Yet Another Look at Brazure W Pryor of Charles City and Hampton City, VA

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Shirley Plantation - Charles City, VA
I’ve written about Brazure Williams Pryor a few times ( February 28, 2011 | March 23, 2011 | April 11, 2011 ). I keep coming back to him because I think he’s a link that can tie together lines of Virginia Pryors.  This weekend was time to look at him again.

I found that an online researcher had posted that Brazure’s  namesake was a Mary Brazure who had married Captain Thomas Cocke of Henrico County. If you’ve been reading my posts on Nicholas Pryor you probably know I (see May 3, 2012 post)– Nicholas Pryor was brought to Henrico County aboard ship by Captain Thomas Cocke in 1688! I didn’t quite spring out of my chair, because the reseacher blew the theory by basing it on bad “genealogy” by assuming there was a connection to Mary Brazure because Brazure Pryor was named “Brazure.”

There could be a connection… we just don’t know yet. For now we know that Brazure was named for his grandfather Brazure Williams and that is proven by his inclusion in his grandfather’s 1790 will.

Brazure Williams’ will is an intriguing thing. I haven’t seen the will or even a transcript. Researchers have posted online that it mentions his son in law Samuel Pryor. Is this the father of Brazure? I found the will indexed in Genealogical Abstracts from 18th-Century Virginia Newspapers, by Robert Kirk Headley:

WILLIAMS — Brazure Williams’ will; names grandson Brazure Williams Pryor , son -in-law Samuel Pryor, granddau. Elizabeth Smallwood, wife Frances Williams. Dated July 20, 1790; proved October 17, 1793.  (view source)

Who was the Samuel Pryor who was connected to Brazure Williams? Brazure died around 1790 or so.  I haven’t found a Samuel Pryor on the 1790 Census in Virginia. That would be too easy! I found a Samuel Pryor and John Williams had witnessed the will of Henry Duke in Charles City in 1795.  Was this this the right Samuel — I’m optomistic because of the Williams connection. Also wondering, was this Samuel Thornton Pryor whose sister Judith Neville Pryor married Fontaine Duke? I’m stuck on that questions because in all the family trees and records Samuel Thornton appears to be of the same generation as Brazure W. Pryor (born in the mid 1770’s), and Samuel Thornton Pryor is not known to have a brother named Brazure.

It looks like there’s were two Samuel Pryors in Charles City.

  • Samuel W Pryor who was perhaps the father of Brazure W Pryor and definitely the son in law of Brazure Williams. He was probably born about 1775 to 1795. He is possibly the Samuel Pryor on the 1830 Census in Charles City, the man who ran for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1821, but was rejected because he didn’t have enough land,  and last seen in the records in 1835 when he was elected barkeeper by the court. I think he may be the same Samuel Pryor who married Sarah Dudley Graves on 12 Feb 1824 in Charles City.
  • Samuel W. Pryor born 1830 is probably the son of Samuel and Sarah. He was living with George Marabel on the 1860 Census (the older Samuel had witnessed a will for Elizabeth Gill in 1828 where one of the heris was a Judith P. Marable.

I located a marriage for  Brazure W Pryor to Elizabeth Antoinette DeNeuville (William and Mary Quarterly). Yes, her family was French and it may explain why Brazure was part of the delegation that hosted General Lafayette upon his visit to Virginia. Christopher J. D. Pryor of Hampton City sued the estate of Brazure W Pryor in 1827 after his death. The suit claims that Brazure had been Christopher’s guardian and that the estate’s administrator John A. DeNeuville had withheld Christopher’s property and slaves that Brazure had in his posession. (summary on the Digital Library of American Slavery). It also looks like Elizabeth DeNeuville Pryor was alive as late as 1851 when ex-president John Tyler wrote a letter asking that she be given a land grant for her husband’s service in the War of 1812. I haven’t found her on the 1850 Census.

