DIVORCE - JONATHAN PRYOR vs. ELIZA N. BEASLEY
Jonathan Pryor was the son of Spicy Taylor Pryor and William Pryor of
Overton Co., TN. He first married Ellen Lee in Sumner Co. in 1847
and had three children. He married Eliza Beasley (widow of Irwin
Beasley) in 1859. Jonathan is counted on the 1860 Census in
Nashville Penitentiary, two of his children from his first marriage were
living with Major Mays and family in Sumner County. Eliza was
counted in 1860 also in Sumner County, living with her children form her
first marriage and a son by Jonathan Pryor, possibly named Luke.
Neither Jonathan nor Eliza were counted on the 1870 Census, so there
whereabouts and the whereabouts of their son are not known.
Transcription of the Sumner Co., TN divorce
of
PRYOR, ELIZA N. vs. PRYOR, JONATHAN
Notes submitted by Shirley Anderson 12/4/2002
Eliza a. Pryor, citizen of Sumner County, Petitioner vs. Jonathan Pryor, convict
in State Penitentiary, Defendant.
1861 and 1865 SUMNER COUNTY, TN LAWSUITS
#13385
SUMNER COUNTY, LOOSE RECORDS, MICROFILM ROLL A-5170
The substance of this lawsuit is that Eliza Pryor had filed for a divorce from
Jonathan Pryor 25 Feb. 1861. The court record of this had apparently been lost
or she did not proceed with it at that time or something. So Eliza and her
attorney were back in court 24 Oct. 1865 to make the statements to the court to
have the divorce properly recorded.
"Your petitioner respectfully shows to the court that she was married to
Defendant Jonathan Pryor and on the day of 18 some 8 or ten years ago, and lived
with Defendant in the relation of Husband and wife until the Defendant was
convicted of a felony and imprisoned in the Penitentiary of the State as will
be seen from the records of the circuit court of Sumner County. Said Defendant
was charged with malicious stabbing as petitioner now remembers which however
will be seen from the records above referred to. While said Defendant lived
with Petitioner as her husband before said conviction he failed to provide for
her as he ought to have done but Petitioner bore with it. Petitioner would
state that she has one child the offspring of said marriage. For the above
named reason said Defendant being now a convict in the State Penitentiary.
Petitioner prays the court that she be divorced from Defendant, thus divorce be
from the bounds of matrimony, that she be restored to all the rights of a single
woman, that she be restored to her name before marriage with Defendant,
Eliza N. Beasly,
thus she have the custody and control of her child, that she have such ??? and
further relief be granted her as justice may require and she will ever pray---
R. C. Sanders, attorney."
The records indicate that Jonathan Pryor was said to be in the state
penitentiary in Nashville as a convict in 1861 and still there in 1865. The
attorney states for Eliza Pryor that she was married to Jonathan Pryor some 8 or
10 years ago and lived with him as husband and wife until he was convicted of a
felony and put in the penitentiary for malicious stabbing, saying the record of
the conviction is in the Sumner County Circuit Court Minutes.
Note:
There is a marriage record in Smith County, TN for Pryor, Jonathan to Eliza A.
Beasley on 13 Feb. 1859.
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