Genealogy: Finding Your Folks

The Price family of Fayette and Coweta - Part 1

By Judy Fowler Kilgore
Genealogy Columnist

Judy Fowler Kilgore is the religion editor and genealogy columnist for The Citizen. She regrets that time does not permit her to do personal family research for others. She may be reached at jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com.

I received a real treat from Ken Arnold a few weeks ago. It was a very detailed account of the Price family which started in Connecticut in the 1600s and wound its way into Fayette and Coweta in the mid 1800s. Ken gave credit to Dave Webb, Dave Barnes and Frances Brown, who contributed their research to complete the story.

The Prices in Fayette were the family of Francis Price and his wife, Elizabeth “Betsey” Morgan, who arrived in Fayette from Newberry Co., S.C., about 1837. They lived in South Fayette County near Brooks and many of their descendants lived in nearby Coweta County in the Senoia area. Included in Ken’s information was a deed for land in Fayette which is located on Price Road. Many Price descendants are buried in the Elmore Cemetery in Coweta, as are Francis and Betsey.

This story is so interesting and so full of details, I will do it in at least two parts, beginning with Francis’ earliest known ancestor, Robert Price, born abt 1645 in Connecticut. Robert moved to Deerfield, Mass., where he married Sarah Webb Field about 1677, daughter of John Webb and Anna Bassett, and the widow of Zachariah Field. Sarah had three sons by her first marriage who were raised in the Price home.

Records show that in 1686 Robert was residing on Lot 17 in Deerfield which was sold in 1693 to John Baker. The site today is occupied by a house built in 1802 and the John Wilson Printing Shop.

On 20, April, 1688, Robert received a woodlot in Deerfield and the family continued to reside there until the early years of the 1700s.

Samuel and Sarah Price had six children: a stillborn child born 15 Aug. 1677; Sarah Price, b. 12 Sept. 1678 in New Haven, Conn.; Mary Price, b. 21 March 1680/81 in New Haven, d. 29 Feb. 1703/04 in Deerfield; Marie Elizabeth Price, b. 23 Aug 1683 in North Hampton, d. 23 Oct 1716 in Montreal, Canada; John Price, b. 14 May 1689 in New Haven; and Samuel Price, b. abt 1692 in Deerfield, d. 1768 in Sussex Co., N.J.

Robert did much military duty in the battles with the Indians in New England, and, it was in one of those attacks, the attack on Deerfield in 1704, that his wife, Sarah, and son, Samuel, were captured. Sarah was killed but Samuel was spared and carried into Canada.

In Ken’s words, “Sarah Price was about 53 years of age when captured by the Abenakis. She was killed only a short distance from Deerfield. It is generally believed from records that have survived and by stories of those captives who returned, that a woman of her age would serve no useful purpose and perhaps would be unlikely to endure the forced march to Canada of some 300 miles in winter through an uncharted and uncolonized wilderness. There were two other women over the age of 45 who were captured and they were also killed a short distance from Deerfield. Other captive women who could not endure the march were slain at intervals along the route.

“The route was north up the Connecticut River Valley to the White River in Vermont, and the Winooski River to the eastern shore of Lake Champlain. They traveled on the eastern side of Lake Champlain and up the Richelieu River to the St. Lawrence River, and then to Montreal, arriving on April 25, nearly two months after the fateful morning at Deerfield.”

Another note from Ken states, “After the raid at Deerfield in 1704, where Indians killed or kidnapped villagers and burned homes (this was part of Queen Anne’s War), Fitz-John Winthrop wrote a table of losses at Deerfield. For Robt. Price, one child was captive (Samuel), one wife slain (Sarah), one person left alive at home (Robert), and his estate lost.” Ken notes that this information was submitted to him by Michael Meggison on 17 July 2001.

Samuel Price, the son, was taken captive when he was about 10 (some say he was about 18) and, apparently watched as his mother was killed. Ken’s story says that the mother was somewhat conversant in the Indian language and realized what was about to happen to her. She told her son when they killed her not to cry, or they would kill him too. A short distance farther, she was killed.

Samuel was said to have been adopted by one of the Abenaki women as her child, since she had lost a child a few days earlier. He lived with the Abenakis until he was about 21, and was eventually rescued by his friends. It is said that it was a long time before he became thoroughly reconciled with civilized society, and sometimes he expressed a desire to return to the Abenakis. But the feeling eventually wore away.

After his release, Samuel traveled throughout Connecticut where he met and married Dorothy Fox about 1714, and later, Sarah Perrin in 1729.

Samuel and his first wife, Dorothy Fox had six children, all born in Connecticut: Samuel; John.; Dorothy; Zachariah.; Sarah; and Ebenezer.

Samuel and his second wife, Sarah Perrin, also had six children: Robert; Elizabeth; Mary; John; Francis; and Zachariah.

The oldest son, Samuel Price, son of Samuel and Dorothy Fox Price, was the ancestor of the Price family who moved on southward through Newberry and into Fayette. We will go into more detail next week on their travels and their children.

My thanks to Ken (karnold2@bellsouth.net) for this wonderful story.

I appreciate and welcome all letters and e-mails about genealogy and info on south metro Atlanta families. Send them to The Citizen, Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; e-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com. Any letters and/or e-mails I receive are subject to being used in the column.

Until next week, happy hunting!