Isaac Pryor of Pike County, IL – Who’s Your Daddy?

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diggingforrootsAnother Pryor researcher sent me this link to a family tree that includes Isaac Pryor of Pike County, IL
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/f/i/n/Art-Wilson-Finch/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0748.html. It conflicts with my own research, so I feel we need to do a bit of exploration on Isaac and his family.

The tree posted on Genealogy.com purports that William B Pryor was the son of John Pleasant Pryor born in Granville Co., NC and Elizabeth Palmer, and that William B. Pryor married Jane B. Atkinson and they were the parents of Isaac Pryor b. 1806 who lived in Pike Co., IL.

Let’s start with Isaac and work out way back.

Portrait Biographical Album, Pike and Calhoun Counties, Illinois, published 1891, page 400 (The book is available online https://archive.org/details/portraitbiograph00biogra). In an article on William H. Pryor (son of Isaac Pryor) it states:

The Pryors are of English origin, and Tennessee has been the home of the family for several generations.  In that State Isaac Pryor, the father of our subject, was born in 1807.  About 1838 he came to Pike County, ILL., making the journey according to the common custom– with a horse and wagon, camping out by the way.

The article also states that Isaac bought land in Pike County in the township where his son (William H) “now lives,” which is also stated as Derry. William stated that his father lived on the land until his death.

William’s date of birth is stated in the article as 12 November 1832 in eastern Tennessee. This date and place corresponds with his age on the 1850 Census in Pike Co.

Shortly before the 1850 Census Isaac married Mrs. Nancy Neely, 14 Jan 1847 in Pike County (see Illinois Marriage Records).

The dates of this history and the marriage record correspond with the information recorded on the 1850 Census in Pike County:

Isaac PRYOR 44 TN farmer, Nancy 38 OH, William 17 TN, Samuel 15 TN, Lucy 13 TN, Thomas 11 IL, Sarah 9 IL, Catherine 2 IL, Martha 1 IL

If Isaac and Mrs. Nancy Neely had no relationship prior to their marriage in 1847, it’s likely that daughters Catherine and Martha are from this marriage and the other children, including William H. Pryor are from an earlier marriage.

The 1838 date contained in the above article appears to be a good date for Isaac’s entrance to Pike County as there are two Pryor marriages in 1837 and one in 1840, helping to earmark his move to the area.

Noting the 1838 date, it’s then highly likely that he is the Isaac Pryor counted on the 1840 Census in Pike County.  Isaac’s age was reported as 30 to 39 years (born 1801 to 1810), which corresponds to his reported age on the 1850 Census (born 1806).

On the 1840 Census there is a woman in Isaac’s household who was age 20-29 (born 1811-1820). This may be Isaac’s wife before his marriage to Nancy in Pike County.  If this woman was also William H. Pryor’s mother she would have been about age 12-21 at the time of William’s birth which would not be out of the norm for the time for the age of a first time mother.

There’s a hint of the name of this possible mother of William H. Pryor. A tombstone in the Hornbeck Cemetery in Pike Co. states Nancy, “daughter of Isaac and Sarah Pryor,” died Sept. 30 1858, aged 15 yrs, 3 mos., 15 days.  The article cited above confirms that William’s mother was Sarah Harris who was born in Tennessee and died in 1840 at age 32. So, I think we have the possible first marriage for Isaac confirmed. (see Nancy’s gravemarker http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Pryor&GSiman=1&GScid=106248&GRid=76102683&)

The researcher who posted the family tree which started this search cites records from WFT (World Family Tree), stating that Isaac was the son of William B. Pryor and Jane B. Atkinson.  So we need to flesh out the family of William B. Pryor.

William B. (Bland) Pryor is believed to the son of Richard Pryor and Ann Bland. Richard was a son of John Pryor and Mary Dennis –Richard is mentioned in his father’s 1785 will and on records in Dinwiddie County, VA.  Much has been written on the line of Richard Pryor and Ann Bland’s line because they were the parents of the minister Theodorick Pryor, and the grandparents of the Civil War general and later New York judge, Roger Atkinson Pryor. A lot has been written, but that doesn’t make it all correct so read what you find with a questioning eye.

The first record I have of William B. Pryor was his service in the War of 1812. If his age on the 1850 Census was correct, he was born about 1793, making him about 19 years old in 1812. Jane B. Pryor applied for a widow’s pension. Orig. 15639, Certf. 7021, stating  her husband served in Capt. Philip Pryor’s Co., VA Militia. The War of 1812 Records on Ancestry.com state Philip, Luke, and William B. Pryor served in 1st Reg, Byrne’s Co., Virginia Militia—Philip was identified as the rank of Captain.

