The Priest Family of Culpeper County Virginia (later Rappahannock County) - 1763-1812

This page is under construction and needs to be fact check and edited

The Priest Family of Culpeper County (later Rappahannock County) 1763-1812

Background.  The Priests of Culpeper County, Virginia, with patriarch William Priest the earliest known family member, first appeared in records there in 1763. A piece of that record, from the Culpeper County Minute Order Book 0f 1763-64, is the header for this page.  It shows that in the case of John Boots (?) versus Francis Walls (?), the defendant was intoxicated at the house of William Priest of Culpeper County. [More details about this item are in the chronology of record references below.]

William Priest Sr. had at least five children, four of which we know by name – sons Jeremiah, John, and William (all who served in the Revolutionary War), a fourth son Stanley, and an unnamed daughter – mentioned in the pension file of William Jr.  All four of the sons appear in Culpeper County records extensively during this period. 

One by one, the three Priest brothers who were Revolutionary War veterans left Culpeper County for Ohio.  Jeremiah spent a few years in Bourbon County, Kentucky, before living in Montgomery, Miami, and Clark Counties in Ohio – with the county boundaries changing around him rather than moving between these counties – passing away in Clark County in 1840.  John moved to Muskingum County, Ohio ca 1812, moved on to Licking County, Ohio ca 1817, and was last shown in records ca 1836.  William Jr. left Culpeper County for Greene County, Pennsylvania, and then lived in Fairfield County, Ohio, where he died in 1821.  Each of these Priests left a number of descendants in Ohio and points west - and each applied for a Revolutionary War pension.  William Sr. and Stanley Priest both appear to have died in Culpeper County before the other Priests left.  So by the time the War of 1812 ended, all our known Culpeper County Priests had either died or left the area. 

I descend from Jeremiah Priest through his granddaughter Nancy Priest Laird of Dearborn County, Indiana, the second wife of Jesse Laird and the mother of Joseph H. Laird, our ancestor – Jesse and Nancy being my g-g-g-grandparents. She was one of ten children of Obediah Priest and Rebecca Winters.  Obediah Priest, the son of Jeremiah Priest, was born in Culpeper County, married Rebecca at the time they lived in Montgomery County, Ohio, was in Dearborn County shortly thereafter and died there in 1833. 

This page is designed to collect all information possible about these Priests during their time in Culpeper County, Virginia.  Hopefully this will allow a window on their lives here in this period.  And hopefully it will offre the chance to break down the brick wall of the ancestry of William Priest Sr. Information about their time in their later lives is for another time and another page. 

Organizing the Culpeper County Priest Information.  It is first helpful to know from surviving records where the Priests were during this fifty year period.  The story of our Priests over this fifty years comes primarily from probate, deed, and property tax records, but was made harder to put together due to the absence of early Virginia census records, and the apparent absence of probate and marriage records for our line.  Given that records were kept by location - it’s helpful to know what locations the Priests lived in during this period.

Locations Where the Priests Were

The County Lines.  Culpeper County itself was formed from Orange County, by an act of the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1748, effective 1749, when the first county court convened. The original territory included what are now Culpeper, Madison and Rappahannock Counties.  Madison County split off from this territory ca 1792.  The Priests were enumerated in Culpeper tax records until ca 1812 so it’s clear they were not in the part of Blomfield Parish that was in Madison County, but in the part that later became Rappahannock County.

Rappahannock County was formed in 1833 and it’s clear that’s where our Priests were – particularly from a reference in John Priest’s Revolutionary War pension file, in which he stated that he was living two miles from Washington at the time of the outbreak of the war.  Washington is the county seat of the present-day Rappahannock County.  However, all records for the area were located with Culpeper County until 1833 and were not transferred.  A key point of my research has been to understand exactly where the Priests were located.

One of the Priest brothers stated in his pension file that he was born in Shenandoah County, clearly not created at the time of his birth.  It is my speculation that the Priests lived in the northwestern part of Culpeper, in what became Rappahannock County in 1833, and if they were in the area before Culpeper was formed, were probably in Orange County before Culpeper was formed.

Our Priests were in Blomfield Parish in the part of Culpeper County, Virginia, near present day Laurel Mills, in an area that later became Rappahannock County.  The first public record for our William Priest in the Culpeper County area is in 1763.  It shows he already owned property – although there is no record found yet that shows how he acquired the property.   

Religious Boundaries.  Blomfield Parish.  The public records from Culpeper County, Virginia that include references to our Priests all mention their residence in Blomfield Parish.  Histories show that this area was called “Blomfield” until roughly the 1830’s, when it morphed into the name “Bloomfield”.

John Blankebaker's post to the Germanna Colonies Internet Discussion List (#442) gives the history of Blomfield Parish and its location beginning with St. Marks Parish.  Founded in 1730, St. Mark's Parish covered the western part of Spotsylvania County.  On January 1, 1735, Orange County was formed and St. Mark's became the parish for it.  At this time, Orange County included several of the present day counties, including an area in the Shenandoah Valley. When Culpeper County was formed in the mid-1700’s, St. Mark's became the parish for what are today's Culpeper, Madison, and Rappahannock Counties.  In 1752, Bromfield Parish was split off.

Another writer states that the parish boundaries were only intended for the Church of England, which was the only sanctioned church prior to the Revolution.  Therefore, most of the churches ca 1750 would be Episcopal.  A third writer indicates that because these churches were a symbol of England, records for many did not survive the Revolution or the War of 1812. [This could be one possible explanation for the absence of Priest marriage records in this county during this period.]

In "Culpeper – A Virginia County's History Through 1920", published by the Culpeper Historical Society: "In June 1, 1753 the Gen. Assembly divided St. Marks Parish in Culpeper Co.  The new chapel was Bromfield named for the Culpeper family chapel by Leeds Castle, England.  Bromfield's lands were in Culpeper's sparsely populated west and its minutes did not survive the Revolution.  The Parish had 4 churches.  The Parish church. . . was locally called F.T. for, close by, Francis Thornton had cut his initials into an oak tree to mark a corner of his land.  Some in the F.T. valley recalled that the bricks of the F.T. church were pulled down after the War of 1812 because of anti-British sentiment."

Later in the same book, it was written: "F. T. Village (named for Francis T. Thornton who settled here in 1740).  Some knew it as Bromfield, after the Anglican Bromfield Parish.  The village fell into Rappahannock Co. in 1833 and in later years was known as Hughes River.  Along its banks, Hitts mill and tanyard were landmarks".

Landmarks and neighbors nearby our Priests.  In reviewing the map drawn by Eugene Scheel of Culpeper County in 1776, when what is now Rappahannock County was still part of Culpeper, the line for Blomfield Parish is a north-south line – with what is west of the line in Blomfield Parish.  It narrows down the area where William Priest originally lived.  Red Oak Mountain, mentioned in one of the deeds that involved the branch for William’s property line, and Long Mountain – which is mentioned in another – are near Pendleton’s Mill and Strother’s Chapel.  Priests were in deed records with Edmund Pendleton and John Strother.  This indicates that this was their general area. 

Additionally, a number of Priest deeds mention Battle Run, and a fork of the Rappahannock.  In looking at more modern maps, as well as maps of the time, this places the Priests in an area now known as Laurel Mills.  It is mentioned below in histories of that area that William and John Roberts had a mill there in the 1700’s.  The Priests were in deed transactions with them for property in this region, so this seems to place the Priests in the area of present-day Laurel Mills in Rappahannock County.

An early Priest deed reference showed William Priest was adjacent to a parcel that was originally part of a grant of ten thousand acres in the area from Lord Fairfax to James Compton.  I have copied some of the early deeds covering this parcel to see if landmarks are mentioned that indicate the precise area in Culpeper County where this land was located.  All the land in this region seemed to come through Lord Fairfax, and the Town of Culpeper appears to have originally been named Fairfax.

I have obtained a copy of the original North Neck land grant to James Compton.  It was dated 1747, and was for ten thousand acres of land in Orange County.  There is a reference to “land of the Little Fork of the Rappahannock River” and also referenced is Battle Run and Cannons River.  [The map of Culpeper County in 1781 that is contained in the book “The Culpeper Classes” by John Blankenbaker, which describes Culpeper men ready for military service, shows “The Little Fork” area, about ten miles northeast of what is now the town of Culpeper and describing the area above a fork into the Rappahannock River of another stream.  The Priests likely lived on the edge or just outside of this designation.] This information matches the locations above.

There is also a reference for Elijah Priest is shown in two McLean County, Illinois histories. Elijah’s parents are listed as James Priest and Hannah (Anderson) Priest. James is shown as being from Gaines Crossing in Virginia – which is in the Culpeper County of pre-1833, and Rappahannock County present-day (this listing is not in the biography of Elijah in the McLean County History - which just lists his parents and refers to Licking County).  Gaines Crossroads was noted in history in the civil war as a place where things happened after Lee’s Army crossed back into Virginia after the Battle of Gettysburg.  This reference was from roughly twenty years ago, and I cannot find the actual document that refers to Gaines Crossing.

Additionally, there is a Licking County 1938 death record for George Washington Priest that lists his parents as Sabitha [Tabitha] Holmes, born  "Farquire" Co., VA, and Sanford Priest, born "Rappahannah Co., VA".  Sanford was a grandchild of John Priest of Culpeper County and Licking County by John’s oldest son William Priest.  Sanford was shown in records as born in 1801 in Virginia – about a decade before John Priest and his family left for Ohio.  As discussed above, our Priests were from the part of Culpeper County that became Rappahannock County Virginia in 1833, and this post-Virginia record - posted below - also makes that point.

 Chronological List of Priest References in Culpeper County Records

Culpeper County Priest References.  Culpeper Priest references are posted below by year, so that what is known can be assessed year by year.  Thus far, it seems that our Priests were markedly absent from probate and marriage records in the region – and the 1790 and 1800 Virginia censuses were lost, as were some of the parish records (which probably included marriage records) – so reliance on the other records shown below increases their importance to be able to draw any conclusions.

It can be gleaned from these records that the patriarch of the family was William Priest (Sr.), and that he had at least five children – William Jr., John, Jeremiah, Stanley, and an unnamed daughter mentioned by William Jr. in his pension record.  Given the absence of probate records, it seems that William disappeared from records here in the mid-1790’s, and Stanley disappeared ca 1804, although since there were no personal property tax records until 1811, it could have been any time during that seven year period of the absence of tax records.  The first Priests of the third known generation, William Priest Sr.’s grandchildren, started appearing in Culpeper records in the 1790’s. 

