William Harding – Key Man Among the Virginia Pryors

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William Harding connected to Nicholas PryorEee gads, I know I created this chart, but really, every time I look at it I think it looks fractured and glued haphazzardly back together again. There are connections EVERYWHERE. There are lines of Pryors I don’t know if they really belong together, but they all seem to merge through William Harding.

Hello, William Harding!

I know it was a “small world” back in Colonial Virginia, but I think the number of connections between William Harding and the Pryors is astounding.

1. William Harding posted surety for the estate of Nicholas Pryor in 1746 (Goochland County, VA)

2. In 1751 William Pryor sold Albemarle County land to William Harding. This is the William Pryor who was engaged in a Henrico County suit with Grace Lafoon (Lafon). I suspect William was a son of Nicholas Pryor. He was also the father of Capt. William Pryor of Amherst Co., Nicholas, John of Fort Donnally, and Susannah.

3. When William Harding‘s daughter Sally married Thomas Pollard at St. James Northam in Goochland County, William Meriwether was surety. William Meriwether was also surety in 1760 for the marriage of Samuel Pryor (son of Samuel and Prudence) when he married Frances Morton Meriwether.

4. William Harding‘s sister Bethenia married Nicholas Perkins. Bethenia’s children married Pryors: Susannah Perkins married Green Pryor and Nicholas Perkins married Leah Pryor. Green and Leah were children of John Henry Pryor who died 1771 in Orange County, NC.

5. William Harding‘s sister Susannah married Capt. Charles Ellis. Their grand-daughter, Elizabeth Wright,  married Capt. William Pryor of Amherst County, VA.

I’ve written about Capt. Ellis in the past [see The Last of the Virginia Chancery Court Records] and his association with Peter Jefferson (father of President Thomas Jefferson) and military service in the 1750’s with a Richard, Nicholas, and William Pryor.

Is Nicholas Pryor who died in 1746 the man some researchers ID as F. Nicholas Pryor? I’ve thought he was Nicholas the headright who arrived in Henrico County in 1688.

Is the F for Frank or Francis Pryor? Could he be Francis Pryor the son of Samuel and Prudence Thornton?

I feel like I’m getting to know everyone in town.

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David Ross – Part 5 (Silver, Iron and Smelting)

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I can’t let go of David Ross. His connections to the Pryors are fascinating!

David Ross ran the Oxford Iron Works and helped to arm the Virginia militia during the Revolution.  Whether it was by a land grant for his war effort or his own entrepreneurism, by 1790 Ross had land and business interests in Tennessee and had agents running his iron works in Sullivan County (see post).

I think I found the connection to Ross and the John Pryor in Sullivan County. If nothing else, they were business partners.

To COL James King’s Iron Works, where thousands of tons of iron were brought to Boat Yard and shipped to distant ports by flatboat.
http://discoverkingsport.com/searchmap/spoden.shtml

Now I get it… Kingsport was a PORT. John Pryor and his sons were building the flatboats that were being used to ship Ross’ iron.

Were there other Pryors involved in processing ore? You betcha! Nathaniel Pryor had a lead-smelting furnace on the Mississippi in about 1810-1812, near Dubuque, IA (see LewisAndClarkinKentucky.org).  Now that I know the connection of the flat boats and the water ways it makes sense that Nathaniel Pryor was operating near the river. Why did explorer Nathaniel Pryor turn into lead-smelter Pryor? Maybe I should ask HOW he became a smelter? Does it take skill to create a smelting operation?  Did Nathaniel apprentice in the metal trades as a youth? I did some Google searches to see if I could find out more about smelting or iron works in early Louisville. I was also interested to see if Obadiah Newman was involved in metal processing (remember Nathaniel and his brother were in his care when they were orphaned). I didn’t find an occupation for Newman.

The possible son of Nathaniel Pryor, Miguel Pryor of California, was a fur trapper and silversmith. I wonder if something got lost in the translation. Did he craft fine silverware or was he involved in mining and smelting the metal?

Then there’s William Harding (I’ll write more about him in a few days–there’s a lot to tell!). He was surety for the estate of Nicholas Pryor when he died in 1746 in Goochland County. Harding’s sister, Bethenia, married Nicholas Perkins–their sons Nicholas Perkins Jr. and his brother Constantine were partners in the iron works on Troublesome Creek in Rockingham County, NC.

Looks like they were more than farmers.

