Letters on General Brazure Williams Pryor Land Grant

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In an older post ( Widow Pryor’s War of 1812 Land Bounty Letter ) I shared the transript of a letter written by Elizabeth A De Neufville Pryor, widow of Brazure Williams Pryor. I had misplaced other letters related to her request for bounty land. Ah Ha… found at last! This is the first post, more to come. Enjoy the transcripts.

King and Queen Co, July 23 / 52
[to] Mr. Martin

Dear Sir,
Mrs. Eliza Pryor requests with [obscured by tape] say to you that whe had been informed through Carter B. Fog (sic), of your having located Warrant a [obscured by tape] land of her husband the late General Pryor and that you desired to purchase same. She is willing to sell it to you for the same price offer her by others, and rather to give your the posession, you will please therefore answer this immediately stating the no of acres contained in said Warrant and the amount you are will to giver there for.
Yours respectfully,
John Washington Jr.
Eliza Pryor
Bestland, Essex Co.

—————————————– Next letter ———————————————-

Richmond, Va, July 26th, 1852
[to] Mrs. Pryor

Dear Madam,
Your friend Mr. Washington is mistaken in supposing that your Land Warrand is [?] which is sugested to some order. You can dispose of your warrant or have located++ just as you please. Your warrant is for 8 acres which when the assignment is made is worth now $63 less my commission. I would be pleased to hear from you on that subject. Immediately on receipt of the Warrant by mail I advised you find Mr. Carter B. Fogg of that part.

—————————————– Next letter ———————————————-

Caroline, August 13/52

Mr. John K Martin

Sir,
Your communication to Mrs Elizabeth Pryor of [obscured by tape] seems have been answered at an earlier day, but for a [darn tape again!] attack which frustrated me for several weeks. She is willing to take your offer for her warrant. You will therefor write upon the back side an assignment as the law requires, enclose it to her and she will sign it [can’t read the word] it to you. You will send her for the balance of the deducting your com- ($63 – 6.30= 56.70) a certificate of depoist in a check that she can pass off without having to go to the bank for the money. Say to her in your letter that you have said this of me.

Yours respectfully
Jno. Wasthington Jr.
Elizabeth A Pryor
August 13, 1852

—————————————– Next letter ———————————————-

[Small inscription at top of letter, perhaps back of warrant was coppied over the letter?
Wrote said day August 26th to Clerk of Court Essex Rappahannock and ??? 37 County and asked the clerk to put his certificate and seal on Warrant as soon as Mrs. Pryor sends it to hime and return the same to me.]

Richmond, Va
August 16, 1852

Dear Madam,

In reply to Mr. John Washington Jr letter of the 13th said and in compliance with his request will enclose to you Land Warrant No. 36.562 with the view to get your assignment and with it will endorese a certificate of Deposit No. 902 for $56.70/100 which will enable you to check out any amount under that sum as by [can’t read the word] your name on the back of the certificate you can pass it away to any body for the full amount.

This will pay you for your warrant, any deducted my commission therefrom for [?] the same.

The Warrant is already for your signature when the paper has been exectuted by you before a [witness?]. It will have to be sent  to the CH* to get a certificate and seal from the clerkof the court. And as you will have an opportunity to send the Warrant to the court house from Bestland**. I will trouble you to do so for me. I have this day written to the clerk of the court upon that subject.

You will be kind enough to acknowledge the receipt of the Warrant and said in your letter what disposition you have made with it. or in other words when did you send the warrrant to the CH.

Mrs. Eliz A Pryor
Bestland PO

Very respectfully yours,
John K Martin

* I believe “CH” stands for Court House
** Bestland is located in Essex Co., VA
++This sounds like Mrs. Pryor and her friend Mr. Washington wanted to know where the warrant was located and that Martin was offering to buy it but not locate it.

Category: Virginia Pryors | Tags: , ,

More Pryors and the War of 1812

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Another Pryor marriage from the War of 1812 Pensions: John Bohannon married Sarah PRIOR on 6 Jan 1812 in White County, TN. They were married by Thomas Bounds Esq., a justice of the peace.  The marriage information is a big find because there’s a note in the pension file from the county clerk in 1871 searched for the marriage record and deemed it lost or destroyed. The Bohannons were living in Putnam County in 1850 and at the time they were applying for pensions. John Bohannon used attorney Winburn W. Goodpasture in Livingston, TN to apply for his pension in 1850. It’s been speculated that Sarah Pryor was the daughter of William Pryor of White County. Witnesses who swore on the character and knowledge of their marriage were J. D. Hyder, John Barnes, Curtis Mills, William Bohannon, Vivrett Henry, Susan Roberson (speculated by researchers to be a sister of Sarah Pryor Bohannon), H Denton, B. D. Hunter. There’s an additional application for William Bohannon, John’s brother.  For Bohannon researchers — William Bohannon married Polly Job on 9 January 1816 at Winchester, TN (that’s in Franklin County). Both men claimed to have served at the Battle of New Orleans.

