Part I: OK Pryors – Who Were All Those Pryors in Oklahoma?

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October is Oklahoma Pryor month
here on the TnPryor website!

I’m by no means an expert on the Pryor families in OK. Hopefullly the articles spur us to do more research into the Pryors in Oklahoma and answer some long-standing mysteries. Let’s get started… it’s going to be a fun month!

After “debunking” (Debunking a Daughter of Explorer Nathaniel Pryor) the daughter of Nathaniel Pryor sited in Chronicles of Oklahoma  I looked at the rest of the article to see if there were more clues to the Osage Pryors. I was hoping that by looking at the Pryors in Oklahoma I could tease out those with Native American ancestry who were the likeliest descendants of Nathaniel Pryor.

Volume 48 of The Chronicles of Oklahoma was published in 1970. On page 295 begins the article titled Ancestry of Captain Nathaniel Pryor by Glenna Parker Middlebrooks and Elizabeth Pryor Harper.  To be fair to the authors, in 1970 information was not only less accessible (no Internet), but neither a census of the Indian Territory nor of the State of Oklahoma was released. The last census available was the 1880 Census and it did not include either the state nor the territory.

Why look at the Pryors in Oklahoma? Like Ms. Middlebrooks and Ms. Harper researchers are still interested in Nathaniel Pryor of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Did he have children with his wife in the East? Did he marry a Native American bride and have children in the West? Which, if any, of the Pryors in Oklahoma are descended from Nathaniel Pryor?

Middlebrooks and Harper cite baptism records from a Kansas mission and the 1822 will of James Pryor in Jefferson Co., MO as the source of the names of Nathaniel children and heirs. They ID his Osage children as Marie and Mary Jane and James’ heirs as Robert L. Pryor, Nathaniel Pryor, Robert McClelland, Jane B. Gilly, and Eliza Oldham. And Angelique who was baptized in 1841 they identify as Osinga, Pryor’s wife. LewisandClark.org cites a 1831 will for Nathaniel Pryor that was probated in St. Louis, MO naming children: Jane B., James, Nancy, Robert L., Eliza, Nathaniel, and his children by his Osage wife named Mary Ann, Angelique, and Marie.  Siblings or children, no one agrees.

We also need to look at the location: Kansas. The land which would become Kansas was part of the Lousiana Purchase in 1803. I remained wild land, inhabited by Native American tribes, trappers, and fur traders until it became the Kansas territory in 1854. The territory encompassed what is now parts of Colorado and all of Kansas. In 1861 Kansas because a state.

 Then there’s a question of how surnames were used amongst the Osage. Oklahoma and Indian Territory records show that even in the 20th century many Osage used a Native American name and an anglicized name. Women at times were counted on census records under one surname while living with a spouse of a different surname. Did Osage women change their name after marriage? When they accepted a “European” name, did they adopt the tradition of taking the husband’s surname after marriage? I welcome comment from anyone who knows something about these traditions.

 The tradition of surnames is important. Even in disagreement, the above sources agree that Nathaniel Pryor probably had at lease two Osage daughters, no Osage sons. Would the Pryor surname have been carried on by his daughters? Did Pryor have a son born of an Osage mother who carried on the Pryor surname?

Oklahoma history makes it difficult to pin down which of the Pryors may be related to Nathaniel.  US Policy starting with the “Trail of Tears” in 1831 moved Native Americans from other tribes and regions to lands in the Oklahoma area already occupied by Osage and Quapaw tribes. Beginning in1866 white settlers, many from Texas, began to settle illegally. Nathaniel Pryor may have settled at a trading post near Pryor, OK…but it may be almost impossible to tell which Native American Pryors are descended from Nathaniel Pryor or who were Pryors of Native American ancestry who simply migrated from other states.

Since the publication of the article in 1970, four US Censuses were released, thus adding insight into another forty years. I have sifted through the Pryors on the Indian Territory Census of 1900 and the Indian Census Rolls from the mid 1890’s onward. Extractions are now updated on the Tennessee Pryor website (www.tnpryors.com).

We can see in the Oklahoma Census records how its history is played out. Within a 20 year period Oklahoma saw the greatest influx of white settlers due the “Land Runs” from 1889 to 1895, the discovery of oil in 1894 (the Osage allotments in 1906), and statehood in 1907.

 End of Part I

 Watch for …

Part II: OK Pryors: Osage Pryors

Category: Native Americans, Oklahoma Pryors

Melungeon Pryors and DNA Testing

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Ooops. I scheduled the wrong article to be sent today. Appologies if you received the incomplete article. The correct article on the Pryors is below……

Recently I was curious to see if there has been DNA developments in tracing the Melungeons. If you haven’t encountered the Melungeons yet in your genealogy quest there are some good websites to introduce the topic (melungeons.com is the place to start and provides other websites to explore).  I wondered, “Hmmm, are there any Pryors who were Melungeons?” So I Googled.

