Sometimes it’s interesting to continue to dig for Pryor genealogy by following the trail of men with the first name Pryor rather than just chasing the surname. You never know if it will lead to related families of the Pryor surname.
The following information on the free African American Pryors in King George County, VA was previously published as a web page.
100 years before the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery, there was a free black community in King George County, Virginia.
The earliest known free African American of the Pryor name was Alice. She was born about 1750 or earlier and was the mother of Leviny Prior whose birth was recorded in 1764. Leviny was the mother of Milly Prior born in about 1783 and whose birth was registered in King George County in September 1820. Andrew Pryor is described a s a black man of about twenty two years old and the son of a free black woman. His birth was recorded in January 1775. Winny Pryor was free born in about 1792 to Syllah Pryor, a “bright mulatto woman.” Her birth was also recorded in King George County in August 1820.
Several of the names recorded as free blacks in the birth records also appear as heads of household at the time of the 1820 Census.
1810 Census – All Free African Americans in King George County
(Head of Household Only)
Henry Bransican
William Bernard
Richard Brunbury
Daniel Wilson
John Taylor
Lucetta Smith
William Prestrage
Helen? Prestrage
Sarah Prestrage
James Punch
James Moore
Marry matthews
Tazey Kendall
Philip Lucas
David Lucas
George Ware
William Jett
William Ford
Caty Frazier
Clay Ford
August Dunlop
Lidia Dunlop
Townsend Dade
Thornton Dean
James Cunningham
Peggy Carroll
Philip Cunningham
Benjamin Cunningham
Mary McGee
Jenny Pryor
Lawrence Paney
Sally Ware
1820 Census – All Free African Americans in St. Paul’s Parish
| Richard Bunbury Lucinda Bunbury John Evans Lawrence Gordon (born 1787, Gordon was living in Washington, DC in 1850) Milly Grayson Frances Hoose David Lucas George Lucas Thomas Lucas Anna Lucas Jenny Lucas Simon Mountjoy Bernard Moore William Payne Fanny Phillips |
Verlinda Pryor (no males – 1001) Winny Pryor (1000 – 3010) Milly Pryor (2000 – 2300) Nelly Pryor (2000 – 0100) George Rothrock Robert Tibbo Mingo Walker |
1820 Census – All Free African Americans in Hanover Parish
| Mingo Walker Polly Astin Grace Branham Daniel Carmichael James Cunningham Benjamin Cunningham Lucy Cunningham John Dean John Dunlop Jenny Pryor (01000 – 10000) |
Dicy Dunlap (born 1757, Dunlap was recorded as a midwife on the 1850 and 1860 Census in King George Co.) Charity Evans William Greenlaw Spence Johnson Ellzay Kendall William Lawrence Mancy Lawrence |
1840 Census – African American Pryor Families in King George County
Nelly Prior (120000 – 1100)
James Prior (100100 – 201)
Milly Prior (no males – 00001)
Jane Prior (010000 – 02011)
Charles Prior (101000 – 11100)
Winny Prior (300100 – 1111)
1850 Census – African American Pryor Families in King George County
Page 227a, #336 Nelly PRIOR 48 black, VA, Catharine 18 black VA, William 27 black VA.
Page 227a, #367 James PRIOR 19 black, VA, Frances 25 black Washington
Page 201a, 856 Walker Hawes 43… living in household Elizabeth A. PRYOR 58 white VA.
Page 229a, #405 Caroline PRYOR 30 mu VA, John 8 mu VA
Page 222b, #297 James PRIOR 50 black, Peggy 24 black, Mary Frasier 4 black.
Page 223a, #302 Elizabeth PRIOR 22 black, Mildred 4 black, Thomas 1 black (Mildred and Thomas were living with Charles Prior in 1860).
Page 223a, #304 Mary PRIOR 29 mu “spinster”, Louisa 17 mu, Mary 12 mu, Nancy 10 mu, Sarah 8 mu, Mary 7 mu, Clay 5 mu, George 3 mu, Jane 14 black.
Page 210b, #84 Benjamin Redman 30 white merchant… living in household William PRIOR 36 black.
Page 235a, #514 Charles Evans 60 black, Susan 45 black, Ann 13 black, Charles 7 black, Peggy 5 black, Betsy PRIOR 21 black, Willie Ann 3 black, William 1 black.