One of those next generation Priests, James Priest, was a likely son of John born ca 1777.  Interestingly, in Ohio records, it appears he had a son named Strother Priest.  James was married twice, and the surname of his first wife is unknown, and he likely married her in Virginia.  It is quite possible he married a Strother, although it is also a possibility that it was just a popular name in the area – even picked up from the name of the local family and Chapel.  These are the research guessing games that result when there are no marriage records to fall back on.

It appears that Jeremiah and his family left after 1793, William Jr. and his family left before the 1810 census, and John Sr. and the remaining members of his family left about 1811 or 1812.  The last known reference was in a tax record to a William Priest ca 1813, and that was most likely John’s son William.

The one other confusing issue in looking at these records is the question of which William was being referred to in each record.  The patriarch of our Priests was William Priest, who first appeared in a record in 1763 and last appeared about 1794.  William Priest, the son of the patriarch and brother of John and Jeremiah, first appeared during the revolutionary war and left ca 1810.  A William Priest, the son of John, was the last Priest of our branch in a Culpeper County record when he sold his property there in 1812.

It is possible that when his father the patriarch died, his son William became known as William Priest Sr., and John’s son William became William Jr.  John Priest, son of the original William and brother of William Jr., named his oldest son William – the one who I just referred to, he being born ca 1772 and first appearing in a Culpeper personal property tax record in 1791 – indicating he had come of age about this time.  Culpeper records mention William Sr. and William Jr. in many records – yet the death of the elder William in the 1790’s could have confused this.  In the final 1812 deed, William Jr. was named as such.  This third William is named in some property records as William, son of John.  But there is confusion between these Williams in some records, and it is exacerbated by the fact that at least two – if not all three – have wives named Elizabeth.

There were also a few other Priests in Culpeper around the time of our Priests.  Rodham Priest was mentioned in probate records – and was in Bourbon County, Kentucky at the same time as Jeremiah.  He is thought to have been a son of John Priest and Elizabeth Brown, and that John is confused with our John in some research.  Peter and George Priest were in Culpeper at the time that our last Priests died or left – and continued in tax records after there were no Priests from our line.  But almost all references in Culpeper in the fifty years after 1763 were with our Priests.

Additionally, listed in the chronology is the birth year of children of John, William, and Jeremiah.  These birthdates are based on their future lives in Ohio.  Knowing that they were the children of one of these Priest siblings, with a birthdate established by a census or tombstone in Ohio, and shown as born in Virginia - it leads to their listing with their birth year.

Culpeper County Record Priest Mentions by Year.  1750.  John Priest states in his 1833 pension statement that he was born this year in Prince William County.  Prince William County is not far, but not adjacent to Culpeper County.  It was formed in 1731.

1754.  William Priest’s pension statement of July 1818 indicates he would be sixty-four years old the coming December, which would place his birth in December 1754.

1757-58.  William Priest states in his pension statement of July 1818 that he was in the company of his widowed sister, who was about sixty years of age.  That would place her birth about 1757 or 1758, wherever the family was living at the time.

1758-59.  Jeremiah Priest was born.  His 1832 pension statement states he was 73 or 74, indicating a birth year of 1758 or 1759.  He states he was born in Shenandoah County, which was not created until 1772, and was known previously as Dunmore County.  In William Priest’s pension file, a statement by Jeremiah indicates that he and William were brothers, so it connects William’s 1754 birth – to whatever location where they lived together.  Jeremiah’s tombstone also states that he died in 1840 at age 85 years, which would place his birth about 1755 rather than what he stated in his pension record.

[On the subject of Jeremiah's birthplace as claimed in the pension request, Margaret Lester Hill stated in a 1995 letter that "several of us who conduct Priest research think it strange that Jeremiah claimed to have been born in Shenandoah County, VA (At the time of his birth, 1755, the county was still named Dunmore County.  The name change did not occur until 1778.)  Almost all Priest men born in the mid-18th century claimed birth in either Prince William or Fauquier counties.  We presume they were born in the western reaches of Prince William that became Fauquier in 1759.  Prince William is a 'burned-record' county, which has made research very frustrating."]

1760.  William’s pension includes references to his widowed sister, stating that she was about sixty years of age – in a statement given in 1820.  That means his sister was born ca 1760 wherever the family was living at that time.

1761.  On October 15, 1761 Edward Watts of Orange County and Elizabeth his wife sold 265 acres of land to William Johnston of Culpeper County for thirty pounds.  Witnesses were Benjamin Davis, William Prestridge, and Jeremiah Sims. This was shown in Culpeper County Deed book C, pp. 611-4. [There is no indication that William Prestridge’s surname morphed into William Priest, but I have listed that in case this becomes a consideration.  There is a John Prestridge in early Virginia records as well – and William Prestridge is also listed in earlier Virginia Tax Records.]

1763-64. The first records for William Priest Sr. are shown in Culpeper County, Virginia in this period.  A record shown in the Culpeper Minute Book 1, pp. 19-20, states that in a 1763-64 court record a plea of duress in John Bools (Boots?) vs. Francis Walle “plea of duress on defendant at house of William Priest in Culpeper County”.  Joseph Jones (Jens? – there is a Joseph Jones in Culpeper tax records about this period) is named as the attorney.  The record states that the defendant was “drunk and intoxicated and prevailed on the said defendant . . .”  That record is posted as the header on this web page, and just below. [NOTE: In future tax records, there is a Francis Nalle listed, in the same area as the tax records for the Priests.  There are also variations of Butts and Botts.]

On March 21, 1764, James Compton Esq. of the Kingdom of Great Britain sold 869 acres in Bromfield Parish to Willight Lightfoot of Culpeper County for 43.9 pounds. The land was in the little fork of the Rapahannock River joining on the Rush River, being part of ten thousand acres granted James Compton Esq. by the Right Honorable Thomas Lord Fairfax, Proprietor of the Northern Neck in Virginia . . . on the Rush River side corner to James Cannon . . . on a steep hill . . . line made for William Presl [Priest?] at the head of a branch . . . in Peyton's line . . . corner to Francis Slaughter . . . on the long mountain a corner made for Slaughter . . . to the Rush River . . . /s/James Compton by Fielding Lewis his attorney. Witnesses Frans. Tyler, Alexd. Wright, Henry Mitchell, Danl. (x - his mark) Brown. Proved June 20, 1765. Shown in Culpeper Deed Book D, pp. 690-2.

[Because William Priest is shown adjacent to land sold by James Compton in Bromfield Parish, part of ten thousand acres granted James Compton by Lord Fairfax.  As stated below, I believe that identifying who James Compton sold land to in early Culpeper would help place neighbors and a location for William Priest.  Culpeper property records show that among the people who bought land in this grant from James Compton were Michael Lawler, Thomas Minor, Johnston Nettles, William Lightfoot, Thomas Baker, John McCarty, Francis Slaughter, Thomas Peyton, Edward Tanner, Armistead White, and Joseph Strother.  Many of these people are shown below in deeds of the various Priests, as adjoining property owners or even in transactions.]

[With regard to this region and the land grants, a website at http://www.pamunkeybakers.com/ which details colonial Virginia and North Carolina Bakers, it is written: “William Gambill . . . owned land that straddled the boundary between the King’s land in Virginia and the Northern Neck, i.e., that part of Virginia that James II gave to Lord Fairfax. The division line between the King’s land and Fairfax’s land was the Rappahannock River. In the headwaters of the Rappahannock which forked into creeks and then into runs, there was often doubt as to whose land office needed to be addressed to obtain a patent. A prudent man, if he could so afford, obtained patent from both, avoided the jurisdictional dispute.”]

The index for Orange County deed records prior to the split to form Culpeper County does not include a deed that names William Priest. It is unclear how he first acquired the property referenced in these records.

1771. On April 16, 1771, William Lightfoot and Elizabeth his wife sold 869 acres in Brumfield Parish to John Strother, all of Culpeper County. The land was part of ten thousand acres granted to James Compton by Lord Fairfax, and refers in the deed to "a line made for William Priest at the head of a branch." [This is the same term used in a deed shown above from 1764, which appears to be the same property, and has the same surrounding property owners.]  The deed was shown in Culpeper Deed book F, pp. 247-9. Other adjoining landowners named were James Cannon and Francis Slaughter.  There is also a reference to Payton’s line, to Spanish Oaks on the Long Mountain, and “to the Rush River”.   Roger Dixon was the clerk.  The original record is posted below.

1772. William Priest, the oldest known child of John Priest, was born in Culpeper County about this year.

1777-80.  James Priest, the second oldest known child of John Priest, was born in Culpeper County about this period.

1778. On November 16, 1778, there was a deed between Bryant McGrath and his wife Mary, and John Priest, all of Culpeper County. John purchased one hundred and ten acres in Bromfield Parish for thirty-five pounds current money of Virginia. The land was in the Great Fork of the Rappahannock River joining on the Northeast side the main Red Oak Mountain and bounded beginning at three red oaks corner to James Williams and runs thence North to a white oak in John Barrciles line thence with his line South to three red oaks Corner to Barrcile and Birkett Davenport and thence with Davenports line South to a Locust Corner to Davenport in a hallow of the Red Oak Mountain near a large Rock thence with another of Davenports lines South West to a hikory on a Ridge of the said Mountain East to two Spanish Oaks in or near a line of James Williams thence with Williams line to the beginning . . . /s/Bryant Magrath and Mary Magrath. At a Court held for Culpeper County the 16th of November 1778 This Indenture ordered to be recorded Previous to which the same Mary was first privately examined according to Law. This deed was shown in Culpeper Deed book I, pp. 115-8, and is posted below.

1778-1811.  John Priest’s pension record states that after he finished his six months service about October 1778 and resided in Culpeper County until approximately 1811 (or 1812).

1778-1781.  John, William, and Jeremiah Priest each enlisted in a revolutionary war unit from Culpeper County during this period - John for six months in 1778, and William and Jeremiah for two years in 1779.  Each filed a revolutionary war pension application that recounted their service. These three pension applications each give a few pieces of information that are valuable for information about each Priest brother and their age, location, and family connections.

In William’s application, Jeremiah filed a statement for William, in which it was stated that they were brothers.  John filed a statement for Jeremiah’s application, which did not explicitly state they were brothers but the implication is clear. William’s pension statement mentions he was in Ohio with his widowed sister, and her daughter who had six children.

John states he was born in Prince William County in 1750. Jeremiah Priest stated he was born in Shenandoah County about 1758 or 1759.  William Priest’s pension states he will be 64 in December 1818 indicating his birthday in December 1854.  William’s 1820 pension statement states that his sister was about sixty years old - placing her birth about 1760.

