SONGWRITER WITH PRYOR ROOTS… The noted gospel song writer Ira Stanphill is reported to be linked to the Pryors of Overton County, TN. Researcher Betty Joe Gentry has been in contact with other family members of this line. They report Ira was the son of Flora Engler and Andrew Stanphill. Flora’s parents were Mary Ellen Pryor and Jefferson Thompson Engler. Mary Ellen was the daughter of John Pryor and Candis (Candice?) Malone. Among other gospel songs, Ira Stanphill wrote “Mansion Over The Hilltop”.
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MORE ON THE MARION CO., TN PRYORS… Glen Pryor is continuing with his search for the father of Matthew Pryor of Marion Co., TN. He visited the public library to review documents. One paper that traced the Gaines family lists Matthew as the son of Green and that there is a will listed for Green that was supposed to have been probated in Caswell County, NC in 1783. Some papers written by Margaret Gott Vollheim (d. 1975) look to be the source for the claim that Green Pryor is the father of Matthew. She states that Matthew was her g-g-grandfather and that a Matthew was listed as the son of Green in a Gaines Family Bible and that the names of all of his children were listed in that Bible and the names matched those of my Matthew’s children. She also wrote that Ernest Pryor and Matthew Pryor III stated that Matthew was the son of Green.
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MYSTERIOUS MISSOURI PRYORS… In a previous issue of the TN Pryor newsletter it was noted that the Pryors in Buchanan Co., MO (possibly all from the line of trombonist Arthur Pryor) can not be found in records before the 1880 Census. A new line of Pryors in Morgan Co., MO has surfaced with similar questions. Two men who may be brothers: James/Henry Pryor b. 1857 and George Washington Pryor b. 1853. Where were they born? One census says IL, another LA, another MO. Where were they on the 1860 and 1870 Census? Both of these Pryors died after the initiation of death records in MO–Does anyone have access to their death records? Census records for these Pryor have been added to the MO Census records.
Tag Archives: Missouri Pryors
RICHARD & MOURNING PRYOR…I heard from Bill Lindsey, a decendant of Richard Pryor’s son Joseph. Bill was able to provide much needed documentation of this line. Lots of updates have been added to the Richard and Mourning Pryor pages in the Pryor HISTORIES section of the website!
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Who was JOHN PRYOR born 1810 in MO? John Pryor and wife Martha “Patsy” were on the 1860 Census in Gasconade Co. and in 1870 in Maries Co. This line of Pryors married in to the Helton family: John’s daughter Charlotte married John Helton and possibly another daughter, Louisa Jane, married Crismon Helton. In 1850 both Louisa Jane and Crismon Helton were single and living in the household of John J. Hughes. It’s possible that Louisa was some other kinship in that her daughter Mahala Helton married James S. Pryor, a son of John and Patsy Pryor.
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ANDREW JACKSON CONNECTION? A new theme appeared this month in the search for the TN Pryors…connections to President Andrew Jackson! Andrew Jackson was involved in negotiating the sale of land from Norton Pryor to Bedford Co., TN. Nathaniel Pryor, member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, had served with Andrew Jackson in the 44th Infantry during the War of 1812.
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STAGE COACH DRIVER’S PLAQUE… Found a website with photo of a 1931 bronze plaque dedicated to stage coach drivers. Named on the list of drivers was an Alfred L. Pryor. Any ideas which line of Pryors this Alfred is kin to? http://gesswhoto.com/shasta.html
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Glen Pryor is searching for the parents of MATTHEW J. PRYOR, the patriarch of the Marion County, TN Pryors. Does anyone have any source documentation of this line? The second-hand accounts are proving to be flawed. Glen reports that the book “21 Southern Families” states that Matthew Pryor was the son of Green Pryor, but offers no source information. Genealogies in Ancestry.com report that Green Pryor was born 1745 which would make him too young to be the father of Matthew born in 1759. Any ideas that will help solve this line?