Friday's Photo: Regan United Methodist Church

The following was written in one of my great-great-grandmother's obituaries. 

Her house was the preacher's house, where they always received an old fashioned Methodist welcome. Being the daughter of a Methodist preacher, she both reverenced and loved the men of God. It was a source of evident gratification that she once entertained Bishop Morris on one of his overland trips to Texas. 

Elizabeth Span Regan Bryan's father was Joseph Regan. Bishop Frances Asbury, a pioneer bishop of American Methodism, wrote that he preached at Riggin's {Regan's} Chapel and dined at the home of Joseph Regan on February 3, 1803. 

Joseph Regan died in 1843. His sons, Eli and Neill Regan, donated the land for the present day site in 1847 and in 1890 the current church was constructed. 

I attended the 21st Regan Reunion last weekend along with about 40 other Regan family descendants. I learned quite a bit and met many nice distant cousins. I was especially surprised to learn that Regan was pronounced Ree-gan by most family members. I always assumed it was pronounced Ray-gan. 

Thank you to the organizers for their hard work. I hope to attend the 22nd! 

Diana

© 2015



Sources

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Diana Bryan Quinn.

"Randy's Cousin Web Page - Person Page." Randy's Cousin Web Page - Person Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015. <http://regan.org/genealogy/all/all-o/p4.htm#i396>.

"Regan United Methodist Church | Methodist church in Lumberton, NC | Powered by Net Ministries." Web. 30 Oct. 2015. <http://netministries.org/see/churches/ch00240>.

Friday's Photos: Elizabeth Span Regan Bryan

My great-great-grandmother was Elizabeth Span Regan, daughter of Joseph and Dorothea Regan. She was born October 20, 1798 in Robeson County, North Carolina. Elizabeth married her cousin Joseph Regan, moved to Georgia, and after his death in 1820, married Reddick Bryan in Pulaski County, Georgia. She spent almost 20 years in living with her family in Georgia (primarily Houston County) before moving to Northwest Louisiana with her family in 1838. Elizabeth remained in Louisiana until her death in 1877. She is buried in the Bryan Cemetery in Bienville Parish. 

This weekend, I will be attending the 21st Regan Family Reunion at the Regan United Methodist Church in Lumberton, Robeson County, North Carolina. This will be my first time in attendance and I know that I will learn a little more about my great-great-grandmother's family. 

For other posts about Regan family, click on the links below. 

Sunday's Obituary: Dr.Span Ragan

Friday's Photo: Amelia Regan Baker - She kept in touch with family.

Friday's Photo: Dorothy Emily Regan

From the Files of Marguerite Cook Clark:Alice Davis Regan

Diana

© 2015

Friday's Photo: Joseph B. Bryan or James Bryan?

Joseph B. Bryan

The above photo was sent to me by two different distant Bryan cousins very early in my research. Both identified the man as Joseph B. Bryan, son of Reddick and Elizabeth Regan Bryan.  

I received permission to post these on my web pages. Many copied it and added it to their web pages. And, it can be found many times over at Ancestry.com along this older, well documented, photo of Joseph B. Bryan. 



I had no reason to question this photo's identity, until last spring when I saw this identical photo in the collection of Marguerite Cook Clark.  

Was this Joseph B. or James? James was half-brother to Joseph B. and about 10 years older. 

To be honest, I was much more interested in the Civil War picture found in the same collection. I knew there was a mistake, but planned to worry about it at a later time. 

I enlisted the help of Maureen Taylor, photo expert, to help me compare family pictures with those in the Civil War photo. I sent her these photos of "Joseph B." and others, but the outcome was not what I expected. Instead of matching my family photos to the Civil War photo, she found discrepancies in the said identities of some of my photographed men. 

According to Maureen Taylor, these men were not one in the same. One of the reasons is the beards were so different. Men's beards have a pattern that don't change with age. 