I don’t know the parents of either Brazure or Christopher J D Pryor, but it gives some hope in solving this mystery of a couple of Pryor lines.  I found a reminicence online in 2011 (A New Look at Old Virginia Pryors) that stated Skaife Whiting Pryor was a son of Christopher J D Pryor. This is incorrect because a 1846 lawsuit identified Skaife as the son of John Clayton Pryor and a grandson of Christopher Pryor of Gloucester County, VA.  But isn’t it interesting that a first hand recollection places Skaife in Christopher J D Pryor’s family line? Does this mean that Brazure and his ward Christopher J D are related to John Clayton Pryor and Christopher Pryor of Gloucester? I think we’re on the right track!

Does anyone know where Elizabeth DeNeuville (or DeNeufville) Pryor was in 1850? Can you connect the line of Christopher Pryor with Brazure Williams Pryor? Who are the Samuel Pryors in Charles City and how are they related to Brazure?

Category: Virginia Pryors | Tags: , , ,

Questioning the Identity of William Pryor of Albemarle and Amherst Counties

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Don’t you just hate it that there are so many Pryors with the same name? This week I have a William Pryor who is causing me to question some of my calculations.

Last week I was leaning toward William born 1730 to be the son of Nicholas and Susanna Pryor of Goochland Co., VA. William was of the right age to be their son and he is named on records as a resident Albemarle County in the early 1750’s. I’m still sure that he was the father of William, Nicholas, and John who served in the militia and pioneered into Kanawha County, and also the father of Susannah Pryor who married Shadrack Harriman while also settling in Kanawha.

Looking through my notes I see that one researcher had ID’d William years ago as the son of Philip Pryor and Ann Haden. I had to raise an eyebrow and wonder. Perhaps William had named is daughter Susannah, not after his mother, but his sister (Philip and Ann are known to have a daughter named involved William Pryor and William Laffoon. A William Wade gave evidence on the suit—the Wade surname was of interest because Haden Pryor, another son of Philip and Ann Pryor) married Elizabeth Wade in Granvellie Co., NC in 1769.

I still have to side with William being the son of Nicholas and Susannah. Here’s why:

  • Philip Pryor and Ann Haden were married in 1742 in Amelia County. That means the 1746/47 Goochland County court case would have involved a child named William Pryor . That doesn’t make sense as the language of the case doesn’t reflect the involvement of a child. Also, if a child of Philip and Ann was involved, then why weren’t any of their other children named in the suit?
  • A 1751 deed filed in Henrico County mentions William Pryor of Albemarle County. We know at that time he had children because his son William (Jr.) stated in his Revolutionary War pension statement that he was born in Albemarle County at about that time. The deed also states the land in Henrico county was from William Laffoon’s patent and it was located on the Chickahominy river. Nicholas Pryor had been “transported” as an immigrant, or for a headright, to land on the Chickahominy in Henrico Co. in 1688 and that the family remained close by for many years.

And these additional points (added after publishing this post)

  • “James Cocke comes into Court and makes oath that WILLIAM LAFOON deceased died without any will so far as he knows or believes and on his motion, certificate is granted him for obtaining Letters of Administration in due form. George Carrington, Gent. enters himself Security for the same.” Nicholas Pryor was brought to Henrico County by Thomas Cock– is that the same as Cocke? George Carrington was also entangled in land deeds with Nicholas’ grandsons in Cumberland Co., VA.

I have to say that placing William in Philip and Ann Pryor’s family tree is an error. Anyone want to take a DNA test to solve this one?

Category: Virginia Pryors | Tags: , ,

The Patriarch: Tracing Nicholas Pryor

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Chickahominy Sunset

Chickahominy River at Sunset

The first record I can find of Nicholas Pryor is dated 20 October 1688. Nicholas was transported in to Virginia by Thomas Cock Sr. At the time his was Verina Parish in Henrico County. The document states 33 persons were transported to the south side of the Chickahominy River. When I looked at the river on a county map I found that south of the river was Henrico County and Charles City; to the north was Hanover County and New Kent County. The record states the land boardered John Woodson, which by the way is a name that pops up again in this line of Pryors.

