The book Edgefield, South Carolina, Slave Records, 1774-1866 by Gloria Ramsey Lucas on Ancestry.com has proved to be a good source for Pryor names. The author delved into property records (slaves were property) to find her African American ancestors. In the forward the author states, “After examining these inventory and sales documents, I realized that the information contained within them could help thousands of other African Americans who were researching their family roots, but were unable to get beyond the 1870 United States census.” Yes, and it adds useful information for tracing the white Pryor slave holders families.
Daniel Shaw 1/25/1796 to John PRIER
Box 45, pkg 1921
Binah (negro, old wench) and Phillis, Shade and Prince
Jno. PRYOR 7/11/1797 to Hannah Puckett
Box 22, pkg. 802
Mary and Lewis (negro woman and child)
John PRIOR 12/7/1816 “Sale Forbid”
SS Book 1844-1852, page 28
Alfred
John PRIOR 5/18/1818 to Jno. Grubs PRYOR, Wm P. Tobias Pryor, Tobias Pryor Grubs
Equity File #41
Dick, Ellick, Jack
Richard Coker et al 2/6/1843 to Sarah M PRYOR
SS Book 1840-1853, page 75
Patty
Daniel Prince 12/12/1843 to Jno. Grubs Pryor, Tobias P and Wm P.
Box #90, pkg. 3633
Allen, son of Dealy
at the same time Daniel Prince sold Robert Prince a woman named Dealy.
Martha PRIOR 12/1/1845 “Sale Forbid”
SS Book 1844-1852, page 28
Fortune, Gadock, Granderson, Hannah, Jane, Judy, Rachael, Susan, Dianna, Ned
Tobias PRIOR to Richard Pryor 8/16/1848
Deed book EEE, page 450
3 young boys, George, Henry, and Jacob who was just 7 months.
What happened to the Pryors and their slaves? I looked at the 1860 Census and found that there were 3 slaves owned by a Pryor/Prior were in Edgefield County, SC — the slave holder was Mary Prior. This is likely Mary who was the widow of Tobias Pryor. They were counted together on the 1850 Census and she appears as a head of household in 1860. The names of the slaves don’t indicate they were being traded or deeded between the Pryor family members. Since there’s no sale information recorded in Gloria Ramsey Lucas’ book, I have to wonder what happened to African-Americans who were held by the Pryors before the Civil War. What happened to these people?
