Tag Archives: Tennessee

Was a Pryor at Mountain Meadows Massacre?

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I was recently contacted by a researcher who is looking for information on any Pryor family members who may have been on the ill-fated wagon train that was attacked in 1857.

In 1857 a group of settlers from Carroll, Benton and Johnson County, Arkansas were ambushed outside of Cedar City, UT in what would become known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre. 17 children lived and were returned to their families in Arkansas.

I’ve searched several of the websites who mention the names of the survivors and victims, but have not been able to find any Pryors. There were several Pryor families in Arkansas at that time, but no one seems to be missing from the census records. I’ve looked at the family of Lindsey W. Pryor who was reported to have died en route to the California Gold Rush. I suspect that he died before 1850 (his widow may be the Jane McMillan with son John S. counted on the 1850 Census in Franklin Co., MO).

Is anyone award of a Pryor that may have been involved in this tragic event?

Category: African-Americans, Genealogy, Missouri Pryors, Research Help | Tags: , , , , ,

Scipio Africanus Pryor, Aaron Lindsey Pryor, and Weakley County and Civil War

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A PRYOR MYSTERY… The website has had several queries in the past months from family researchers looking for the lineage of SCIPIO AFRICANUS PRYOR of Benton Co., AR. Scipio was in AR as early as 1840. He was born between 1813 – 1815 in TN and is named after a Roman general, which seems fairly urbane compared to the Biblical or traditional English names of most of our Pryor ancestors. Scipio’s wife Sarah, was born in TN (probably Warren Co.), however it appears they married in AR. Scipio’s twelve children were named Elizabeth J., Mary Angeline, Franklin H., Andrew C., Nicholas, Sarah E., Albert L., John, Nancy A., Arminta, Laura T., Margaret. Scipio died in June 1860 per his tombstone, although his daughter Margaret was born about 1864. Does anyone have ideas for helping these folks trace Scipio’s TN roots?
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New GILES COUNTY web page in the Pryor Histories section of the website. Researcher Trish Smith is looking for information on her kin and has provided photos of Pryor grave markers from Columbia, TN. Her ancestor AARON LINDSEY PRYOR was a blacksmith and may be related to the line of Richard and Mourning Pryor through their son Thompson Pryor and Dicey Tripp.
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Query from researcher Barbara McKnight. Barbara has come across an 1841 proclamation announcing a reward for two Fletcher brothers who killed their brother in law, JOHN PRYOR, in Weakley Co., TN. Any ideas who this John Pryor might be?
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FREE Access to IL Civil War Muster Records. Researcher Barbara VanHout found several TN PRYORS listed on the State of IL website (as of December 2019 link is not available). There’s a James PRIOR b. 1823 in Stewart Co., TN and living in White Co., IL in 1861; William PRIOR b. 1802 in Sumner Co., TN also living in White Co., IL; Alfred S. PRYOR b. 1833 in Knox Co., TN and living in Pike Co., IL in 1861; William PRYOR b. 1841 in Blunt (sic- possibly Blount) Co., TN and living in Union Co., IL. This last Pryor mustered in at Camp Anna so he may not have had residency in Union Co.

Category: Tennessee Pryors | Tags: , , , , ,
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