William Pryor of Botetourt County, A Bit About Texas & Kentucky, and the Tennessee Connections

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Back to the Botetourt County Pryors (Pryors in Botetourt County, VA and Later in Kentucky). I heard from Betty who’s researching William Pryor, one of Austin’s Colony who settled in Austin’s Colony– before Texas was a Republic or a state, back when most of Texas was Mexico. Betty also reminded me that William made out his will and clearly stated he was born in Botetourt County. VA!

William’s will is in the courthouse in Bellsville, TX. It begins, “IN THE NAME OF OMNIPOTENT GOD, AMEN. I William Pryor, a native of Bottertot County in the state of Virginia, one of the United States of the North, and now a colonist of Austin’s Colony…” It’s dated 1832.

All we know of William Pryor is that he was born in Botetourt County, VA, was in Stewart Co., TN by 1804, moved to Clarke Co., AL in 1816, went to Texas in about 1824 and then died in San Felipe, TX in 1832.

William’s In Laws:

We’ve been able to fill in some of William’s kin. Betty found a court document showing that William became the guardian of Sampson Trammell’s minor children, helping to connect his wife to the Trammells (Sampson is likely her father).  

William’s Brother?

One more piece to the puzzle: Betty found the March 2, 1849  death notice from the Nashville Christian Advocate:  “REBECCA PRYOR wife of JAMES PRYOR, died Pike Co., Ill., Jan. 7, 1849; moved from Christian Co., Ky. to Stewart Co., Tenn., to Pike Co., Illinois.” A James B. Pryor was buying land in Pike County in 1840 and there’s a James Pryor on the 1850 Census in Pike County. He’s a postmaster (that’s a topic for yet another post on the Pryors!), born 1778 in VA, living  near a Sarah Pryor Conner age 27 who was born in KY (possibly Christian County, KY?). So this is probably the James Pryor who was on the census with William Pryor in Stewart County and he’s certainly the right age to be William’s brother!

William’s Nephew?

Civil war records for William Pryor of White Co., IL reveal he was born in Stewart County, TN (about 1802) as well as his son James in 1825. William married Martha Ross, probably a relation of Captain Ross who was in charge of the 1809 Tax List in Stewart County. We know from the will in Texas that William who died in San Felip had one son named Trammel J. Pryor and he was removed from the Austin Colony on criminal charges and disowned in his father’s will, it’s clear that William born 1802 is not his son —perhaps a son of the James or John Pryor who were also on the 1809 Tax List of Stewart County.

More Nephews?

Geography plays a part in figuring out the kin of William of San Felipe.  The land William settled in Stewart County, TN was in an area that is now a National Park called the Land Between the Lakes.  Bordering this area of TN is Trigg and Christian Co., KY. Rebecca’s death notice and the early deed both indicate a connection to Christian Co.  James Pryor who was in Stewart Co. and later was in Pike Co., IL, may be the same James Pryor who was on the 1840 Census in Trigg County.  A Mary Pryor was on the  1820 Census in Stewart County and was living in Trigg Co., perhaps an indicator that William b. 1804 and James b. 1803 (Mary was living with him) and John b. 1813 are William’s nephews.

Who is William’s Father?

There weren’t too many Pryors in Botetourt at the time William was born (about  1770).  The contenders are Luke, Joseph, and John Pryor.  I haven’t seen any information on children born to Luke Pryor and his wife Susannah. John Pryor is likely the John Pryor who was the father of Nathaniel Pryor (based on one report that he moved to Botetourt with his brother in-law John Floyd).  Joseph Pryor died in Bourbon Co., KY in 1812, mentioning his son William in his will.  Betty and I are leaning toward Joseph as the father of William Pryor of San Felipe

* Joseph had a son named William. We know from census records and marriages that other children of Joseph and Mary Pryor were born between 1766 and 1784. The right time span for William of San Felipe.

* Joseph’s son William was alive in 1812 (at the time of his will).  William died well after that date in San Felipe.