William B. Pryor married Jane B. Atkinson on 12 Oct 1818 in Chesterfield County, VA. Some research is needed to find out if there was an Atkinson or Pryor connection to this county. His brother Theodorick Pryor married Lucy C. Atkinson on 22 Sept 1827 in the same county.

In 1820 both William B. Pryor and Philip Pryor were counted on the census in St. Andrew’s Parish, Brunswick County, VA. There was one male child under the age of 5 in William B’s household in 1820. William B. Pryor was recorded as age 16 to 26 years old (born 1794-1804).  Philip Pryor is likely William B’s uncle – the Philip named as his son in John Pryor’s 1785 will.  Philip’s age was recorded in 1820 as 26 to 45 years (born 1775 – 1794). I suspect Philip was born closer to 1775 as he married Susan Cordle Wilkes on 5 Jul 1802 in Brunswick County and Susan who was a head of household in 1830 and recorded as born 1770-1780.

By 1830 William B. Pryor was in Tipton Co., TN (Middle TN) with his brother Richard Pryor. Unfortunately only William B’s name was recorded and no tallies of males and females in the household were posted on the census.

Willam B. was in Warren County, MS by the 1840 Census. A younger Richard Pryor was also record, his son b. 1820.  Other known children of William B. were Agnes b. 1822 in VA who married William B. Creasy in Warren Co. in 1838, and Mary b. 1824 in VA counted in William B’s household in 1850.

1850 Census, Madison Co., LA
Page 376, house 234 W. B. PRYOR 57 planting $1800 VA, Jane B. 51 VA, Richard 30 $400 VA, Agnes D. Creasy 28 VA, Mary A. Pryor 26 VA, William P. Creasy 10 MS.

To play out the scenario of William B. as the father of Isaac Pryor b. 1807 in East TN, William B. at about age 14 would have to have been in East TN and either married or have been involved in a relationship that produced young Isaac, only to return to Virginia to serve in the War of 1812, marry Jane B Atkinson and then move to Middle TN and onward. Another scenario would be a web of half-truths and misinformation—Isaac could have fibbed and really be much younger than he stated on census records.

I am unable to find any record of William B. Pryor having a son named Isaac.

Isaac Pryor’s place of birth is stated as TN on the 1850 Census and East Tennessee in the Pike County history—however I am unable to find any record of William B Pryor in East TN.

If Jane B. Atkinson Pryor’s age was stated correctly on the 1820 and 1850 Census she would have been 8 years old when Isaac was born in 1807. Possible. But is it probable?

I think what is more likely, at least from the paper research and until a descendant of either Isaac or his son William H. steps forward and takes a Y-DNA test, that Isaac may be one of the sons of John Pryor b. 1757 who was in Sullivan County, TN because of these salient points. And just because this theory isn’t written in stone… or proved with DNA, I’ve added an opposing comment in brackets:

  1. Sullivan County is in East Tennessee (But then so are several other counties).
  2. The article on the Pike County Pryor states that Isaac was a Methodist (well, so were thousands of other people). The Pryors in Sullivan County were a VERY Methodist family—James Pryor b. 1790 who is also likely John’s son was a Methodist minister as was his son John Pryor who married Ann Trigg and settled in AR (see History of Methodism in Arkansas, by Horace Jewell, published 1892, http://books.google.com/books?id=XnUC6WfycoQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=History+of+Methodism+in+Arkansas&hl=en&sa=X&ei=uM6zUJ6iCqTq0QH-u4G4BQ&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=pryor&f=false Sarah, possibly a daughter of John b. 1757, married Stephen Paxson who was a traveling Methodist evangelist –see A Fruitful Life: The Missionary Labors of Stephen Paxson by Belle Paxson Drury
    http://books.google.com/books?id=cyUMAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA99&lpg=PA99&dq=stephen+paxson+methodist&source=bl&ots=EhPvApAJ7k&sig=Cn5XUVN2s4qd6dVj59-VfTaYGZ4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=KOAiU_mINpTI2wWTi4CQCA&ved=0CFQQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=methodist&f=false
  3. Isaac resided near other Pryors from Sullivan Co., TN. While proximity between families isn’t always a positive indicator of kinship (yup, we’re finding that out about the Pryors!), in this case Isaac and his other Pryor relations can be found near each other on census and tax records in Sullivan County, Hawkins County, and in Pike County.
    a) 1830 Census Isaac Pryor and John Sr. were in Sullivan Co., TN
    b) 1830 Census John (Jr.) Pryor, James Pryor, and George Morrison (husband of Mary Pryor were in Hawkins County, TN (next to Sullivan Co.) – sons and son in law of John Sr.
    c) 1836 Isaac Pryor is on the tax list in Hawkins Co.
    d) 1836 in Sullivan Co. John Pryor Sr. signed a deed of trust for mortgage of George Morrison’s furniture.
    e) 1840 John (Jr.) and Isaac Pryor are on the census in Pike County.
    f) John (Jr.) b. 1797 married Hannah Hornbeck. A photo of Isaac’s gravemarker on Ancestry.com states it is located in Hornbeck Cemetery. It is believed that John and Isaac were brothers due to their proximity, birth years, and place of birth. (view gravemarker http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Pryor&GSiman=1&GScid=106248&GRid=76100643&)

