I’m passing along a small find in case it helps to advance someone else’s genealogy research. Logan Pryor was the son of James and Nancy Pryor of Overton County, TN. On the 1870 Census in Perry Co., IL Elmana Swallows age 9 was living in his household. I think she’s Ellen A Swallows buried in the Mueller Hill Cemetery, Pinkneyville, Perry Co. She died 3 Dec 1871, and she was the daughter of E A Swallows and L M. I betting the L M inscribed on her gravemaker is incorrect, there is no actual photo of the gravemarker online so I can’t tell if I’m right. I suspect possibly someone transcribed in it incorrectly and it’s actually I M Swallows. I found Isaac M Swallows (IM?) also buried in Pinkneyville, IOOF Cemetery. He died 15 Feb 1862 in the Battle of Fort Donelson (that was a Civil War battle in TN). On the 1860 Census Isaac Swallows is in Jackson Co., TN. He was 28 (born 1832) married to Elizabeth Swallows 24, with a daughter Sarah 3. I found another interesting Swallows: Alfred P Swallows b. 1855 in TN. On the 1860 Census in District 10 of Overton Co. living with his parents Reuben and Bethenia Swallows. Ruben and son Alfred were in District 13 of Jackson Co., in 1870. Alfred P Swallows was in Tyrone, Franklin Co., IL in 1880. He was married and just a couple houses from Isaac Copeland. Children of Allen and Cinderella Pryor of Jackson Co., TN were in Franklin Co. in 1880 and living very close to Alfred Swallows. I’m not saying there’s a connection… just making an observation. I checked the 1850 Census and found that Rueben Swallows had a son named Isaac, but he was 10 years too young to be the Isaac in Pinkneyville. But I found Isaac born 1832 in Dist 1 of Overton Co., he was the son of Andrew Swallows. I suspect that the two Swallows, Alfred and Isaac, were cousins. Hmmmm I wonder if Alfred’s middle name was Pryor. Sorry I don’t have anything definite, but on the way (perhaps) to explaining who Miss Swallows was who was living with Logan Pryor.
I’m lukewarm over the Ancestry DNA test. At best it’s “helpful.” The test I’m moderating has returned results that include Woodson ancestors. Ancestry doesn’t pinpoint a branch to search and only identifies them as possibly 5th to 8th cousins. My experience with the Ancestry results tells me that they are likely further back than 8th cousins and their years of birth are far enough back to indicate they are more than 8th cousins.
I’m working off a fairly well researched family tree. There are no lines other than the Pryors who trace back to Goochland and Henrico Counties in Virginia. There are some “missing links” like wives surnames and families on other lines of the Tree, however the Pryor line has numerous connections with the Woodsons and it seems the most likely to match this line. Wouldn’t be nice if Ancestry’s DNA results told us exactly which generation and individual it connect’s with— Hey, I don’t need a name just whether it’s gr-gr-gr-grandma on side of the Tree or gr-gr-gr-grandpa on the other side of the Tree.
Here’s the Pryor branch of the Tree:
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9. children of Nicholas Pryor:
David Pryor born bef 1715, md Miss Childress
William Pryor born abt 1718, md Margaret —–? (possibly Lafoon)
John Pryor born abt 1689, md Mary New
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8. children of John Pryor:
Rebecca Pryor born aft 1708, md Robert Woodson
Ann Pryor born abt. 1710, md John Wright
8. children of David Pryor:
David Pryor born abt 1738, md Susannah Ballew
John Pryor born abt 1740, md —–?
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7. children of John Pryor:
William Pryor born abt. 1765, md Spicy Taylor
John Pryor born abt 1780, md Massie Taylor
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6. son of John Pryor:
Allen L Pryor b. 1816, md Elizabeth Talley
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5. grand-child of John Pryor, not married to a Woodson and spouse has no Woodson connections
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4. great grand-child of John Pryor, not married to a Woodson and spouse has no Woodson connections
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3. great-great grand-child of John Pryor, not married to a Woodson and spouse has no Woodson connections.
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2. great-great-great grand-child of John Pryor, not married to a Woodson and spouse has no Woodson connections.
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1. Test Subject: great-great-great-great grand-child of John Pryor
10 generations and unknown surnames in the 8th and 10th generations. Did John Pryor b. 1740 marry a Woodson? Did Nicholas Pryor at the top of the Tree marry a Woodson?
So which Woodsons are reported connections? I got 3 matches (these were all low quality without Ancestry leaf hints) to Robert Woodson born about 1630-1660 who married Rachel Watkins. I had another hit to Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Woodson. Then another match to Elizabeth Woodson b. 1703 (daughter of Benjamin Woodson). It’s hard to know if these are correct… Ancestry’s system relies on the creator of a tree to input correct information, so some research is needed to see if these matches are for the same Elizabeth Woodson and to determine if her father was Robert or Woodson.
