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PRYOR DNA RESULTS: Part 1 – Sumner, Overton, and Gasconade Counties

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The Taylor Chart

I’ll be talking about Pryors, but I can’t do it without a partial chart of the Taylors. It’s the only neat and tidy way to organize everyone on one page and to show the Pryors who were related to 3 of the Taylor children by marriage. One of the testers is from a KY line and I’m not yet able to chart their relationship. Click on the image if you’d like to see it larger.

The Pryor DNA test results are in for the 3 testers from the Pryor lines of Sumner County and Overton County.  All 3 tests were done on 111 markers by Family Tree DNA (ftdna.com).

The 3 Y DNA tests in our FTDNA.com family group are as follows:

Pryor DNA Results

#1 – a descendant of William Pryor of Sumner Co., TN. William was born about 1820 and died en route to the Gold Rush about 1848.

#2 – a descendant of John T. Pryor born 1788 in KY and lived in Gasconade Co., MO.

#3 – a descendant of William Pryor born 1760-1770 and Spicy Taylor of Overton County, TN, through their son Overton Pryor.

In Common

There are two things that these testers have in common.  First, all testers matched on some, but not all markers.  I think we can cautiously say they are all Pryors.  Second, none of these 3 testers matched at a high level to another surname. I also say that cautiously because all 3 matched at on several markers with Mr. Page.

DNA Defining Family Lines

I know for myself and tester #1 the results will be surprising. The relationship between William born c. 1820 and William b. 1760-1770 may be VERY distant and may have originated in the Old World a very long time ago.  FTDNA.com provides a TIP report for testers that demonstrates the probability of relationships. When I compare Tester #1 to Tester #3 there is only a 0.44% probability that these 2 testers shared a common ancestor in 4 generations. That is very low. Consider group 104 on FTDNA.com (this group includes descendants of Matthew Pryor of Marion Co., TN and Virginia Pryors related to Samuel Pryor and wife Prudence).  Group 104’s testers have more than anm 80% probability that they share a common ancestor.  The good news is that there’s a 98% probability that Tester #1 and Tester #3 shared an ancestor at 24 generations (in the 1300-1400’s — that’s very long ago indeed).

Ugh. Disappointing, but Pryor researchers from Sumner and Overton Counties needed to know this!

This information doesn’t change my relationship with tester #1 as we are still cousins though Talley family marriages in Sumner County and of course Willie Ann Pryor from his line was my grandfather’s step-mother (after the death of his mother Bettie Pryor Gregory). We need to keep looking for the father of William Pryor b. around 1820. One scenario to explain this William — he may have been a foundling or orphan raised by either William and Spicy or John and Massey. This scenario would explain the extreme distance in relationships revealed by the DNA and it’s a scenario supported by other evidence of “foundlings” in the family which I will discuss in an upcoming post.

The Stronger Although Very Distant Connection

The stronger connection is between Tester #2 and #3.  They match on markers 12, 25, 37, 67, and 111. However the genetic distance is still high. The probability that they are related is 94.5% at 16 generations — That’s in about the 1600’s when perhaps traceable common ancestors who arrived in the American colonies.

 What’s Next?

For Sumner and Overton County Pryors…. We NEED a male Pryor from the line of Allen L. Pryor to take a Y-DNA test. The ideal tester  is a male from the line of his son John Edward Pryor or another son Lycurgus Lafayette Pryor. There’s no getting around this. If this tester connects with Tester #3 who tested for William of Overton Co. then we can safely stay on our assumption that John who married Massey and William who married Spicy are related.  Who knows, the tester could match to Tester #1 (kin of William b. abt. 1820). We need tests from William’s line AND John’s line to be the cornerstone for the comparisons to other tests. They may end up being from two separate Pryor families but we need to know that!

For Gasconade County, MO Pryors… they need other MO testers. Allen L. Pryor states he was born in White County, TN in 1816. Was his family related to other Pryors in White Co.? Researchers  have long thought that the Pryors who settled in Bates County, MO were related to William Pryor of White Co. More paper research in MO and White County is needed.

Part 2 will reveal the results of another tester for the Sumner and Overton Pryor lines and an intriguing outcome.

In Part 3 I’ll be revising my list of the 5 testers needed.

Stay tuned.

Category: DNA | Tags: , ,

Overton County: Pryor-Taylor-Garrett Land Deed (1832)

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Elizabeth Taylor of Overton CountyAs part of my on-going effort to obtain original deeds associated with my Pryor line, I’ve pulled one from Overton County, TN. This is a deed in which Elizabeth Taylor (mother of Spicy Taylor Pryor and Massey Taylor Pryor) deeded land that is referred to as “formerly owned by the heirs of Edmond Taylor (Spicy’s and Massey’s father). I asked if there was any earlier deed which either showed ownership by Edmond/Edward/Edmund Taylor or in the names of his heirs. Was there a deed that was in the name of Spicy Taylor or her husband William Pryor.