John states that he came to Ohio from Culpeper County about 1811. Jeremiah indicates he lived in Kentucky after leaving Virginia and then moved to Ohio. William mentions being in Pennsylvania (Greene County, where he is shown ca 1810) after leaving Culpeper County and before he moved to Ohio.

The relevant portions of each application are transcribed and posted below, which links the brothers to each other, and ties them to Culpeper County in this period.  Each of the brothers filed for their pension from the Ohio County in which they lived after leaving Virginia: William from Fairfield County, John from Licking County, and Jeremiah from Clark County.

John Priest states in his pension record that he entered the service in April 1778.  At the time, he stated he was a resident of Culpeper County, and the company he entered met at Culpeper Court House.  He stated that he lived at the time within two miles of Washington, Culpeper County. [Now in Rappahannock County, formed in 1833 from Culpeper County.]

The transcription of the relevant statement of John Priest’s revolutionary war pension application follows:

Pension application of John Priest (Priests) S3739 f13VA

Transcribed by Will Graves 11/25/12

State of Ohio Licking County: SS

On the 13th day of March 1833 Personally appeared before me Samuel Bancroft one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Licking and State of Ohio John Priest a resident of fallsbury [Fallsbury] Township in the County and State aforesaid. Aged 82 years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7th 1832 that he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated – viz. (Colonel name not recollected) Major Williams, adjutant William Broadis, Captain Henry Manoe Lieutenant James Parvis [James Purvis?] entered the service in the month of April 1778 according to the best of his recollection – and served six months and left the service in the month of October the same year resided when he entered the service within about two miles of Washington Culpeper County Virginia – was drafted for six months – the company to which he belonged met at Culpepper Court House and then marched to Brandywine Mills where by General Washington's Orders they were stationed to guard the Mills and continued there until Discharged. –

He also states that he has no Documentary Evidence and that he knows of no person whose testimony he can procure who can testify to his Services – he states he was born in Prince William County Virginia in the year 1750 he has now no record of his age – he has lived since the revolutionary war and Culpeper County Virginia until about twenty-two years ago when he moved to the State of Ohio where he now lives does not recollect that he ever received a written Discharge –

He also states that he is known in his present neighborhood to Abraham Day and Isaac Norman who can testify as to his character for veracity and their belief of his services as a soldier of the revolution.

He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension Roll of the agency of any State.

S/ John Priest, X his mark

[Homewood Marriott and Abraham Day gave the standard supporting affidavit.]

[Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $20 per annum commencing March 4th, 1831, for service as a private for 6 months in the Virginia militia.]  The original of the statement follows:

Jeremiah Priest states in his pension statement of 1832 that he was a resident of Culpeper County at the time he enlisted in the service, which was in 1779. Private Jeremiah Priest enlisted in the Army from Culpeper Co., Virginia at the end of February 1779, and served two years as a private under Col. Francis Taylor, John Roberts, and James Purvis.  He was stationed in Albemarle County during the war, where he guarded prisoners, and also served in Winchester, Virginia.   [This service was at the Albemarle Barracks, the Wikipedia page describing the Albermarle Barracks is here.]  Jeremiah returned home on furlough in March 1781 because of illness, and was there when his term of service expired.  Jeremiah’s brother John Priest filed a statement in 1832 in support of Jeremiah’s pension - although it is never stated that they were brothers.  They key part of Jeremiah’s pension follows:

“Pension application of Jeremiah Priest S8980 [from the Southern Campaign American Revolution Pension Statements & Rosters, Transcribed by Will Graves 11/25/12]

State of Ohio Clark County SS:

On this 4th day of October in the year of our Lord 1832 personally appeared in open court before George B Holt Esquire President Judge and his Associate Judges of the court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Clark aforesaid now sitting Jeremiah Priest a resident and Citizen of the said County of Clark age seventy-three or four years – who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832. That he entered the Service of the United States under the following named Officers and served as herein stated namely; John Roberts was Captain of the company to which this deponent belonged and John Slaughter was Lieutenant or Ensign – John Roberts was afterwards promoted to the rank of Major and one James Purvuss [probably James Purvis] succeeded to the captaincy of the Company. One Taylor [Francis Taylor] whose first name this deponent thinks, although he is not at all confident, was Francis was Colonel of the Regiment to which the said Company was attached and John Roberts named above was Major of this same Regiment – that he entered the service in the last of February or first of March in the year 1779 at the County of Culpeper in the State of Virginia where he then resided – that he was enlisted for the purpose of guarding the prisoners taken from the enemy at the defeat (as this deponent understands the matter) of General Burgoyne and was to serve as long as the prisoners remained at the place where they were then confined in Albemarle County – that he was marched to the place where the prisoners were kept and remained there doing duty for nearly or about two years when the prisoners were marched or removed to Winchester Virginia and this deponent marched with his company with the prisoners to that place where deponent remained doing military duty until March 1781 that is to say this deponent knows that he served two years and was discharged in March then next preceding the Surrender of the Enemy at York Town [October 19, 1781] which deponent thinks was in the year 1781. This deponent was taken sick at Winchester and returned home on furlough where this deponent remained until the term of his Service expired or until the prisoners were removed from Winchester. This deponent says that he has no documentary evidence of his service or discharge – that he does not know any person other than John Priest whose deposition accompanies this application by whom he can prove his services. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State.

The following statement is made by the applicant in answer to interrogatories propounded to him by the court namely

1. He says he was born in Shenandoah County Virginia

2. He has no record of his age but believes he is 73 or 74 years old

3. He was living when he entered the service as already stated in the County of Culpeper in the State of Virginia where he resided until he removed to Kentucky where he remained until he removed to this State where he says he has lived for many years but how long precisely cannot State.

4. He says he enlisted into the service as before related.

5. He says Colonel Fountain made 2 visits at the post where deponent was stationed during the time he was there. It appeared to deponent that this Colonel attended there as a reviewing Officer.

6. He says he never received any written discharge from the service as he knew was on furlough at the time the term of his enlistment expired.

7. The following named Gentleman may be referred to for testimony as to the character of this deponent for veracity and as to their belief of his services as a soldier of the revolution namely George Richardson and John Fuller, Elnathan Corey & William G [indecipherable name] near

New Carlisle in this County.

Sworn to and subscribed this 4th day of October 1832

S/ Jeremiah Priest, X his mark

[John Fuller & George Richardson gave the standard supporting affidavit.]”

The original document is posted below.

John Priest’s statement in Jeremiah’s pension file: “The State of Ohio Licking County: SS

Personally appeared before me the subscriber an acting Justice of the Peace within and for the County aforesaid John Priest of lawful age, who being duly sworn deposeth and saith that sometime in the year 1781 and he believes in the latter part of the month of February or first of March in said year, Jeremiah Priest then a resident of Culpeper County in the State of Virginia, was regularly enlisted into the Revolutionary service in the Virginia Line in a company commanded at the time of the enlistment by Captain John Roberts, who was in a short time promoted, and said company was commanded by Captain James Purviss thereafter that said Jeremiah Priest continued in the service in said Line and company until the year 1783 he believes about the month of March in said year, when he was taken sick and obtained a furlough to return

home and before he became able to return to the service his time expired for which he had enlisted and as he believes the said Jeremiah Priest never obtained a regular discharge, the Regiment in which he was enlisted was commanded by Colonel Taylor.

S/ John Priest, X his mark

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 11th day of April in the year of our Lord 1832.

S/ Nathan Weekly, JP”

[Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $80 per annum commencing March 4th, 1831, for service as a private in the Virginia State Troops.]”  The John Priest statement is posted below.

William Priest’s pension mentions that he went into the service in 1779 (“Two years before the British surrender at Little York”).  He lists service under the same people listed for Jeremiah, specifically stating that he enlisted with John Slaughter of Culpeper County.  He enlisted for two different tours, one in 1779 and again in 1780, meaning that it was likely that one of these two enlistments was in Culpeper County.  Jeremiah Priest gave a statement in 1819 vouching for William’s service for his pension, and stating they were brothers.  The relevant part of the statement on his service:

“State of Ohio Fairfield County SS
On this first day of July A.D. 1818 before me the subscriber an associate Judge in and for said County Personally appeared William Priest aged 64 years next December, resident in said Fairfield County who by me being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the provision made by the late act of Congress entitled "an act to provide for certain Persons Engaged in the Land and Naval Service of the United States in the Revolutionary War" he the said William Priest enlisted in Albemarle County State of Virginia in April two years before the capture of British Army at York [October 19, 1781] under the command of Lord Cornwallis for one-year in the Company commanded by Captain John Roberts, who was appointed Major and the command of the company devolved upon William Purvis of the Virginia Regiment commanded by Colonel Taylor [Francis Taylor] number not recollected. That he continued to serve in the said Corps, and in the service of the United States until the 7th day of April the year following his enlistment when he was discharged then being under the command of the said William Purvis called Captain whether he was ever regularly commissioned otherwise than as Lieutenant not to him known in said Albemarle County at the Barracks, That by some regulations of Virginia he was in the July succeeding his discharge as aforesaid, he was ordered into service and did join the same Regiment and Company at Albemarle Barracks and continued in the service as he believes of the United States for another year and was discharged on the Potomac River while marching some prisoners into the State of Maryland, That he was during said two years service in no battle, being the first year's station as a guard for prisoners at the said Albemarle barracks and the last year a part of the time at the same place and the residue except the march to the place of discharge at Winchester Virginia in the same service. That he was on a tour of duty as a militia man at Little York at the capture of Cornwallis under the command of Captain William Covington and acted as a part of the guard to march some of the prisoners to Winchester where he was discharged – And that he is in reduced circumstances and stands in need of the assistance of his country for support and that he has no other evidence now in his power of his said services.

S/ William Priest, X his mark Sworn to and declared before me, the day and year aforesaid

S/ Elnathan Seafield, Judge Com. Pleas”

The three pages of his statement, which includes the portion posted just above, are posted below:

Jeremiah Priest submitted a statement for William’s pension file, and clearly referred to him as his brother, which is the one place, other than certain Priest’s listed as “Jr.”, that clearly states a familial relationship:

“The State of Ohio Clark County: SS 1
The Deposition of Jeremiah Priest of lawful age who being duly sworn deposeth and saith that he the said Priest and his Brother William Priest served one year and longer in the revolutionary war the date of the year he cannot recollect under the command of Colonel Taylor and Major Roberts of the United States Army and that the said William Priest [one or more words too faint to decipher] John Slaughter the Ensign of the Company in which they both served and further this Deponent saith not

S/ Jeremiah Priest, X his mark “  The original of his statement is posted here:

William submitted a second statement roughly two years after the first, and it describes that he lived in Pennsylvania before Ohio, that he had a sister with children, and that he was in debt.