1860 Census – African American Pryor Families in King George County
Page 371 Nelly PRIOR 51 mu, Catharine 32 mu, William Dunlop 32 mu
Page 371 Louisa Bunbery white… living in household Clay PRIOR 16 mu.
Page 421, #571 Sally PRIOR 45 mu, Robert 22 mu
Page 383, # 243 William Worrell… living in household William PRIOR 43 mu
Page 404, #427 James PRIOR 74 mu, Peggy 40 mu, Matthew Hamilton 25
Page ? Charles PRIOR 40 mu, Angeline 40 mu, Sarah 9 (married Madison Brooks), Martha 4, Caroline 3/12, Thomas 10, Mildred 13 (Thomas and Mildred are children of Elizabeth Prior – see 1850 Census), John 14
King George County Pryors on later Census Records
The only one of these Prior families I’ve been able to locate on later census records is Charles Prior and wife Angeline.
1870 Census 6th Ward Washington, DC
Page 256a, #1671 Chas. PRYOR 45 mu carpenter VA, Angeline 46 mu, Martha 14 mu, Caroline 10 mu, Eliz. 8 mu, Madison Brooks 27 mu coachman VA, Sarah 20 mu VA, ? PRYOR 28 male mu laborer.
1880 Census 7th St., Washington, DC
#27 Madison Brooks 36 mu coachman VA VA VA, Sarah A. (PRIOR) 29 dressmaker VA VA VA, Stevie 7 son DC VA VA, Mary J. 5 dau DC VA VA.
1880 Census East Capitol St., Washington DC
Charles R. PRIOR 55 mu, Labor Bureau employee VA VA VA
Angelina 54 wife mu VA VA VA
Martha E 23 dau mu teacher in public school VA VA VA
Carrie E. 20 dau mu teacher in public shcool VA VA VA
Ellsworth W. 18 son mu VA
1900 Census East Capitol St., Washington DC
Page 17a, #704 Charles R. PRYOR black Sept 1824 75 VA VA VA carpenter
Angeline M. wife, black Dec 1824 75 VA VA VA
Mary Brooks boarder Jun 1875 24 DC VA VA dressmaker
Charles M. boarder Jul 1892 19 DC VA VA at school
Lucy Lewis boarder Nov 1888 11 DC VA VA at school
(Mary Brooks was a grand-daughter of Charles and Angeline, daughter of Madison Brooks and Sarah Pryor).
1910 Census East Capitol St., Washington DC
#704 Charles R. PRYOR black Sept 1824 86 VA VA VA
Angeline M. wife 86 VA VA VA
Mary J. Tignor gr-dau 34 divorced DC VA VA
Madison Tignor gr-gr-son 8 DC DC DC
Lucy Lewis lodger 24 DC
1920 Census Washington DC – ED#235
Sheet 14b, #704 Angeline PRYOR 100 widow VA VA VA
Mary J. Tignor gr-dau 42 widow DC VA VA
Lucy Lewis roomer 32 DC VA VA teacher
Madison W. Tignor gr-son 18 DC VA VA
A blog is an evolving thing, much like a family tree. So I felt the need to circle back and look at the son of Edward Pryor of Overton County again. The last time I mentioned Chesley Allen Pryor or Shadrick Pryor in a post was 2013. That was quite a long time ago.
Edward was born in 1822 in TN to William Pryor and Spicy Taylor. It’s speculated that he was named for Spicy’s father Edmund Taylor. Edward’s line is ripe with questions — were all of his children fathered by him? After all, some were born while he was hospitalized out of state during the Civil War and he and his wife divorced several years after his return.
Both AncestryDNA and male Y-DNA testing has led to the probable conclusion that Edward’s younger brother Chesley was “adopted” and not a Pryor or Taylor at all.
So, I didn’t easily jump to the conclusion that Chesley Allen Pryor and Shadrick C Pryor were the same person. It’s a pain to conclude that someone with different names is the same guy.
1850 Census: Edward and his wife were in Clinton County, KY. They had a one year old named Shedrick.
Then there’s no mention of Shadrick on the 1860 census nor 1870 census. In 1860 Edward and his wife Eliza were living in two different households. Eliza and two young daughters were living with the Gunters. Edward was living on his own. In 1870 they were under one roof again, however there was no son in the household.
