pryor the Sally Pryor who married William Smith?
I didn’t have Molly and Nelson Harris. An online search revealed Nelson Harris married Mary Pryor on 9 Nov 1789, William Smith (her brother-in-law) was bondsman. They married in Louisa Co., VA.
I thought the line of Samuel and Prudence Thornton were the well-documented Pryors. I’m beginning to wonder!