Of course I’m willing to change my mind– if a researcher has documents or a compelling theory.  It still disturbs me at how easy it is to use WFT and Ancestry leaf hints to build an unlikely family tree. Just because the information is there, it doesn’t mean that it fits.  So be careful adopting a tree as your own or adopting others’ work to prove your tree (including mine!). Keep up the work of digging out your Pryor line.

Category: About TN Lines, Illinois Pryors, Virginia Pryors | Tags: , , ,

Updates and Corrections on the Tree of Thomas Pryor and Telitha C.

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At last an answer to some of the questions in a recent post (Tabitha is Telitha C. Pryor of Wilson Co., TN and Franklin Co., IL). The answer is a good one because it really helps to straighten out this line.

Josie Pryor Franklin Co. IL

I asked who were the parents of Josephine/Josie Pryor (or Prior) who married James Purcell. Was she the daughter of Thomas and Telitha Pryor born about 1861? — the Josephine born about 1861 who appears on the 1870 with her mother in 1870. Or is she the daughter of Young Pryor (son of Allen and Cinderella Pryor of Jackson Co., TN)?– there’s no Josephine in his household in 1870, she stated her age and therefore her year of birth on the 1920 census as 1868, and relations of Young Pryor were recorded in her household through various census records.

Well, thanks to the researcher who has provided her death record! It states her father was Young Pryor/Prior. So beware, there is no evidence to connect Allen and Cinderella to Thomas and Telitha. It may look like Josie/Josephine on the 1870 Census in Telitha’s household could be Young’s daughter (because she’s not in Young’s household), but go to the 1880 Census where she is still in Telitha’s household and is recorded as her daughter.

What happened to the Josephine Pryor, daughter of Thomas and Telitha C.? It’s possible that she’s the Josephine Pryor who married F. T. McNail on 7 Dec. 1874 in Franklin Co., IL. They are on the 1900 and 1910 Census in Hamilton Co., IL. In 1910 and 1920 (Logan Co., IL) her parents were recorded as born in TN and IL which match to the 1850 and 1860 Census records in Wilson Co., TN for the births of Thomas and Telitha.  The index to her death record states her mother’s surname as Durham and father “Pryor….”  and there are some family trees on Ancestry that include Telitha C. Durham and a 1849 marriage date to Thomas Pryor — just be aware that their sources are on the skimpy side and source documents or links are not attached.

Time to do some corrections on the TN Pryor website.

Category: Tennessee Pryors | Tags: , ,

Tabitha is Telitha C. Pryor of Wilson Co., TN and Franklin Co., IL

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wilson county

***

This is a find that may be of interest to the Jackson County and Williamson County, Tennessee Pryors, as well as anyone looking at Pryor in Wilson Co., TN. I found the will of Telitha C. Pryor of Franklin Co., IL. I think she’s the woman who was counted with Thomas Pryor on the 1850 and 1860 census in Wilson Co., TN. I know this line is a bit tricky with twists and turns, so I thought I’d take another look.

On the 1850 Census she was recorded as Tabitha and in 1860 as Thabitha. How the heck did she get to be Telitha in Illinois records? Darned if I know! I just wanted to know if I was on the right track… is this indeed a recording error… so I started a chart just to see how the information lines up. Yes, it quickly turns to spaghetti! Not only does her name change between records, but her age jumps from census to census from 22 to 32 to 40 to 52 in 1880 to 72 in 1900. Her age seems fairly consistent except for the 1870 census when she was recorded as 40.

Thank goodness, her children has some pretty odd names which helps to match them up across records.  Her daughter born about 1850 was recorded throughout the years as Sursilda, Sarilda and Serilda. Another daughter Roxanna born 1856 shows up as Roxanna on the 1860 census, the same spelling in 1870, and as Roxanna married to Alfred Groves in 1900 — I’m certain it’s the same Roxanna because Telitha C. Pryor’s will appointed her grandson Henry Groves as her executor.

