Pryors in Kanawha County, WV and VA

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I was able to ID another “Price” in the census records who was actually a Pryor. William Paxton Pryor born 1822 in Kanawha County, WV showed up in the 1860 and 1880 censuses of the same county.  I found that Ancestry.com had him and his family indexed as Price for the 1870 census.

William Paxton Pryor was the son of James also of Kanawha County.

James Paxton Pryor born 1776-1794 and Lucy Hudnall (James is on 1820 Census in Kanawha Co., and Lucy is head of household in Kanawha Co. in 1830 & 1840, later living with William Paxton Pryor.  Lucy was born 1797)
Children:
Tipton J. Pryor b. 1820 in VA – 1850 in Cooper Co., MO
Sarah Pryor b. 1816 in VA, md Dryden Starke in 1838 in Kanawha Co., VA. – 1850 in Cooper Co., MO.
Mary Jane Pryor b. 1824 in VA, md Hudson Windsor – 1850 in Morgan Co., MO.
William Paxton Pryor b. 1822 – his mother is living with him on the 1850 Census in Kanawha Co. On the 1880 & 1900 Census William stated both parents born in VA.

James is most likely the son of Nicholas Pryor who married Sally Paxton.  Nicholas was one of the earliest settlers of the Kanawha area.

Nicholas Pryor born before 1752
We know a bit about Nicholas Pryor from the declaration given by his brother William Pryor, recounting their adventures in pioneering the Kanawha area and service at Point Pleasant. Their older brother John was killed by Indians and Nicholas and William were in conflict with the Indians when they first tried to settle the area.
Children (with first wife “Mary”):
William b. after 1770. In 1797 married Sarah Tucker in Amherst County, VA.
Sarah/Sally Pryor b. abt. 1770. In 1795 married Robert Nichols in Amherst County, VA
David Pryor b. about 1770. In 1796 married Lucy Brown in Amherst County, VA
Jesse Bibb Pryor b. aft 1775-1778. In 1796 married Mary/Polly Nuckles (or Nichols?) in Amherst County, VA. He settled in Washington Co., KY.
Mary/Polly Pryor born about 1776 in VA. In 1804 married Moses Taylor. She is on the 1860 Census in Amherst County, VA
Children (with wife Sally Paxton, married 1782 in Amherst County, VA):
James Paxton Pryor b. about 1785
John Pryor born about 1787 in VA. In 1798 married Elizabeth Tucker in Amherst County, VA. He is on the 1850 and 1860 Census in Amherst County, VA

William Pryor born about 1730
Nicholas Pryor and his sister, Susannah Pryor Harriman Milburn were deeded land in equal parts by their father (William) in the area of East Bank, West Virginia.  Susannah Pryor married 1789 in Greenbrier Co., VA to Shadrack Harriman. Harriman was killed in by Indians and Susannah remarried to David Milburn. In 1804 she deeded land in Kanawha Co. to her son John Harriman.
Children:
Nicholas b. before 1752. In 1810 he was living in Amherst Co., VA
Susannah b. about 1760.
William b. 1752-1754, in 1832 he gave a declaration about his service at Point Pleasant and names his brothers John and Nicholas.
John b. about 1750, died in an Indian raid in about 1780.

There’s some clarity to the like of William to Nicholas to James and later William Paxton Pryor and their activities in Kahawha County, but who are the other Pryors who settled in this region?

Luke Pryor b. 1774, m. Francis Johnson, Kanawha Co., VA
Children:
William b. 1806, VA
George b. 1808, VA
John b. 1811, WV
Samuel b. 1815, VA
Mary Abigail b. 1819, VA
Allen b. 1823, VA
1810 Census Luke Pryor was in Kanawha Co., VA. That’s the only record that shows him in this area. Researcher reports Luke Pryor died 1831 in Crawford Co., OH. His children Samuel, John, Abigail and Allen were all in Wyandot Co., OH in 1850. By 1860 Census Allen, John, and Samuel’s families were in Decatur Co., IA.