This is probably the land that the heirs of Edmond Taylor purchased when they arrived in Tennesee in 1827.

Deed Book F, page 17 Indenture 5 Feb. 1827. The consideration being $500, paid to William Chilton Jr., 150 acres on Obed River. Purchased by the heirs of the late Edward Taylor of VA.

So the Pryors and Taylors bought land on Obed’s River when they arrived in Overton County in after Edmond Taylor’s death (1824 will in Campbell Co., VA), about 1827. Then sold the same land in 1829. And in 1832 William Pryor and his wife Spicy were living on the land. BUT… there’s a William Pryor on the 1820 Census in Overton County. I suspect it’s the same William who was married to Spicy (they were living near Joel Pariss/Parish who was a witness on the 1832 Deed for a slave sale that named all the Pryors and Taylors).  So where was William living in 1820 and where did he and Spicy live after 1832?

Here’s the transcript of 1832 sale and a question that follows…

Elizabeth Taylor
Deed for an undivided moiety of
150 acres of land held by
Grant No. 300 lying on
Obed’s River waters
To Elijah Garrett
—————–
This Indenture made and entered into the …… day of …… 1832 between Elizabeth Taylor of the county of Sumner State of Tennessee of the one part; and Elijah Garrett of the county of Overton and same state of the other part, witnesseth that the said Elizabeth for and in consideration of the sum of two hundred dollars in hand paid by the said Garrett, has this day bargained and sold and by these presents doth bargain , sell, and convey unto said Garrett, her under undivided moiety of a tract of land situated lying and being in the county of Overton on Obed’s River; being the same whereon William Pryor now lives and formerly owned by the heirs of Edmond Taylor , and now owned by the said Elizabeth and Spicey Pryor, wife of William Pryor as tenants in common: containing one hundred and fifty acres more or less. To have and to hold to the said Garrett, his heirs and assigns forever, with its appurtances, free from the claim of said Elizabeth her heirs or assigns. In witness whereof she has hereunto set her hand and seal the date above.
Elizabeth Taylor {seal}
Test. Pleasant Taylor, Willy Dickerson
February Term 1833
Deed of bargain and sale from Elizabeth to Elijah Garret for an undivided moiety, of one hundred and fifty acres of land, was proved in in open court by the oath of Pleasant Taylor and Willie Dicerson (sic) the subscribing witnesses thereto which is caused to be certified for registration to Overton County where the land lies.A copy attest. A. H. Douglas Clerk of said court. The foregoing is a correct registry of a deed of conveyance and certificate thereon from Elizabeth Taylor to Elijah Garrett and the same was registered and certified on the twenty eighth day of August, one thousand, eight hundred and thirty five.
John Kennedy, register

Now for the interesting part. I was curious about the grant number 300 noted on the deed. There was another deed recorded on the same page– It’s a sale between Stephen Mayfield and Thomas Stogdon. It states a grant number 2827 and the grant number is sited again within the body of the document, stating that the land was originally granted to Rhody Collier.

Just a quick aside: Stephen Mayfield may be the same man who was involved in an assault in 1840… John Pryor was convicted of the assault.

I then wondered if the grant number could be used to locate an original TN or NC grant. I went to Ancestry.com and searched by the grant number 2827. Sure e’nuf, I found a grant by that number for Rhoda Collier in 1825 in Overton County.

I tried to do the same for grant 300. There are several grants that come up when searched, but nothing that matches land in Overton County or even Sumner County. I read through several of them and they aren’t on Obed’s River.

Maybe someone else will have better luck tracking down grant number 300.

Category: About TN Lines | Tags:

Who Married William Pryor and Spicy Taylor?

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William Pryor and Spicy Taylor of Overton County, TN were married 18 August 1809 in Campbell County, VA. Consent was given by the bride’s father, Edward Taylor. If ages from the census records are correct, William was between 39 – 48 years old. Spicy was 19. William’s age may indicate this was a second marriage for him. John Taylor was both a bondsman and a witness (probably Spicy’s brother John—we know she had a brother by that name because he is named with the family in an 1829 indenture in Overton County, TN – Deed Book F, page 176). The marriage was performed by Samuel Davidson. I thought it would be interesting to see if I could find Rev. Samuel Davidson and see if there were any clues to the whereabouts of William and Spicy.