This second pension affidavit of William Priest was given on June 23, 1820 in the Court of Common Pleas in Fairfield County, Ohio.  He stated his age was sixty-five or sixty-six years of age.  He was enlisted by John Slaughter in Culpeper County, Virginia to serve for one year.  He served at first in a company commanded by Captain Roberts, who afterwards was made major in a regiment commanded by Captain Taylor.  Afterwards he was under the command of Captain Purvis.  He mentions that his first declaration was on July 1, 1818 and the number of his pension certificate is #908 (?).  There is a statement about not having property.  He further states “that the family of which I am a part is composed of my widow sister aged about sixty and her daughter in law who is about thirty years old who has six children the oldest a son about 11 or 12 years, the youngest an infant of about one year old.  The father of these six children has left the family and gone to parts unknown. He signed his statement as William (X – His Mark) Priest. 

He then listed personal property with a listed value for each: one cow worth twelve dollars; two year old heifer, six dollars; a sow and pigg six (???), four dollars and fifty cents – and then four things that are almost illegible, three sheets (?), six dollars; one old pa???, four dollars and fifty cents; one axe and hoe, one dollars and fifty cents; and ?? two dollars.  Total $36.50.  And then two shirts or sheets, two dollars.

He then stated in the same statement that (it is also very hard to read) he was broke up (?) and my property all sold from me in Pennsylvania about seven years since, when I (moved??) to this County with my widowed sister she having same little property and still has, having ?? a number of debts yet satisfied.  I have paid some ?? but there yet remain some ??.  I owe ?? to Jacob Rush about $50.50 and I have not yet received any of my pension ??? 4th September.  [NOTE: Jacob Rush is shown as the Justice of the Peace who married Hankey Priest and Delilah Meeker in Fairfield County in 1821.]  We live on rented land and have no other means any of the family and altogether to get a living than by our labour.  My sister has two old horses very old and old wagon three cows two heifers, one calf, eight hogs, 22 pigs, 15 sheep, 1 bashear (?), plough, one shared plough, three hoes, one axe, one sheet, one table, one kettle, one ?? oven, one shellot (?), one trunk, one ??, two wheels, one larger wheel, this property I have no right claim to, but as we the above mentioned persons make a farm ?? and I have that ?? to state the property to has my sister belonging, the property worth $38.50.  William (x – his mark) Priest. 

1779. On November 15, 1779, John Priest and Catey his wife sold Elisha Cheek, all of Culpeper County, one hundred and ten acres for five hundred pounds current money. The land was bounded by James Williams, John Banacle, Birkett Davenport.   One of the boundaries mentions “in a hollow of the red oak mountain”, and later “to a chestnut and hickory on a ledge of the said Mountain”.  The deed contains all houses, fences, ways, waters, and apurtenances (sic) whatsoever”. /s/ John (x - his mark) Priest and Catey (x - her mark) Priest.  There were no witnesses listed.  At a court held for Culpeper County the 15th day of November 1779. This Indenture was acknowledged by the parties and ordered to be recorded, previous to which the said Katey (sic) was first prvily (sic) examined according to Law. This deed was shown in Culpeper Deed book K, pp. 56-7 and is posted below.

1780. John Priest Jr. the third oldest known child of John Priest, was born in Culpeper County about 1780.

Levi Priest, the fourth oldest known child of John Priest, was born in Culpeper County in the early 1780’s.

1781.  The Culpeper Classes book by John Blankenbaker.  The Virginia legislature in its session of October 1780 to January 1781 passed a law that each Virginia county was to raise a certain number of men to serve in the Continental Army.  There were about one hundred classes of fourteen men each.  John Priest was shown in Class No. 46.  The only other name or surname that seems family among the other men was John Norman – with John Priest’s daughter marrying Isaac Norman.

1781-82. It is speculated that Jeremiah probably was married to Emelia “Millie” Gardner in Albemarle County.  The Revolutionary War veteran book indicates they married in 1781.  The speculation is due to the fact that Jeremiah returned home (according to his pension record) in March 1781, was in a probate record in March 1782, and the first child was born ca 1783.  Wanda Harrison believed that Emelia Gardner was the daughter of James Gardner; and that Jeremiah and Emelia were married in 1782 in Frederick County, Virginia.  I have yet to find any record about their marriage, or Emelia’s family.

1781-1793.  Jeremiah Priest states in his pension statement that he got out of military service in 1781, and remained in Culpeper County, Virginia until he left for Kentucky (he does not state what year, but it was ca 1793-94).  This statement allows me to place the birth of Jeremiah’s older children by year in Culpeper County.  Future censuses show that Elijah Priest, born in February 1792, was born in Virginia.  The next Priest child in age to show in censuses 1850 or after was Elizabeth Smith, born ca 1795 and listed in all her census entries to have been born in Kentucky.

1782-1812.  Culpeper County Tax Records - Introduction and Summary.  Culpeper County Land Tax Book records have been transcribed and published by Ruth and Sam Sparacino for the early part of this period.  Their publications led to finding the microfilm of the personal property tax records, held in the Salt Lake City Family History library.  I went through every year from 1782 through the time after our Priests left Culpeper County in 1812 - and images from those personal property tax films are posted with each record of a Priest family member for each year below.

In summary, it appears that William Priest Sr., William Priest Jr., and John Priest all owned land and paid land taxes. They, and then Jeremiah Priest and Stanley Priest paid taxes on personal property in this period. Children of John also appear in various records near the end of this period.

The personal property tax records are described below ran through this period, but the 1804-1810 period is missing, and our Priests are gone after 1812.  These references are the ones that are most helpful year by year in seeing what Priests were here.

The entries also tell us about the Priest family in this period - both in names and number of family members, but when family members left Culpeper County. In the first tax record in 1782, William Priest is listed as William Priest, Sr. In the 1787 tax record William Priest, Jr. is listed for the first time.  Also in 1787 John Priest has a black person under the age of sixteen in his entry - like an enslaved person.  In the 1788 tax record, William Priest had three men over the age of sixteen.  In the 1789 tax record, William Priest Jr. shows three men over the age of sixteen - likely William Sr. and Jr., and Stanley Priest.  In 1791, Stanley Priest appears for the first time, and William Jr. and Sr. are in one entry.  In 1791, John Priest has a son William Priest old enough to appear with him - future records show this William’s birth year as 1772, which would make him nineteen years old this year, old enough to be listed by name. 

In 1793, Jeremiah Priest is shown for the last time - he apparently left for Kentucky after this tax record and before the next.  Also in 1793, there are separate entries for William Priest, younger, and Stanley Priest.  Then there are three men over sixteen in a separate entry for William Priest.  Since John Priest does not have a second man over the age of sixteen, it is likely that the William Priest younger is his son.  This is also the last year that the patriarch William Priest appears in the tax records, which matches a change in the property tax the next year for the parcel of land that William had.

1782.  In the Culpeper County Land Tax Book, a Culpeper County Land Tax Return is shown for 1782. The tax book contains the name of the land owner, the number of acres owned, the valuation of the land, and the amount of tax assessed for the land at one and one half percent of valuation. In the 1782 tax return, William Priest is shown with 0.3.3 1/2 quitrendt (sic) deducted, one hundred thirty-two acres of land, a valuation of 26.8.0, and a nett tax of 0.0.10 3/4.

In an account of the sale of the estate of Ezekiel Haynes, deceased, recorded March 18, 1782 and made by John Strother, Jeremiah Prest [sic] is listed as a purchaser. Also listed are John Strother, Elisha Cheek, and Bryant McGrath -- all shown in prior property transactions with a Priest in Bromfield Parish in Culpeper County.  A Roberts family member is also listed.  Jeremiah is shown as buying one sow, and the price is 3-1-0.  This is recorded in Probate Book B, p. 197, and posted below.  Jeremiah is about half way down the page. A Stephen and Jasper Haynes are listed in the 1782 Culpeper tax records in the same location as William Priest.

1782 Personal Property Tax Records, from microfilm, show:

Headings: Name, W. Tythes, Slaves, Horses, Cattle, Wheat # (?), Tax

John Priest 1 0 1 4  -- 1 13 0

Jeremiah Priest 1 0 1 2 – 0 12 (?) 6

William Priest son (sen?) William 2 0 4 3 – 1 8 9

Solomon Priest the fifth oldest known child of John Priest, was born in Culpeper County about 1782-84.

1783. Anna Priest, possible oldest child of Jeremiah, born in Culpeper County.

1784. Obediah Priest, possible second oldest child of Jeremiah, born in Culpeper County.

1785.  Mary Priest, possible third oldest child of Jeremiah, born in Culpeper County.

1786. Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Name, W. Tythes, (this heading partially crossed out, unclear), Slave tythes, -Do. Young, Horses, Cattle, Tax, tythes

Jerry Preast – 1 - - - 1 1 0 :12:3 1

William Preast – 1 1 - - 1 3 1:4:9 2

John Preast – 1 - - - 2 2 0:14:6 1

Presley Priest the sixth oldest known child of John Priest, was born in Culpeper County about 1786.

1787-97.  Martha Priest reported that there were land tax records for Priests in Culpeper County in these years.  William’s record for 1787 is shown immediately below.  John’s is shown below in 1788.  Martha reports that John paid for the period of 1788 to 1797 with no record of his purchase or sale of the land.  William paid on his 132 acres.  She also reports that John took over payments for the 132 acres of William for the years from 1794 through 1797.  I’ll show the basic listing below in each year’s heading.

In a Culpeper Land Tax Return for 1787, William Preast (sic) is shown with 132 acres, a rate of 3/10 per acre, a total amount of land valuation at 24.6.0, and an amount of tax at 1 1/2 percent of 0.7.7. In the Culpeper County Land Tax Return of 1788, William Priest is shown with exactly the same numbers as were shown for 1787.

1787. Agnes Priest, possible fourth oldest child of Jeremiah, born in Culpeper County.

Solomon Priest, a son of John Priest, was born about this year in Culpeper County.

[NOTE – This is the first year that William Priest Jr. is shown in Culpeper County Tax Records by that listing.]  In a Culpeper Land Tax Return for 1787, William Preast (sic) is shown with 132 acres, a rate of 3/10 per acre, a total amount of land valuation at 24.6.0, and an amount of tax at 1 1/2 percent of 0.7.7. In the Culpeper County Land Tax Return of 1788, William Priest is shown with exactly the same numbers as were shown for 1787.