Abner Pryor and Allen Pryor (Allyn?)
Abner and Allen Pryor show up on the tax lists for Kanawha County in 1792, so it’s likely they were at least 21 years old by that time (born in the early 1770’s). In 1794 when the town of Point Pleasant was established, Allen was appointed a trustee.  He may be the same Allen Pryor who was in Mason County in 1810 and 1820 (born 1775 or earlier). Sparse information is in online family trees indicating Allyn Pryor may be the son of Abner Prior and Abigail Allyn of Hartford, CT.

Are there any other Pryors who passed through or settled in the Kanawha area who we should add to this list?

Category: Virginia Pryors | Tags: , ,

Forget About the Stereotype: Early Pryors were Educated Pioneers

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I think many of us are familiar with the stereotype of the early pioneers– illiterate backwoodsmen. I’m finding that early Pryors were educated pioneers.

When I looked again at the Pryors in the War of 1812. I was trying to figure out if the Nathan Pryor who served in the Missouri Militia under Col. McNair was Nathaniel Pryor of the Louis and Clark Expedition. Col. Alexander McNair was also the first governor of Missouri. Stephen F. Austin of the Austin Colony in Texas was in McNair’s regiment in the War of 1812. McNair ran against explorer William Clark (of the Lewis and Clark Expedition) and defeated him in 1820. Oh yes, lest we forget—Austin was connected to another Pryor: William Pryor of Stewart County, TN was among the pioneers in Austin’s Colony. The connections are so numerous; it’s like a big bowl of spaghetti!

Reading about Lewis and Clark, Nathaniel Pryor, Austin, and others… I’m beginning to realize that the view of the pioneers we’re taught in school is really wrong. These men who were leaders were educated pioneers and extremely connected in society and by marriage. They weren’t the ‘coon skin cap wearin’ hicks that the movies and some teachers portrayed. It was true then and still true— gotta have an education to get ahead.

If the 1812 record for Nathan Pryor is the same as Nathaniel, he was an adjutant, an assistant to high ranking officers. This position probably entailed reading and writing messages. When I’ve looked at St. Louis court documents that name Nathaniel Pryor, he signed his own name to these documents.

Betty (TXOld300) who has been researching William Pryor reports that he signed his will in Texas indicating that he too was literate.

Recognizing an ancestor’s level of education helps to understand who they were and how they interacted in their world. Education also is a clue to where to look for further documentation to flesh-out the story of our family tree.

Category: Genealogy, Missouri Pryors, Texas Pryors | Tags: , , , ,

Another Query About Nathaniel Miguel Pryor

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Can you believe it… another question about the legacy of Nathaniel Pryor! I got to while away a lazy weekend pondering a question about the parentage of Nathaniel “Miguel” Pryor born 1805 and lived in Los Angeles, CA. I was asked if this Nathaniel Pryor was born in Louisiana instead of KY and that his father was Daniel Pryor, perhaps a brother of the Nathaniel Pryor of Lewis and Clark fame.

Nathaniel Miguel Pryor’s death was listed by Mrs. Joseph M. Northrop and published by The Historical Society of Southern California in 1961. These death records are those enumerated on the 1850 Death Schedule as part of the 1850 Census. It states Miguel was age 45, a silversmith, born in Louisiana, and had suffered epileptic fits for a year prior to his death. The thing that caught my attention was the parenthesis in the listing; they separate comments from the actual death information enumerated on the schedule: “(According to the marriage record he was called Nathaniel Prior, married last to Maria Paula Romero, born in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of Daniel Pryor and Mary Davis. Buried May 11, 1850, at the age of 50 years)”. These comments were added by Mrs. Northrop. 

The comments on the extraction of the Death Schedule are partially correct. They refer to the Catholic church record of Nathaniel’s marriage. I was able to see digital records of the old Los Angeles church and San Gabriel Mission which are available through the Huntington Library website. I’m pretty sure these are what Thomas Fiske accessed too when he wrote his article about Nathaniel Miguel Pryor (Last Man Standing). You too can login to view the old California records at http://missions.huntington.org — it’s free.

