Okay, you probably won’t understand much in this next bit but I am looking for something to amuse me today while I wait for some documents for another story….so here we go. This bit follows Prudence Taylor Elmore Myers’ trials and tribulations from birth to her first marriage to her move to Ohio and her marriage to Ralph Myres. I don’t have enough documentation to prove all of this but it is fun looking through the bits and pieces and putting a story together…….WHOOOOO HAAAAAA!

Prudence Taylor was the daughter of William and Mary Pearson Taylor born in Berkeley County, District 96, South Carolina on 11th month, 10th day, 1780. I believe Prudence to be my 2nd great grandmother. She had three older siblings, Samuel, Martha and Jonathan.

Now for this twist in the plot….When she was either less than two years old, her father died on 10 12 1781 as is stated on almost all family sites OR, he wrote his will on 10 12 1781 and died in 1789 when there is some evidence that his will was entered in court records. (Yes, a bit of understatement on my part.)
Newberry County S.C. Estates
Box 361, Pkg. 36. 361-365
LWT 10 Oct 1781 Proven 28 Jul 1789 Bk. A, P. 70. Or, if that reference does not suit your fancy, try the next one.
Recorded in Will Book "A" Page 69
Proved March 4th 1789
Test. W. Malone Clk. Ct. (Original Will not in Files of Probate)
To whom it may Concern Know Ye That I William Taylor of Bush River Ninety six District in South Carolina being of Sound mind and Memory do this Tenth day of the 10th Month October in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred & and Eighty One; make and Publish this my Last will & Testament in Manner following, That is to say, First I Give to my son Samuel, the Plantation whereon I now Live Containing Two hundred and fifty Acres of Land, And I Give & bequeath to my son Jonathan Taylor one other Plantation or Tract of Land Containing One hundred Acres of Land & one other Tract of Land Containing One Hundred Acres of Land Originally Granted to Matthew Brooks and William Nelson, which sd Plantations or Tracts of Land as aforesaid I Give and bequeath to my said Sons Samuel Taylor & Jonathan Taylor to them their Heirs and Assigns forever, And to my Daughter Martha Taylor, I Give and bequeath the sum of Two hundred pounds of Lawful Current Money of South Carolina Aforesaid, I also Give to my Youngest Daughter Prudence Two Hundred pounds of Like Money, to be paid out of my Debts that will be due to me which said Debts, Bonds, Notes or Otherwise my Executors herein Named are to Collect & pay to my said Daughters when they Arrive & be of Age in Law, And Provided either of my Daughters Should Decease in her Nonage The sd Sum of Two Hundred pounds shall Revert and be paid the other as aforesaid The Residue & Remainder of All my Personal Estate I bequeath to my Wife Mary Taylor for & during her Widowhood to be by her possessed for her Use & the Maintenance and Education of my Said Children, but if she Should Marry before my Said Children Should Arrive at their Several Ages in Law that then in such Case my Execrs do take into their hands my Said Personal Estate for the Use above mentioned, & Lastly I do make and Ordain Samuel Pearson & Mercer Babb Executors to this my Last Will & Testament, In Witness Whereof I have to this my last Will & Testament set my hand & Seal the day & year above Written
William Taylor (Seal)
Signed Sealed and Delivered by the Said William Taylor as & for his last Will & Testament in the Presence of Us who where present at the Signing & Sealing Thereof
Samuel Kelley
Joshua Reeder
Samuel Ridgdell

Prudence’s grandfather, Samuel Pearson, died in Bush River on January 8, 1790.

Prudence’s mother, Mary Pearson Taylor married 2nd John Mills in Newberry County on 2 28 1793.
Prudence’s grandfather Jonathan Taylor died in the first part of 1795.
Will of Jonathan Taylor Newberry County, South Carolina Will book A, page 274. Proved May 18, 1795. While Prudence is not specifically named in the will, as an heir of William Taylor, she would have inherited part of the tract of land mentioned in his will.
"….I give and bequeath to the heirs of my son William Taylor decd the whole Tract of Land whereon his Widow not Lives…."

Prudence Taylor married Ridgeway Elmore sometime (probably) early in 1798. This MAY have been her second marriage, some family genealogists think that she was first married to a man named O’Sayle, however if she was there seems to be no proof. And, there does not appear to have been any persons with that last name in Newberry County at that time.
Prudence and Ridgeway were the parents of two daughters, Abigail born on an unknown date, probably died before 1821 and Mahala born April 9, 1800. Ridgeway died between January 17, 1803 when his will was written and March 15, 1803 when the will was probated.
On 9 May 1805 John & his wife Mary & children Enoch & Elijah Mills, & Ann Pearson received on certificate from Bush River MM, S. C. dated 23 Feb 1805 < Records Miami MM, Warren co, Ohio. If you were paying attention, you know that this is Prudence’s mother, step father an two half brothers….I have no knowledge of Ann Pearson.

