Tag Archives: Texas

Nat Pryor b. 1826, An African American from VA

The following information about Nat Pryor was previously published as a web page.

African American Pryor Line from Virginia living in Bastrop, Lee, and Fayette Co., TX. The patriarch of this Pryor line was Nat Pryor born about 1826 in Virginia. He and his family are on the 1870 Census in Fayette Co., TX. Nat, his wife, and 7 of his 8 children (two of his daughters were married and living nearby in 1870) were born in Virginia. His eighth child, Susan Pryor, was born in Texas in 1861. Texas was a slave state, so there’s the possibility that this family came to Texas in 1861 with a slave owner. In 1880 there is an African American man named Wyatt Rucker born in VA. He was living with Nat’s son, Thomas Pryor. Could Wyatt Rucker be a clue to the Virginia origins of this Pryor line? There’s a younger Wyatt Rucker in Campbell Co., VA. He was also an African American. There were connections between the white Pryor and Rucker families of Amherst Co., VA: Daughters of Peter Rucker (Mary and Edith) married sons of Col. John Pryor, a son of Nicholas Pryor.

1880 Census, Lee Co., TX
Ch. C. B. Moor? white male 29 farmer VA VA VA
Clara A. white female 24 wife AL AL AL
Whyat (Wyatt?) Rucker black male 79 laborer on farm VA VA VA
Tom Prior black male 26 farmer VA VA VA
Seely Ann black female 24 wife TX VA unk.
Josephus black male 4 son TX VA TX
Bedford black male 2 son TX VA TX.

This family was counted twice
Tom Prior 25 black male farmer VA
Celian black female 22 wife keeping house TX
Ceephus black male 3 son TX
Bates black male 2 son TX

1870 Census Fayette Co., TX
West of Caldwell Road, page 503b.
Nat Prior 44 male black field hand VA
Phebe 48 female black house hand VA
Doctor 19 male black field hand VA
Thomas 14 male black at home VA
Shepherd 12 male black field hand VA
Armstead 13 male black field hand VA
Sandy 11 male black field hand VA
Susan 9 female black at school TX

1880 Census Fayette Co., TX
Phibbie Pryor 59 keeping house VA (widow of Nat Pryor)
Shep black male 23 son works on farm VA
Susan black female 18 daughter works on farm TX
Nellie Clark black female 15 gr-dau works on farm TX ?? VA
Lee Clar black male 9 gr-son works on farm TX ?? VA

A marriage for Sallie Pryor to Green Dedrick on 8 Feb 1870 in Fayette Co., TX. Sallie may be a sister to Thomas because Dedrick Green and family were living near the Pryors in 1870 and in 1880 on the census records.

1870 Census Fayette Co., TX
West of Caldwell Road, page 503b.
Green Dedrick 25 male black field hand TN
Sallie (Prior) 21 female black VA
Henry 15 male black TN
Dink 12 female black TN
John 4 male black TX
Lou 1/12 female black TX (born in July)

Another possible relative is Charlotte Prior born 1847 in VA. I found that she married Jim Hudson in Fayette Co., TX in 1870.

1870 Census, Bastrop Co., TX – page 543a
Jim Hodgson (sic) 24 male black farm hand TN
Charlotte 23 female black keeping house GA.

1880 Census, Bastrop Co., TX – page 186b
D. Oliver Hill white male 36 famer TX GA GA
Nannie Hill white female 32 wife TN KY TN
Sue B. white female 12 daughter TX TX TN
Walton Hill white male 10 son TX TX TN
T. Oliver Hill white male 5 son TX TX TN
Charlotte Hudson mulatto female 35 servant VA VA VA
Martha Prior black female 2 daughter TX Unk VA
Nat Prior black mu male 10/12 (born Sept.) TX unk VA
William Seay? white male 28 laborer SC VA GA

In 1910 she was 62 divorced and born in VA, as were her parents.

1920 Bastrop Co., TX
ED14, page 15b
Sealie? Williams head female black 30 single TX TX TX
Ernest Williams brother male black 29 TX TX TX
Chester? Williams nephew male black 9 single TX TX TX
Charlotte Pryor mother female black 73 widow TX TX TX

Follow Up To Identifying L M Pryor from Tennessee

I heard from Pryor researcher Nova Lemmons, sharing that there’s a grave site for the Dr. Daniel McPhail mentioned in a 2014 post (read post).  It’s kind of reassuring that well over a hundred and fifty years ago Dr. McPhail’s remains made it back from Mexico for burial in Tennessee. The tombstone states he was born in Scotland.

Nova asked if I had found out anything new about the L M Pryor who’s  name was on Dr. McPhail’s box. When I wrote the post in 2014 I suggested that perhaps Dr. McPhail was friend or family of the Pryors and McPhails in Williamson County, TN. I’m thinking that’s the case. An even earlier post from 2009 also connects Dr. Daniel McPhail to the Pryors in Williamson County, TN through the marriages of Sarah Pryor.(read post). Like Dr. McPhail, Sarah’s husband Angus McPhail was from Scotland.