I’ve wondered for some time where the Haymarket Gardens amusement park was located in Richmond, VA. This was the house and park owned by Major John Pryor, retired Revolutionary War soldier and ex-husband of Anne Beverly Whiting. I stumbled upon a map of Poe’s Richmond. Yes, that’s the same guy who was the founder of modern mystery fiction, author Edgar Allen Poe. Who knew that Poe would even remotely tie into the Pryors!
Ann Beverly Whiting, the future mother of explorer John C Fremont lived there. President Jefferson’s cousin stayed there and to some accounts was treated more like a servant than a house guest. Major Pryor’s Revolutionary War Widow’s pension file has a sworn statement in it that Rev. Edmund Lacy, a methodist minister, performed Major Pryor’s second marriage to Elizabeth Quarles Graves at Haymarket Gardens.
The map states “1799 site of Pryor’s or Haymarket Gardens, was on Petersburg R. R. Station location, Byrd and 7th Sts.” I’ve added a small red dot to mark the location above. Major Pryor died in 1823, while Poe was living in Richmond. I wonder if the Haymarket was still in operation at that time or if had already closed to make way for the railroad station.
I wonder where Major Pryor was buried. Centenary Methodist is a 200 year old church in the Richmond.
This is a list of payments made to Pryors in Virginia for service during the French Indian War. I suspect these men were born in 1742 or earlier.
Aug. 12 1757 John Pryor. Receipt to William Preston for 6s. for six
days work at Fort George.
Aug. 29 1757 Joseph Pryor. Receipt to William Preston for 2 Is. for forty-one days service. Witnessed by Charles Lewis.
1757 John Pryor. Receipt to William Preston for 5 16s. for 116 days service as a soldier in his company between June 8 and Nov. 29, 1757.
1757 Joseph Pryor. Receipt to William Preston for 5 14x. for 114 days service as a soldier in his company
1757 Richard Pryor. Receipt to William Preston for 5 9s. for 109 days service as a soldier in his company between June 8 and Nov. 29, 1757. Witnessed by David Long.
1758 Richard Pryor Jr., Receipt to William Preston for 6 12s. for 132 days service as a soldier in his company between June 8 and Xov. 29, 1758.
The 1758 payment was witnessed by William Skillern. A 1764 Augusta County deed mentions William Skillern, deceased (George and William Skillern to Walter Crow). A William Skillern gave deposition testamony on suit filed in 1800 against Joseph Pryor Sr . and Jr. of Augusta County and Botetout County. William Pryor of Amherst Co. mentions a Col. George Skillern in his 1832 Revolutionary War pension application– Col. Skillern commanded the Botetourt troops.
Sometimes a name pops up and it seems to connect a family. This time the name is Felix Gilbert. I think he was part of the same group of aligned families who settled the most rural parts of colonial Virginia.
Gentry And Common Folk: Political Culture on a Virginia Frontier, 1740-1789, by Albert H. Tillson (pub. 1991) describes Felix Gilbert as “an Augusta merchant and justice of the peace.” With an association to William Preston. There’s a nifty map online that shows the proximity of Gilbert and Preston’s property in Albemarle Co., VA (view map)
I first spotted Felix Gilbert mentioned with a Pryor on an 1757 record for military pay in connection to the French-Indian War – AUG. 12 1757 John Pryor. Receipt to William Preston for 3 11s. being in full of his pay. Witnessed by Felix Gilbert. Howdy, neighbor! There’s William Preston again.
About a decade later Gilbert is paired with another Pryor: Felix Gilbert vs. Richard Pryor. Elizabeth Pryor Harper in Twenty-One Sourthern Families found this suit in Chalkley’s Chronicles with an abstract reference to this case in Augusta County Court judgments for Aug. 1765, Bk. B, noting that Richard Pryor had not been found, and lived on the Roanoke (Chalkley, vol. 1, p. 333). This says writ was issued 28 March 1765.
He moved from VA to NC. In 1785 Felix Gilbert was named on the estate of Stephen Shifflett in Orange Co. Matthew J Pryor married in Orange Co. and it should be noted that his brother Haden Pryor (of Granville Co., NC) and Elizabeth Wade – named a son Felix G Pryor in the 1770’s. Was he Fexlix Gilbert Pryor?
And then Felix Gilbert pops up again. He signed a petition in 1799 in Knox County (see signers). Another signer was William Pryor who I believe is from Bedford County, VA.
I don’t like to throw around loose theories… so I’m going to keep Felix on the back burner. I have a feeling he’ll be a clue later on.