I also searched for Nathaniel’s death or burial record, but I didn’t see any for the church in Los Angeles nor the mission in San Gabriel for that year– maybe I’m missing something in my search or the records for that year did not survive in the those churches. Mrs. Northrop references Nathaniel Miguel Pryor marriage record, however (and this is kind of obvious) the burial date is not on the marriage record, so I have to question her source for the burial date.

I’ve added excerpts of these records to the TN Pryors website. https://tennesseepryors.com/pryor-website/state-records/california-counties-e-l/#Los_Angeles

While obits are great resources they are usually written by someone other than the deceased and can be a couple generations further out from the source. The obit for Ellen Pryor Rojas 1919-2006 states she was the great-great granddaughter of “Nathaniel Pryor, (nephew of Nathaniel Pryor, one of four sergeants for the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1804.” I know I’m a skeptic and am a stickler for proof, but that’s the best way of advancing the search for our Pryor connections. There’s no indication in the obituary where the information comes from that Nathaniel was a “nephew” of the famed Pryor. I believe the researcher who contacted me was speculating that Nathaniel Miguel was the son of a Daniel Pryor because Nathaniel Miguel Pryor’s marriage record has been read “Dataniel Praya” for his father’s name.

My interpretation of the records?

I suspect the 1836 baptism is correct. I believe Nathaniel Miguel Pryor was born in Louisville, not Louisiana as stated on the Death Schedule.  The Spanish-speaking priest had to really sweat over how to spell the name of the town on the marriage record! I think Thomas Fiske also points out that issue in his article on Nathaniel Pryor. The Louisiana Territory existed from 1805-1812; perhaps Nathaniel Miguel Pryor lived in the Louisiana Territory during his youth which was remembered when someone told the census enumerator he was born in Louisana.

I also think that Nathaniel was born in 1805 or very close to that year. It’s the year of birth he gave on his baptism in 1836. When he died in 1850 someone must have been pretty sure of his age because they gave an age to the enumerator that jives with the birth year derrived from the 1836 record. I wish more of my kin had ages that were that close from record to record!

I’m still siding with Thomas Fiske and believe still that Nathaniel was the son of the Lewis and Clark Explorer.

Category: California Pryors, Kentucky Pryors | Tags: , , ,

Internet Genealogy: Finding Family Tree Clues in a House Clearing

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It can be sad and stressful clearing out an elderly relative’s belongings.  It can even be double the work when that relative found it too overwhelming to dispose of their elder relatives possessions. You may find that you’re cleaning out not one person’s decades of memories, but the paperwork and nick-knacks of several people!  

Too often in a cloud of grief or in a rush to empty a house or a rented space, well-intentioned  family members or nursing home staff dispose of family history information, erasing valuable family tree clues. Even when someone has no children, there are cousins and their children who would love to see old photos and find data in old documents that would complete empty lines of their family tree. What may have been embarrassing during life and not discussed even with close family members, like divorces and adoptions, can surface in a house clearing.  

Follow these 3 steps to preserve family history when facing a house clearing.

Spotting the Family Tree Clues. When one of my relatives passed away, I was confronted with a house and garage brimming with a lifetime of accumulation. A big task was made easier by having a plan in place not only for disposal, but for when to slow down and take a second look at items.  The things that deserve closer scrutiny are jewelry inscriptions, family Bibles and book inscriptions, old bills and receipts, letters, and copies of public records. Family tree researchers are interested in locations where people lived and the dates they lived there, family names, birth dates, death dates. Have a small box on hand to separate papers with important dates and family information from what will be shredded or recycled.

Preserving the Information.  Whether you’re clearing out property in your hometown or in a distant city, there are often scanning services available; check with companies like FedEx Office and Staples.  A digital camera or smart phone is also handy for photographing jewelry and book inscriptions. Scanned documents and digital photos can be saved to a disc or emailed to interested family historians.

