Pryor And Rector Family Virginia Connections

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I remarked in an earlier post that I was leaving the Rectors for another day.  Well, today’s the day.

The Rectors were German immigrants that settled in colonial Virginia. Though my research and the research of others, we have turned over numerous connections to the Pryors in Virginia and later in Tennessee.

My own Pryor line is descended from John Pryor and Massie Taylor who were married in Campbell Co., VA in 1812 and settled in Sumner Co., TN. Massie’s sister Spicy Taylor married a William Pryor in 1809 and settled in Overton Co., TN.  John and William Pryor are probably brothers, sons of an older John Pryor from VA (I’ll refer to him as John Sr. throughout the rest of this post).

John Sr. AND a Rector were first documented together in 1790..

On 15 March 1790, John PRYER witnessed the following deed “from Murrell CUNNINGHAM of Campbell to William BURNETT of Campbell, for 30,000 weight of nett, inspected tobacco, 1 Negro woman, Fanny, and 9 children viz. Sam, London, Lymas, Agness, Betty, Charlotte, David, Coye, and William. Signed – Murrell CUNNINGHAM. Wit – John PRYER, Charles RORK,  Martin RECTOR (X his mark) . This bill of sale was recorded Apr 1, 1790.” (Campbell County Virginia Deeds, 1784 – 1790 published by T.L.C. Genealogy (Miami), p. 72, referencing deed book page 474)

The following year Martin Rector appears on another document.  Edward Deckey, believed to be Edward Dickey is also a signer. Edward Dickey was the father of Sally Dickey, the first wife of Hezekiah Taylor,  a brother in law of both John and William Pryor (Hezekiah was Massie and Spicy Taylor’s  brother.

Petition dated August 1, 1791 Connected Campbell Co. Signers:
John DECKEY, Edward DECKEY, Wrenny CREWS, Martin RECTOR, Thomas OGLESBY, Murrell CUNNNINGHAM.

I suspect it was John Sr. who witnessed Jacob Rector’s will in 1779.  John’s known children were William born 1761-1770, John born 1780-1789, and probably Elizabeth Pryor Harris born about 1780.  The ages of his children help to determine that John Sr. was an adult and alive at the time of Jacob Rector’s will.

John PRYER with Gideon MARTIN, Jane PRESTON, Thomas STOVALL witnessed the will of Jacob RECTOR in Bedford County VA on 26 Oct. 1779. John Pryer along with Gideon Martin proved the will by oaths on 22 Nov. 1779. John Pryer along with David Martin and Thomas Stovall inventoried the estate of Jacob Rector on 3 Dec. 1779, returned 22 January 1781. “Prier” also used at one place in the record. (Abstracts of Bedford County Virginia Wills, Inventories and Accounts by Joida Whitten, Taylor Publishing Company (Dallas), pp. 101 and 113, referencing will book pp. 359-60 and 387.)

Another connection that helps to place John Sr. and Martin Rector in the same community: their minister, William Flowers.

Martin RECTOR and Sarah MARTIN, bond 20 December 1804. Consent David Martin, father of the bride. Martin Rector (b) and David Martin (b); David Martin Jr. (w) and James Martin (w). M. R. 25 December 1804 by William Flowers. Marriages of Campbell County, Virginia, 1782-1810 By Lucy Harrison Miller Baber, Hazel Letts Williamson.

If you search the records of Fentress and Overton County, you’ll see Flowers families who migrated to Tennessee from Virginia. William Flowers of Campbell County performed not only the marriage of Martin Rector—he also married Elizabeth Pryor to John Harris in 1800,  and another Hezekiah Taylor from Campbell Co., VA who married Polly Oglesby in 1807 (this Hezekiah died in Canada during the War of 1812).

The Pryor and Rector connections continue in Roane and Anderson Counties, Tennessee.

William PRYER, S#362 2-1-1811, E#812 1-21-1811. 5 acres on Piles Turnpike  Road on Rocky Branch of Little Emerys River . SCC: Reuben Williams, John RECTOR. Recorded 2-22-1811. Lifted 1-22-1812 by William PRYOR. Ansearchin’ News, East Tennessee Surveys, 1807-1813, Roane County.