The Find A Grave memorials are linked incorrectly.

  • The grave for Dr Daniel McPhail is correct, however he’s connected to the wrong mother.  Mary A Carter can not be his mother because she was born over 30 years after Dr. McPhail was born. Nova pointed out that there’s large probate file for Dr Daniel McPhail from 1846 in Williamson County, TN. His widow is recorded as Sarah C McPhail, so Mary A. isn’t the doctor’s mother nor is she his widow.
  • Dr. Daniel McPhail died in 1846 (The inventory of his estate is dated November 1846). The notice in the newspaper (above) states he died in Mexico. The Mexican War began in April 1846, so if his grave marker is correct he died within the first couple months of the war. Nova did some digging and found that McPhail was a surgeon for 1st TN Infantry in Cos. F and S.  He died at Matamoros on 13 Jul 1846 (one says 10 Jul 1846). The Nashville Tennesseean reported on 8 Jun 1846 that Dr. McPhail of Franklin had been appointed as surgeon in Colonel Campbell’s company.

 

Mary A Carter was married to a younger Daniel McPhail, rather than Dr. Daniel McPhail.

  • In 1860 Angus McPhail (widow of Sarah Pryor) was counted on the the US Census in Washington County, TX. Daniel McPhail born 1824-1825 was the head of household.
  • On the 1860 Census Daniel’s probably wife was recorded as Mary.
  • This younger Daniel McPhail returned to Williamson County, TN and was counted in that county in 1870 and 1880. His father’s place of birth was stated as “Scotland” on the 1880 Census, so either Angus or Dr. Daniel could have been his father.
  • Although Daniel born 1824-1825 is on the 1870 census in Williamson County, he wife wasn’t counted in the household. The grave marker for Mary McPhail in Franklin City Cemetery states she died in 1869 which certainly would explain her absence from the census. Her marker states she was the wife of Daniel McPhail – I think her Find A Grave memorial is linked to the wrong Daniel McPhail.

 

So who is the L M Pryor who appeared on Dr. McPhail’s box? I think he may be one of the Williamson County Pryors – Sarah Pryor married a Carter as did the younger Daniel McPhail, Sarah married Angus McPhail, and Angus was living with the younger Daniel. Luke Pryor of Williamson County is probably Sarah Pryor McPhail’s brother. His probate file is dated 1848, so perhaps he became ill or died or both before he could arrange return of Dr. McPhail to Tennessee. Other than Luke, I don’t have any other suggestions.

Sam Pryor: Sharing A Swig From General Santa Anna’s Bottle

General Santa Anna c 1853

A Pryor researcher brought up an old newspaper article that mentioned a Ketucky Pryor and General Santa Anna. I admit I have a very limited knowledge of Santa Anna – mostly that he led the Mexican troops against the Texans at The Alamo. When I turned to Wikipedia for more information I was surprised to see him in a photo 20 years post-Alamo looking like quite an affable fellow. Guess if you involved in the death of Davy Crockett you’re going down in the American history books as the villain!

The article they referred to was found in Newspapers.com: Bourbon News, Paris, Kentucy on 19 October 1883:

John Mooreland visited Sam Pryor last week, and both drank out of the same bottle that Henry Clay and Gen. Santa Anna once drank from, while guests of Mr. Mooreland’s father at the old stage stand at Mooreland’s on the pike near Houston’s.  Henry Clay and Santa Anna were en route for Washington City, by stage.

When would this drink have happened? The battle at the Alamo was in 1836 and Santa Anna was returned to Mexico in 1837, so we have a time range.

This is a pretty interesting tid bit! Wikipedia tells that after Santa Anna was eventually defeated he was sent into exile in the US and in 1837 was transported by ship back o Veracruz, Mexico. There are some chunks of information missing– How did he get from Texas to Washington, DC? Did the USS Pioneer take him all the way from Washington, DC to Veracruz? Some time ago I read how during the Mexican War (10 years later) ships from New Orleans took troops to embark on the east coast of Mexico (Veracruz is on the same coast). So, perhaps Santa Anna passed through Kentucky on his way to or on his way back from Washington, DC.

Texas A&M University’s website (TAMU.edu) provides an explanation that fits in with this article, filling-in answers to these questions. It describes Santa Anna’s trek included a steamboat up the Mississippi River to the Ohio River and on to Louisville (reached on Christmas Day 1836). He was treated well

…when the party stopped at Lexington, they were accorded marked attention, and many members of the Kentucky legislature came over from Frankfort to pay their respects.

