The following information about Nat Pryor was previously published as a web page.
African American Pryor Line from Virginia living in Bastrop, Lee, and Fayette Co., TX. The patriarch of this Pryor line was Nat Pryor born about 1826 in Virginia. He and his family are on the 1870 Census in Fayette Co., TX. Nat, his wife, and 7 of his 8 children (two of his daughters were married and living nearby in 1870) were born in Virginia. His eighth child, Susan Pryor, was born in Texas in 1861. Texas was a slave state, so there’s the possibility that this family came to Texas in 1861 with a slave owner. In 1880 there is an African American man named Wyatt Rucker born in VA. He was living with Nat’s son, Thomas Pryor. Could Wyatt Rucker be a clue to the Virginia origins of this Pryor line? There’s a younger Wyatt Rucker in Campbell Co., VA. He was also an African American. There were connections between the white Pryor and Rucker families of Amherst Co., VA: Daughters of Peter Rucker (Mary and Edith) married sons of Col. John Pryor, a son of Nicholas Pryor.
1880 Census, Lee Co., TX
Ch. C. B. Moor? white male 29 farmer VA VA VA
Clara A. white female 24 wife AL AL AL
Whyat (Wyatt?) Rucker black male 79 laborer on farm VA VA VA
Tom Prior black male 26 farmer VA VA VA
Seely Ann black female 24 wife TX VA unk.
Josephus black male 4 son TX VA TX
Bedford black male 2 son TX VA TX.
This family was counted twice
Tom Prior 25 black male farmer VA
Celian black female 22 wife keeping house TX
Ceephus black male 3 son TX
Bates black male 2 son TX
1870 Census Fayette Co., TX
West of Caldwell Road, page 503b.
Nat Prior 44 male black field hand VA
Phebe 48 female black house hand VA
Doctor 19 male black field hand VA
Thomas 14 male black at home VA
Shepherd 12 male black field hand VA
Armstead 13 male black field hand VA
Sandy 11 male black field hand VA
Susan 9 female black at school TX
1880 Census Fayette Co., TX
Phibbie Pryor 59 keeping house VA (widow of Nat Pryor)
Shep black male 23 son works on farm VA
Susan black female 18 daughter works on farm TX
Nellie Clark black female 15 gr-dau works on farm TX ?? VA
Lee Clar black male 9 gr-son works on farm TX ?? VA
A marriage for Sallie Pryor to Green Dedrick on 8 Feb 1870 in Fayette Co., TX. Sallie may be a sister to Thomas because Dedrick Green and family were living near the Pryors in 1870 and in 1880 on the census records.
1870 Census Fayette Co., TX
West of Caldwell Road, page 503b.
Green Dedrick 25 male black field hand TN
Sallie (Prior) 21 female black VA
Henry 15 male black TN
Dink 12 female black TN
John 4 male black TX
Lou 1/12 female black TX (born in July)
Another possible relative is Charlotte Prior born 1847 in VA. I found that she married Jim Hudson in Fayette Co., TX in 1870.
1870 Census, Bastrop Co., TX – page 543a
Jim Hodgson (sic) 24 male black farm hand TN
Charlotte 23 female black keeping house GA.
1880 Census, Bastrop Co., TX – page 186b
D. Oliver Hill white male 36 famer TX GA GA
Nannie Hill white female 32 wife TN KY TN
Sue B. white female 12 daughter TX TX TN
Walton Hill white male 10 son TX TX TN
T. Oliver Hill white male 5 son TX TX TN
Charlotte Hudson mulatto female 35 servant VA VA VA
Martha Prior black female 2 daughter TX Unk VA
Nat Prior black mu male 10/12 (born Sept.) TX unk VA
William Seay? white male 28 laborer SC VA GA
In 1910 she was 62 divorced and born in VA, as were her parents.
1920 Bastrop Co., TX
ED14, page 15b
Sealie? Williams head female black 30 single TX TX TX
Ernest Williams brother male black 29 TX TX TX
Chester? Williams nephew male black 9 single TX TX TX
Charlotte Pryor mother female black 73 widow TX TX TX