On the 1830 Census there there’s a Rector living near Harris PRYOR; John RECTOR is enumerated on the line below Harris.
Martin Rector’s estate is described in this case in Roane Co., TN, revealing the names of his heirs.  Martin Rector. No Pryors mentioned.
http://www.tngenes.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=132:rector-martin-a-david-martin-rector-estate-case-roane-county-tn-1833-&catid=42:transcriptions&Itemid=54

The most confounding connections are the Pryors and Rectors who appear out side of  Roane, Anderson, and Morgan Counties in Tennessee.

– John Pryor b. 1833, son of James and Nancy Pryor in Overton Co. married a Kitty Rector.
– John T. Pryor b. 1788 in KY is mentioned with “T” Rector in a 1823 Gasconade Co., MO will.
– Philip Pryor b. 1791 in NC (son of Matthew Pryor Sr.)  married a Miss Reeter. Since there were no Reeters in TN, it’s speculated she was a Rector.

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

James Pryor of Harpers Ferry, VA

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I’ve wondered if the Ross Co., OH Pryors were related to established Pryor families in Virginia.  James Pryor was on the census in Ross Co. in 1830 and 1840. His children: Hiram, Wesley, Silas, and Bennett were all born in VA; his son Silas was born near Harpers Ferry, VA (now WV).

The US government purchased 125 acres at Harpers Ferry, building the Armory and Arsenal in 1796. The town became an industrial center after 1800, producing small guns for the US Army up to the time of the Civil War in 1861. And yes, it’s the same arsenal raided by abolitionist John Brown.

James Pryor was on the 1810 and 1820 Census in Jefferson Co., VA. The census record for 1820 is unique in that actually states the town: Harpers Ferry. It’s even more unique in that an extra column has been added with the occupation of the head of household. James was recorded as a “musket stocker.”

Unfortunately James died before the 1850 Census when birth places were recorded. Only his son Bennett B. Pryor lived long enough to state his father’s birthplace on the 1900 census and 1910 census: Virginia.

Researchers state that James was the son of Silas Pryor who also was recorded in Ross Co., OH. Like his son, Silas died before the 1850 Census. A research has posted in their Ancestry Family Tree that Silas is the same person named as an heir, and probably a son, of James Pryor in a 1761 Chester, PA.

So it’s likely that these Pryors immigrated in through Boston or Philadelphia and are not related to Pryors who were early immigrants to the tidewater counties of Virginia.

Category: Missouri Pryors, Virginia Pryors | Tags: , , ,

A List: A Postmaster in Your Family Tree?

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I found there were several Pryors who were Postmasters.  Here’s the list!

Edward L. Pryor b. 1804 in VA Postmaster in Hempstead, AR in 1850.

Richard Pryor b. 1808 in VA Postmaster in Hempstead Co., AR in 1835

Nicholas Augustus Pryor b. 1814 in Sumner Co., TN. Postmaster in Crawford Co., AR in 1849 and 1850. (Son of Nicholas Ballow Pryor and Sally Thomas).

Cornelius David Pryor b. 1821 in TN. Postmaster in Crawford Co., AR in 1846. (Son of Nicholas Ballow Pryor and Sally Thomas).

James B. Pryor b. 1778 in VA. Postmaster in Pike Co., IL in 1850. James B. Pryor lived in Stewart County, TN and is probably related to William Pryor who died in San Felipe, TX in 1833.

Westley N. Pryor b. 1808 in VA (probably Harper’s Ferry). Postmaster in Crittenden, Daviess Co., TN.

Wilburn “Buddy” Pryor b. 1866 in TN. Postmaster in Oakley, Overton Co., TN. He was the son of William H. Pryor of Overton Co., TN b. 1834

And postmaster-in-laws…

Daniel Latimore b. 1804 in NC, Postmaster in Jennings Co., IN. Married to Martha Pryor, daughter of John A. Pryor of Amelia Co., VA.

Category: Genealogy

Wild Pryor Spelling Variations

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Have you searched the web for unusual spelling variations of the Pryor surname? I bring this up every so often because there are some pretty wild errors out there than can keep you from finding your Pryor roots!

One of my favorites is spelling variations is “John C. Prisn”
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~varussel/vitals/marriages/1867.html . This is John Clark Prior or Pryor of  Jefferson Co., TN.

Another “eee-gads” misspelling is “Lindanter Pasc” on Ancestry’s 1860 Census Index.  For years no one could find Cinderella Pryor who was on the 1850 Census in Jackson County and then in 1870 in Franklin County, IL. Once the spelling variations were uncovered we were able to correctly place members back in line on the family tree.