1787 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Chargable with the Tax; Name of White Male Chargables Over the age of 21; Number of tithable males over 16 and under 21; Blacks over 16; blacks under 16; horses; cattle; carriage wheels; # of stud horses; unclear (seafood?); rates of covering (?).

April 7 – William Priest, Junr. – William Priest, William Priest [it is clear that there is a Sr. and Jr. written after each – but the writing is so garbled it’s unclear which is which – although it doesn’t matter here], Stanley Priest; -, -, -, 2, 9, all rest blanks. (two horses, nine cattle).

April 23 – John Priest – John Priest - -, -, 1, 1, 6, all rest blanks.  (one black under 16; one horses, six cattle).

April 28 – Jeremiah Priest – Jeremiah Priest, -, -, -, 1, 4, all rest blanks. (one horse, four cattle).

1788.  The George Ely Russell book also shows a William Priest witnessing the will of Thomas Graves in 1788.  Thomas Graves’ will is proven in 1792 - (Culpeper WB D, p. 44). Yet when the will is actually examined it appears to be William Pratt (or Prall), not Priest. That is included here to acknowledge it in case other researchers have relied on this reference.

Delphia Priest (Norman), the seventh known child of John Priest, was born about 1788-89 in Culpeper County.

Also shown in the 1788 Culpeper Land Tax Return is John Priest, who is shown with 118 acres at the rate of 3/10 per acre. The total valuation is 22.12.4, and the total amount of tax at 1 1/2 percent is 0.6.9 1/2.  Martha Priest states about John’s record that it is listed that John was “not before taxed”.  [As stated above, Martha Priest notes that John Priest paid on this 118 acres of land from 1788 to 1797, but that there are no corresponding land records that indicate he had purchased or sold this same parcel.]

1788 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Chargable with the Tax (under this heading the names are listed); White males over 16; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses, mares, and c.[cattle?]; carriage wheels; ordinary licenses; # of stud (?) horses; rates of covering (other unclear words?).

May 10 – John Priest, 1, -, -, 2, all the rest blank. (one white male over 16; two horses, mares, and c.).

May 17 – Jeremiah Priest, 1, -, -, 2, all the rest blank. (one white male over 16; two horses, mares, and c.).

May 10 – William Priest, 3, -, -, 2, all the rest blank. (three white males over 16; two horses, mares, and c.)

On October 20, 1788, James Slaughter Culpeper Sheriff seized two hundred one and a half acres in Culpeper County from James Compton for non-payment of taxes and sold it to Joseph Strother and Armistead White of Culpeper County for four pounds and ten shillings. The land was bounded by Whiteledge, Preast and Payton. No witnesses were shown, and it was recorded at a court held for Culpeper County October the 20th, 1788. The deed was shown in Culpeper County Deed Book O, pp. 431-3, and is posted below.  On p. 432, there is a reference to “Preast’s Corner” and a second reference to  “Preast’s line”.

1789.  In the 1789 land tax return for Culpeper, William Priest is shown with the same numbers as 1787 and 1788, except his value in pounds went up one pound to 25. John Priest is shown with the same numbers as his tax record of 1788.

Bathsheba Priest, possible fifth oldest child of Jeremiah, born in Culpeper County.

1789 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Chargable with the Tax(under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses, etc.; carriage wheels; physicians (?); # of stud (?) horses; rates of covering (other unclear words?).

May 13 – John Priest, 1, -, -, 2, all the rest blank. (one white male over 16, 2 horses, etc.)

May 13 – Jeremiah Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank. (one white male over 16, 1 horse, etc.)

May 11 – William Priest, Jr., 3, -, -, 3, all the rest blank. (three white males over 16, 3 horses, etc.)

1790. The 1790 census for Virginia is lost, so there are no Culpeper County Priest entries to compare to these other records.

The 1790 land tax records still show that William Priest was taxed for 132 acres and John Priest was taxed for 118 acres.

1790 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Chargable with the Tax(under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses, etc.; carriage wheels; ordinary licenses; doctors; # of stud (?) horses; rates of covering (other unclear words?).

May 11 – William Priest, Jr., 3, -, -, 3, all the rest blank. (three white males over 16, 3 horses, etc.)

May 11 – John Priest, 1, -, -, 2, all the rest blank. (one white male over 16, 2 horses, etc.)

May 11 – Jeremiah Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank. (one white male over 16, 1 horse, etc.)

Casandra Priest, possible sixth oldest child of Jeremiah, born in Culpeper County.

Moses Priest, oldest known child of William Priest Jr., born in Culpeper County.

1791. The 1791 land tax records still show that William Priest was taxed for 132 acres and John Priest was taxed for 118 acres.

1791 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Names Chargable with the Tax(under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses, etc.; carriage wheels; ordinary licenses; doctors; # of stud (?) horses; rates of covering per season(?).

May 13 – John Priest, William Priest, 2, -, -, 1, all the rest blank. (two white males over 16, 1 horses, etc.) – very significant because in this tax year a son William of John became over sixteen;

May 13 – William Priest, William Priest, 2, -, -, 1, all the rest blank. (two white males over 16, 1 horses, etc.)

May 13 – Stanley Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank (one white male over 16, 1 horse, etc.)

May 13 – Jeremiah Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank. (one white male over 16, 1 horse, etc.)

On February 15, 1791, William Roberts acting by Power of Attorney for Edward Taner sold two hundred and thirty two acres of land to William Priest, Jr., both of Culpeper for thirty pounds current money of Virginia. The land was in Little Fork of Rappahannock on Great Battle Run, bounded by John Priest. /s/Wm Roberts. Witnesses were William Menefee, Jno. Wilson, William J. Roberts, and John Roberts. Proved at a Court held for Culpeper County on July 18, 1791.  This deed shows in Culpeper Deed book Q, pp. 290-1, and is posted below. [This property was sold by William Priest below in 1812.  It references having purchased the land originally from William Roberts.]

On July 16, 1791, James Little and Elenor his wife, sold John Roberts one hundred acres, all of them of Culpeper County, for fifteen pounds. The land was adjoining the lands of Richard Nalle, Alexander McQueen and Isaac Wall.  /s/James (x - his mark) Little and Elenor (x - her mark) Little. Witnesses were Wm. McClanahan, Wm. (x - his mark) Preast, and Wm. Roberts. This deed was shown in Culpeper Deed book Q, pp. 295-8, and is posted below.

[The above two deeds give names and locations in the area that give hints on where this land was located.  A web page on streams in the Rappahannock area states: “Battle Run is a . . .  Stream belonging to the County of Rappahannock. The closest populated place is that of Laurel Mills that is 0.97 miles far from Battle Run.”  About Laurel Mills in Wikipedia: “Laurel Mills is an unincorporated community in Rappahannock County, Virginia, United States. It is located in the southern part of the county, approximately halfway between Amissville and Washington. Laurel Mills is located along the Thornton River in Rappahannock County on Route 618 (Laurel Mills Road), between Viewtown and Rock Mills. A sawmill and a gristmill were known to operate at the Laurel Mills location even earlier. The sawmill was known as Baker's Mill and the gristmill was known as Roberts' Mill and may have been there previous to the American Revolution. This Roberts Mill may have been owned by either William Roberts (abt 1738-bef 1810) or his father John Roberts (abt 1703-abt 1802) [One of these Roberts could be the ones in the deeds above – there is also a Major John Roberts who served in the Revolutionary War, was son of William Roberts, and built a mansion after 1800 named Laurel Hill].”  The Roberts Mill on the 1776 map is right by Strothers Chapel and Pendleton’s Mill – near Red Oak Mountain.  It indicates that this Priest land was right by where the other Priests were in Culpeper County.]

In Culpeper Probate Book D., p. 35-37, in an action dated in January 1791 there is a Probate in which “Roddy” Priest is named.  The children of Hekeziah Brown, who married Ann Stubblefield, are listed, including Franky Brown, who married Roddy Priest.  Rodham Priest was not proven to be part of our branch, even though he went to Bourbon County, Kentucky, at a similar time to Jeremiah Priest.

Lucinda Priest, the eighth known child of John Priest, was born in Culpeper County in the period of 1791-94.

1792.  1792 land tax records show that William Priest is still taxed for 132 acres, and John Priest for 118 acres, but there is also now a tax listing for William Priest (stating “from Roberts”) for 232 acres.

1792 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Names Chargable with the Tax(under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses, etc.; carriage wheels; # of stud (?) horses; rates of covering per season(?).

May 11 – Jeremiah Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank. (one white male over 16, 1 horse, etc.)

May 11 – Stanley Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank (one white male over 16, 1 horse, etc.)

May 11 – William Priest Jr., William Priest Sen., 2, -, -, 2, all the rest blank. (two white males over 16, two horses, etc.)

May 11 – John Priest, William Priest, 2, -, -, 1, all the rest blank. (two white males over 16, 1 horses, etc.)

Elijah Priest, possible seventh oldest child of Jeremiah, born in Culpeper County ca 1792.

In the matter of a probate for Margarret (sic) Lowin, there is a court suit that mentions (blank) Priest and his wife Frankey; and then later in the same matter there is a reference to Roddy Priest, who intermarried with Frankey Brown.  This must be a reference to Rodman Priest – who was in Bourbon County, Kentucky at the same time as Jeremiah Priest in the 1790’s. [Rodman Priest references are listed in this chronology, but it appears he is of a different Priest line.  Public Family Trees show he was born in 1767 in Faulquier County, the son of John Thomas Priest (1745-1809) and Mary Elizabeth Brown (1750-1830).  He married Frances Jane “Frankey” Elizabeth Subblefield Brown in 1790 in Fauquier County.  She was born in 1768 and died in 1835.  Rodman is shown in Russellville, Logan County, Kentucky in the 1830 census and is shown as having died in Logan County on August 28, 1836.  He left Virginia for Bourbon County, Kentucky in the 1790’s.]

1793. 1793 land tax records appear not to be on microfilm (per Martha Priest).

1793 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Names Chargable with the Tax(under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses, etc.; carriage wheels; # of stud (?) horses; rates of covering per season(?).

April 18 – John Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank. (one white male over 16, 1 horses, etc.)

April 18 – William Priest, 3, -, -, 2, all the rest blank. (three white males over 16, two horses, etc.)

April 18 – Jeremiah Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank. (one white male over 16, 1 horse, etc.) – Significant because this is the last record entry for Jeremiah in Culpeper County.

April 18 – Stanley Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank (one white male over 16, 1 horse, etc.)

April 18 – William Priest (younger), 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank. (one white male over 16, 1 horses, etc.)