The 1890 census for Pickett County, TN seems to explain where Shadrick Pryor was during part of this time. He was serving in the military: Private, Co. D, 1st TN Inf. If he was born in 1849 per the 1850 Census he would have been a young teen at the time of the Civil War. He married Miss Sarah Walker in Overton County in 1872.
The 1850 Census, a 1872 marriage record, and the 1890 Veterans Census are the only three records of Shadrick.
Chesley Allen Pryor, sometimes recorded as just Allen, appears on the 1880 through 1920 censuses. I obtained the Scott County, TN death records for both Chesley and his wife.
Scott Co., TN. Village of Robbins
Registration Dist. No. 47702. File No. 8
C. A. Pryor
Male, white, marital status blank, born Sept. 16 1850.
Age 73 yrs., 6 mos., 15 days.
Occupation: farmer.
Birthplace Tennessee
Father Edd Pryor, born in Tennessee
Mother Don’t Know
Informant: J. R. Pryor of Robbins, TN
Date of death: March 14, 1924
Cause of death “Don’t Know”
Place of Burial: Cross Roads. Date of Burial March 16, 1924.
Undertaker: J. R. Pryor, Robins TN.Scott Co., TN. Village of Robbins
Registration Dist. No. 47702. File No. 25
Katherine Pryor
Female, white, married, born 1850
Age 70
Occupation: housewife
Birthplace Overton Co., Tennessee
Father Robert Walker, born in Virginia
Mother Story, born in Tennessee
Informant: C.A. Pryor of Robbins, TN
Date of death: January 8, 1924
Cause of death Pulmonary Tuburclosis
Place of Burial: Black Creek. Date of Burial January 8, 1920
Undertaker: none stated.
Chesley’s death record ID’s his father as Edd (or Ed) Pryor. His wife was a Walker which matches up with Overton County marriage. Perhaps the clue is in the 1890 Census where he was recorded as “Shade C”– Chesley was a middle name?
While experimenting with the new Search on this website I found something that may be of interest.
In 1818 Philip Tackett, Section 15, Township 44 was recorded in Gasconade Co., MO. At the same time there was a William Pryor in Section 32, Township 44 (History of Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Crawford and Gasconade Counties Missouri
Published by Goodspeed Publishing Company 1888)
The Tacket and Pryor surname was connected by marriage in Gasconade when Mary Pryor married George Tackett on 14 Aug 1828.
I’m wondering if there was a connection between these families in Tennessee. TN Land Grant 7912 described land being granted to John Prior in 1828 as bordering land he purchased from Philip Tackett (no date for that transaction). The Pleasant Pryor on the 1850 Census in Gasconade Co. is thought to be related to the the Pryors in White County, TN.
Will of Edmund Taylor, 1824 – Campbell Co., VA
(father in law of William Pryor of Overton Co., TN & John Pryor of Sumner Co., TN)
In the name of god, Amen. I Edward Taylor of the County of Campbell and State of Virginia, being sick and weak in body but of a sound mind and disposing memory for which I thank God and calling to mind the uncertainty of human life and being desirous to dispose of all such worldly estate as it hath pleased God to bless me with, I give and bequeath the same in the following that is to say in consideration of the love I bear towards my wife, Elizabeth, I give and bequeath unto her all my estate during her natural life after my just debts are paid, after that to be equally divided between all my children except Spicy and Massia, the wives of William and John PRYOR. I lend unto them their equal part during their natural life and after their death. I give it to their children in Testimony wereof (viz) I have herunto set my hand and seal this fifteenth day of July 1824. My wish is that Anderson Woodson Junr. to be my Executor.
Witnessed by Lefever Street, William B. Taylor, Charles Wright.
At a court held for Campbell Co., Nov 8, 1824, the within last will and testament of Edward Taylor, deceased, was produced in court proved by the oaths of Lefever Street and William B. Taylor witnesses, whose names are thereto subscribed and ordered to be recorded.
Teste. John Alexander CCC <Campbell County Clerk>
Note: Anderson Woodson md. Elizabeth Clarkson on 30/1/1818 in Campbell Co., VA. Anderson Woodson possibly the son of Robert Woodson and Rebecca PRYOR. Lefever Street appears on early tax lists in Sumner Co., TN.