Tennessee Pryors

I promised readers some new information on the Taylor line of Spicy and Massie who married William Pryor and John Pryor in Campbell Co. VA.

When I was piecing together the Pryors in Campbell Co., VA and in Cumberland Co., VA I kept stumbling upon Taylors. The Taylors grabbed my interest because my ancestors John and William Pryor married sisters (daughters of Edmund/Edward Taylor) Massie and Spicy Taylor in Campbell Co. I knew I’d eventually come back and explore the Taylor connections and got a chance to do just that after hearing from Cousin Ty who has turned over some new VERY interesting research.

Ty found a book titled “Biographical memoirs of Greene County, Indiana: With Reminiscences of Pioneer Days”, Volume 3, by B F Bowen & Co., published 1908 (Google Books ).

“Mr. Taylor was born in Fleming County, Kentucky, February 21, 1838, the son of Richard Oglesby Taylor. Grandfather Taylor came to America from England and settled in Virginia, where he farmed until the War of 1812, when he enlisted and was killed in battle. He was of a family of four boys and three girls, one brother having come to America. Richard Taylor, father of the subject, was born in Appomattox county, Virginia.”

The quote above is from the biography of John Stafford Taylor, a grandson of Hezekiah Taylor of Campbell Co., VA. For those of us who are familiar with the Pryors and Taylors, it’s important to note this is not the Hezekiah who was a brother to Massie and Spicy Taylor, but the Hezekiah Taylor who married Polly Oglesby and died in The War of 1812. Polly Oglesby Taylor remarried in 1815 to Isaac Crews.

Ty and I have had similar results in researching Taylors in Campbell Co. and Cumberland Co.—we just can’t match out direct ancestor Edmund/Edward Taylor to any of the known Taylor lines. We’ve also tried to match up Hezekiah Taylor who died in The War of 1812, but he too seems like a “stray” Taylor.  So, the biography of Hezekiah’s grandson opens a new possibility—Were Edmund and Hezekiah brothers? Did Edmund and Hezekiah immigrate to Virginia from England in perhaps the 1780’s?

Appomattox County helps tie the Taylors and Pryors to a specific area of Campbell County, VA—the area of Campbell County that was sectioned off to become part of Appomattox County in 1845! Ty also found a reference to Richard Oglesby Taylor in the book “The Bound Boy” (1994) by Harold D. Cromwell, stating again that Richard’s origins were in Appomattox County. When I looked at the 1850 Census in Appomattox County I found some familiar names: House 214 Mary Crews 39, House 218 Pryor Martin, House 226 Joseph Crews, House 228 Howlett Martin, House 234 Edward Taylor (son of Hezekiah Taylor & Polly Oglesby)

The Name Game

There is a lot to be said for naming traditions in early American families. The years of birth for Edmund and Hezekiah children are somewhat cloudy, so we aren’t really sure of their birth order or year of birth.  Below is our best estimate from available records.  What stands out is that Edmund/Edward named a son Hezekiah and Hezekiah named a son Edward.

The Grandfather’s Marriage

State of VA, County of Campbell: I George Wm. Dabney, Clerk of the County Court of Campbell, State of VA, do hereby certify that from the register of Marriages, kept and __?__in the office of the Court aforesaid, it appears that the Rites of Holy Matrimony were solemnized between Hezekiah Taylor and Polly Oglesby on the 20th day of May 1807 by the Rev. William Flowers, a legally authorized Minister of the Gospel. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said court at office this 19th day of April 1853 George Mc Dabney, Clk (or it might be George Wm. Dabney (NOTE: William Flowers also performed the marriage of Elizabeth Pryor and John Harris on 16 Dec 1800)

War of 1812 Records

HEZ TAYLOR, Campbell Co, Private, 5th Regiment Infantry, $48.00 Annual Allowance. $240 Amount Received , Died Nov 30, 1812, Pension started April 15, 1819 , HEIRS: Stafford Taylor , Edward Taylor, Sarah Taylor, Richard Taylor

NOTE: The widow, Polly Oglesby Taylor, remarried on 12 Nov 1815 to Isaac Crews.

War of 1812 Pension document on Ancestry.com. It says that in 1854 Polly Crews pension for Hez Taylor was increased to $3.50 on 19 Sept 1854 and that the last payment was made in 1859. So was Polly still alive in 1850? If so, I haven’t been able to find her on the 1850 Census.

1820 Census – The Foreigners in the House

Recorded on same page in Campbell Co., VA: Isaac Crews, Edward Taylor, Hezekiah Taylor. NOTE: 2 non US citizens were recorded in Edward (Edmund) Taylor’s household – perhaps one of these people was Edmund himself. The actual census column is labeled “Foreigners not naturalized.” Please don’t message me that you don’t see this on Ancestry.com. Ancestry’s census is so enhanced you can see the writing on the other side of the page. I had to look at the 1820 Census on HeritageQuest (a service through my local library) and Ty used CensusRecords.com.—both were clearer than what was seen on Ancestry.  The question of nationality was not asked in 1810 and I haven’t found any Taylor nor Pryor households in 1830 showing any “aliens” in the household.

1880 Census
I found only 3 children born to Edmund/Edward Taylor and Hezekiah Taylor who lived to the 1880 Census, the first census where each subject had to state their parents’ place of birth.

Richard O Taylor, son of Hezekiah (d. War of 1812) living in Greene Co., IN. Father’s place of birth blank.
Edward Taylor, son of Hezekiah (d. War of 1812) living in Appomattox Co., VA. Father’s place of birth VA
Hezekiah Taylor, son of Edmund/Edward Taylor, living in Overton Co., TN. Father’s place of birth VA.

If you have any further information on these Taylor or Pryors, please share!