Our Price Family Ancestors came from Wales, a 

country on the West coast of England. Our 

Welsh ancestors played an important role in 

the history of both the United Kingdom and 

America. 

One of our Ancestors was the Sheriff

of Brecon in Wales. He became the Sheriff 

because he helped the English King resolve 

disputes between the Country of Wales and the 

Country of England.

Our Ancestors worked in businesses that 

depended on waterway navigation to move 

commerce from the source of production to the 

markets. These men were called navigators. 

Eventually that was shortened to become Navi 

or Navy.

As time moved on many canals were built in 

Wales to move coal from the coal mines down 

to English towns where the homes and 

factories that used the coal were located.

Trimcane Canal off of Highway 82

Bridge in Oktibbeha County

Mississippi

John Price was born in Wales in 1585. He came 

to America in 1610/1611 to seek his fortune. 

He initially lived in Jamestown but eventually 

moved up the James River towards Richmond. 

John was involved in navigation of the James 

River as settlers moved west from Jamestown 

towards Richmond. John's sons were involved 

in navigation improvements to the rivers 

around Richmond and in Northern Virginia 

from 1610 through 1766 when John's 5th 

Great Grandson, Daniel Price, moved to 

Craven's District South Carolina.

Not all of our ancestors were Navigators. Many 

became Farmers alongside the rivers that were 

navigated by their brothers. In time, the oldest 

or first born sons would inherit the property 

and the younger sons would move on to find 

their fortunes elsewhere. Some would work as 

navigators while others would farm.

In the 1760's, the Duke of Bridgewater in 

Wales built the the first Canal that was not 

built atop an existing stream. By the 1790's, 

Navi-gators in America began building similar 

canals.

The Duke had several important people that 

helped him on the Canals in Wales. James 

Brindley, a Welsh engineer, solved many canal 

building problems. Another was the Duke's 

project manager or agent, John Gilbert who 

coordinated the building of the canals.

James Brindley's son came to America as the 

War of Independence began. He knew George 

Washington and influenced many projects in 

America. America turned to canals to carry the  

commerce necessary to recover from the 

costly war of independence.

Daniel Price left Chester County South Carolina 

around 1790 and was in the Orangeburg 

District of South Carolina by 1790. There was a 

lot of canal building on the Santee River to 

help bring more commerce to Charleston.  

Daniel moved from Orangeburg to Edgefield 

South Carolina after the canal construction on 

the Santee River was complete. James Brindley 

Jr. visited this construction at the request of 

George Washington and General William 

Moultrie a friend of George Washington. 

The Santee Canal shared many characteristics 

with the Bridgewater Canal. It was obviously 

influenced by that canal. Daniel died in 

Edgefield County South Carolina in 1801. His 

sons and nephews continued to farm the land 

along the Savannah River.

Daniel had left sons in Chester County South 

Carolina when he relocated to Orangeburg. 

Those included a son named Daniel, a 

Grandson named Daniel, and a Great Grandson 

named Thomas. Both Daniel's son and 

grandson died in Chester County.

Daniel's Great Grandson, Thomas, 

married Malinda Garland between 1835 

and 1837. Some of Thomas' son Daniel 

Price's family believe her name was 

Malinda Jeager or Yeager. 

Thomas, Malinda and their son Thomas 

Garland Price left Chester County to 

move to Edgefield County South 

Carolina around 1840. 

By 1840 they had another son named 

Daniel. Some of Daniel's descendants 

believe he was named Daniel 

Dardington Price .

Augusta Georgia was improving the River 

Navigation above Augusta and constructing the 

Augusta Canal during that time. The canal was 

complete around 1847.

Thomas and the family moved to Oktibbeha 

County Mississippi by 1850. They had a slave 

who was the nanny to the boys. Her name was 

Jane and she died en route. In Oktibbeha 

County Mississippi, Thomas he was engaged to 

maintain the Trimcane Canal. Much evidence 

exists of the straightening of the channel, 

dredging, and clearing of tow paths.

Thomas Price's Granddaughter, Mary 

Jane Price, recalled the drought animals 

and the men leaving in October every 

year to take the cotton to Mobile 

Alabama. 

The journey was three months. They 

would dam up the canal and when the 

water rose high enough to float the 

barges laden with cotton, they would 

dynamite the dams and float down the 

Trimcane Canal to the Tibbee River, then 

to the Tombigbee Waterway.

During the Civil War all the Price men served. 

Daniel was wounded three times. Each time he 

was sent home to die. When he recovered he 

rejoined the fight. By the time the war ended, 

he was a Lieutenant the Cavalry. 

During the war Daniel married Laurania Anne 

Gilbert, the daughter of John Gilbert, an 

investor who lived on the Trimcane Creek in 

Northeastern Oktibbeha County. John Gilbert 

came from the Augusta Georgia area. Laurania 

Anne was known to her descendants as Annie 

Lou.

Thomas Garland Price Married Nancy Henrietta 

Greer in 1862, about a month before he joined 

the Confederate Army in Talibonella, North and 

West of the Family Home in Oktibbeha County 

Mississippi. 

During the war he was initially in Confederate 

Units guarding Pensacola. He received a 

medical discharge in 1862 from the 

Confederate Hospital at Demopolis Alabama. 

Thomas Garland Price's daughter, Emma 

Lucy, still has this Daguerreotype of his 

wife, Nancy Greer Price, that he carried 

throughout the war.Thomas Garland 

Married Nancy Greer literally a few days 

prior to joining the Confederate Army in 

Talibonella. The unit was the Talibonella 

Rifles.