This is a good discussion!
I think we could get some good info from the "Baker-Womack Family
Bible Record" in NGSQ, vol 17. The nearest library to me that has it
about 100 miles (Macon, GA), so it may while before I can get there.
The Pryor-McNeill data certainly has errors, but I think most were
introduced as errors by researchers at various points in time. That
is why I like to get back to the original records when I can.
Malcolm McNeill, son of Henry McNeill and Dorothy Pryor, was very
interesting. He had a lot of dealings with a branch of my Burke
family. He owned plantations in Mississippi and Kentucky, but he also
went to Illinois and invested in land that later became Chicago, which
made his descendants very wealthy (Malcolm's estate was worth about
one million dollars in 1875, quite a bit of money for then). Malcolm
had 4 wives, but his 3 children that survived all came from 3rd wife,
Martha Rivers. Malcolm'd daughter, Martha McNeill, married Wiley P
Boddie; their daughter, Lucy Boddie, married John C Anderson; their
daughter was Martha Rivers Anderson, from whom we get the Bible
records. See
http://www.carlinvilleschools.net/middle/cyber2002/pages/Amansion.htm
Note that Martha Rivers Anderson had TB. The 1900 Census of Macoupin
Co, IL shows she was born in 1884, and Illinois death records indicate
she died there 21 Feb 1920. She was isolated because of her TB, and
probably wrote a lot of letters. She wrote the dates from the family
bible to a cousin, and I guess that is how we have them.
Acording to the info from Martha Rivers Anderson, Dorothy Pryor was
born 23 Mar 1755. I have seen other dates (23 Mar 1753, 23 Mar 1775),
but I think 1755 is correct, since the source is closest to an
original record (ie, the family bible). The 1775 marriage date is
probably incorrect; this does not seem to come from the bible. Also,
why would they have married in Petersburg, VA when both the Pryors and
the McNeills lived in Caswell Co, NC?
By the way, Henry McNeill and Dorothy Pryor had a daughter, Catherine
McNeill, who was the second wife of Jesse Womack, son of John Womack
and Lucy Pryor - thus Catherine and Jesse were first cousins, since
both Lucy Pryor and Dorothy Pryor were the daughters of John Pryor.
David Womack, who married Mildred Pryor (another sister), had a
daughter, Dorothy Womack. Undocumented sources have her middle name
as Pryor. I wonder if the confusion about the wife of Jesse Womack
(son of Richard III) has anything to do with these facts.
Dorothy (Pryor) McNeill, widow of Henry McNeill, was in the 1820
Census of Christian Co, KY, where she died in 1824. Ancestry has her
indexed as Dorothy W Neal, but if you look, it says Dorothy McNeal.
I doubt that Jesse Womack, son of Richard III, married circa 1768. I
also doubt he was born circa 1739. He was likely born circa 1750. I
say this because of my study of Womack records in VA, NC, and GA. In
VA, Richard's son's Richard, Jacob, Abraham, and David are mentioned
records from the 1750s. In Orange Co, NC, there are records of
Richard III and sons Jacob, Abraham, David, and son-in-law Josiah
Olday in the early 1760s. Richard III then has records in GA
indicating he moved there circa 1765. The first record of Richard's
son Jesse that I know of is in Oct 1769, when Jesse asked for 100
acres of land (surveyed 5 Jan 1770, granted 5 Jun 1770). The requests
for land grants usually indicated whether the requestor was married,
how many children, number of slaves, etc.
Richard Womacks first request was in June 1766, said he had come from
VA and been in GA 12 months, had wife, 3 children, 7 slaves.
Richard's next request in May 1768, said "some time in GA", 5 kids, 7
slaves. In Sep 1768, he said he had been 3 years in GA, wife, 4 kids,
6 slaves.
Jesse's request in Oct 1769, just said 4 years in GA, nothing about
wife, kids, or slaves. He requested land next to Richard Womack.
John Womack also requsted land next to Richard in 1769, and he said he
had been in GA for 2 years, no wife or kids mentioned.
The grants had to be signed in Savannah. Although GA was divided into
Parishes, the parishes had no government. The only government was the
colony capital at Savanah. Since the Womacks lived far from Savannah,
they usually gave power of attorney to others to sign the grants. For
example, Thomas Chisholm signed for Jesse, and signed twice for
Richard. However, the Womacks went to Savanah occassionally, since
Jesse Womack signed for Margaret Johnston in 1768, and Abraham Womack
signed for John Womack in 1771.
There is also this record:
"Miscellaneous Bonds", Book Y-2 (1774-1777), p.276 - Richard Womack of
St George Par, GA, gave slave to son Jesse Womack of St George Par.
Witness. Abraham and Martha Womack. 15 Nov 1773. Colonial Georgia
Geneagical Data, by William H Dumont.
From this, we know Jesse was Richard's son. There is a Bible record
that states that David Womack who married Mildred Pryor was also
Richard's son. The chancery case in VA over the death of Richard
Womack (IV) state that he was also Richard's son. I do not know of
any explicit statements for Jacob, Abraham, or John, but proximity and
dealings with Richard give pretty good evidence they were also his
sons, plus DNA testing proves this (at least for Abraham). I have
seen undocumented stuff that Richard had sons Abner or Thomas, but
there is no proof whatsoever.
There was some back-and-forth moving between GA and Caswell Co, NC.
John and Abraham went back to Caswell, where John married Lucy Pryor,
and Abraham's daughter, Cisley, married James H McFarland. John
stayed in NC, but Abraham came back to GA. I think David Womack who
married Mildred Pryor stayed in NC when his father moved to GA;
however, David came to GA later in the 1780s. He got land grants in
Burke Co, GA near brother Jesse. There is some bogus info that David
died in Beaufort Dist, SC. There was a David WARNOCK in Beaufort
Dist, SC, which a small amount of digging on
ancestry.com can prove.
David Womack likely died in Burke Co, GA.
A lot of researchers have mixed up Jesse and David's kids since they
lived near each other in GA for a while. As far as I know, Jesse did
not have a son named David, but his brother David did.
As far as I know, John N Womack was Jesse's first child.