In a recent post I referred to an older post about William G. Pryor of Overton County who served in the War of 1812.  William married Spicy Taylor in 1809 in Campbell County, VA and it appears that he was in Tennessee before the death of his father-in-law, Edmund Taylor (after Edmund’s death in 1824 Spicy’s siblings moved from Virginia to Tennessee).  Here’s the complete list of the company in which William Pryor served.

CAPT. JOEL PARRISH, JR.’S CO. OF ARTILLERISTS, TENNESSEE MILITIA

John Allen
William Allen
John Armstrong
James Atkins
William N Barham
John Batts
George Black
Lewis C Bryant
Alexander H Clifton
John Cobler (or Cobbler)
John Collins
William C Drew
William H Elam
E Folks
Abel Fulks
Daniel Fultrill
John Garrett
Samuel Gealnet
Corace Harding
Isaac Henry
Thomas P Henson
Joseph Herton
James B Hindman
Anderson Howell
Herbert J Lee
James Lewis
John Marchant
James Markum
William McCandless
John McClure
John Merchant
James Nail
John L Nail
Joel Parrish, Capt.
John Pintard
William G Pryor
Wright A Reeder
Ebelleam Reaves
Henry Redley
John Ross
William Russell
Jerres Rust
Gabriel Taylor
William Thompson
Grain Townsend
John Waggoner
Richard B. Walthall
Eser Whytus (Whitis?)
Jesse Wilkinson
Benjamin Williams
James Williams
Etheldridge Williams

Category: Tennessee Pryors | Tags: , , , ,

Mary Pryor and Robert Quarles of Virginia

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I’m interested in Mary Pryor, sister of Major Pryor of Richmond, VA, who married James Quarles. I found her son Robert Quarles was in the American Revolution and his widow filed for a pension.

I love his lady! She was a woman who followed directions– she actually tore the page with birth and marriage records out of the family Bible and sent it off to Washington, DC. She even sent the front plate of the Bible that shows it was published in Edinburgh in 1797. So cool!

Quarles-Bible

I found in Google Books “Sketches of Prominent Tennesseans“, edited by William S. Speer, published 1888. In a sketch of Judge James M. Quarles of Nashville it states the Mary Pryor who married James Quarles was of “the Pryor Family of Virginia, from whom Gen. Roger A Pryor , the brilliant criminal lawyer, now of New York, is descended.”

I wonder if the Roger A Pryor connection was a bit of family folklore or if there is some connection between Mary’s Pryor family in Richmond and the Pryors in Amelia, Louisa, and Nottaway counties. I can’t find it.

Category: Virginia Pryors | Tags: ,

Mary Pryor and Lodrick (or Ludwig?) Garrett of Overton Co.

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mary-pryor-garrett-xI found a terrific record for the Pryors in Overton Co., TN. It’s a Mother’s Application for Army Pension (file number 116383) which was filed by Mary Garrett wife of Loderick Garrett, or in this application it is spelled at times “Ludwig”.  The application was made 9 Oct 1867 for the pension of their son James M Garrett.

To date I didn’t have a James on Mary’s family group sheet. I believe he is the son named “Marion” who was on the 1850 and 1860 Census. If so, James Marion Garrett was born about 1836.

His enlistment date is given as 1Sept. 1861 at Camp Robinson, KY. Their son James M. Garrett served in Co. D, 2nd TN. He was captured in Rogersville, TN on 6 Nov 1863. He died in Richmond, VA on 15 March 1864 (the army paperwork gives his date of death as 18 Feb 1864). The cause of death was listed as “starvation in Rebel Prison.”

Mary Pryor Garrett’s address at the time of the application was “on wagon rode leading from Livingston Tennessee to Albany KY about 15 miles from Livingston.”

We now have a marriage date for Mary Pryor (daughter of Spicy Taylor and William Pryor):  Mary Pryor to Ludwig Garrett, married by Joel Parris, a justice of the peace, on 15 Nov 1831 in Overton Co., TN.  Witnessed by Robert Barnes and Calvin H. Cope. This is from the sworn statement given by Robert Barnes and Calvin H. Cope who state they were at the wedding.

A quick connection… back in 2011 I wrote about William G Pryor in the War of 1812 with Joel Parrish and that he lived near him in Overton County. Is this the same man who performed Mary Pryor’s marriage ceremony?

Other names:

Sarah Taylor and Calvin H Cope completed an affidavit that they were acquainted with Mary Pryor and her family. (Sarah b. 1836, wife of Hezekiah Taylor Jr. She would have been Mary’s cousin)

John Padgett and Elizabeth Rome completed an affidavit that they were acquainted with Mary Pryor and her family.