I found on Melungeons.com a list of a 1786 Tax List of Botetourt County. It’s described as West Virginia, however 1786 was more than a half century before West Virginia became a state.  While there are no Pryors on the list, several families lived in the Pryor District.

Also came up with a 1755 list of people of color in Granville Co., NC. On the list is Joe, Robin, and Tener Pryor. I’m assuming these were Free Blacks. Where did they go? Did their name carry on into future generations?

There are lists of inherited Melungeon traits (some correct, some not so correct) that people use as indicators of Melungeon heritage. I like the article on Melungion.org that explains the traits and concludes that DNA testing is even inconclusive because of mixed racial and ethnic heritage.

My Offer… DNA TESTING

I’ve realized that to get to the root of my Pryor line I need to do genetic testing. It’s a male line, so I won’t be able to take the test (the only downside of being a girl). I’m offering to pay for male genetic testing through Ancestry.com for a male descendant of ALLEN L. PRYOR of Sumner County, TN. You need to be a male from the male line of Allen L. Pryor. Contact me and I’ll order the test and have it sent to you. Let’s finally connect our line to other Pryors!

If you have a similar offer for to resolve your Pryor line feel free to click on the title of this article and then list your offer in the COMMENT area on this page.

Category: Brick Walls, Tennessee Pryors, Virginia Pryors

Missouri Pryor Families in Gasconade, Bates, Vernon and Other Counties

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A researcher  sent me the transcription of the probate record of Robert Pryor. He was on the 1828 Tax List in Gasconade Co., MO and the 1830 US Census.

“I do Solemnly Swear that Robert Pryor died with out a will as far as I do Know and believe and that I will make a true and perfect Inventory of and faithfuly administer all the Estate of the deceased and pay his debts as far as the assets will esctind and the law directs and pay —- all assets which Shall come to my hands possession or knowledge and also the following is a true list of the Heirs of Said Estate and places of their residence and age Agness P Huffman age 22 Gasconade Co., Sarah Simpson age 20 Gasconade Co., Elizabeth Simpson age 18 Gasconade Co., Rosann Pryor age 13 Gasconade Co., Rebecca Pryor age 11 Gasconade Co., Wm W Pryor age 7 Gasconade Co., Polly Caroline Pryor age 3 Gasconade Co. John G. Huffman Sworn to and Subscribed before me this 20th day of February 1837 Eli M Litton Clk'”

Most of Robert’s children can be traced through Gasconade Co. marriage records and later on the 1850 Census in Bates Co., MO.

Agness Pryor, born c. 1815, married to John G. Huffman, 23 June 1831, Gasconade. They were on the 1840 Census in Gasconade Co.
 
Sarah Pryor, born c. 1817, married to Samuel Simpson 6 July 1834, Gasconade. They are on the 1850 Census in Bates Co., MO with Samuel recorded as “Benjamin.” In 1860 they were in Vernon Co., MO with Samuel as head of household.
 
Elizabeth Pryor, born c. 1819, married to Daniel Simpson 23 May 1836, Gasconade. They are on the 1850 Census in Bates Co., MO.
 
Rosannah Pryor, born about 1824, married to Philip Gooch, 6 Jan 1839 Gasconade. They are on the Philip and wife “Anna” are on the 1840 and 1850 Census in Gasconade Co.  Anna appears to have remarried and is recorded as Anna James with her Gooch children on the 1860 Census in Vernon Co. and had apparently remarried again by 1870 when she was recorded in Jasper County as Anna Abbott.
 
William W. Pryor, born c. 1830 was living with his sister Elizabeth Pryor Simpson in Bates Co. in 1850.
 
Polly Caroline Pryor, born c. 1834. I haven’t yet matched “Caroline” to a census record, She may have died at a young age in that her siblings named children “Caroline”.

 

Seems odd that Robert was in Gasconade Co. that was also the home Pleasant Pryor who is supposedly a son of William Pryor of  White Co., TN (a son of Richard and Mourning Pryor). Then Robert’s heirs and Daniel end up in Bates and Vernon County with more kin of William of White Co.! We know that Richard and Mourning were in Graves Co., KY – in fact there are other MO Pryors from their line who were born in KY (sons of Jeremiah Pryor were born in KY in 1811-1819. Jeremiah was either a son or grandson of Richard and Mourning).

October is Oklahoma Pryor month here on the TnPryor website!

Watch for posts that tackle the questions of Oklahoma Pryor genealogy…

Category: Genealogy

Samuel N. Pryor of Marion Co. and McNairy Co., TN

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In The Land Laws of Tennessee published in 1891  states the following act in 1824.

“An act to legalize the official acts of the surveyor of Marion County.  Whereas in the appointment of the surveyor of Marion County, at the last session of the General Assembly, a mistake was made in the name of said surveyor, by calling him Samuel C. Pryor, instead of Samuel N. Pryor.”