So, how to find these misplaced and misspelled Pryors? I recommend using the wildcard search on Ancestry: Use as little as the first 3 letters of a name and the “*” symbol. Also searching for place of birth and birth year in a specific location will turn up a list of people to sift through for possible misspellings.

The web is a wonderful, interactive place – a far cry from when I first started doing Genealogy in the early 90’s on Prodigy. When you find a misspelled Pryor, you’ve blazed a trail, so leave a trail marker! When using Ancestry you can click on the left link “view record” and then click the left link next to the little pencil icon “View/Add Alternate Info” — when you add the corrected name others will find it in the future.

Don’t forget that on Facebook, blogs, and other websites when you see “comments” you can leave a comment with corrected info or more information– these comments are searchable and will help others with their family tree search.  

Isn’t Genealogy fun! We all have a little bit of our favorite detective in us.

Category: Genealogy

Affluent Pryor Families in Virginia

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Recently I found myself  grouping Pryors by affluence. The Pryor families in Colonial and early-American Virginia were similar to other well- known figures like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. In the 1700’s and early 1800’s land was a measure of wealth. Heads of families saw themselves as yeoman farmers, gentry. Education was prized and the affluent Pryor families patronized universities. The affluent Pryors served their country during the American Revolution and the War of 1812, holding the rank of Major, Colonel, and General.

Col. Samuel Pryor b. 1698 > John Pryor b. 1743 > Richard Pryor and Ann Bland> Theodorick  Pryor > Roger A Pryor. Nancy Bland who married Richard Pryor was the grand-daughter of a president of William and Mary College (William Yates).  Theodorick Pryor attended Hamden Sydney College.  One biography of Theodorick Pryor states that he met with Jefferson Davis several times.  Roger A Pryor, the son of Theodorick Pryor was a member of congress, Civil War general,  and a judge in NY state after the Civil War. Theodorick’s brother, Richard Pryor was a trustee of Spring Hill Male Academy.

Col. Samuel Pryor b. 1698 > John Pryor b. 1743 > Luke Pryor & Ann Batte Lane> Luke  Pryor  b. 1820 & John Benjamin Pryor. Luke Pryor was a US Senator and his brother John Benjamin Pryor was a noted race horse trainer for affluent Adam Lewis Bingaman (member of the MS house of representative and senate).

Col. Samuel Pryor b. 1698 > John Pryor b. 1743 > Richard Pryor and Ann Bland > Philip Pryor > Samuel B Pryor and Charles R. Pryor. Richard Bland was a member of the first Continental Congress. His daughter Ann Bland married John Pryor, a son of Col. Samuel Pryor of Goochland Co., VA.  Their son Philip settled in Brunswick Co., VA and was the father of Samuel B. Pryor who was a cadet in the first class at Virginia Military Institute (VMI), attended Hamden Sydney College and became the first mayor of Dallas, TX. Samuel’s brother, Charles R. Pryor, was the editor of the Dallas Herald, held a medical degree from the University of Virginia and was the Secretary of State for the Confederate State of Texas.

Christopher Pryor b. 1745 – d. 1803, John C. (Clayton) Pryor was a governor of William and Mary College; he sat on the Board of Visitors from 1816 to 1837.

Brazure  Williams Pryor b. 1775-1794 Served as a Brigadere General in the War of 1812. Member of the Virginia House of Delegates.  He also hosted General Lafayette on his return to the US in 1824. Customs Collector at the Port of Norfolk. Bazure was the grandson of Brazure Williams and possibly the son of a Samuel Pryor who was named as Williams’ son-in-law in his will.

David Pryor b. 1738 and Susan Ballow of Amherst Co.> Their daughter Mitchie Pryor married Randolph Jefferson the brother of President Thomas Jefferson.  Their son Nicholas B. Pryor wrote to Thomas Jefferson in 1813 requesting a military appointment and later became a county commissioner in Nashville. Nicholas’ sons were lawyers and postmasters, and his daughters married well (Emily married James Dibrell who was a physician).

Major John Pryor who married Ann Beverly Whiting. He served in the American Revolution and resided in Richmond, Va from the time of his marriage in 1807. A Randolph cousin of Thomas Jefferson’s lived in their household. He was wealthy enough to own a pleasure park and owned race horses.

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