Ancestry.com has a new database of Tennesse Marriages: “Tennessee State Marriages, 1765-2002.” What I like about this database is that there are links to the actual marriage licenses and register entries. It’s a nice chance to check handwriting (”Was she really a Prior or a Price?”) and to discover who was a bondsman or surety for the marriage.

I’ve been prowling for Pryors in the database.  I’m always amazed that there more questions than answers. I guess I shouldn’t be amazed as it now seems to be the norm with the Pryors! Here are just a few of the questions that came out of reviewing the marriages.

1. Who was the Mr. Pryor who married Emily Leggett before she married Austin L. Green in Roane Co. in 1850.

2. Who were the two Pryor women, Amanda and Martha, who married in Rutherford County?  Crocketts were surety for the marriages.

3. Who is the Laura Bernard who married William Oscar Pryor in Tipton Co.? Is she a daughter of Laura Pryor Bernard?

It’s time to get out the No. 2 pencil and add another member to the Richard and Mourning Pryor tree. Posted on the Payton surname board at Ancestry.com was a request for info on Alfred Payton who married Sarah Pryor. I followed the researcher’s leads and found that Sarah is most likely the daughter of Walton Pryor and Mary Powell and a grand-daughter of Jeremiah Pryor.

Sarah is on the 1850 Census in Gentry Co., MO living in the household of Walton Pryor. She married Alfred Payton in Cass Co., MO in 1856. I haven’t found Walton on the 1860 Census nor have I found Alfred and Sarah, however Walton’s daughters Syntha (Cyntha) Pryor Smith and Artemesia Pryor Sigman are on the 1860 US Census in Cass County.

In 1865 Walton Pryor and  his daughters Artemesia and Sarah were counted on the Kansas State Census in Linn Co. Sarah and Alfred are on the 1870 US Census in Linn Co. and then counted on the State Census in 1875 living in Miami Co., KS.  It appears that Sarah was deceased by 1880 as Alfred had remarried and the family was living in McDonald Co., MO.

Sarah’s connection to Walton Pryor is reinforced by the naming 2 of her 6 children after her siblings: Artemesia and Jeremiah.

Sarah’s daughters, Izora and Elvira, married McGarrahbrothers and settled in Big Spring, Benton Co., AR near their Aunt Cyntha Pryor Smith Sigmon.

A couple of interesting Pryor tid bits to post.

First, if you aren’t a member yet– join in the lively discussions on the Pryor board at Rootsweb.com. 
http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/surname/p/pryor.html#PRYOR
The list goes dormant for a while and then there will be  a flurry of activity as a new discussion is started.
You can also check out past postings to the list to catch up on past discussions. It’s a terrific way to move forward in your Pryor research w thi the help of other researchers.
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/search?path=PRYOR

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The most recent discussion on the Pryor mailing list is of the line of Matthew Pryor of Marion Co., TN. Now, you may feel that you’ve heard enough of this line and think you aren’t related… it’s worth checking out! Recent DNA testing of one of Matthew’s descendants and the detailed research work of a contemporary Pryor descendant has sewn-up the ancestry of Matthew Pryor… he was the son of Philip Pryor and Ann Haden of Granville Co., NC. Philip’s descendants migrated far and wide– to TN, GA, TX, MS, LA, MO, and other states.  For example, the Pryors in Rusk Co., TX were from Tennessee and settled near Pryors from GA and LA– both lines are suspected to trace back to Philip and Ann.

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While Googling for Pryors, I found an interesting website.
http://www.jacquelyncook.com/Articles/memory.htm.
There are Civil War era photos of the family of Shepherd Green Pryor b. 1828 and a later photo of Shepherd  himself.  Shepherds ancestry goes back to earlier ancestors of Philip and Ann Haden Pryor. 

Enjoy!

Last summer a researcher contacted me with a photo of one of the Pryors from Overton County (see post). It’s speculated that this may be Overton Pryor. Any ideas?