On Top of the Blue Ridge

Did your ancestors migrate through the beautiful Shenandoah Valley along the Great Warrior Trail? For many years the valley was a major route for migration and travel between Pennsylvania and North Carolina. This 1751 map shows dramatically how the mountains in Virginia limited westward migration and controlled the direction of travel. Today Interstate 81 parallels the old trails.

Map from Library of Congress

Some of your ancestors, like Thomas Jefferson and like some of mine, may have chosen to live in the Shenandoah Valley or surrounding mountains. Whenever I drive through that area, the beauty awes me and I understand their choice.

Soon, for the first time in his life, my younger brother will spend a few days in the magnificence of the lower Shenandoah. If you are a cousin, do read on to see if one of our shared ancestors lived in this beautiful area. Someday you might even wish to follow the trail yourself.

So, brother, this post is for you!





Near the orange marker at Glen Wilton, John Derrick owned land and it was the area where he died about 1790. It is also where he married Anna Maria Dunkelberger. Here Philip Fry married Maria Magdalena Derrick in 1781. The Fry family migrated on to Tennessee and Alabama. Philip had 25 children and many of our DNA matches are from this line in my father's ancestry.

Switching to my mother's family, the dark red marker is in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, formerly Greenbrier County. Members of the Greaton family were taxed in this area. David Greaton moved on to Ohio and Illinois. His daughter Elizabeth married Lazarus Maddox in Ohio in 1816.

Also in Greenbrier County, John Kelly was born about 1779. He moved on to Tennessee where his  great-granddaughter married Benjamin Franklin Pryor.

The dark pink marker is at the community of Hanging Rock. In this area a large group of Swiss Anabaptists made their home near the end of the 1700s. Today this group is known as Church of the Brethren. Our ancestors and relatives who settled here included members of the following families: Peffley, Rettinger, Gerst/Garst, Bosseck, Graybill, Borndragar, Mangus, and many more. My ancestors moved on to Indiana and Kansas, but many family members stayed in Virginia.

Lastly the purple marker sits near the stunning Blue Ridge Parkway. Nicholas Allee in 1797 was granted 38 acres that adjoined land he already owned. The land is partially described as

... Lying and being in the County's of Montgomery, and Franklin, the greater part thereof, in the County of Montgomery on the dividing Ridge, including the heads of Daniel's Run, the waters of Black water, and bounded ... top of said ridge ...

What amazes me about this grant is that it specifically mentions the Blue Ridge (dividing ridge) and lists the watercourses in a way that the land can be identified within a few miles. The counties no longer have a common line, as Floyd County was carved out of Montgomery County in 1831. The creek named Daniel's Run no longer appears to begin at the Blue Ridge, but its probable course can be seen on topographical maps. Using Deed Mapper software to determine the shape of the property and researching the watercourses,  I believe that it included land that today is part of the Blue Ridge Parkway, including milepost 144.8, the Pine Spur Overlook. I'm looking forward to visiting this site and seeing what my ancestors saw. 

Nicholas Allee died in 1808 and his descendants moved on to Kentucky, Missouri, Alabama, Arkansas and Texas. His legacy lives on in hundreds of descendants and his land enchants thousands of visitors to the Blue Ridge each year.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #39 Mary Jane Smith Pryor

The 1863 Civil War map of the vicinity of Jasper, Tennessee, is both a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing to see where various branches of my family lived in the 1860s. However, the existence of the map means the Union Army was active in the area. It's a curse to wonder what horrors the families endured during the war years.

Mary Jane Smith was just nine years old when the first skirmishes took place in the area in the summer of 1862. No doubt she was terrified. Did she hide? Was she or her mother assaulted? Did soldiers carry off the chickens and livestock from the tiny family farm? The Union and Confederate Armies battled heavily in Tennessee. By the end of the war, did the family have anything left?

Mary Jane was born on January 12, 1853, the eldest living child of George Fraker Smith and Nancy Alley. Her father may have been loyal to the Union and may have even fought for the Union. From being a tenant farmer in 1860, he advanced to being a land owner and court official in 1870.

