Biography of Benjamin L. Pryor

	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1898. Pages 405-406

	Scan and OCR by Joy Fisher, 1997. This file may be copied for non-profit 
	purposes. All other rights reserved. 



BENJAMIN L. PRYOR is the proprietor of the general merchandise store at 
Troy, Grant county, and also handles the United States mail at that 
place. He was born in Lincoln township, Chittenden county, Vermont, 
February 11, 1843.

	Mr. Pryor's father, Leonard Pryor, was born in Vermont in the year 
1811, and in 1830 was married to Miss Catherine Allen. He farmed in his 
native state until 1855, then moved to Sauk county, Wisconsin, where he 
remained one year, moving thence to Dunn county, as it was then called, 
but is now known as Pepin county. After farming there for two years he 
decided to try Minnesota soil for agricultural purposes and accordingly 
moved to Wabasha county, Minnesota, where he continued farming until his 
death, which occurred in 1878, leaving to mourn his departure, his 
beloved wife, three daughters and five sons, of which number our subject 
is the fifth in the order of birth, and all are living except one.

	In 1862 Benjamin enlisted in Company F, Ninth Minnesota Volunteer 
Infantry, under Captain Enoch, and was mustered in at Fort Snelling, 
from whence he went with his company to Glencoe, Minnesota, remaining 
there three months; thence to Fort Ridgely, where he remained about nine 
months, then came the order to move south. With skirmishing, 
bushwhackers and pitched battles with the Confederate forces, the march 
was kept up from Jefferson City, Missouri, to Memphis, Tennessee, then 
at the Sturgis raid at Guntown, Mississippi, where he was wounded and 
sent to the hospital at Memphis, and was confined there three or four 
weeks. After being released from the hospital he was sent with the 
command up White river after Price and followed him into Kansas, then 
took up the line of march for St. Louis where they took boat for 
Nashville, Tennessee. There they had a two-days' engagement with Hood, 
after which they went to Eastport, Mississippi, into winter quarters and 
lived for two months on shelled corn. On breaking camp at Eastport, they 
were sent to New Orleans where they took boat to Mobile bay. He was at 
the fall of Spanish Fort, and after that engagement was marched to 
Montgomery, Alabama, staying at that place three or four weeks. From 
thence he went to Selma, and was discharged August 25, 1865.

	After the three years of turbulent life, Mr. Pryor settled down to 
the more peaceful occupation of farming, in Minnesota, but in 1885, 
catching the "migration fever," he went to Grant county, South Dakota, 
and filed a preemption claim to a tract of land described as follows: 
The west one-half of the northwest quarter and the southeast quarter of 
the southeast quarter, and the northeast quarter of the southwest 
quarter, and lot four of section 22, township 118, range 50. Mr. Pryor 
lived on this farm for nine years; broke up seventy-five acres; erected 
good buildings and equipped the place with stock, and wells that furnish 
abundance of water. In 1896 he moved his family into Troy and bought a 
stock of general merchandise and a store building, and now enjoys a good 
trade with the people of the surrounding country, having placed himself 
high in the confidence and respect of all who have the pleasure of his 
acquaintance.

	Mr. Pryor was married in Minnesota to Miss Emily Martin, and there 
have been born to them six children: Leonard Almon; Ida May married a 
farmer of Troy township by the name of William Henderson, and they are 
the parents of two children; Jennie C. married James Burt, of Codington 
county, and they have one child; Eva died at the age of four years from 
blood poisoning after an illness from scarlet fever; and Dean, now a lad 
of four years. Mrs. Pryor is the oldest of a family of six children 
whose parents were natives of New York state, and who removed from that 
state to Minnesota in 1859. Mr. Pryor is a stanch Republican and has 
held, at different times, nearly every office in the township, and has 
also held school township offices. While not a church member, he is a 
man of excellent moral character, and is inclined toward the Quaker 
belief. He was a member of the Myrtle Leaf lodge, No. 302, I. O. G. T., 
which lodge, however, has now died out and forfeited its charter.