Samuel Davidson was in Lynchburg, Campbell, Co., VA in 1810. Familiar surnames around him are Josiah Patteson, James Bailey, Richard Pollard, Overton Evans, William Oglesby, Alexander Davidson, James Maxey, William Taylor, John Woodson, Jacob Woodson, James Taylor, George Davidson, Wirt Taylor, Robert Wright, Robert Wright Sr., George Wright, Silvy Wright.

One researcher posted online- “Rev. Samuel Davidson married Frances Oglesby on 18 Oct 1802 in Campbell County, VA, and he died in Appomattox County, VA around 1861. He had a son named Reverend John A. Davidson.”  This is an excellent clue as it coincides with what we already suspect about the location of this Pryor line—they lived in the part of Campbell County that became Appomattox County in 1845.  It also states Davidson’s family was in Prince Edward County which we already know that through divisions part of it became Campbell County.

Frances Oglesby is important too because she was the daughter of Richard Oglesby. Her sister, Mary Polly Oglesby, had married Hezekiah Taylor a relation of Edward Taylor (not to be confused with Edward’s son who was also named Hezekiah Taylor).

Category: Virginia Pryors | Tags: ,

Following the Campbell Co., VA Trail: Searching Henry Childress to John Pryor

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va-pryorsI’m hoping it means I’m on the right track and not on a wild goose chase! I took another look at a piece of information we have on the Pryor family from Campbell County, VA (later in Sumner County and Overton County, TN).  A researcher had found a letter from the 1930’s tucked into a file at the TSLA. It referenced the sale of Campbell County property owned by John Pryor in 1812 by his heirs John and William. We know who wrote the letter and I thought it could be a good exercise to figure out why.

The letter was written by William Cabler Moore who was living in Stamford, CT. I did some searching  and found that his tree looks like this:

Henry Childress b. 1715 in Henrico Co. Married Mary Farmer.

Sarah Childress b. 1728 in Charlotte. Married Edwin Smith.

Jane Smith b. 1789 in SC. Married Frances P. Cabler.

Martin Henry Cabler married Mary Ann Smith.

Lillie Talbot Cabler married William Moore.

Ending with William Cabler Moore who made the query in the 1930’s.

So a conclusion. Mr. Moore was searching the Childress family. That may be a good sign for Pryor researcher because it seems to indicate that he also thought that John in Campbell County was the son David Pryor and Miss Childress (daughter of Abraham Childress).

If there are any children or grand-children of Mr. Moore, we’d love to know if there were any records kept in the family. We’d love to know what  he put together on the family tree!

Category: About TN Lines, Virginia Pryors | Tags: , ,

All Migration was NOT to the West – Pryors who went back to the East

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Migration Direction

This is one of my favorite topics — migration paths. When I was a kid the teacher pulled down a map (this was done over the blackboard because it was long before green boards, before white boards, and before smart boards). The map showed the US and with a swoosh of his hand he pointed out how people came into the colonies in the east and then made their migration westward through the Cumberland Gap. It was one direction– WEST. No swooshes going back.

My fifth grade teacher missed something. People did go back and that’s one of the nagging concepts as I look at the Pryors. I have to forget what my teacher said and look in unexpected places… like where they started off originally.

If you have a spare moment, take a look at the 1850 Census of Lee County, VA. There aren’t any Pryors, but an over-zealous census taker wrote down not just the state of birth but the actual county of birth when he was recording the households. It’s amazing to see all the people who were born in Hawkins County, TN and Hancock County, TN– and that they were back in VA. It’s a great demonstration of how people moved through the Cumberland Gap and then moved back again.

I recently read a terrific old newspaper clipping about Pryor Reynolds (See news article on Find A Grave website).

Pryor Reynolds was a grandson of Catherine Pryor and Henry Lansford of Pittsylvania County, VA. He went from VA to NC to Williamson Co., TN, down to Alabama, and back to Rockingham Co., NC.

So for my own Pryor line, John and his sons John and William Pryor who were in Campbell Co. (later  Appomattox County, VA), I’m starting to look elsewhere. They aren’t on the 1790 Census, nor the 1800, can’t find them on the 1810 Census either. I think William Pryor in Overton County in 1820 is one of the sons, but John Pryor didn’t show up on a census until 1830 in Sumner County, TN… and there’s  no trace of their father on any census.

I’m looking to the west. Not because of my teacher, but if they can’t be found in VA then I have to consider they are some of the Pryors who had already moved into Tennessee and maybe even into KY or other states/territories.

But I’m not just assuming the West was the only direction — they may have gone to another Virginia county, East to the Carolinas, North, or down into LA, MS, AL, or GA. FL has nice weather!

Wish me luck, I’m digging in!

Category: About TN Lines, Virginia Pryors | Tags: , ,
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