One effect of the war was a shortage of young men. Did Mary Jane fall in love with the wealthy, older, tall, dark and handsome Benjamin Franklin Pryor? Or was she focused mainly on his wealth? The couple married  on December 1, 1870, when she was 17 and he was 35.

Frank's wealth didn't last. He lost a lawsuit and, in turn, all his property. In 1879, the couple moved to Palo Pinto County, Texas to start over.

ClubScrap components: Natural Resources, Hydrangea; frame Attic Antiquities by Irene V Alexeeva

Mary Jane and Frank had five daughters before they were blessed with a son, who was named Green Hill Pryor after his grandfather. After Frank's death in 1889, Mary Jane carried on farming for a time, as best she could. Eventually she moved to Oklahoma to live with her children.

Mary Jane Smith Pryor died on March 28, 1934, in Oklahoma City. She was buried with her husband in Elmwood Cemetery, Mineral Wells, Palo Pinto County, Texas.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #19 Laura Ann Pryor Allee

I still remember that early morning phone call that I received while in college. My last living great-grandmother, Laura Ann Pryor Allee, had died on February 9, 1975, at the age of 90 years, 6 months and 7 days. I barely remember her, as we didn't often visit her home in the city of Pueblo, Colorado. She was the loving mother of eight children, four of whom predeceased her.

Laura Ann Pryor was born in Mineral Wells, Palo Pinto County, Texas, on August 2, 1884, the fifth of six children. Her father, Benjamin Franklin Pryor, died when she was five years old. Her mother, Mary Jane Smith Pryor, did her best to run her small farm, looking to her extended family for help.

On August 31, 1902, the eighteen-year-old Laura married Thomas Merrill Allee in Mineral Wells. Their marriage record was issued in nearby Parker County, as the courthouse was easier to reach. Family legend tells that they married in the church, but the marriage index reports the marriage was performed by a Justice of the Peace. Perhaps they had two ceremonies.

The couple farmed in Oklahoma, where they buried two children. Their eldest son, Thomas Gilbert, died at age 16, and Ura Maggie, twin to Ima Nora, died in infancy. The couple moved on to Pueblo County, Colorado in 1928, farming in Rye. They moved to the city of Pueblo in 1942.

Laura was widowed in 1948. She lived on in Pueblo, nurturing her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren until her death. She was buried next to Thomas in Brookside Cemetery in Rye, Colorado.

Quick drop page from All That Jazz, ClubScrap, 2010

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #12 Benjamin Franklin Pryor, 4th Tennessee Cavalry, CSA

Have you ever wondered why an ancestor made a particular choice? For several years I wondered why a relatively wealthy man would leave Tennessee for Texas in the late 1870s. The surprising answer was found in a deed. Today I'll share that story about my great-great-grandfather, Benjamin Franklin "Frank" Pryor.

Quick drop page from Off We Go, by Susan Bartolini for Digital Scrapper, August, 2011

Frank was a proud son of the Confederacy. Born on May 23, 1835, in Jasper, Marion County, Tennessee, he joined with friends and neighbors to defend his privileged way of life. His father, Green Hill Pryor, owned land valued at $15,000 in 1850 and $20,000 in 1860. Sadly, Green also owned 26 slaves in 1860.

Frank enlisted in H Company, 5th Tennessee Regiment Provisional Army (Stewart's Company), CSA, on September 6, 1861, at Camp Smartt, Tennessee. At the age of 26 he was mustered in with the rank of First Sergeant. He was granted sick leave on December 24, 1861, and that sick leave was extended until May, 1862. He entered a hospital about June 12, 1862, and his rank was reduced to Private. He was listed as in the hospital through the rest of 1862 and into early 1863. All told, from enlistment until March, 1863, he actively served less than 5 months in this regiment.

The regiment went through many name changes, with the National Park Service now identifying it as: 35th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (5th Infantry) (1st Mountain Rifle Regiment). The last notation in the file shows he transferred to the 3rd Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry in March, 1863. 