* There was no William Pryor recorded as a head of household in Bourbon County in 1810 until a much younger William was recorded on the 1850 Census.  This fact leave open the possibility that William was living elsewhere, even at the time of his father’s will when he would have been an adult head of household.

* William had one son named Trammell J. Pryor. “Trammell” was carrying on the name of his mother’s side of the family. “J” may have been for “Joseph” or another “J” name on his father’s side of the family.

I’m not completely convinced that William Pryor was the son of Joseph Pryor and Mary Fleming, but for now they seem to be the most convincing set of parents I have for him.

Category: Kentucky Pryors, Tennessee Pryors, Texas Pryors | Tags: , ,

Who is John Prior in Jackson County, TN in 1820?

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I know it’s hard to believe… we’ve missed a Pryor in the census records. I found this week a John Prior on the 1820 Census in Jackson County, TN. Just for the doubters and folks who want to be sure it’s not a “Price” or a “Poor” I’ve posted his name below. The handwriting sure looks like P-r-i-o-r.

The oldest male in his household was over 45 years old, so we can guess that this John Pryor was born before 1775.

 

  • John Pryor born 1757 who lived in Knox Co. and later with a son in  Jefferson Co.  He is in Sullivan Co., TN on the 1830 Census. The 1820 Census for Knox County is missing. All of this Pryor family is also missing from census records in 1820, so it’s a good guess to believe they were living in Knox County. Based on available information I’d have to rule out this John Pryor.
  • John Pleasant Pryor born 1770 in North Carolina.  I haven’t found him on the 1820 Census in NC nor in TN.  He is in Smith County, TN in 1830.
  • John Pryor who married Ruth Sherrill was born about 1773.  He’s on the 1820 Census in White Co., TN and in 1830 in Sangamon Co., IL. Was the family counted twice in 1820 — once in White County and then also in Jackson County?
  • John H. Pryor, son of Luke D. Pryor of Williamson Co., TN. John was born 1760-1770. The only

Any ideas folks?

Category: Tennessee Pryors | Tags:

Surprising Find in the Pryors of the War of 1812

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I’ve been looking at Pryors in the Colonial/Revolutionary Period for about a week. Enough! I had to take a break and take a step backwards.  I decided to go through what’s available on the Pryor men who served in the War of 1812.

The switch the War of 1812 was about as fruitful as Pryor genealogy gets—I found some new information on one of men in my own known family line!  It looks like William G. Pryor who served from Tennessee is the William Pryor who was married to Spicy Taylor. I’m fairly certain it’s the same William as William G served in Joel Parrish’s Company and my William had a deed witnessed  by Joel Parrish in 1829 and both Parrish and William Pryor were counted on the same page of the 1830 Census living in Overton County, TN.

Other than finding out that William Pryor served in the military, this piece of information provided more insight into the story of my Pryors. I now know that William had a middle name. I’ve learned that he was in Tennessee earlier than when his family arrived in the late 1820’s from Virginia (that’s also frustrating because it also means some of the early Pryor documents may be attributed to this William!).  I also have an explanation of why his wife had a gap in having children—he may have been away from Campbell County, VA with the military.

The excepts of the 1812 Records are now online. (go to page) I’ve grouped them where I can show relationships between men or relationships based upon the location from which they served. Click the title of the article to open up comments—always happy to share your observations!

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

MAP: Proximity of Pryor Places

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One of the things that really annonys me (ask my husband, I’ve got a long list of annoyances) is that when I look for a map to find a county in Tennessee I can’t tell where it’s possitioned in comparison to counties in Virginia. When tracing the  migration of the Pryors I really want to see where people started off and where they were going.  So I’ve created a cut and past map that roughly shows the position of states, where their borders were and which counties touched eachother or were near eachother.

In tracing another branch of my family who lived in Hawkins County and Hancock County, TN I found that just across the border in Lee and Scott Counties in VA there were many people who were born in TN. Even the census records (or maybe just the census taker) were unique in that they listed not only the state, but the county in which people were born. With the map I get a clearer perspective of just how close these counties were to eachother and that ofcourse even in the early 1800’s people traveled from county to county.