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David Ross and the Pryors – Part 4 (Sullivan County, TN)

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Back to what I’ve found on David Ross. There’s a David Ross and a John Pryor mentioned as neighbors in Sullivan County, TN.

1787, John PRYOR was living on land James Gaines had sold to James Anderson in 1780. “The large Cloud plantation adjoined the John Pryor plantation, and land owned by David Ross opposite the mouth of the North Fork Holston River. Together these plantations covered today’s Ridgefields area. The Clouds and Pryors, in addition to managing their plantations, worked as flatboard builders and boatmen. and both…”

We know the John Pryor in Sullivan County was born in 1757 because he lived to be counted on the 1850 Census. In 1850 he was quite elderly, living with his son, and his place of birth was recorded as England. The same son he lived with in 1850 lived to 1880 and stated on that census that his father was born in England. Like all things “Pryor” I take John’s place of birth with a smidgen of skepticism.

The David Ross I’ve followed through my searches died in Virginia in 1817/19 and I can’t find anything of him being in Tennessee. David Ross of VA had a son named David who lived to 1857, but that David is on the 1850 Census in Shenandoah Co., VA, not in Tennessee. So, I was ready to write-off this Sullivan County connection as just a coincidence.

Not so fast.

In 1927 the history of Rotherwood Mansion in Kingsport was printed in the Kingsport Times-News (read Famous Rotherwood Is Veiled In Romantic History (Wayback Machine link)). There is a brief history of Frederick Augustus Ross who happens to be the son of David Ross — yes, the same David Ross who keeps popping up with the Virginia Pryors. (Frederick was also mentioned in the Fluvanna deed in my last post- see post)

In the spring of 1818, his father having died in the previous year, 1817, Mr. Ross made his first visit to the large landed estate left to him in Sullivan and Hawkins counties, East Tennessee. There on the North Fork of the Holston, he built “Rotherwood.”

It sounds like his father is the David Ross in Sullivan County who died and left him the land. Once you know who David Ross of VA was then there are several clues on discoverkingsport.com/searchmap/spoden.shtml which help to confirm his identity and what he was doing in Tennessee. He probably wasn’t there himself, but he had his businesses in Sullivan County.

  • 1789, David Ross’ Log Agency and Tavern was occupied and operated by Ross’ agents (Capt. John Hunt by 1792; Thomas Hopkins by 1811; Perley Fairbanks by 1816, among others).
  • 1792, George Roulstone, offered a handsome reward for his high spirited brown mare, lost near Ross Ironworks. (David Ross made his fortune in the Revolution with his foundries in VA and NC.  TN was part of NC until 1796).
  • 1793, David Ross purchased 5 acres of King’s iron bank.
  • 1790, David Ross’ Iron Forge was operated by his agents.
  • 1818, F. A. Ross settled on land inherited from his father (David Ross) and built the first bridge (ruins SS) over North Fork Holston River.

OK, we’ve got David Ross figured out but who’s the John Pryor in Sullivan County? Is it Major John Pryor of Richmond? — Nope, he died in 1823. Is he John Pryor who married Mary Dennis?– Nope, he died in 1785. Is he the John Pryor of Campbell County whose sons John and William settled his property in 1812? — Nope, he was deceased. The list of who he ISN’T seems rather long.

Was John in Sullivan County really from England or are we still missing some Virginia Pryors from the family tree?

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David Ross and the Pryors – Part 3 (Dennis Family, Fluvanna, and Amelia Co.)

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va-pryorsI encountered David Ross  once again. This time on a 1813 deed of trust in Fluvanna County, VA.

(copy made by John Timberlake), 1815, of David Ross to Jacob Myers, William Pasteur, and Frederick Augustus Ross for the benefit of Elizabeth Maria (Bancroft) Ross Barrett and Anna Maria (Ross) Johnson for 1,500 acres in Fluvanna County, Virginia.  Witnessed by William Roper and James Shepherd and bears affidavits of James Currin, John Johnson, John PRYOR, and Thomas Ritchie, and a schedule of slaves belonging to David Ross.

The deed was dated a few years before Ross died in 1819, so perhaps he was cleaning up his estate.  John Timberlake, the man who made a copy of this deed, was married to Elizabeth Pryor, daughter of John Pryor and Mary Dennis.

I found in the Virginia chancery court suits that David Ross was sued in Amelia County in 1794.  He was sued by Jane Dennis widow of Henry Dennis and their son Richard Dennis. The suit discusses that in 1774 and 1775 Ross was engaged in a trading company (Eilbeck, Ross & Co.) that Henry supplied with tobacco in trade for sundry merchandise. In Seagrave’s Dinwiddie County, Virginia: A Brief History it sounds like Ross’ trading company disrupted in the early days of the Revolution by an embargo of British goods.