There are several researchers online who have duplicated entries in their family trees (that’s a nice way of saying they copied others’ entries) that state Nicholas Pryor was a child indentured servant when he entered Virginia. There’s an excellent post by a researcher on an Ancestry Board; it discusses this same 1688 record in relation to their ancestor Lambert Tye. Lambert was in the Colonies prior to landing in Henrico County and was not a child. This researcher suspects that he re-entered the Colony as part of a land or headright arrangement, which opens up the possibility that Nicholas was also older when he first appears in Henrico County.

I’ve pieced together a bit about the life of Nicholas Pryor and his descendants.

The next record of his life in Virginia is in a 1735 entry in the Henrico County Vestry Book.

“Charles Cannon and Nicholas Prior, processioned John Woodson’s Land, present himself; processioned the land of Abraham Childers, present.”

I admit I’m weak on deciphering colonial records. The best description of a processioner and processioning I can find is “The business of processioning was initiated by a court order that specified the boundaries of each procession district and appointed individuals as processioners.” Being a processioner appears to have been a trusted post and a respected position of the landed gentry. If we assume Nicholas was a 10 year old (born around 1678) and indentured servant when he arrived in Virginia, he may have been about 45 years old (or older if not a child when he arrived). He was still living near John Woodson and he was living near Abraham Childers which is a name that comes up again in association with this line of Pryors.

An online researcher has posted that they reviewed the estate record of Nicholas Pryor, deceased, dated August 1746 (Henrico County).

“Susannah Prior came into court and made oath that Nicholas Prior, dec’d, died without any will so far as she knew or believed and on her motion, certificate was granted her for obtaining Letters of Administration in due form.”

As I’ve worked through the records of Henrico County (and other counties) I’ve been able to piece together the sons of Nicholas (and Susannah). I believe I can connect them to the correct family lines in Virginia.

Sons of Nicholas Pryor (born around 1678)

William Pryor. I found this reference to William Pryor in a query on Genealogy.com:

“In 1751, William PRIOR/PRYOR (who was then listed as a resident of Albemarle Co., VA) sold 200 acres of land in Henrico County to William HARDING of Henrico Co. This land was noted as “part of a greater tract of land granted to William LAFFOON by patent”.

The researcher was searching for information on their ancestor William Laffoon and had found that William Pryor was an heir of William Lafoon in 1746. I believe we can ID this William Pryor because in 1751 there was only one William Pryor in Albemarle County.

This William is the William (and Margaret Pryor) who resided in Albemarle County in about 1752 when their sons William, John, and Nicholas were born there. Most Pryor researchers have read the sworn statement of this their son, the younger William Pryor — he was applying for a pension for service in Kanawha and later Revolutionary War Service near Richmond. He is clear about being born in Albemarle County and identifies his brothers by name. William and Nicholas, the sons of William from Henrico Co. later settled in Amherst County. William (and Margaret) were also the parents of Susannah Pryor born about 1765, she is the Susannah Pryor who married Shadrack Harriman, a sergeant at the Fort Lee Garrison (Their son was John Harriman whose home is on the National Registry of Historic Places – http://www.wvculture.org).

David Pryor.David is my new favorite Pryor because I am his direct descendant. David died about the same time as his father. David died in 1746, leaving son John and his minor son David Pryor and we can assume that he was married to one of Abraham Chidress’ daughters who had probably pre-deceased him.

“July Court, 1746, DAVID PRYOR’S INVENTORY, was returned by Phineas Glover, Joseph Hooper and Joseph Price, it was recorded 17 Feb. 1746/7. In these same court records, they show that Abraham Childress was guardian for DAVID PRYOR, JR. There was an accounting on Feb 1753 with Abraham’s signature. David was shown to have schooling and etc.”

