Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Sarah Thompson Pritchett Wilson ~ Pioneer of the Month ~ August 2023

Levi Franklin Pritchett

The Pritchett Family

The family name of Pritchett originated in Wales and according to all known records, is a name of great antiquity, having an unbroken male descent from the princes of Wales, between Wye and Severn, a dynasty that lasted from the time of Caradoc Vraich, who reigned in 520 AD to the death of Bleddyn, the last prince in 1190 AD.

During this time the family became very numerous and began to spread out into other parts of the British Isles. Many went into Ireland and the middle parts of England. From the period of the close of the reign of Bleddyn until about the middle of the 15th century, little is known about the family as few or no records were kept. It has to date been impossible to bridge the gap between 1190 and the first Pritchett who came to America.

The records of Virginia Historical Society record that Miles Pritchett came to America on a sailing ship, the Star, in the year 1612. This was eight years before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Apparently, he settled in Jamestown, Virginia, and from there the family spread out into the area known at that time as the Virginia land grant. This area comprised what is now known as Virginia, Kentucky, Delaware, Tennessee, and parts of Georgia. The Pritchetts were also in Delaware and Maryland as early as 1669. It is in this area that most of the Pritchett family are found today and from which the branch of our family originally came. It has been difficult to trace a direct line of Pritchetts beyond the middle of the 17th century. Most of this difficulty is the direct result of the Civil War. During the various campaigns that the northern troops made into the South, many of the churches where the records of our people were kept were burned and it is therefore impossible to verify many of the stories and much of the information that has come down from generation to generation and from family to family. James Mitchell Pritchett, the father of Leonidas Pritchett, was born in Smyth County, Virginia on June 1, 1817, and later married Mary Ann Fulcher. To them were born nine children: William, Leonidas, John, Nancy, Thomas, Levi, James, Rebecca, and Douglas. Douglas died at the age of three years but all the other children lived to marry and raise a family. William, the eldest, married Peggy Heneger. Leonidas married Elizabeth Ann Heninger. John married Mary V. Hambrick. Nancy married John Floyd Young. Thomas married Lovina Chadwick Heninger, and later, after her death he married Ida Huntsman. Levi married Ellen Thompson. James married Kate James. Rebecca married Lindsey Brady.

The descendants of these eight children have spread into nearly all the western states. Many of them have at one time or another become interested in their genealogy and have made an attempt to find the records of their families. As a result, there has been a tremendous duplication of effort and in many cases, each one has interpreted the existing records in their own way, which has resulted in many conflicting claims and dates of births, marriages, and deaths. Written by La Von Fuller Shreeve; date unknown. Found in papers belonging to Hazel Smith Carver, a great-granddaughter.

Wilson's Blacksmith Shop was located on the south side corner of State Street and Main, where the Pharmacy is located now. You can see main street buildings in the background.