Maggie Martin Cook, mother of Marguerite Cook Clark, labeled this photo Uncle Jimmie Bryan. She did not know her Uncle Jimmie Bryan. She was born in 1887 - three years after his death in 1884. She did know her grandfather, Joseph B. Bryan. She was about 20 years old at the time of his death. Maggie had many photos of James' wife Alice and was almost 30 years old when Alice died in 1916. 



Seen below, these photos of a younger James Bryan and his wife, Alice Wimberly, were also found in Marguerite Cook Clark's collection and labeled Uncle Jimmie Bryan and Aunt Alice Bryan. 

The above photos were also found by Vera Wimberly, compiler of The Wimberly Family History, in Josie Bryan Cook's album.  A very dark Xeroxed copy of these photos along with photos of Josie and her brother, John Terrell Bryan, are in Mrs. Wimberly's files in a library in Conroe, Texas. Above the photos were the names James Bryan and Alice Bryan. Josie and John were the biological children of Sarah Wimberly Bryan and Joseph B. Bryan and the adopted children of Alice Wimberly Bryan and her husband, James Bryan. 

And, these colorized photos were sent to me by another descendant of this family soon after I found Marguerite Cook Clark's collection. These framed pictures were identified on the back as James Bryan and Alice Bryan.

My conclusion? The photo, at the top of this post, is not Joseph B. Bryan, but instead, his half-brother, James Bryan. And, I have many corrections to make. 

Diana

© 2015

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Marguerite Cook Clark. Accessed April 28, 2014 and September 14, 2014. Used with permission.

Photographs from the Frye Family Collection. Accessed January 12, 2015. Used with permission.

Photographs from the collection of Mary Smith. Accessed December 2004. Used with permission. 

Miss Mary M. Barnett is my name and America was discovered by Christopher Columbus - a document found in Elbert County court records

This is not my family, but very a appropriate post for Columbus Day. 

Miss Mary M. Barnett was practicing her penmanship on this paper found while searching Georgia records, at FamilySearch.org; specifically in Elbert County Records, 1790-2002 Court records - Miscellaneous court records - box 13 1790-1900.

Mary M. Barnett's document was found, on page 401, in a  
file marked Settlement with Harris March 31, 1841. 

Written across the paper is thought to be "H. R. Barnett" and "DEEds."  The middle initial is not legible. In the same file was a Judge H. M. Barnett's application to the estate of Sarah Thorton in January 1855. 

If you had family that lived in Elbert County, you definitely need to check out these "browse only records" at FamilySearch.org. I spent several snow days last year browsing thousands of pages while looking for Hairstons. I found only a few documents, but it was well worth my search!

Diana

© 2015

Sources

"Georgia, Elbert County Records, 1790-2002," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-22959-11994-8?cc=2071974&wc=M77X-G66:355761601,355761602 : accessed 25 May 2015), Court records > Miscellaneous court records box 13 1790-1900 > image 395 of 469; Elbert County Probate Court, Elberton.

"Georgia, Elbert County Records, 1790-2002," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-22959-11993-33?cc=2071974&wc=M77X-G66:355761601,355761602 : accessed 25 May 2015), Court records > Miscellaneous court records box 13 1790-1900 > image 397 of 469; Elbert County Probate Court, Elberton.

"Georgia, Elbert County Records, 1790-2002," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-22959-11400-34?cc=2071974&wc=M77X-G66:355761601,355761602 : accessed 25 May 2015), Court records > Miscellaneous court records box 13 1790-1900 > image 401 of 469; Elbert County Probate Court, Elberton.

Friday's Photo: Who is this young man?

This photo was sent to me by a descendant of Alice Amanda Bryan (daughter of Terrell Bryan and Harriet Albritton) and John R. Hammett (son of Dorothy Bryan and Robert E. Hammett). If he is family, he may have lived in Bienville Parish or Natchitoches Parish in Louisiana. 

I've had difficulty dating the clothing. Any ideas?

Diana

© 2015