John and Massa Pryor of Sumner County, Tennessee: Their Children
Allen L. Pryor stated in the 1887 Goodspeed biography "He is one of seven children of John and
Massey (Taylor) Pryor." In researching this line I have discovered
8 possible children of John and Massey Pryor. It's possible that
Allen Pryor did not count himself when giving his 19th century account,
or perhaps one of the 8 is a cousin-- a child of William Pryor and Spicy
Taylor Pryor of Overton County. Even the early census
records offer little assistance: On 1830 census there were 7 young
males and 2 young females living in the Pryor household. In 1840
there were 7 males and females
1) Allen
L. Pryor: John and
Massey Pryor married on December 23, 1812 in Campbell County, VA. It
is unknown if they had earlier children or if child bearing was delayed,
perhaps by the War of 1812, but their first know child is Allen L. Pryor
who was born 1816 in what he accounts as White County, TN. The Pryor
family is not on the 1820 Census in neither White County nor in Sumner
County, however they appear on the 1830 Census and Allen L. Pryor appears
on all subsequent census records in Sumner County. Allen L. Pryor
apprenticed in the spinning machine trade and was recorded as a "mechanic"
on the 1850 Census and on later census records as a farmer. He lived
a Dry Fork and later on the Pryor Branch at Rockbridge. He was first
married to Elizabeth Talley who bore his 11 children and in 1871 after her
death married Margaret McWhirter. His will was made in 1904 and he died
before 1905.
2)William Pryor. William is one of the children who may be not be a sibling of Allen
Pryor. William's name is recorded three times in the the records of Sumner
County. First, he married Margaret Curry on May 25, 1843, they then
divorced in 1848, and finally he was recorded with other men from Gallatin
who left in April 1850 for the gold fields of California. Massey and
Spicey's brother Pleasant Taylor was William's father in law as the result
of Margaret's mother second marriage. After divorcing, Margaret Curry
Pryor and her three children continued to live close to Massey in Sumner
County. Since Jonathan, another son of Spicy Taylor Pryor and
William Pryor also lived in Sumner County, there is also a possibility
that William was from that Pryor line. However, family tradition
among the Overton County clan is that Spicy's son Overton was named
"William Overton Pryor", which reduces the likelihood that they had a
second son named William. After leaving for the Gold Rush, William Pryor
has not been found again. Members of the party who traveled west are
found in California on the 1850 Census, leading us to believe that William
died en route.
3) Louisa Pryor
McCulley/McCullough. Louisa
married David McCullough in Sumner County on June 12, 1850, shortly before
the census on October 29th of the same year. Pryor kin in Gallatin have
told me that the McCullough's changed their name to McCullough in the
1800's because they had a problem getting their mail. What ever the
reason, the family were recorded as Cullum, McCullar, McCully, and
McCulley in various census years. Louisa's age varies between the
census' as much as the spelling of her surname: she was born between
1828-1832. I have attempted to explore another connection between
the McCulloughs and the Pryors to no avail: in 1850 a 13 year old
Elizabeth Pryor was recorded in the household of a James W. McCullough a
master carpenter in Nashville. Louisa Pryor McCulley (with other Pryor
siblings) was recorded as a buyer at the Estate Sale of Massey Pryor and
Louisa's children with other Pryor cousins were listed as heirs in the
will of Samuel D. Pryor (Louisa's brother).
4)Jonathan Pryor.
Jonathan is only on the 1850 Census. He was counted in Massey's
household at aged 25. It is speculated that Elizabeth Pryor, who was
also in the household, was his wife. Elizabeth although aged 28 was
listed after John aged 25 and in 1860 two Pryor children (Joseph D. and
Samuel) were living with Massey and Elizabeth. It seems likely that
Elizabeth is the "Betsy Pryor" who purchased items from Massey's estate in
1867. It appears that she continued to live in Massey's house or on
land near the other Pryors from her position near Samuel D. Pryor, Louisa
Pryor McCulley, George Pryor and Pleasant Taylor's family in District 11
on the 1870 Census. In 1870 Joseph D. Pryor was living with Allen L. Pryor
and Samuel does not appear as an entry.
5) Edward Pryor.
It is likely that Edward was named for Massey's father, Edward Taylor.
It is known that Spicy and William Pryor's son Edward lived in to the 20th
Century. Although there is no documentation that clearly states this
Edward Pryor was Massey and John Pryor's son, the inscription on the
Mexican War Memorial in Gallatin Cemetery is the best evidence. The
monument states that "Edward Prior, born Sumner Co., Tenn. was killed in
the battle of Monterey, Sept. 21, 1846."
6) George W. Pryor.
George was born between 1826-1828. He first married Mary Odell on
September 25, 1847. Mary brought two sons, Crockett and Clayton
Odell, to the marriage and was the mother of George's son "James" Monroe
Pryor born in April 1848. In 1850 the young family was counted on
the census next to Massey Pryor's household. After Mary's death,
George married Lucy Jane Lumsden/Lumsdale, who had been formerly married
to a Mr. Chennowith. They wed on May 23, 1859 in Sumner County.
Their son James Wesley Pryor was born in October or December, depending
upon the source document, 1859. George was living with his
cousin W. H. Taylor at the time of the 1880 Census, which supports his
connection to this line.
7) Alfred Pryor.
It has long been assumed that Alfred Pryor, from the 1850 Mortality
Schedule, was another son of Massey and John Pryor. He was recorded
as aged 22 (born 1828), working as a blacksmith, living in Sumner County,
and died of typhus in May 1850. He may be the same Alfred Pryor who
married Sarah Stark in Sumner County on September 27, 1847. I've
attempted to find out more about Alfred and Sarah, but did not find a
Sarah Stark or Pryor on the 1850 Census, nor in the Sumner marriages.
8)Samuel D. Pryor.
The 1900 Census recorded Samuel's birth month and year as February 1835.
In 1850 and 1860 he was recorded in Massey Pryor's household. On
December 14, 1865 Samuel married Susan F. Cardwell. This marriage
appears short-lived; in 1870 he was living on his own. I have not
yet found a marriage record, but the census records state he married a
woman named "Ann Kate" in about 1870. Their marriage lasted more
than 30 years. At the time of Samuel's death after 1900, he had no
children, naming in his will his McCulley and Pryor nieces and nephews as
his heirs.