Possibly as a result of his father’s death, a land settlement was made with a George Carrington:

George CARRINGTON on Sept 15, 1747 of GOOCHLAND, deeded to JOHN and DAVID PRIOR (PRYOR) of HENRICO CO, VA 250 acres for which their father DAVID had already paid CARRINGTON. The land lay in GOOCHLAND and ALBEMARLE Counties, was part of a tract of 5650 acres granted to GEORGE CARRINGTON and the bounding neighbors were RICHARD TAYLOR (projected father of SAMUEL TAYLOR who married Sophia CHILDRESS) and ABRAHAM CHILDRESS (aka Childers) along with Isaac Bates and Phineas Glover.”

The 1763 will of Abraham Childress identified David Pryor as his grandson. There’s a plethora of documentation online that reference Abraham Childress and his ancestors of the same name, so if you’re interested you can read more on how the Childress line intersects with Cannon, Woodson, and others from this area of Virginia. David Pryor was probably married twice: David Jr’s mother was Miss Childress, and John the older son’s mother is not yet identified.

John Pryor. John appears on Goochland County and Henrico County records. I’ve been aware of this John Pryor for some time and he was a side note in my research: he was in Goochland County about the time William Pryor who married Sarah Wood appears in the records, but he was too old to be William’s brother and William’s brother John Henry Pryor had already been identified by researchers as the John who was residing in Hanover County.

John witnessed the Will of a Samuel Coleman in Goochland County in 1748. Other witnesses were John Right (Wright?), and Robert L. Woodson. John’s own will in 1755 identifies daughters Ann Wright, Rebecca Woodson, grandson John Woodson. I told you the Woodson name would come again! It appears that Nicholas’ grand-daughter married into the Woodson family who we know from earlier records to be landowners near where Nicholas settled in Henrico County.

Possible Other Sons:

Edward Pryor. I found Edward in Henrico County at the time Nicholas was also residing there—the earliest record was in the Vestry Book in 1735. He appears to have owned land as late as 1754 when two deeds noted the sale of property that bordered his property. He was on the 1757 tithe-table where it’s noted that Edward Pryor of Richmond received money for the care of his child. I don’t find any record of Edward after that, although I’m still interested in learning if he’s the same Edward Pryor who was a head of household on the 1784 census of Pittsylvania County, VA.

Nicholas Pryor. In 1756 a Nicholas Pryor served in the militia in Albemarle County under Peter Jefferson (Thomas Jefferson’s father!). There’s a known Jefferson connection between this line of Pryors: the elder Nicholas’ gr-gr-grand-daughter Mitchie Pryor married the younger brother of President Thomas Jefferson, John Randolph Jefferson. Nicholas who served in 1756 was not Nicholas Sr who had died ten years earlier. It’s unlikely that the Nicholas who served is the Nicholas,  the son of William (and Margaret) Pryor… he would have been too young to serve in the militia. I suspect Nicholas had a son also named Nicholas.

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

Have I Solved My Pryor Genealogy Brick Wall?

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Albemarle County Courthouse IMG_2603

I’m pretty excited this morning because through all the Virginia records research I have finally discovered the opening in my Pryor “brick wall.”

A Recap. I’m descended through Allen L. Pryor of Sumner County, TN. Through his Goodspeed biography I know his parents were Massa Taylor and John Pryor. I found their marriage record in Campbell County, VA and have traced them on census records in Sumner County. The Goodspeed biography says that Allen was born in White Co., TN although I’ve never found a record of his family in that county. I know too from an 1830’s lawsuit that mentions both families, that my Pryors are connected to William Pryor of Overton Co., TN who was married to Massa Taylor’s sister, Spicy Taylor.

The Starting Point. The first and most obvious link that ties John Pryor to William Pryor are their wives who were sisters. The couples were both married in Campbell Co, VA: John and Massa in 1812, and William and Spicy in 1809. Both men and their respective wives were mentioned in the 1824 will of Edmund Taylor which was also filed in Campbell County.