Clues to Frank's activities while "sick" is found in old family stories. His father, Green, died on June 2, 1862. As the family attended his funeral, Union soldiers ransacked his home. Frank took it very hard and carried those resentments for the rest of his life. He also executed deeds in Marion County in late 1862 and early 1863. These deeds were related to distribution of Green's estate and resulted in Frank owning quite a bit of land. Was he hospitalized for the depression that hindered him in later life? Were his commanding officers just covering for his desire to be home with his family? Or was it a bit of both?

Returning to active duty in March, 1863, he served only a few more months before being captured and sent to a Union POW camp. He was serving with Company H, 4th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry, when he was captured at Dunlap, Tennessee, in August 21, 1863. This area of Tennessee, not far from his home in Jasper, was involved in the Chickamauga Campaign.

Frank spent time at the Military Prison, Louisville, Kentucky; Camp Chase, Ohio; and Rock Island Barracks, Illinois. It was at Rock Island that Frank made the mistake of signing an Oath of Allegiance to the United States. He wanted only to get home to tend to his property and hated that he had to sign the despised Oath to do so. The record shows that Benjamin F. Pryor of Jasper, Tennessee, signed the Oath on October 10, 1864. He was 28 years old, 6 foot 2 inches tall, with a dark complexion, black hair and hazel eyes.

Frank returned home and set to work to repair his home and cultivate his land. Over the years he bought and sold land, owning in 1870, property worth $10,000. He married Mary Jane Smith on December 1, 1870. Their first two children were born in Jasper in 1871 and 1873. 

The 1880 census shows Frank and Mary Jane living in Palo Pinto County, Texas. Their third child was born in Arkansas in 1879.Three more children were born between 1882 and 1887.

Frank died on November 24, 1889. The old family story is that he committed suicide due to his depression and bitterness. He left a widow and six children. His widow's application for a Confederate pension was denied, due to the Oath of Allegiance that Frank had signed before the end of the Civil War. Had he waited just a few more months, he could have signed the Oath at the end of the War without any consequences.

So why did Frank uproot his family and move to Texas? His brother, Washington Pryor, left us a huge clue in the last deed executed between Washington and Frank.

Frank held, by 1871, about 1500 acres. His property straddled the road to Pikeville and included Cave Spring, a grist mill and the former homes of Green Hill Pryor and D. Curtis.

In October, 1871, B.F. Pryor lost a lawsuit(s) for three large judgements in the Superior Court in Knoxville. He had acted as surety for loans incurred by friends, neighbors, relatives and possibly himself. Those named in the suits were: E.F. Redfield, H.V. Redfield, W.H. Byrne, B.F. Pryor, J [Jermiah] Pryor, D.O. Hoge, Daniel Riggle and William Hall. Frank Pryor was the only defendant who owned property with which to cover the judgements. All 1500 acres were seized by the Sheriff and sold at the courthouse door in March, 1872, acquired by the men to whom the judgements were owed.

Washington apparently did not want to see this land leave the Pryor family. He was able to recover the land from the purchasers by paying off the judgements. He also paid some other small debts that were not part of the judgements and gave B.F. and M.J. Pryor one thousand dollars. The total he paid was about $9500. The final deed, which described all the debts paid and all the land transferred, was executed on September 1, 1879. The clerk of the court claimed to have interviewed Mary Jane on that date, which puts them in Marion County that day.

The deed gives the appearance that Washington was skeptical of Frank's ability to handle money and property. It says:
"... I promise to pay to B.F.Pryor and his wife Mary Jane Pryor one thousand dollars in trust for the said Mary Jane Pryor and their children ... this note or debt may be discharged in land or money which is to be by the said B.F. Pryor and wife, Mary Jane Pryor invested in property in trust for the use and benefit of the said Mary Jane Pryor and their children and I Washington Pryor to be in no event responsible for the investment of the said one thousand dollars ..."

Frank's bitterness must have extended beyond the Union Army and encompassed those who took advantage of him and cost him his birthright. In the end, his resentment must have indeed been overwhelming, if it led him to take his own life.

Benjamin Franklin Pryor and Mary Jane Smith Pryor are buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Mineral Wells, Palo Pinto County, Texas.