However, I don’t think that the John Pryor who witnessed the deed was Timberlake’s father in law because that John Pryor died in 1785. John and Mary didn’t have any grandchildren named John Pryor who were old enough to witness a legal document. Perhaps once again this was Major John Pryor of Richmond.

Well, I may not be able to identify John Pryor in this post, but I found an interesting historical letter directed to Ross’ company written by the British Home Office six months after the Revolution began:

22 Oct 1775
Walter Chambre, Whitehaven
to Mssrs. Eilbeck, Ross and Co., Norfolk, Virginia

Dear Friends,
If you can by any means, be not so much attached to that side (the Provincials). I do not blame them so much as many on this side, who have deceived their friends or yours in persuading to belief that there was such a faction in England would easily force the Government into a compliance with such requests as America choose to make. The contrary is now evinced, and such a preparation going forward as makes me shudder to think of. Government must finally conquer, — first ruining America, and then surely making examples of such as too zealously abet her cause.

Calendar of Home Office Papers of the Reign of George III: 1760 …, Volume 4
By Great Britain. Public Record Office, Richard Arthur Roberts

Poor Mr. Ross who was just trying to run a business — The colonists were sending his cargo back to England and the English were asking him not to get so friendly with the rebeling colonists.

Category: Virginia Pryors | Tags: , , ,

David Ross and the Pryors – Part 2 (The Ballews and Pittsylvania Co.)

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va-pryorsI’ve thought that a 1785 will in Campbell County, VA was witnessed by John Pryor, brother of David Pryor who married Susannah Ballow. Now, I’m not so sure. I’ve been exploring these Pryors and now believe that Major John Pryor of Richmond is connected to John and David. We’re missing some people in the family tree so I can’t make a definite comment on the relationship. The John Pryor who was the witness could be either of these 2 men.

1785 Will: “I, James Karr of Campbell, of sound and disposing mind and memory First, all my debts and funeral expenses to be paid. To my trusty friend, Charles Rork – 55 (pounds), “which the bonds is in the hands of George Hearon, being the price of my land on Pigg River”. Also, 25 (pounds) which I obtained [in a] judgment against Charles Bellue (Ballew / Ballow / Ballou). To my wife – one half of my still, which is now at my brother, Robert Carr’s. To the said Charles Rork – the other half of the still, and half the accounts “of papers and Thomas James now in the hands of David Ross“. To my wife – the other half of said accounts, that is, the accounts in said Ross’ hands. To Charles Rork – all accounts and debts due me that were not before mentioned. Also to Charles Rork Jr, my bay horse. At Campbell Court of Dec 7, 1786, the will of James Karr dec’d was proved by the oaths of witnesses Wright and Pryor, and OR.” – John PRYOR along with Robert Wright and James Rock (or Rork) witnesses.

I’m trying to figure out if this information comes from the book Belieu, A History, however here’s what I found online

Nicholas Davies, who had land dealings with Albemarle Ballews, found iron mountain in Bedford Co., and this was purchased by Robert Harper, Thomas James, son of Wm., brother of Frances James Ballew, and Benjamin Elledge of Bedford Co. They established Oxford Bloomery which was purchased by David Ross of Pittsylvania Co., in 1776
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=kenrob39&id=I5540

Both a Ballew and Thomas James were named in the 1785 will  above and the Ballew information above.

A brief biography of Nicholas Davies (see online) drops all the landed-gentry family names that were connected with Major John Pryor: Fleming, Whiting, Beverly, Clayton. Nicholas Davies was a justice of the peace of Goochland County and later a sheriff in Cumberland County. And of course he corresponded with President Thomas Jefferson.

The same website that posted about Nicholas Davies (see above) also indicates the Ballews and David Ross were in Pittsylvania Co, VA and Ashe County, North Carolina. Interesting since David Pryor’s kin were in Rockingham County, North Carolina and Pittsylvania County, VA (see post about David Pryor’s kin)

So it could be John Pryor brother of David who witnessed the 1785 will or it could be Major John Pryor. No decision yet. The only thing I’m certain of is that I’m glad I’m searching for Pryors and not Ballews or any of the other hundred variations of that surname!

Category: Virginia Pryors | Tags: , , , , ,
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