Southern Pryor Family Genealogy
Last week while looking at David Pryor and the Amherst Pryors it got me wondering about trying to figure out if we can come up with a list of the VA Pryors who served in the Revolutionary War. The most concise source is a 1912 book I found in Google Books.
Continue reading
Back to the David Pryor who appears on Revolutionary War rosters 1778/1779 […read more]. The war ended in 1783 which is the same year David Pryor was recorded on a State Enumeration in Amherst County, VA. I suspect this is the same David Pryor because of a familiar name: Richard Tankersley. Continue reading
The descendants of David Pryor of Buckingham County, VA have claimed him as the father of Mitchie Pryor who married Thomas Jefferson’s brother. I think I’m swayed to that idea… well maybe. His descendants have used him as their “Patriot” ancestor to gain admission to Continue reading
Now, isn’t this an interesting coincidence. I spotted Benjamin Catching on this deed filed in Georgia:
1785 Deed (Wilkes Co., GA)
May 21, 1785 Willis Whatley deeded land to Peter Tatum 250 acres on Little River. The land was adjoining John White, Benj. Catching and Chas. Burks. Witneses Samuel Thornton, Edward PRYOR.
(Early Records of Georgia: Wilkes County By Grace Gillam Davidson, pub 1932)
And then later in Amherst County, VA where he was the Clerk of the Superior Court
1794 Deed (Amherst Co., VA)
14 Feb 1794 JNO. FLOYED, Ga. Power of Attny to PHILLIP THURMOND, AC – DANL. BURFETT of Va. By will of 1787 bequeathed to VA. TAYLOR 250 acres in AC on headwaters of Stoval – for life or until she leaves; remainder to me. JF of Wilks Co, Ga. – PT to dispose of my interest upon removal or death of VA. TAYLOR. Acknowledged before BENJ. CATCHING, Clk. Of Superior Ct., W. STITH JR. one of the judges. Rec. in AC, 21 Jul 1794.
(NOTE: John Floyd uncle of Nathaniel Pryor was deceased by 1783, he had first married a daughter of Daniel Burford, the sheriff of Amherst Co. )
So, we have record of settlers from Amherst County moving into Wilkes County, GA. This may help some folks with connecting their lines.
The Talleys are a strong family connection to the Pryors in Sumner Co., TN. Allen L. Pryor married Elizabeth Talley, daughter of William Talley and Polly Dowdy of Cumberland County, VA. Elizabeth’s sister married Thomas Jefferson Pryor, a son of the mysterious William Pryor of Sumner County. Another sister, Lucy, studied at a girls’ school in Nashville and married Robert Anderson Wright in Sumner County in 1868.
The Talley name is found in VA records where it melds from Talley, to Tally, and other variations, like Taliaferro and Tolliver.
A good example of the Taliaferro name being used as Tolliver is Baldwin Taliaferro. He’s on the 1850 Census in Pike Co., MO as Tolliver and in 1860 as Taliaferro. I think he’s related to the KY Pryors. In 1850 he was living with the Spottswood and Hall families and in 1870 with John P (Pryor?) Lain. Baldwin was married to a Spottswood because he’s also in the Williamson Co., TN records.
I’ve picked out some of the more interesting Talley’s from the records:
1784 Census Amherst Co., VA. Page 85: Nicholas PRYOR 10 whites, no non-whites (Note: On same page with Nicholas: Charles Ellis, Roderick McCullough, David Crawford, Philip Thurmond, Charles Taliafero)
1801 – Jefferson Co., KY Will, David Crawford. Bondsman: Charles Taliaferro, Nathaniel Warwick. Witnesses: William Pryor, John Pryor, Stella Sullivan. Willed land to his sons: land in Amherst County, adjoining Buffalo Ridge.
1810 Census Cumberland Co., VA – William Talley Sr
1810 Census Amherst Co., VA – Benjamin Taliaferro, Charles Taliaferro
1810 Census Albemarle County, VA – Francis Taleafero
1810 Census Campbell Co. – Roderick Taliafero – near Mourning Christian1820 Census Cumberland Co., VA (alpha order census) – Daniel Taliaferro with John Sandridge, Jackey Talley, Phineas Thomas, William Talley
1820 Census Goochland Co., VA – Elkanah Talley1834 Land Deed Overton Co., TN – Elizabeth Taylor, of Sumner Co.., of Tenn…for $200.00 sells and convey to Elijah Garrett the undivided interest of a tract of land >in Overton Co.,on Obed’s R. where William PRYOR now lives and formerly owned by the heirs of Edmond Taylor & now owned by the , said Elizabeth (Taylor) and Spicy Taylor, wife of William Pryor, as trust in common. The tract was 150 acres. Witness: Pleasant Taylor and Willy Dickerson. Reg. Aug. 8, 1834 (Note: William Dickerson married Maggie Belle Talley in Overton County, TN. He may be the same Wiley Dickerson who was in Sumner Co., TN in 1850 (age 65, born in VA)
I’ll be watching out for more Talley connections to the Pryros.