Alas, the spaghetti… those wild lines and arrows running over my chart. Alfred Prior who was living with Josephine Pryor Purcell in 1920 is recorded as her “uncle”. I think this is the Alfred Pryor who was the son of Cinderella (and Allen Pryor) of Jackson Co., TN who was on the 1870 Census in Franklin Co., IL with his mother.  When Alfred died in 1921 in Perry Co., IL the death record states his father was Allen Pryor.

click on image to enlarge

click on image to enlarge

I continue to suspect Josephine to be the daughter of Thomas and Telitha C. Pryor.  Josephine born 1861 is on the 1880 Census with Telitha and recorded as her “daughter”. I don’t find any children of Allen and Cinderella with a daughter named Josie or Josephine. While it looks like like Alfred and Josephine connect the lines of Thomas and Allen Pryor together it bugs me that Alfred was recorded as an uncle. Is that because he looked too old to be a cousin? Or their relationship was too distant to describe with just one word?

Or do these relationships eat at me because Lulu Merkel b. 1891 was living with Josie Purcell in 1910 and recorded as her “niece”? Lulu was the daughter of James Merkel and Ruthy Pryor, a daughter of Young Pryor and Betty Corneyhon. Young was counted near Cinderella Pryor in 1870— he’s believed to be another son. If Josephine were Young’s daughter then the relationships described on the census would be correct: Alfred would be her uncle and Lulu her niece.

OK, so was there ever a Josephine born 1861/1862 counted in Young’s household?  In 1870 there was a Susan born about 1858/1859 and a Melvina born about 1862 — both born in IL. The only child near that age in Young’s household in 1880 was Sindarilla born 1866 who is the same age as the child named Eliza who was on the 1870 Census.

The last wild arrow on my chart is the proximity of Alfred P Swallows and James Merkel on the 1880 Census in Perry Co., IL. James Merkel was married to Ruthy Pryor, daughter of Young Pryor (grand-daughter of Allen and Cinderella Pryor).  Alfred P Swallows was a cousin of the Ellen Swallows who was living with Logan Pryor on the 1870 Census in Perry Co., IL.  (Logan was the son of James and Nancy Pryor of Overton Co., TN). [I wrote about the Pryors and Swallows last year]

I look at this stuff over and over again each time a new piece of documentation is revealed. You’d link something would lift the fog.

Last Will and Testament of Telitha C. Pryor, deceased

Know all By These Presents: That I Telitha C. Pryor, of the City of Benton in the County of Franklin, and State of Illinois, do make, publish and declare this my Last Will And Testament:

First: It is my will that my general expenses and all of my just debts be fully paid.

Second: I direct that my Executor, hereinafter named, erect to me a monument of the cost of seventy-five dollars, said monument to be paid for our of the proceeds of the sale of my property herein after described, before any distribution of said proceeds is made among my heirs.

Third: I direct that as soon as convenient and practiable after my death, my Executor, hereinafter named, dispose of all my property of which I many die seized, that he is empowered to sell at private sale all my personal property, and that he sell to the highest bidder at public sale, my homestead described as follows: Lot No Forty-six (46) in the south west Quarter of Section No. Eighteen (18) in Township No. Six (6), South Range Three (3), East of the Third P. M. in Franklin County, Illinois, after giving notice for three successive weeks of said sale of said homestead. Said notice to be published in some weekly newspaper published at Benton, Illinois. My said Executor is empowered to execute deed to highest bidder, said permises to be sold on such terms as Executor may think best.

Fourth: I direct that out of the proceeds of the sale of my said property all my debts, expenses of administration and cost of monument be first paid, and that the residue thereof then he distributed among my legal heirs according to the Statues of Descent of the State of Illinois.

Lastly: I hereby appoint my grandson, Henry Groves, to be the Executor of this my last will and Testament hereby revoking all former wills by me made, and I direct that my said Executor be appointed without bond. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twenty third day of April in the year of our Lord One Thoursand Nine Hundred and Eight.

Telitha C. Pryor (her mark X) [seal]

The above instrument sonsisting of one sheet, was now here subscribed by Telitha Pryor, the Testator, in the presence of each of us, and was at the same time declared by her to be her last Will and Testament and we at her request sign our name hereto in her presence as attesting witnesses.
Thomas J. Layman of Benton, ILL
Lulu Layman of Benton, ILLProof of will filed 28 Dec 1908

Source: Illinois Probate Records, 1819-1970; pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-15881-13510-17

*** See edits in subsequent post Updates and Corrections on the Tree of Thomas Pryor and Telitha C.

Category: About TN Lines | Tags: , , , ,

Pryor Connections to Williamson County, TN and Caswell County NC

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Where were the Pryors and their allied familes before Williamson Co., TN? Well I’ve found some information from the time of the Revolutionary War.