1794.  Land tax records for this year show that John Priest is taxed for 118 acres, William Priest Sr. for 232 acres, and that John Priest is now paying the tax on the 132 acres formerly taxed to William Priest.  This configuration continues through 1797.  This is significant because the elder William Priest drops from land tax records this year.  1792 is the last year in which three William Priests are listed in personal tax records – indicating that it is possible that the elder William Priest died in the 1793-1794 period.

1794 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Names Chargable with the Tax(under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses, etc.; carriage wheels; # of stud (?) horses; rates of covering per season(?).

April 14 (?) – William Priest Jr., 2, -, -, 1, all the rest blank. (two white males over 16, 1 horse, etc.)

April 14 (?) – Stanley Priest, 1, -, -, -, all the rest blank (one white male over 16)

April 14 (?) – John Priest, 1, -, -, 2, all the rest blank. (one white male over 16, 2 horses, etc.)

April 14 (?) – William Priest, 1, -, -, -, all the rest blank. (one white male over 16)

John Priest is mentioned in the estate of Armistead White as shown in Probate Book D, p. 134.  Dividing the lands of Joseph Strother are also mentioned.  The matter was considered at a Culpeper Court of June 17, 1794.  The matter concerned a tract of land 247 acres of a tract of 846 ½ acres lying on the Cannon River.  Adjacent property owners include John Sawler (Sanders?), John Browning, Jacob Sands, and John Priest.  The item is posted just below.

Catherine Priest, the ninth known child of John Priest, was born in Culpeper County in the 1794-95 period.

Hankey Priest, second oldest known child of William Priest Jr., born in Culpeper County.

1795. Land tax records for this year show that John Priest is taxed for 118 acres, William Priest Sr. for 232 acres, and that John Priest is also paying the tax on the 132 acres formerly taxed to William Priest.

1795 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Names Chargable with the Tax(under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses, etc.; carriage wheels; # of stud (?) horses; rates of covering per season(?).

April 28 – Stanley Priest, 1, -, -, -, all the rest blank (one white male over 16)

April 28 – William Priest Jr., William Priest, Sen., 2, -, -, 1, all the rest blank. (two white males over 16, 1 horse, etc.)

April 28 – John Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank. (one white male over 16, 1 horse, etc.)

April 28 – William Priest, son of (?) John, 1, -, -, -1 all the rest blank. (one white male over 16, one horse, etc.)

NOTE: This is the last year since William Priest, the son of John, came of age in 1791 and is shown in the tax records – that there are three William Priests.  In the years after this, only two William Priests are shown.  It appears that the patriarch William Priest died about this time – leaving his son and John’s son as the two William Priests still shown in tax records.  In the earlier references to land tax records, John Priest paid the land tax for the patriarch William from 1794 to 1797.

Elizabeth Priest, third oldest known child of William Priest Jr., born in Culpeper County.

1796. Land tax records for this year show that John Priest is taxed for 118 acres, William Priest Sr. for 232 acres, and that John Priest is also paying the tax on the 132 acres formerly taxed to William Priest. [The fact that the term William Priest Sr. is sued, indicates that this now was applied in these records to William, the son of the original patriarch.]

1796 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Names Chargable with the Tax(under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses, etc.; carriage wheels; # of stud (?) horses; rates of covering per season(?).

May 14 – William Priest, 1, -, -, -, all the rest blank. (one white male over 16)

May 14 – William Priest, 1, -, -, -1 all the rest blank. (one white male over 16, one horse, etc.)

May 14 – Stanley Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank (one white male over 16, 1 horse, etc.)

May 14 – John Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank. (one white male over 16, 1 horse, etc.)

1797. Land tax records for this year show that John Priest is taxed for 118 acres, William Priest Sr. for 232 acres, and that John Priest is also paying the tax on the 132 acres formerly taxed to William Priest. This appears to be the same in 1797.

1797 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Names Chargable with the Tax (under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses and mares, cattle and mules; # of stud (?) horses; rates of covering per season(?), two more categories that are unclear.

May 10 – Stanley Priest, 1, -, -, -, all the rest blank (one white male over 16)

May 10 – William Priest, 1, -, -, -3 all the rest blank. (one white male over 16, three horses, cattle and others.)

May 10 – John Priest, 2, -, -, 2, all the rest blank. (two white males over 16, 2 horses, cattle, and other)

May 25 – William Priest, 1, -, -, -, all the rest blank (one white male over 16)

1798.  1798 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Names Chargable with the Tax (under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses, etc.; # of stud (?) horses; rates of covering per season(?), three more categories that are unclear, and then two columns for the amount of tax – dollars and cents.

April 7 – John Priest, 2, -, -, 2, all the rest blank, nine cents tax. (two white males over 16, 2 horses, etc.)

April 7 – William Priest, 1, -, -, -, all the rest blank, no tax (one white male over 16)

April 10 (?) – William Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, nine cents tax (one white male over 16, one horse, etc.)

April 10 (?) – Stanley Priest, 1, -, -, -, all the rest blank, no tax (one white male over 16)

In Land Tax Records, William Priest Sr. is paying land tax this year on the 232 acres.  This is the first year that he is the only Priest paying land tax, with John Priest dropping off the rolls for the two parcels on which he was previously paying land tax.

Susan(nah) Priest, the tenth known child of John Priest, was born in the 1798-99 period in Culpeper County.

1799.  1799 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Names Chargable with the Tax (under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses, mares, cattle, and mules; stud horses; rates of covering per season(?), three more categories that are unclear, and then two columns for the amount of tax – dollars and cents.

April 13 – Stanley Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, twelve cents tax (one white male over 16, 1 horse and others)

May 25 – William Priest, Jr., 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, no tax amount (one white male over 16, one horse, etc.)

May 29 – William Priest, 1, -, -, 3, all the rest blank, twelve cents tax (one white male over 16, three horses, etc.)

May 25 – John Priest, 2, 1, -, 2, all the rest blank, fifty-six cents tax. (two white males over 16, 1 black over 16; 2 horses, and others)

In Land Tax Records, William Priest Sr. is paying land tax this year on the 232 acres.  He is the only Priest listed this year in these records.

1800. The 1800 census for Virginia is lost, so there are no Culpeper County Priest entries to compare to these other records.

1800 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Names Chargable with the Tax (under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses, mares, cattle, and mules; No. of stud horses; rates of covering per season(?), three more categories that are unclear, and then two columns for the amount of tax – dollars and cents.

May 17 – John Priest, 2, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, twelve cents tax. (two white males over 16; 1 horse, and others)

June 14 – William Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, twelve cents (one white male over 16, one horse, etc.)

April 20 (?) – William Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, twelve cents (one white male over 16, one horse, etc.)

April 20 (?) – Stanly (sic) Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, twelve cents (one white male over 16, one horse, etc.)

In Land Tax Records, William Priest Sr. is paying land tax this year on the 232 acres.  He is the only Priest listed this year in these records.

John Priest, fourth oldest known child of William Priest Jr., born in Culpeper County.

1801.  1801 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Names Chargable with the Tax (under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses, mares, goatts, and mules; ordinary licenses; stud horses; rates of covering per season(?), three more categories that are unclear, and then two columns for the amount of tax – dollars and cents.

May 20 – Stanley Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, twelve cents (one white male over 16, one horse, etc.)

May 20 – William Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, twelve cents (one white male over 16, one horse, etc.)

May 20 – William Priest, Jr., 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, twelve cents (one white male over 16, one horse, etc.)

May 20 – John Priest, 2, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, twelve cents (two white males over 16, one horse, etc.)

In Land Tax Records, William Priest Sr. is paying land tax this year on the 232 acres.  He is the only Priest listed this year in these records.

1802.  1802 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Names Chargable with the Tax (under this heading the names are listed); Number of tithables (? Not totally clear); Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses; eight more categories that are unclear, tithables; and then two columns for the amount of tax – dollars and cents.

March 22 – John Priest 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, tax 12 cents.

March 22 – John Priest, Jr. 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, tax 12 cents.

March 22 – William Priest 1, -, -, -, all the rest blank, no tax.

March 22 – William Priest, Jr. 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, tax 12 cents.

March 22 – Stanley Priest 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, tax 12 cents.

In Land Tax Records, William Priest Sr. is paying land tax this year on the 232 acres.  He is the only Priest listed this year in these records.

1803.  1803 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm)

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Names Chargable with the Tax (under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; Number of horses;; the next four columns have the overall heading of carriage wheels and four subcategories; ordinary licenses; number of stud horses; rates of covering per season(?), tithables; and then two columns for the amount of tax – dollars and cents.

There are four Normans in 1803, Thomas, John, Isaac and Benjamin.

p. 16 – unclear date – Isaac Norman, 1, -, -, 1, all blank until 1 tithable, tax 12 cents.

There was a second 1803 schedule.  The second schedule had different headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Names Chargable with the Tax (under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses, mares, goatts, and mules; ordinary licenses; stud horses; rates of covering per season(?), three more categories that are unclear but are all about carriages and riding wheels, and then two columns for the amount of tax – dollars and cents.

Shown in the second list were:

May 17 – John Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, tax 12 cents.

May 17 – William Priest, Jr., 1, -, -, -, all the rest blank, no tax.

May 17 – John Priest, Jr., 1, -, -, -, all the rest blank, no tax.

(next page)

June 10 – William Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, tax 12 cents.

June 10 – Stanley Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, tax 12 cents.

In Land Tax Records, William Priest Sr. is paying land tax this year on the 232 acres.  He is the only Priest listed this year in these records.

James Priest is mentioned in the sales in the estate of Captain John Minor in Culpeper County, which was held on January 28, 1803 and recorded at a Culpeper Court held on February 20, 1803.  James Priest bought one oven for one pound, sixteen cents.  Among the purchasers was a Norman and a Pendleton. The entire record is shown below.

There are Priest references in the Culpeper Will Book E, in the matter of the estate of E. D. Pendleton.  This appears to be a matter considered at a Culpeper Court on July 18, 1803.  A list of the balances “on specialities” include Stanley Priest and William Priest, Jr., shown on p. 13.  Stanley Priest had a balance of 6-10-11 1/2, and William Priest Jr. had a balance of 2, 13, 7 1/2.   Then there is a list of balances due “on open account’, which includes Stanley Priest, William Priest, Sr., John Priest, and John Priest, Sr.  John Priest owes 1, 16, 7 ½; Stanley Priest owed 11, 15, 9 ½; John Priest Sr. owed 2, 13, 6 ½; and William Priest Sen. Owed 2, 13, and an unreadable fraction. This is one of the most comprehensive listings for an estate I have seen - E. D. Pendleton must have been one of the wealthiest people in the region and had a lot to settle in the estate.  The full estate record is eight pages, and is posted below.