Ty, a distant Pryor cousin, long ago found a deed in Campbell County that mentions both John and William Pryor as the sons of a deceased John Pryor. So, as of yesterday I was certain that John and William were brothers and that one of the many John Pryors from Virginia was their father, but which one?

The Missing Link. As I went through the records I’ve added to the TNPRYORS.com website, I saw numerous connections to Abraham Childers/Childres/Childress.

• 1747 – In the inventory of David Pryor filed in Goochland Co. Court, guardianship of his son also a David Pryor, given to Abraham Childres. Samuel Taylor was the security (an April 1759 deed to from Samuel Taylor to Jame Gillam states Samuel was the son of Richard Taylor)
• 1747 – Deed dated 15 Sep 1747, George Carrington deeds for 17.10 to John & David Pryor, sons of David Pryor deceased, 250 acres, land falling in Goochland and Albemarle. bounded by Phineas Glover, Isaac Bates, Abraham Childres & Richard Taylor
• 1759 – A deed in Albemarle County states that land owned by John Cannon was bounded by property owned by Abraham Childers and John Pryor.
• 1759 – Deed dated 22 Jan 1759 From Samuel Taylor of the county of Cumberland to John Meadors of the same county for 50 lbs., about 305 A. on the branches of Mill Branch in the county aforesaid, and part of a tract of land granted to Richard Taylor by patent dated August 20, 1745 containing 1200 A., and the said 305 A. of land is bounded southerly by the said Samuel Taylor, westerly by James GILLIAM, northerly by James Daniel and easterly by land belonging to the estate of James Nevel, deceased, and Philip Mayo.
• 1763/64 – Also in Albemarle County, Abraham Childers named his grandson David Pryor in his will. The will was probated in 1764.
• 1782 Will in Cumberland Co., VA for George Carrington Jr. mentions land he purchased from John Pryor and Samuel Taylor (Samuel was married to Sophia Childers, Abraham’s daughter)

The links from Abraham Childers to John and David Pryor, sons of David Pryor are pretty clear, and even their connection to Samuel Taylor, son of a Richard Taylor but what connects them to the John Pryor and Edmund Taylor who appear later in Campbell County records?

The Bow Who Ties Them All Together. My conclusion is that the John Pryor in Cumberland and Albemarle counties is the same John Pryor who was in Campbell County in the 1780’s. I think Sarah Woodson is the person who ties these families together. Sarah was married to Judge Creed Taylor, a son of Samuel Taylor of Albemarle County. Sarah was the niece of John Woodson and the cousin of Anderson Woodson. Samuel Taylor left a paper trail—Edmund Taylor didn’t leave a lot of records, but my “ah-ha” moment was when I realized that Anderson Woodson Jr. was the executor of Edmund Taylor’s estate in Campbell County.

Estimating Ages and Births. I played the age game from records trying to figure out relationships.

John Pryor and David Pryor. The wills and land records indicate that John and David Pryor were the sons of a David Pryor who married one of Abraham Childres’ daughters (her name is lost to history so far). The younger David Pryor must have still been in his minority in 1747 when Abraham Childers was appointed his guardian, making David born somewhere around 1740, plus or minus a few years. I think it’s safe to assume that John was the oldest of the sons and that he was born around 1725 as he was probably an adult in 1747. That would mean David Pryor Sr. was born about 1700 or at the end of the 1600’s. Wow! I don’t have a David Pryor in my database that originates that far back!

Samuel Taylor and Edmund Taylor. I don’t believe they were brothers. Samuel married Sofia Childers in 1744. If Samuel was 20 when he married he may have been born around 1725. Edmund Taylor was on the 1820 Census in Campbell County. The census reflects that he born before 1775, yet from subsequent census and other records we know his first child, Hezekiah, was born about 1793, so it’s likely that Edmund wasn’t born too long before 1775. If Edmund was born about 1770, it’s likely that Samuel who was about 40 to 45 years old was his father or perhaps an uncle.

Associated Lines? I don’t believe our ancestors dropped out of the sky. I know that skillful sleuthing and measured calculations can help to link people to the correct branches of a family line. My gut tells me that Nicholas Pryor of Amherst County is closely connected to David Pryor and his sons David and John.