Sharing the What You Find. Once documents and photos are stored as digital files they can be passed on to interested family members. If you, or someone you know, are members at Ancestry.com you can upload the documents to that site. If you don’t know any interested family members, it’s easy to locate groups of people tracing a last name or interested in the history of specific location. It doesn’t cost anything to post a query on a message board, like Genealogy.com. A simple online search, like on Google, may turn up a website dedicated to a surname and location. If you email the webmaster of any surname site you are on your way to connecting with someone who would be grateful to have photos and other documents.

It doesn’t take a lot of work and the goal of cleaning out a space will be accomplished, however by preserving family documents you are preserving history.

Category: Research Help | Tags:

Lost Ancestors II – Solving Genealogy Mysteries by Finding Americans in Unexpected Places

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When we think of American migration in the mid-1800’s, the imagination often wanders to images of wagon trains and pioneer families trudging westward across the plains.  “Westward, Ho” was a reality, a great migration spurred by the opening of new territories and the California Gold Rush. Our “one-way” vision of migration toward only the west has been perpetuated by Hollywood movies.  The reality was not so tidy.

Our ancestors actually the ability to travel in all directions! The first steamboat on the Mississippi, the major North-South waterway, was launched in 1811. The first transcontinental -railroad was completed in 1869 and connected the east to the west.  From the 16th century onward ships crossed the Atlantic bringing new immigrants to the US and American visitors to the Old World.  Sure people migrated to isolated homesteads on the Great Plains, however others flocked to the small towns that grew on rivers and rail lines. With various modes of transport in place, our ancestors were more mobile than their film stereotypes.

For almost ten years I’ve been engaged in a surname research project (Tennessee Pryors). I continue to be amazed at how far people traveled and where they went causing them to disappear from the census and other public records for years at a time.  When you can’t find an ancestor in an expected location, then, try searching records for the unexpected places I’ve discovered.

Eastward, Ho! For some pioneers life in the frontier was just too unforgiving. When crops failed and homesickness set in, some of our ancestors went back to their eastern homes. Some cautious folks when faced with the uncertainty of what was in store for them in the Wild West, never sold their eastern land. So, just because an ancestor was found in the west and then disappears from records, don’t discount their possible return to their original community or nearby areas.  Pay attention to birthplaces on the census: while investigating a family in Virginia I found one of their children was born in Missouri. That opened the door to finding them on Missouri census records.

Washington, DC. When you know a family was educated and held social prominence you may find them in Washington, DC or surrounding areas. Like today, successful families gave back to their community by running for political office.  If in doubt, Wikipedia has numerous lists of political offices and who has held them.

France, Mexico, and Indian Territory: Before Louis and Clark, St. Louis was a pioneer town in the part of France (and for a time Spain) that would become the State of Missouri. More than 20 years before the Mexican War and the annexation of Texas, Stephen Austin took a group of American pioneers into an area of Mexico that wouldn’t become Texas until after the fall of the Alamo. Other pioneers headed into Indian Territory to establish homesteads or trading posts.  Sites like the Missouri Secretary of State Digital Heritage have some territorial records.  Often records are in the form of letters to territorial governors or land grants that have yet to be translated from Spanish or French, nor have they been transcribed into digital documents, so a meticulous search is needed to find reference to these pioneer families.

Travel Abroad: One family I research appeared to be lost from the census records. They were in the South up to the 1860 census and then they were gone. It wasn’t until I playfully searched the UK Census that I found them. Business had caused the family to move abroad. The UK Census provided the clue and subsequent searches of ships’ manifests and passenger lists gave the details of their return to the US—landing and setting in the North after the Civil War. The Canadian Border Crossing records on Ancestry are also helpful to the researcher.

Lost ancestors? All are not lost! With some diligent detective work in the unexpected places, you may find ancestors who you thought were missing.

Category: Brick Walls | Tags: , , ,
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