There’s a deed in Caswell County, NC that seems to not only connect everyone but also it makes sense in the Pryor story.

1777 Deed – Math’w. Flourney and Elizabeth (PRYOR), William Stone and Rhoda (PRYOR), David Womack and Mildred (PRYOR), John Womack and Lucy (PRYOR), Nicholas Perkins and Lea (PRYOR), Joel Pope and Rachel, Henry McNeill and Dolly (PRYOR), Henrietta Pryor, John H. Pryor, all of Caswell, to John Baird of same county, for 267 lbs., 955 acres on Mayo and Donaldson’s Creeks adj. Robert McFarland, now Josiah Allday’s line, and Robert Donaldson’s, entered by Lord Granville on 26 Dec 1762. 17 Oct 1777. Wts: Archd. Murphey, Lawrence Vanhook, George Moore.

John Henry Pryor’s will was signed in 1771 in Orange County, NC. That’s the will that names his children and most of their spouses. His children Rhoda, Lucy, Leah, Elizabeth, Dorothy/Dolly and John Henry.

What were the Perkins, Pryors and these other families doing during the Revolutionary War? The pension application for a Richard Lovern states he was wounded in a battle in 1781 and taken to a hospital at Constant Perkins on the Dan River. The pension application for William Dixon talks about heading to Troublesome Iron Works (this was run by Nicholas and Constantine Perkins) in Guilford (now Rockingham Co.). If you go to http://revwarapps.org and search troublesome iron you’ll find numerous accounts of men who were part of the march to the Battle of Guilford Court House who recall stopping at the iron works. I suspect they were protecting the iron works or restocking.

The Perkins family of Rockingham and Caswell Counties had a plantation in Pittsylvania County, VA. There are several Revolutionary War pension applications that refer to a Col. Peter Perkins of Berry Hill who marched with his troops from Pittsylvania County, VA. The pension application for James Braden states that Berry Hill was used as a hospital for the wounded. There’s a photo of Berry Hill online (view photo)

The Perkins, Pryor, and Stone families started to show up in Tennessee after the Revolutionary War. A NC land grant to Constant Perkins in Hawkins County, TN shows Nicholas Perkins and Leah Pryor’s son John Pryor Perkins was one of the chain carriers.

constant-pryor-hawkinsThe earliest grant was to Constantine Perkins in Greene County, TN in 1788. In the 1790’s Nicholas Perkins received numerous land warrants in Hawkins County, TN. Remember David Ross who supplied the army through the Oxford Iron Works and all the land he received? Perhaps Nicholas was given land for supplying the military through Troublesome Iron Works. More research is needed on that.

Category: About TN Lines | Tags: , , ,

More Letters on General Brazure Williams Pryor Land Grant

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Working through some older items I’ve meant to post. Two more letters regarding the War of 1812 land warrant for Brazure W. Pryor– the Hero of Hampton.

Richmond, VA
June 17th 1854

Dear Madam
In making an investigation I find further sum for your deceased husband Brazure W Pryor in the War of 1812 which in my opinion will give you an additional land warrant.

With your permission I will endevor to get you another warrant. In that evente you will please say that the 80 acre warrant No 36.536 which issued to you has long since been sold out of your possession in the acknowledgment of this letter.

Oblige, yours respectfully,
J K M

Elizabeth A Pryor
Care of Carter B Fogg
Newtown, VA

Memo
Brazure W Pryor was pay master to 115th Regt VA Mi (Militia?) from 28 Jul 1814 to 26 Feb 1815.

——————————————- Next Letter ————————————

X Mrs Pryor was paid by certificate of deposit No 902 for $56.70 for her land warrant No. 36.556 16 August 1852

Poplar Grove, July 2nd 1854

Mr. Martin
I  have just received your communication of the 17th June. I should like to get the additional claim which you think I am entitled to and as soon as obtained please to send a check for the amount of it and

oblige, yours most respectfully
E A Pryor

X Received of Mr. John K. Martin, 56 dollars clear of all expenses for the services of my deceased husband B. W. Pryor, during the War of 1812.

Please direct to Carlton’s Store
King and Queen Co.
Virginia

PS should the money be applied for, do not pay in ??? a written order from me.
E A Pryor
——————————————- Next Letter ————————————

 

Category: Virginia Pryors, War of 1812 | Tags: ,
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