Tag Archives: Pike County

Explaining Richard Pryor (b. 1838) Living in Pike County, GA

Everyone has a Richard Pryor in their family tree? Not everyone, well then most people. There’s a boy named Richard Pryor on the 1850 Census in Pike County, GA that can be explained (up to a point).

Richard appears on the 1850 Census in Pike County in the household of James Shipp and wife Rhoda. Richard was 12 years old and born in KY. I ended up looking at James Shipp in order to figure out a bit more about Richard.

James Shipp married Rhoda Parker in 1819 in Columbia county, GA. Richard was born about 20 years after their marriage.

In 1851 James Shipp made his will and explains that Richard was adopted.

Georgia Pike County

November 15th 1851

In the name of God Amen.

I James Shipp being affected in body but sound in mind have though? purpose to dispose of my worldly affairs in the following manner to wit– 1. My just debts shall all be paid

2 There shall be three hundred dollars of many given out of my estate by my administrator unto the church at Flat Rock to the trustees so long as the church remains an established church.

3. My negro man Isaac to be sold unto the highest bidder and the money given unto my brother William Shipp’s son James Shipp.

4. My land and farming implements and my negros: Mariah, Hannah, Manda, Gabriel, Lee and a boy Hampton, Milas boy shall be kept together on any farm belong unto my wife during her lifetime or widowhood.

5. And my adopted son Richard Prior shall remain with my wife Rody and be supported out of the proceeds of my estate until he arrives at the age of twenty one and if my wife Rody hereto marry someone, he the said R. Prior shall be and I here by make him my heir of my whole estate but not until her death or intermarriage with some other man and should Richard Prior depart this life before my wife Rhoda Shipp without lawful heir then and in that event after the death of him and my wife there without heirs my whole estate shall —-? unto my two brothers William M. Shipp and Lemuel G. Shipp or their heirs with an equal devise.

6. I hereby ordain and appoint Josiah Pyron of the county of Pike and Lewis Pyron [sic] of Meriweather my executors of this my last will and testament Signed and delivered in presence of W. P. Irvin, John Foxworth, Abraham D. Woods.

Will proved 1st December 1851

The progression of Shipp’s estate went from his death in 1851 to his wife who died in 1853 to his young adopted son, Richard Prior, who died in 1856. An administration bond was taken out in Pike county for Richard Prior, deceased with William Pryor and Matthew Coggin (the son in law of John Pryor who had died in 1848 in Pike County). Was Richard connected to the line of John Pryor? If Richard was really born in KY, who were his parents?

As always, more questions.

D’Arcy, Darcy, Dawsey, Dossey, etc., etc.

I looking at a surname that may have as many variable spellings as Pryor. Dorsey. Wait. Wait. Also spelled Darcy, Dawsey, Dossey, D’Arcy. I’ve run into them before because I have a paper trail that solidly lands me into them (spelled Dorsey by the way) in Maryland during the first decade of the 1800’s. But that’s another line of my family tree and I was looking at Dorseys connected with Pryors.

Continue reading

John Pryor and Liddy Dossey -1800 Halifax County, VA

Transcription of complaint in Chancery court case filed in 1800 This is possibly the same John and Lydia Pryor who migrated to GA.