In the minute book three for Culpeper County, there is a November 1803 record of the Pendleton Executors vs. S. Priest and John Priest.

1804.  1804 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Names Chargable with the Tax (under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses, mares, goatts, and mules; ordinary licenses; stud horses; rates of covering per season(?), three more categories that are unclear but are all about carriages and riding wheels, and then two columns for the amount of tax – dollars and cents.

May 26 – John Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, tax 12 cents.(all six Priests together)

May 26 – John Priest, Jr. 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, tax 12 cents.

May 26 – Wm. Priest (son of Jno.), 1, -, -, -, all the rest blank, no tax.

May 26 – Wm. Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, tax 12 cents.

May 26 – Stanley Priest, 1, -, -, -, all the rest blank, no tax.

May 26 – James Priest, 1, -, -, -, all the rest blank, no tax.

[NOTE: This is the last known record in which Stanley Priest was listed by name.]

In Land Tax Records, William Priest Sr. is paying land tax this year on the 232 acres.  He is the only Priest listed this year in these records.

Mary Priest is shown in the Marriages of Culpeper Co, 1781-1815 to have married Elijah Anderson in 1804, Lewis Conner a Baptist minister, presiding.

William Priest Sr. sold land on August 14, 1804, shown in Deed book Z, pp. 295-96, to Edmund Pendleton for fifty pounds.  The amount of land appears to be sixty acres “more or less”, but the handwriting is unclear.  The sale includes houses, orchards, water and water pursues profit (?).  The land boundary was defined mostly by “degrees”, but it was said that the land was bounded by “the waters of Rappahannock”.  Also mentioned were “two hickorys by a large rock”, “two red oaks on the arm of the mountain”, “two black oaks”, “a maple on the bank of the run”, and “three white oaks near the rim”.  The property was “on the west side of the run thence down the meanders of the run”.  The deed was signed by William (X – his mark) Priest, and was witnessed by James Duncan, Moses Priest, Spencer Butler, and James Priest.  The deed was recorded in Culpeper Court on January 21, 1805 with John Jameson attesting. [NOTE: There is a reference in the late 1820’s to Elizabeth Priest in a Joseph Butler estate – making it significant that a Butler was a witness.]

William Priest sold land to Ann Young in a deed dated July 15, 1804 (sic), shown in Deed Book AA, p. 11-13.  Both were of Culpeper County, and the sum for the land in question was twenty pounds “current money of Virginia”.  This involved a parcel of land in Culpeper County, “on the waters of Rappahannock”, including in the land description Georges Mountain, Richard Lawrence, and the bank of Little Battle Run.  The land contained twenty-one acres.   Signed William (x – his mark) Priest.  Witnessed by Richard Y. Wiggenton.  Recorded July 15, 1805.  John Jameson attested.  The deed is posted below.

1805-1810. Tax Books for 1805-1807 were missing at the time of filming, 1808 was not collected due to no passage of legislation in the general assembly for it, and the Tax Books for 1809-1810 are missing as well. As a result, there are no available tax records for this period in Culpeper County.  This applies for land tax records for this period as well.

1807.  Moses Priest and James Priest witnessed a land sale in Culpeper County from William Priest Sr., to Edmund Pendleton.  The same two, a day apart in September of this year, witnessed a land sale from William Sr., to John Priest.  At the same time Moses and John Jr. witnessed a land sale from William Sr. to James Priest.  All three of these deeds are abstracted and posted below.

The first of these deeds was in Culpeper Deed book CC, pp. 1-2.  It is a deed dated September 16, 1807 with William Priest of Culpeper [it does not state whether it is a William Priest Sr. or Jr. – at this time there could have been at least three Williams here, the patriarch William Sr., his son William Jr., and John Sr.’s oldest son, William.] who sold this parcel to John Priest Jr., also of Culpeper.  The price was one hundred three pounds, fifteen shillings.  The amount of land was one hundred three and one quarter acres.  There is a description of polls as differences, but the deed specifically names the location as “in the little fork of the Rappahannock river in great Battle run”.  The description “beginning at live red Oaks on an arm of Georges Mountain corner to Benjamin Platt (?), running then south an unclear number of poles to two chestnut oaks corner to William Priest Jr, then a ways to another corner of said William Priest Jr.  Benjamin Platt (Tlatt?) is mentioned again.  The deed is signed by William (X – his mark) Priest, and was witnessed by Charles Allen, Moses Priest, and James Priest.  [James Priest was a son of John Junior, who would have been about thirty this year, and Moses would likely have been a son of William Junior.]  The deed was recorded at a court held for Culpeper County on October 19, 1807.  It appears that the clerk or official Culpeper County person who witnessed this was John Jameson. The deed is posted below.

The second deed, in Culpeper Deed book CC, pp. 2-3, is between William Priest and James Priest, both of Culpeper and is dated September 16, 1807.  The sale amount was fifty pounds and the deed was for fifty and one quarter acres in the little fork of Rappahannock river on great battle run.  It appears to be bounded by Joseph Butler Jr., and John Spelman and “on the bank of little battle run”.  The deed was signed by William (X – his mark) Priest and witnessed by John Priest, Jr., Charles Allen, and Moses Priest.  The deed was recorded at a Culpeper County Court held on October 19, 1807 and attested to by John Jameson.  The deed is posted below. [NOTE: There is a reference in the late 1820’s to Elizabeth Priest in a Joseph Butler estate – making it significant that Joseph Butler had bordering land.]

On pp. 5-6 of Deed book CC is a deed from William Priest Sr. to William Priest Jr., posted below, that was dated September 15, 1807.  The amount of the sale was ten pounds.  The amount of land is 27 acres “more or less”.  The land is said to be part of land that William Priest Sr. purchased of Major William Roberts on big battle run.  The land is bounded on at least two places by Joseph Emmry (Emory?).  It also mentions in the land description a “white oak standing on the bank of the said run”.  The deed is signed by William (X – his mark) Priest.  It is witnessed by Charles Allen, Moses Priest, and Solomon Priest.  It was recorded in Culpeper Court on October 19, 1807, attested by John Jameson.

In deed book CC, on pp. 140-42, there was a deed to George Priest.  George Priest appears to not be related to our branch.  The deed was dated November 5, 1807, and the purchase was for one hundred acres from John Rea and his wife Jane Rea.  It is unclear where the land was in Culpeper County.  Jeremiah Strother was one of eight witnesses.

1809.  In the Culpeper County August Court, 1809, a jury was called.  A Priest was a member of the jury - it looks like “Wm.”.  This is shown in Culpeper Minute Book 6, p. 35, and is posted below.  The jury is the last listing on the page. There is a Pendleton and Butler also listed.

At the same court in the same minute book, p. 37, there is another jury called on a case involving debt, and Wm. Priest is on the jury.  The case involved Stone ??neen v. Taliaferro, and the page is posted below.  In this court, and in some proceedings at nearby times, there is a case Embry v. Priest. 

On p. 42 of this minute book in the August 1809 court, William Thralkeld (?) is allowed three days as attorney in this case. Priest vs. Embry - two mentions. [NOTE: Toliver Thrailkill, also Threlkeld, married Lucinda Priest, daughter of John Priest Sr.  Their oldest son was named William, born ca 1813.  They would have been married near the time that John and his family were leaving Virginia for Ohio.  It is possible this is a connection.]

On August 6, 1809 in the same minute book, p. 44, a jury is called in the case of what appears to be a Spotswood debt.  One of the jurors is Jno. Priest, Jr. 

In a case also shown on August 6, p. 47 of this minute book, a jury is called Starke vs. Hayden debt.  One of the jurors is Wm. Priest, Jr.

In the November 1809 court, on pg. 96 of Minute Book 6, there is a reference to the court case of Priest vs. Embry.  On p. 121 of the same book, on a date that wasn’t clear from this page, there is a reference to this case.  (The case begins above in Minute Book 6, p. 42) There is also a reference to a case titled Bashaw v. Priest, a motion by bond seven (?) order.

1810. Elizabeth Priest is shown in the same marriages record as Mary to have married George Bowling (shown in another record as Bowlin), with Lewis Conner presiding, January 12, 1810. [I cannot seem to find anyone by these surnames in the 1810 census in Culpeper County.]

In court records in May 1810, John Priest is paid for 255 hours patrolling.  Probably John Jr.  Right underneath an apparent reference to this on Minute Book D., pp. 181-82, there is also a listing for William Priest with the number 186 after it.  For John there’s an amount of 15.96, for William, there’s an amount of 11.57.

There is a deed of Priest to Morrison in September 1810 in Minute Book 6, p. 256 with the actual deed shown in Deed Book EE, pp. 29-32 - and posted below.  This deed is from John Priest Jr. and wife Darka [Dorcas] to John Morrison, all of Culpeper County, for 120 pounds “good and lawful money of Virginia”.  One hundred and three and one quarter acres, located in the Little fork of the Rappahannock River on Great Battle Run.  Adjacent property owners talked about in the land description were Armistead Button (formerly Benjamin Fatt), William Rust, Jun., The date of the deed is February 20, 1810, and it was recorded on September 17, 1810.  It is signed by John (x-his mark) Priest, and Darka (x – her mark) Priest, witnesses were Henry Ward, Benjamin Humphrey, and James Moody.

James Priest and his wife Mary sold land in 1810 to John Morrison, all of Culpeper County.  The deed is dated January 21, 1810, and is shown in Deed book DD, pp. 429-31 - which is posted below.  The transaction is for fifty pounds, “lawful money of Virginia”.  In the Little Fork of the Rappahannock on Great Battle Run containing fifty and one quarter acres.  Bordered by Joseph Butler, Jun. and John Spelman.  Signed James (x – his mark) Priest and Mary Priest.  Witnessed by Henry Ward, Fontam Brooke, and James Moody.  Mary examined privately. [NOTE: There is a reference in the late 1820’s to Elizabeth Priest in a Joseph Butler estate – making it significant that Joseph Butler had bordering land.]  There is a deed of Priest to Morrison in September 1810 in Minute Book 6, p. 256.

The 1810 census shows six Priests in Culpeper County.  Four of the Priests are John Priest, Sr., and three presumed sons, John, Jr., William, and James.  These four census entries are all shown below.  This seems to indicate that the John branch was the only branch of our Priests still in Culpeper County at the time of this census. There are two other Priests shown in Culpeper County in 1810, George Priest, and Peter Priest – and I have included them below for comparison, even though I do not believe they are from our line.  William Priest and John Priest Jr. are shown on p. 65, posted below.  John Priest Sr. and James Priest ae shown on p. 66, posted below.