Elisa Pryor and Tennessee Huddleston completed an affidavit that they were acquainted with Mary Pryor and her family for 15 years. (Eliza Knight Pryor, wife of Edward Pryor, was Mary’s sister-in-law.)

Witnesses on additional documents: Julia Ann Owen, Dolly Taylor, James Amonett, Eliza A Beaty.

Although Loderick Garrett wasn’t on the 1870 Census, he was living at the some of the papers were completed in November 1867. Mary Garrett died about 1899 when the pension was dropped off the rolls on 30 June 1899 due her death.

Category: Tennessee Pryors | Tags: , , ,

Looking in Virginia for Pryor and Dennis Connection

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Quill etcWhen I wrote Leroy B. Pryor – Part II: Can We Connect the Cousins? I was looking for a Pryor and Dennis connection. I may have found it in a Chancery Court case on the Library of Virginia website.

The Richard Pryor of this suit was the son of John Pryor and Ann Bland. When John died in 1785 Richard Pryor and his brother in law John Timberlake (also of this case) were the executors of the will. The case states that Richard’s father John was married to Mary Dennis. Huh? Did Ann Bland die first and John remarried to Mary Dennis? And are these Pryors connected to the families in Jackson County, TN?

Here’s a summary of the Chancery Court Case…

A Bill of complaint, the entitled in the Worshipfull Court of Amelia County by JOHN TIMBERLAKE and RICHARD PRYOR executors of JOHN PRYOR, deceased against RICHARD DENNIS, executor of DEAREST DENNIS, deceased.

Humbly complaining —? Unto your worships your Orators, executors of John Pryor, dec’d that some time in or about the year of our Lord Christ one thousand seven hundred and —-  a certain Dearest Dennis departed this life after having first published her last will and testament in writing being of sound and disposing mind, memory, and understanding in manner and form following to wit.

In the name of God amen. I Dearest Dennis of Raleigh Parish in the County of Amelia, by the mercy of god in a sound  and disposing mind, make and ordain this my last will and testament in the following manner.  I give and bequeath unto my son JOHN DENNIS twenty pounds to him and his heirs forever. I give and bequeath unto my daughter MARY PRYOR twenty pounds to her and heirs forever.  I give and bequeath to my daughter ELIZABETH PINEHAM twenty pounds to her and her heirs forever. I give and bequeath  to my daughter MARY ROYALL** twenty pounds to her and her heirs forever. I give —? And bequeath all remaining part of parts of my Estate of every kind whatsoever to my son RICHARD DENNIS to him and his heirs forever and I nominate constitute and appoint him the said Richard Dennis exectutor of this my last will and testament which I sign, seal, publish, and deliver the 21st day of April 1780.

Two questions asked as part of this case explain that Mary Dennis Pryor was married to the late John Pryor.

Whether she did bequeath to the wife of your orator’s testator Mary Pryor the sum of twenty pounds? Whether he has ever paid the same or any part there of either to the said Mary Pryor or John Pryor, her husband in this life times.

The entire orginal case is scanned and available at http://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/full_case_detail.asp?CFN=007-1792-033#img

There are other references to the Dennis family in VA. All seem to link to this same Pryor line.

1772 in Amelia County – Richard Dennis of Raliegh (Rawley) Parish in Amelia County, conveyed to his grandson Richard Pryor, son of John Pryor, of Nottoway Parish a negro girl “Cate” and her children (Notes on Southside Virginia By Walter Allen Watson, pub. 1925)

And this other reference

1798 Deed – Deed from Peter Randolph and Sarah, his wife, to Henry Dennis, conveying a tract on Cellar Creek, bounded by Luke Pryor, Isham Clay and others, it being the same land recovered of the heirs of Lettice Bland, deceased. (Notes on Southside Virginia By Walter Allen Watson, pub. 1925)

It looks like this is the same line that begat the Civil War general Roger Atkinson Pryor. The Richard Pryor noted above would have been his grandfather, Luke Pryor his great-uncle, and John his great-grandfather. However, I’ve never seen a reference to Mary Dennis before. Is this something new or have I missed something?

I Googled to see what I could find. I found John and Mary’s marriage.

John Pryor & Mary Dennis, 21 May 1754, Amelia Co. Virginia.

Another search turned up John Pryor’s 1785 will, which I  had seen before but it was worth reading at again to see how this case fits in with it. (read the will).

Another priece of evidence that John Pryor was married to Mary Dennis is their son Luke Pryor who married Ann Batte Lane named a daughter Mary Dennis Pryor (Virginia Magazine of History and Biography)

I’m convinced that Mary Dennis was married to John Pryor, son of Samuel Pryor of Prudence Thornton. The same John Pryor who had children Richard, Elizabeth, Luke, Mary, Philip, and John. So how on earth did so many family trees on Ancestry.com come to have Ann Bland as the wife of this John Pryor?

** Did Dearest Dennis really have 2 daughters named Mary?

Category: Virginia Pryors | Tags: , , , ,
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