To the Worshipful Court of Halifax County Sitting in Chancery
Humbly Complaining shewith to your worships your Orators & Oratrixes William Dossey, Guy Wallace & Charity his wife, Ben Riden & Clarissa his wife, George Wren and Alathea his wife, John Pryor & Liddy his wife, Jarred Dossey, Thomas B. Dossey and Wiley Dossey which said William, Charity, Clarissa, Alathea, Liddy, Jarred, Thomas and Wiley are all the children of a certain Nancy Dossey who will be hereafter mentioned. Also your orators William Brown, John Matthews, and Nancy his wife, James Brown, Lucy Brown, Becky Brown, Lydia Brown, Milly Brown, Elizabeth Brown, Jamima Brown, Russell Brown, Thomas Brown, & Mary Brown, which said last mentioned William, Nancy, James, Lucy, Becky, Lidia, Milly, Elizabeth, Jamina, Russell, Thomas, and Mary are all the children of a certain Lydia Brown hereafter mentioned. That on the 20th day of July 1799 a certain Thomas Beech late of this county made his will and then devised the whole of his estate except the negroes that are freed by his will to be equally divided among the children of his sisters Nancy Dossey and Lydia Brown. That the children of the said Nancy and Lydia sisters of the testator your orators & oratrixes as above described. That the said children are all of age except Lydia, Milly, Elizabeth, Jamima, Russell, Thomas, and Mary Brown that they being under age sue by their next friend Harvey Cook
and the complaint further shew that the estate of the said Thomas Beech so as aforesaid devised has been committed to the hands of a certain Beverly Barksdale of this county who is made defendant to this bill. That the said Beverly is administrator with the will annexed and has taken into his possession the slaves and personal property of the Testator, and has sold the perishable estate more than sufficient to pay the debts of the said estate. The complainant further shew that they have apprized the said administrator for a division and possession of the slaves and the residue of the personal estate after the payment of debts which the admin. has refused giving up, alledging that he will not be safe in so doing without the decree of this court for that purpose and for a division of said estate by commissioner. The complainant therefore pray that commissioners may be appointed to divide and deliver up to the complainants the slaves conveyed to them by the will of the said Thomas Beech together with the lands and residue of his personal estate after the payment of the debts of the said Thomas decd or that your worships would make such further or other decree in the promises as may be agreeable to equity may it please.

Jarred ad Thomas B Dossey are later mentioned in Wilkes Co GA. In “Early Records of Georgia Wilkes County” on Page 218

Jarrett Dossey decd est. Nancy and Thomas B Dossey exers. Returns for 1821 paid for land grant for wid and orphs. Returns for 1823, Nancy Lawson, exec formerly Nancy Dossey.

Rebel Colonel Pryor (b. 1798) Imprisoned in Knoxville, TN in 1863

Richmond Dispatch, 28 October 1863.

After these speeches, Colonel Pryor, an old citizen of Knox, who was under arrest, called on Brownlow, in order to induce him to effect his release from prison. Col. Pryor, who is 65 years of age, was led from prison into Brownlow’s house, expecting to secure his assistance in effecting his release from confinement. For many years he and Brownlow have been intimate friends. When the old man was led into Brownlow’s presence, Brownlow, raving like a madman, –? a pistol, declared that he would murder any scoundrel or rebel who dared to ask a favor of his hands. The guard interposed to save Col. Pryor’s life, and led him back to prison.

This story ID’s W. G. Brownlow. If you haven’t yet figured it out, Brownlow was an “intense Unionist” while editing a Tennessee newspaper during the Civil War. (Editors Make War: Southern Newspapers in the Secession Crisis. By Donald E. Reynolds). The Union had recaptured Tennessee in the fall of 1863 which coincides with the October date which describes Brownlow’s meeting with the “rebel” Col. Pryor.

1850 Census Knoxville, page 107b, house 194, William G. Brownlow 43 editor VA, Eliza A 30 TN, Susan 12 TN, John B 10 TN, James P 8 TN, Mary M 1 TN, William O’Brien 21 printer, Francis Small 18 printer, William Neal 19 printer, Daniel Patton? 17 printer, Susan O’Brian 20, Eliza A Brown 20.

I’m wondering if Brownlow became acquainted with one or more of the Pryors in Knox county through the Methodist Church. I found a reference to W. Brownlow attending a Methodist conference in 1836.

The thirteenth session of the Holston Conference was held at Reems’s Creek, North Carolina, commencing on October 12, 1836–Bishop Andrew presiding; Lewis S. Marshall, Secretary…. B.B. Rogers, A. Woodfin, J. L. Sensibaugh, J. Y . Crawford, J. Pryor, and W. G. Brownlow, located. (History of Methodism in Tennessee: From the Year 1818 to the Year 1840. By John Berry M’Ferrin)

James Pryor of Knox county was a known Methodist minister. He was counted on the 1850 Census in Dallas County, AR at age 60. (Brownlow was counted on the 1850 Census in Knox Count and his age was 43). In 1863 James Pryor would have been 73, not 65, and there’s no evidence that he was in TN during the Civil War.

