Ancestry DNA — More Frustrating Than Useful?

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I actually got some interesting results through the test, however the whole structure of the website and how others use it is very frustrating.  How do I dislike Ancestry DNA let me count the ways.

  1. Private Players. These are the people who take the test and then put a lock on their family tree. This means they get the full view of my public tree, reap all the benefit of my research and my membership in Ancestry, but I can’t see how we are related through tree. Yes, I know I can message them and get access to their tree—do you know how few respond?!
  2. Stragglers (Just Along For the Ride). These are the people who are testing but post no tree at all. I first suspected that people were taking the test to prove paternity (al la Maury Povich Show!)—that was until I learned a paternity test kit was cheaper. Maybe these folks are helping out a relative to see if they match. Could be they got a Groupon and took the test for a hoot. More likely they are working on a family tree at home and just gleaning information from my test results and my PAID subscription to Ancestry.
  3. Extensive Review Time.  Ancestry dumps all the Private Players and Stragglers into my search results. I can’t just delete them—I have to open up each one. This took a couple weeks to get through all of the results.
  4.  Stupid Search. How stupid is the Ancestry DNA search function? So stupid… there is NONE! This means that you can’t type in a surname and bring up all the match results for that surname. Ancestry allows you to mark interesting results with a gold star or a note, but to find those interesting results again you have to scroll through pages of marked results and open the notes. Yes, it’s dumb.
  5. Hidden Markers. Ancestry doesn’t actually show you your DNA results or markers. It doesn’t even tell you for sure which ancestor is your match. On some of the matches I’ve seen there were 11 (ELEVEN!) surnames that matched and it’s anyone’s best guess which one is the DNA match or if it’s someone in my tree or the match’s tree we haven’t ID’d yet. Totally a pain in the sit-down region!

The best results have been through tenacious research. I’ve been getting feedback on the Pryor surname from others who have taken the Ancestry DNA test—one researcher who is definitely from the line of the Marion County Pryors  (Matthew Pryor back to Robert Pryor and Virginia Betty Green) has completely different than the test subject I submitted. So that line is not connected to the line of Nicholas Pryor of Henrico County. The jury is still out on Richard Pryor (and Mourning Thompson) line because of some of the issues noted above.

Has anyone else tested with Ancestry and would like to share with me which Pryors they matched to? Rather than leaving a comment on this post, contact me through the TN Pryor website http://www.tnpryors.com/contactus.htm

 

Category: Internet Genealogy | Tags:

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: , , ,
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