If you’d like to see the map larger, click on the image. In Internet Explorer you can click again to make it even larger.

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Pryors in Botetourt County, VA and Later in Kentucky

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I’m continuing to peck though the various VA Pryor lines and the records of Pryors in TN who claimed VA ancestry. It’s a challenge. I’m working in chunks so it will be interesting to see if these larger pieces give us the needed information to place people in their rightful family trees.

First, back to the family of Col. Samuel Pryor who married Prudence Thornton.  Samuel and Prudence lived in Gloucester County, VA, where it’s agreed by most researchers that their children were: Col. William, John, Thornton, Robert, Luke, Francis, Joseph Sr., Nancy, and Molly. The marriages of Samuel’s children are fairly well-documented.

There are many family trees that show Samuel’s son Joseph Pryor (born 1731) settling in Bourbon County, KY.  But before arriving in Kentucky the family lived in Botetourt County, VA, a county very near Virginia’s “wild west” of the 1700’s. Botetourt was situated near the frontier settlements in Greenbrier County and Kanawha County (both counties became part of West Virginia after the Civil War).

The earliest reference I’ve found naming Joseph Pryor in Botetourt Co. is a 1787 deed.  The book A Seed-Bed of the Republic may give a clue to Joseph’s origins: “JOSEPH PRYOR, having come from Hanover County into Botetourt, purchased lands on the south side of the James.” The 1787 deed was transcribed as the “north” side of the river, so once one thing is in doubt makes me wonder how much else may be in doubt.

Joseph Pryor was on the 1800 Tax List in Woodford County, KY and counted on the census in Bourbon County in 1810, and deceased by 1813, the year his will was filed.

I suspect this lineage of Joseph Pryor is pretty well known to family history researchers, but what about the other Pryors who were in Botetourt County?  In 1783 Joseph Pryor was counted with a Luke Pryor in Captain Preston’s Rangers.  We know that they were brothers, confirmed by Luke’s 1785 will.  After Luke’s death there is a Susannah Pryor on a deed in 1787 and on a 1796 deed she was referred to as “The Widow Pryor.”

I believe Susannah Pryor migrated to Kentucky about the same time as Joseph.  The Holston Methodism, Vol. 1 states that in about 1810 Rev. Francis Poythress was elderly and mentally unstable when he died at the home of his sister Susannah Pryor in Jessamine County, KY.  I have in my notes that Luke Pryor, son of Col. Samuel Pryor married Susannah Poythress in Amelia County in 1766.  The 1810 Census was written in alpha-order so it’s difficult to tell who were her neighbors and thus who may have migrated to Kentucky with her. It’s possible that Susannah Pryor went to Kentucky about the time her brother-in-law Joseph moved there as they settled in neighboring counties and in 1800 Joseph sold three slaves in Botetourt County, perhaps in preparation of his move to Kentucky. Who else went to KY with Susanna?

I’m thinking we may be able to tie this line of VA and KY Pryors into the Pryors who migrated to Tennessee.  Both Joseph and Susannah had moved west by 1800. Joseph died in 1812 and named his children in his will: Joseph, Samuel, William, Richard, Thornton, Edward, Ann Pryor Duvall, Polly, Nancy, and Prudence Pryor Hall.  So we can presume these children were alive in 1812. I suspect that some of Joseph’s children went to Tennessee– in 1806 there was unclaimed mail for Samuel Pryor and Thornton Pryor at the Nashville Post Office. I wonder if the letters were ever collected.

I wonder about something else: Did Susannah Poythress and Luke Pryor have children? If they were married in 1766 and Luke died in about 1785 there was almost a 20 year period in which children may have been born.  I know I’ve got a long list of Pryors born between 1766 and 1785 in VA who could be their children! Does anyone know if there is a record of Luke and Susannah’s children in either baptisms, deeds, or wills?

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