• Nicholas Pryor served in the militia and his brother William stated on his Revolutionary War affidavit that he was born in Albemarle County. Nicholas received payment for time served in the Militia in Abemarle County in 1756 while John Pryor (son of David Pryor) was recorded on a deed in the same county in 1759.
• Nicholas Pryor was counted in Amherst County in 1784. John Pryor and David Pryor were also in Amherst County in 1784.
• The Granite Monthly, Vol 42 stated that Capt. Daniel Pryor built a palatial residence in Amherst Co. in 1798 yet I can find no other records of a Daniel Pryor in that county. Yet, there is a David Pryor on the 1800 Tax list for Amherst County. Was ancient handwriting misread, substituting Daniel for David?

Did John Pryor Move On? I’m intrigued by the will filed by George Carrington in Fayette County , KY in 1782 mentioning land he purchased from John Pryor and Samuel Taylor in Cumberland County, VA. In 1783 there was a John Pryor in Fayette Co. who owned 6000 acres. Was this the same man who was Amherst County, Cumberland County, and was in Campbell Co., VA from 1785 to at least 1790?

Where did David Sr. and Nicholas Pryor Come From? I’ve seen many unsourced Ancestry.com trees that state Nicholas Pryor immigrated from Scotland or was the son of a Scottish immigrant. I’m not ready to commit to that yet. The guardianship papers for David Pryor Jr. were filed in Goochland County, which makes me lean to Goochland County as a place that David Sr. lived and perhaps David Jr and his brother John were born. I haven’t been able to find any stray David Pryors in Goochland records, however there is a Daniel Pryor born 1703 (son of Robert Pryor and Betty Virginia Green). Again I’m wondering if there’s a transcription issue with the names David and Daniel.

While this may feel like a beautiful ending, I sense this is the beginning of a lot more research!

Category: Brick Walls, Tennessee Pryors, Virginia Pryors | Tags: , , , , , ,

Christopher J D Pryor of Hampton’s Syms-Eaton Academy

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It’s always funny how little parts of the Pryor mysteries get solved. A while ago I was researching Christopher J D Pryor born 1800 in Charles City, VA. He was an educator– a graduate of William and Mary College, he enjoyed a long teaching career, even serving as the president of Greensboro Female Academy after migrating to Alabama. In my research I found he was appointed the guardian of an orphan named Thomas Allen in 1839 and later was made the guardian of Mary Eliza Allen in 1842. Who were these Allen children and what was their relationshipt to the Pryors?

I found an article1 posted online that explained C J D Pryor was a teacher at the distinguished Syms-Eaton Acadamy in Hampton, VA. This school was established in 1634 and is noted as the first free public school in America. The article describes how in the mid 1800’s the school was embroiled in a controvery:

… And by 1830, residents of the county were complaining that their children living too far outside Hampton to attend the Academy. This was a complete turn-about from the sentiments expressed in 1803 and petitions were again presented asking that “two or more schools be established in the county.

The article goes on to explain C J D Pryor, while a school master, became involved in the controversy, resulting in the murder of one of his supporters, a Thomas Allen:

Hampton Academy, however, enjoyed full use of the Syms and Eaton funds and the Academy trustees were reluctant to endorse new schools which might demand a share of the money. Many meeetings were called and feelings ran high for several years. Indeed, tempers were so frayed that Christopher Pryor, the Academy schoolmaaster, attacked a supporter of the county schools, Dr. Richard Banks “with horse whip and pistol”. Pryor was dismissed from his post but ill-feeling lingered over his dismissal and on July 4, 1837 the expected explosion occured with Major Cooper, who had replaced Pryor, shot and killed one Thomas Allen, a supporter of the ousted schoolmaster.

Another facinating Pryor story!
1 Article published by Syms – Eaton Museum, 416 W Mercury Blvd, Hampton VA 23669

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