Samuel N. Pryor is recorded on the 1830 Census in McNairy Co., TN. This entry in the annals of Tennessee is a further link to tie Samuel N. Pryor to Marion Co., TN.

Category: Genealogy

Is Benjamin W. Pryor AKA B.W. of Elizabeth City, VA?

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Benjamin Pryor appears only on the 1850 Census. By that time he was living with William O. Pryor in Ellis Co., TX. Benjamin was born about 1788 in Virginia. I’m alway curious when I find an “older” Pryor on the records and then can’t find them in earlier census, so I set out to try to fill in the “blanks”… where was Ben Pryor living, who was he related to?

I found in 1807 that Benjamin W. Pryor had a letter waiting for him at the Nashville Post Office. Not only did this provide a middle initial for this Pryor, but it again helped to establish ties to Tennessee.

Google Books has been a terrific resource. I found that a B. W. Pryor in 1813 was subscribing to a publication called the “Mountain Muse” apparently book of the adventures of Daniel Boone.  While the book recounts frontier stories, it was published in Rockingham, VA. The copy of the book in Google bears the personal inscription of the owner, Matthias Coats 1830 and later a Collin Coats. The book is poetry in the elevated language of the English poets (it would be a while before America had a Mark Twain!).

“His word a lively echo found.
O yes! companions in the joys of bliss!
We will refine, exalt, and humanize
Th’ uncivilized Barbarians of the West.

The point? The persons who subscribed to this book either had to know the author or were somewhat scholarly, educated readers.

B. W. Pryor is noted in “The Letters and Times of the Tylers” by Lyon G. Tyler, published in 1884. The book contains an account of a ballot cast in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1815-1816 session states Pryor was from Elizabeth City, an intimate friend of John Tyler, and a vetern of the Battle of Hampton (1813 battle during the War of 1812). John Tyler was a graduate of William and Mary College and became the 10th President of the US in 1840. In another account of Pryor’s heroics in the Battle of Hampton (Calendar of Virginia State Papers, published 1892) he is referred to as “Captain”.

In the 1820’s B. W. Pryor was still affluent and still in Virginia. “An Account of General LaFayette’s Visit to Virginia, in the Years 1824-1825” (pub. 1881), he is listed as a member of a committee to make arrangements for the Revolutionary War hero’s visit and is recorded as General B. W. Pryor.

So now knowing Pryor’s place of residence I went back to find him on the census. I found him in the Ancestry index to the 1820 Census listed as B. W. Tryon (Ooos!). His age in 1820 was between 26 and 45 (born 1775-1794), which puts him in the right age range to be Benjamin W. Pryor born in 1788.

bw-pryor-va

I found “B. W.”  Pryor on the 1810 Census in Elizabeth City, VA (left image), however the name on the census record doesn’t look like Benjamin or an abbreviation thereof. So, I went back to look at the Benjamin Pryor in Ellis Co., TX. Is he the same man who was in Elizabeth City, VA?

The Pryor in Ellis Co. arrived there around 1846. In 1850 he was living with William Oscar Pryor who was born 1827 in Louisiana (LA on the 1850 Census and TN on the 1860 & 1870 Census).  William O. was either a late-comer to Texas or had ties to Tennessee in that he married Laura E. Barnard in 6 January 1850 in Tipton Co., TN.  I’ve suspected that William was Benjamin’s son since William named a son “Benjamin.” Land records ID the elder Pryor as Benjamin W.

Where was Benjamin and William in 1830 and 1840? I uncovered another indexing error on Ancestry: Benjamin Pzzer (double Ooops!) in Nashville, Davidson Co., TN on the 1830 Census. This Benjamin was 60 to 69 years old, born 1760 to 1770.  This Benjamin Pryor is recorded on the same page as Nicholas B. Pryor, however any connection is questioned since the census was recorded in alpha order.

Some researchers state there was one John C. Pryor: the brother of Nicholas B. Pryor b. 1771-1780 of Nashville and the same John C. Pryor b. 1794 in VA who married Ann Bullard and lived in Franklin Co., TN, Rapides Co., LA, and Desoto Co., MS. Yet another John C. born 1761-1770, the one who had married the mother of explorer John C. Fremont, was living in Elizabeth City, VA .  The John C. born in 1794 was from VA and lived in LA and TN like Benjamin W.

Without a conclusion to this query, it should be noted that the Pryors in Elizabeth City were well-educated. B. W. appears to have supported poetry and attended grammer school at William and Mary College. John C. Pryor of Elizabeth City witnessed a will of for a John Tyler (not the President) and sat on the board of Govenors of William and Mary College, leading speculation that he was connected to B. W. Pryor.

Whew! Work is needed to tie all the loose ends together

Category: Genealogy, Tennessee Pryors, Virginia Pryors
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