Another book about Methodism mentions a John Pryor from Maryville who represented the Knox District at a conference in 1831. That could be the John Pryor of Pike county, IL whose son Alfred was born in Knox county in 1833. This John was born about 1797 which would make him about 65 in 1863. It’s conjectured by some researchers that John is a brother of Rev James Pryor of Dallas Co., AR.(Life and Times of Rev. S. Patton: And Annals of the Holston Conference. By David Rice McAnally)

Well, something to mull.

Pryor Logan County, KY and the 1807 Estate in Christian County

Posted on by
Pryor geography KY and TN map
KY and TN county map – click to enlarge

In an older post I wrote about men named John Pryor Logan Co., KY and Christian County who seem to be connected (Richard and Mourning Pryor: Christian County, KY Tie-In). I looked again at the names in the John Pryor estate filed 1807 in Christian County. If we weren’t sure that the Pryors in Christian County were related to the Pryors in Logan County, then hopefully this Christian County document is a good confirmation of their Logan County residency.

This is an exercise in several project I’m working on that “builds neighborhoods” (looks at Pryor neighbors on early records).  Then looking at maps to see what the geography says. The maps are saying that Christian County, KY existed side by side with Logan County because Todd County was not formed until 1820.

I think what we have in the 1807 estate is a nice way of shedding light on who was living near each other in Logan County and… associating with each other.

So, here are the names on the documents and some information about them.

Robert SharrardRobert Sherrod received a land grant in Logan Co. in 1816 and is on the 1810 and 1820 census in Logan Co., KY. He may be the Revolutionary War soldier who filed for a pension in Todd County (next to Logan Co.) In 1790 he was in Edcombe County, NC.

Elizabeth PRIOR: Possibly the Elizabeth Crawford who married a John Pryor in Logan County, KY in 1803. It’s unknown if she married John Sr. or Jr. because there were both a Sr. and Jr. in Logan County. These men were involved in survey of Richard Pryor property in Logan County in 1796. 

John PRYOR: John Jr. or John Sr. who was in Logan Co., KY. 

Elizabeth Henkman (or possibly Kirkman): See Dunlop below.

James PRYER: My theory is that this is the James B. Pryor who was married to a Rebecca (surname unknown) and lived in Christian County, KY; Stewart County, TN; and Pike Co., IL per her obituary.

John Burdine: ?

Obadiah Dewhit (DeWhitt): Obadiah Dewitt on 1800 Tax List Logan Co., KY

John Bayley (Bailey): Mourning Pryor White was counted on page 175 of 1810 Census, Logan County. John Baily is on page 176.

Vinson Layston: ?

Jacob Dalmaldson (possibly Donaldson?): Jacob Dollason (sic) counted on the 1810 Census in Russellville, Logan County on the same page with Robert Sherrod and Abel Crawford (sic)

Hoxa Boren: Hosea Borren was counted on the 1800 Tax list in Logan County, KY.

James Nunn: James Nunn counted on page 183 in Russellville, Logan County

Able Crawford: Abel (sic) was counted on the 1810 Census in Russellville, Logan County on the same page with Robert Sherrod and Jacob Dollason (sic)

Matthias House: Possibly the man by this name who was the father of Revolutionary War pensioner Adam House (see pension application https://revwarapps.org/r5260.pdf). Adam House served under Bohannon. Remember the Bohannons and the Pryors married and lived near each other in White Co., TN.

William Dunlop: William and Benjamin Dunlop are on the 1810 Census in Christian County, KY. On the line above William Dunlop is James Kirkman (see Elizabeth Kirkman above) and on the next page William Kirkman. Benjamin Dunlop received a land grant in Logan County in 1806. 

Peter Simon: ?