As mentioned above, there is a William Priest in the 1810 census in Culpeper County.  The William who was the uncle of this William and the brother of John and Jeremiah, was shown in Greene County, Pennsylvania this year.  The William who was the patriarch and father of John, Jeremiah, William and Stanley appears to have died in the mid-1790’s.  That means that the William in the 1810 census is likely the son of John Sr.  The entry for William shows a man and a woman between twenty-six and forty-five (William and his wife); one male and two females between ten and fifteen; and two males under the age of ten.  This also means that William’s oldest son, as well as two daughters, were born between 1795 and 1800, and would be shown in future censuses as born in Virginia.

John Priest Jr. is shown in 1810 in Culpeper Township and County with seven people in the household – one man between twenty-six and forty-five (John Jr.); one female over forty-five; one female between sixteen and twenty-six (Dorcas); and two boys and two girls under the age of ten.  William Priest is earlier on the page of this entry.

In the 1810 census in Culpeper Township and County, Jno. Priest, Sr. is shown, with an entry containing one male and one female each over the age of forty-five; and male and two females each between the ages of sixteen and twenty-six; and two females between ten and sixteen.  On the same page is a Jas. Priest, shown below.  The next page of the census has entries for George and Peter Priest shown below.  The previous page has an entry for William Priest and Jno. Priest, Jr.

Jas. Priest is shown in the 1810 census in Culpeper Township and County, Virginia, showing one male between twenty-six and forty-five; one woman between sixteen and twenty-six, and one female under the age of ten.

George Priest – is shown in the Culpeper County 1810 census with one male and one female between the ages of twenty-six and forty-five; and one slave, apparently under the age of twenty-five.  John Priest, Sr.; and Jas. Priest are on the previous census page, and Peter Priest is just two entries below George’s.

Peter Priest – is shown in the Culpeper County 1810 census with one male and one female between the ages of twenty-six and forty-five; five males between sixteen and twenty-six; and one male and one female under the age of ten.  There are two slaves shown in the household.  My guess would be – given the fact that the older couple in this entry are not old enough to have had the five men between sixteen and twenty-six, that this is a family of someone in the previous generation kept together in the household of Peter after that person’s death.

As shown above, a Mary Priest married Elijah Anderson in Culpeper County in 1804. An Elijah Anderson is shown in Culpeper County Virginia in the 1810 census.  However this Elijah Anderson has ten people in the household, a man over the age of forty-five; a female between the ages of sixteen and twenty-six; two girls and one boy between ten and fifteen; and four boys and one girl under the age of five.  If this is the same Elijah Anderson as married Mary Priest in 1804, then she was young and this was likely his second marriage and he is a bit older.

1811.  1811 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Names Chargable with the Tax (under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses, mares, goatts, and mules; stud horses; rates of covering per season(?), three more categories that are unclear but are all about carriages and riding wheels, and then two columns for the amount of tax – dollars and cents.

April 14 – William Priest, 1, -, -, -, all the rest blank, no tax.

May 3 – George Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, tax 12 cents.

May 5 – Peter Priest, 3, 1, -, 1, all the rest blank, tax 36 (?) cents.

In 1811 land tax records for Culpeper County, there is a record of William Priest Jr. paying tax on 27 acres.  In the same record, there is a listing for George Priest (probably not ours) paying tax on one hundred acres.

In April 1811 in Minute Book 6, p. 354, there is a reference that might not be totally clear, Douglas v. Priest, motion on bond same order.  The Priest item is not clear in writing that this is Priest.

In court records in June 1811, John Priest is paid for 173 hours patrolling.  Probably John Jr.

1812.  1812 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Date of Receiving List from Individual; Persons Names Chargable with the Tax (under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses, mares, goatts, and mules; stud horses; rates of covering per season(?), three more categories that are unclear but are all about carriages and riding wheels, and then two columns for the amount of tax – dollars and cents.

April 3 – William Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, 12 cents. (on first page of P’s)

April 3 – George Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, tax 12 cents. (on second page of P’s)

April 2 – Peter Priest, 1, -, -, 1, all the rest blank, tax 12 cents.

In 1812 land tax records for Culpeper County, there is a record of William Priest Jr. paying tax on 27 acres.  In the same record, there is a listing for George Priest (probably not ours) paying tax on one hundred acres.

In deed book FF, pp. 514-16, William Priest Jr., and his wife Elizabeth, sold land to Hubard Elkins in a deed dated November 14, 1812, which is posted below.  Both were stated to be residents of Culpeper County, Virginia.  The price was sixty dollars.  The land was “in the fork of Rappahannock River”, being part of land that William Priest Sen. Purchased of Major William Roberts “by Battle Run”.  The land was bordered by Joseph Emry, his corner being on the banks of Big Battle Run.  The deed was for twenty-seven acres of land.  It was signed by William (X – his mark) Priest and Elizabeth (X – her mark) Priest.  The deed was witnessed by William A. Land, Charles Harper, Robt Wilson, Philip (X – his mark) Grimsby, and Willis (X – his mark) Butler.  Elizabeth was examined apart from William.  William Broadus, clerk, witnesses the recording of the deed, but it was dated May 18, 1812, which does not make sense as it was six months after the date at the beginning of the deed.  Then on the next page (516), the November 14, 1812 date was mentioned.  The deed appears to have gone to court in either or both April and August 1813, on oath of one of the witnesses. [NOTE: There is a reference in the late 1820’s to Elizabeth Priest in a Joseph Butler estate – making it significant that a Butler was a witness.]

NOTE: In Licking County deed records, the William Priest who is a son of John and is there in the years after 1812 through his apparent death in 1851, has a wife named Elizabeth in the earlier decades there.  This could mean that there has been much further confusion on the issue of William Priest’s in Culpeper County.   William Priest, the son of the patriarch William Priest and a revolutionary war veteran, was also married to an Elizabeth (likely Elizabeth Hankey) – confusing research.  This could well be William the son, as the older William still alive, was in Greene County, Pennsylvania beginning in 1810.

 Priests in Culpeper County in the Years Immediately After Our Priests Left for Ohio

1813.  1813 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Persons Names Chargable with the Tax (under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses, mares, goatts, and mules; stud horses; (there are no other categories this year but these four) and then two columns for the amount of tax – dollars and cents.

George Priest, 1, -, -, 1, tax 16 cents. (no date included in this year’s listings)

Peter Priest, 1, -, -, 1, tax 16 cents.

In 1813 land tax records for Culpeper County, there is a record of William Priest Jr. paying tax on 27 acres.  In the same record, there is a listing for George Priest (probably not ours) paying tax on one hundred acres.  This is the last year for William Priest – meaning it is the last land tax record for our Priest line in Culpeper County.

(In these years, there is a second schedule that has different headings – as in the early years of this sheet – that does not contain any Priests.) The listing above for William Priest is probably the last record of a Priest of our line in Culpeper County records.

1814.  1814 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

Headings: Persons Names Chargable with the Tax (under this heading the names are listed); White males above 16 years old; Blacks over 16; blacks over 12 and under 16; horses, mares, goatts, and mules; stud horses; (there are no other categories this year but these four) and then two columns for the amount of tax – dollars and cents. (There is a long statement between the first four columns and the column for tax dollars and cents – where nothing appears to be under this column, so it is just a statement).

George Priest, 1, -, -, 1, tax 21 cents. (no date included in this year’s listings)

Peter Priest, 1, -, 1, 1, tax one dollar.

Land Tax records in 1814 – and through 1819 there are land tax records for the one hundred acres of George Priest and for Town Lot 9, Washington for Peter Priest.  George Priest continues in these records through 1830.  He is alone as the only Priest from 1820 through 1826 and there is one for Elizabeth Priest from the Joseph Butler Estate for eleven and one fourth acres in 1827 to 1830.

1815.  1815 Personal Property Tax Records (from microfilm):

The headings are changed this year to maybe thirty lines and headings.  Samuel Priest, Peter Priest, and George Priest are listed in this year’s listing.  I have the copies if necessary to see them.

1818.  From an online listing of Residence  list of outstanding debts due Dekar Thompson & Co. - taken from their books of accounts in 1818 - lists place of residence, is shown: “William Priest - Culpeper Co.”  This is shown at http://www.historiccourtrecords.org/courtrecord.asp?ID=56580&myName=Humphrey,%20Margarett+&mycontext=Marriage  and the context is totally unclear – and it’s unclear if this is a debt from many years prior or not.

1820. There were three Priests shown in the Culpeper County census, all matching the last three Priests shown in the 1815 personal property tax records.  George Priest is shown in Culpeper County, Virginia in the 1820 census with six white people and one slave: one male and one female each over the age of forty-five; one male under ten, and three females under ten – and one female slave between the ages of fourteen and twenty-five.

Peter Priest is shown in Culpeper County, Virginia in the 1820 census with nine white people and three slaves: one male and one female between the ages of twenty-six and forty-five; one male between the ages of sixteen and twenty-six; one male and one female between ten and fifteen; and four females under the age of ten.  Also shown are two female slaves between fourteen and twenty-five and one male slave under the age of fourteen.

Samuel Priest is shown in Culpeper County, Virginia in the 1820 census with five white people and one slave: one male and one female each between the ages of twenty-six and forty-five; and three white females under the age of ten.  Also shown is one female slave between the ages of twenty-six and forty-five.

Peter Priest and George Priest are about three entries apart on one page, and then Samuel is almost at the top of the next page – meaning they were all relatively close together.

1830’s.  There were Priests married a few decades later in Culpeper County – Sarah to Samuel Hambricks in 1831, Mary Ann to George Connard in 1835, and John M. to Mary E. Coats in 1843.  In the Genealogical and Historical Notes on Culpeper Co (Baltimore: 1964), there was a Route Browning that married a Miss Priest in an unspecified year, and had children named Luther William, Regina, Ada, Frank, Russell, Lillian, and Louise.

Priest Family Researchers

I began my research on the Priests as I re-started my genealogical research in the mid-1990’s.  It was mostly before the internet took over communication between researchers.  In those early days, I gathered as much as I could in hard copy, and exchanged regular letters with other Priest researchers.  A number of them are gone now.  But they were helpful in my search to link Nancy Priest (Laird) to her Virginia family. 

Margaret Lester Hill -

Martha C. Priest -  

George Ely Russell, Jr. - George wrote 140 genealogical works over a number of decades and passed away in 2013. His works included some of the early Priest in Virginia.

Summary and Conclusions

As always, I welcome any additions, corrections, or observations about the information presented.

John Laird

Santa Cruz, California

Posted: May 2025