Warren County was formed in 1803 and then Clinton County was formed in 1810 from part of Warren and part of Highland County.

"According to some estate records for Jonathan Taylor (Here I am assuming this Jonathan was her brother.), it indicates that Prudence Elmore was "about to remove to the state of Ohio in a few days" in a petition dated 21 Sept 1807. And in 1809, Prudence Elmore, Warren Co., Ohio was paid by the estate of Jonathan Taylor for "nursing him in his last illness, burial shroud"". Sue Appleton ^ There is no reference as to where these records are filed, but I’m looking for them.

And now for the next twist of the tale, William T. Elmore. William was apparently the son of Joseph and Martha Taylor Elmore, Prudence’s sister and brother in law. Joseph was also the brother of Ridgeway Elmore. William was born in South Carolina on February 24, 1807, about the time Martha Taylor Elmore died and was then (according to some family members) raised by Prudence and taken to Ohio in 1809. Another sub plot and twist; Joseph and Martha also had a daughter, Mary, born about 1806 who was raised by her father and accompanied him to Ohio a few years later. By this time, Joseph had a new wife and they lived about 4o miles from where William was living at the time but there is no record that there was ever any contact.

Children of Ralph Myers, all believed to have been born in Clinton County, Ohio.
Nathan born May 21, 1811.
Samuel born November 4, 1812.
Mary born August 21, 1814.
Ralph unknown birth date.

Caesars Creek Monthly Meeting started in 1810.

John Mills (Prudence’s step father) dies in Clinton County, Ohio on August 9, 1814. Death recorded at Caesars Creek MM, Ohio.

Guardianship for "Mahaly" (Mahala) Elmore apparently started 1816 in Newberry County, South Carolina.
Ralph Myers died in Clinton County between April 24, 1820 when he wrote his will and October 13, 1820 when his will was probated, Volume Q, page 27, Clinton County, Ohio Wills. His will states, in part:
"…..I will and bequeath to the management and disposal of my step daughter Mahala Elmore for the raising, maintaining and schooling of my children, namely William Elmore, Nathan, Samuel, Mary and Ralph Mires….." The will goes on to state that Ralph is the youngest son and that Ralph’s (Sr.) estate was to be managed until the son Ralph reached maturity, then sold and the money divided equally between the heirs. The executor of the will was Jesse Arnold who managed the estate until his death in 1832 then John Arnold (who married Mahala Elmore) managed the estate. The will also states that if Mahala can not care for the children, that they are to be placed in the care of Caesars Creek Monthly Meeting. There is no record that the children were placed in the care of Caesars Creek.
There is no mention of his wife in the will confirming (to me) that Prudence had died prior to April 24, 1820.
The will is signed, "Ralph Mires".
On various estate papers the name appears as Mires, Myers, Miars and Miers and sometimes two or three on the same document.

The earliest Clinton County land tax record that I have is for 1820. The record shows that Ralph owned two parcels of land totaling 194 acres in Chester Township near Turkey Run (a creek) that drains into Caesars Creek, the tax bill appears to have been $3.18 total for both parcels. Two of his neighbors are Elijah Mills, Prudence’s half brother and John Mills, either the estate of John Mills Sr. or John Mills Jr..

And to confuse, just a bit more, there is this parting shot. Since there does not seem to be much written history of Ralph’s family, nor my relative Nathan, I will include a few lines from the obituary of Samuel Myers, brother of Nathan and son of Ralph.
Anderson (Indiana) Morning Herald, February 13, 1895.
"……Mr. Myers was born eighty-two years ago the 4th of last November in Clinton County, Ohio. His parents were South Carolina Quakers, and from them he inherited that love for truth and honesty which were chief characteristics of the man."
"When but eight years of age he was bound out to a firm of weavers and learned the trade at the loom. At seventeen he went to Cincinnati and was soon toiling for a dairy firm, and there spent the season of the famous cholera epidemic of 1832."

One other thing, there is no record of the Myers family being Quaker in Clinton County until 1831, 10, 27. Mary (Miers) recrq
Yes, I am aware of the 1969 Myers Family History written by Herman Myers shortly before his death. In that history he lists Ralph’s first wife as Prudence Baker and his second wife as Mrs. Elmon. I could find no evidence that Ralph was married twice. If you use a bit of whoooo haaaaaa here you transfer Elmon to Elmore and transfer Baker to candle stick maker to Taylor. Of course you need to be versed in children’s rhymes for that last bit.