Senator Henry Clay

In 1836 Henry Clay was a US Senator and a Lexington native.  It’s interesting to note that the Pike is the road connecting Paris, KY with Lexington, KY, so stopping along this road may have been possible as well as the possibility that Clay and Santa Anna met over a bottle.

“The Lexington (Kentucky) Gazette of the 5th inst. speaks of the departure of Santa Anna from that city. He was well treated there, and the editor thinks, that as a “distinguished” stranger in  a neutral country, he is entitled to the hospitality of every citizen.”
— North-Carolina Standard, 25 January 1837

Was it just a passing comment in the 1883 article that Santa Anna stopped on the pike near Houston’s? Was it a stab at irony? Santa Anna had surrendered to General Sam Houston, the same Houston who had been made President of the Republic of Texas, and had agreed to send Santa Anna off to Washington, DC. I’m not the only one wondering about a Houston connection between the families in Bourbon county and the man in Texas. A 1998 post asks, “Is anyone researching the HOUSTON family of Bourbon County? We are trying to find a connection between Sam HOUSTON, of Texas fame…” (archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/KYBOURBO/1998-12/0913662906)

I’m just impressed that someone held onto a bottle of hooch for almost 50 years. It must have been an honored meeting between Mooreland and Sam Pryor!

Alice Pryor: Another Pryor in the Edgefield County, SC Family Tree

I think we may be able to reunite another Pryor with the Edgefield County, SC Pryors.

Mrs. Alice Archbell died in Harrison County, TX in 1938. Her death record states she was born Alice Pryor in 1854 in Tallapoosa County, AL to John Pryor (no mother’s name). She was married to William B Archbell and was counted in his household on the 1880 and 1900 Census where it was recorded that both of her parents were from South Carolina.

I suspect she is the Alice Pryor age 5 who was counted in the household of Richard Pryor and Barbara in Edgefield County, SC in 1860.

1860 Census, Edgefield Co., SC
Beach Island PO, page 51, house 758 Richd (Richard) PRYOR 55 mechanic SC, Barbara 47 SC, Richard Jr. 21 SC, Cinchin (Kinchin R. Pryor) male 16 mechanic SC, Archibald 12 SC, Jane 10 SC, James 8 SC, Alice 5 AL.

1870 Census, Edgefied Co., SC
Hammond Twp., page 292b, house 507/522 Richard PRYOR 65 wheelwright SC, Jane S 19 SC, James 18 SC, Alice 15 SC

In 1870 Elizabeth B Prior wife of David Z Clark was counted in the household following Richard’s family. I speculated in a recent post (see post) that Elizabeth B Prior is the same person who was in Tallapoosa County. It certainly seems that Elizabeth and Alice may be related.

Pryors in Wilkes County, GA and Catahoula County, LA

diggingforroots

It looks like there may be able to put together some descendants of Edward Pryor who was an early settler of Wilkes county. His son John, a Revolutionary War patriot was in Pike and Jasper Counties in GA. Get ready for some heavy digging!

There are several names who appear the same District where Edward Pryor and his sons John Pryor and Obadiah Pryor lived who show up again later near other Pryors.

1791 Census, Clay Dist. Wilkes Co., GA

Henry Haynes
Parmenas Haynes
Thomas Haynes
Edward Prier
John Prier
Obadiah Prier
Howell Tatum
Peter Tatum
Archibald Whatley
Lucy Whatley
Wharten Whatley
Jeremiah Wooten

Richard and Mourning Pryor: A Georgia Connection, a Tatum, and Edward Pryor

Bio of Peter Tatum (not a secure link files.usgwarchives.net/al/autauga/bios/ptatum.txt

Several of the surnames from Wilkes County, GA are grouped near each other in LA almost half a century later

1850 Census, Catahoula Co., LA

Page 52b, house 61 John Wooton 35 planter KY and family
Page 52b, house 62 Agrippe Hanes 35 planter MS and family
Page 52b, house 63 Richard G. Wooten 50 planter GA
Page 52b, house 64 John P. Hanes 74 planter VA and wife Martha Hanes 64 FL
Page 52b, house 67 Peter Hanes 29 planter LA and family
Page 53a house 74 Morgan Coats 48 planter SC and family
Page 53B, house 79/79 William PRYOR 39 planter $2500 GA, Margaret (Coats) 28 SC, William Jr. 14 MS, Marion 11 MS, Susan 8 LA, Rebecca 4 LA, Martha 6 LA.
Page 59b, house 171 Archibald Whatley 49 planter GA, Julia Ann 46 GA, Wooten W 24 LA, Nancy J 18 LA, Mary 16 LA, Jesse 14 LA, John 11 LA, Adaline 9 LA, Archibald Jr. 5 LA, Josephine 2 LA, William Simmons 28 no occupation LA (This Archibald is younger than the Archibald Whatley in Wilkes Co.)