Thank you for visiting my blog!

Thank you for visiting my blog!

This blog is used to share information I find about the families I am researching. To see these family names click on the "My Families" tab. Please feel free to make comments, corrections, and ask questions here or on my Facebook page or go to the "About Me" tab to send an e-mail.

Reading this Blog

My posts can be accessed by the date posted from the column on the right. Blog posts containing specific surnames can be found by clicking on the names in the left column.

Line

Friday, July 29, 2016

Friday's Photo: Young Whit Bryan - Borger, Texas




I spent the day moving my photos and albums to a new location and found this photo of Dad, Whit Criswell Bryan. He appears to be a young teen. He looks much younger than in his photo as a senior in high school. I am guessing maybe 13? 14? It's very large and I couldn't get a good scan. The smaller photo shows the full length.

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page where you will see each post and other interesting finds. 


Diana
© 2016


Thursday, July 28, 2016

Letter to Lizzie Ragan from Bryant Regan - Oh, how I wish that he could have answered her questions!




Redic Bryan Regan 1854-1919 & Sarah Elizabeth Gardner Regan 1851-1928
Photo courtesy of Nancy Collins
This letter, written by Bryant Regan (aka Redic Bryan/Bryant Regan or Reddick Bryan/Bryant Regan), of Ringgold in Bienville Parish, can be found on my website. I found a copy of the original when I was looking for information on last week's post Louisa Marion Regan Gregg Brice

I transcribed this letter over 10 years ago to place on my website. A copy of this letter was sent to me by Bill Ragan.  It was originally copied and sent to him by E. Ragan Pruitt. This letter and others belonged to Lizzie Ragan and their location is currently unknown. 

Lizzie wanted to know about "Grandpa." That would be Reddick Bryan. Bryant didn't remember anything about great-grandpa and great-grandpa. That would be the parents of Reddick Bryan and/or the parents of Elizabeth Regan. Oh, how I wish that he could have answered her questions!

However, I know so much more than I did when I received this letter! Photos of the three brothers killed in the war have been shared with me. I have a photo of Dollie Rogers, her husband and her daughter


                           
                                                                                                 Ringgold La apr 20th 15
                                                                                                 Miss Lizzie Regan
                                                                                                 Bronwood Ga

 Dear Cousin

            Received your letter today was surprised to get a letter   I often thought of the Regan family what had become of them   I am the only boy of the family living have two sisters left and as far as knowing any thing about grandfather Bryan  I don’t remember much about him  my father has been dead about  - 35 yr  I know I have heard him speak of him but don’t remember much he said  I am 61 yr old    there were 4 Bro of us but the 3 Bro got killed in the war.  I am the only one of papa children that bears the Regan name  I have two boy and 3 girls  all married I have eight grandchildren by the Regan name    Papa raised 10 children all of them married except the ones that got kilt in the war  I will give my sister address she is older than I am maybe she can tell you more about grandpa  I remember Jodie came ____   ___   about –30 yr ago but I didn’t get to see him they sent for me to come see him but it was so I couldn’t go   would love to see you and talk with you   I can’t write much   Grandma children are all dead that she raised here  I don’t know anything about great-grandpa and great-grandma   I can’t think of their names so maybe next time I write you I can think of more to write you    Sure was good to hear from you so you write to Sister Dollie Rogers  Gibbsland La to and maybe she can tell you more than I can be sure and send me your picture so I will quit for this time and write soon and a long letter give my best regards to Jodies family

            I am yours  Bryant Regan


                                                                                                 

People mentioned in this letter are below. Click on the links to learn more. 

Lizzie Regan – Elizabeth Leurany Ragan, also Miss Lizzie, was the daughter of Julius Leurany Speight and Dr. Spann Ragan. She wrote numerous letters to learn more about her family’s family history.

Bryant Regan – Reddick Bryan Regan was the son of John Regan and Martha Davis. He was married to Sarah Elizabeth “Sallie” Gardner.

Grandfather Bryan – Reddick Bryan

Grandma – Elizabeth Regan Bryan

My father – John Regan was the son of Joseph Regan, Jr. and Elizabeth S. Regan who later married Reddick Bryan.

Three brothers killed in the war were John Tolbert Regan who died January 20, 1864, James Monroe Regan who died July 28, 1864, and Thomas Span Regan who died February 5, 1865.

Bryant Regan’s children –  John Tolbot Regan, Amy Howard Regan, Joe Bryan Regan, Mary M. Regan, Katherine Elizabeth Regan, Ollie Ola Regan, James Richard Regan

Bryant Regan’s siblings were John, Louisa, James, Elizabeth, Sarah, Thomas, Joseph, Mary Catherine, Dorthy  (also mentioned as Dollie Rogers) and Lucy.

Grandma’s children – Grandma was Elizabeth Spann Regan and the children that she raised were John Regan and Spann Ragan and the Bryan children; James, Baker, Joseph, Tilman, Terrell, Dorothy, Georgia Ann Frances, and Catherine Amanda. At the time that Bryant Regan wrote the letter, Terrell was still living in Texas.

Jodie - This may be Joseph Thomas Ragan, son of Spann Ragan and Julius Speight, brother of Lizzie. Her brother's visit many years ago was mentioned in another letter.


If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page where you will see each post and other interesting finds. 


Diana

© 2016

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Louisa Marion Regan Gregg Brice

One of four pages copied from the Regan Family Bible - location unknown.
Note that "Births" was written over the preprinted "Marriages." Louisa's
birth is recorded on this page. An old transcription shows her name as Louise;
however, all other records show her name as Louisa. 

This post was decided when I saw a Facebook post of the Brice Cemetery in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. Louisa is buried in this cemetery; however, in the cemetery transcription, her maiden name is said to be Davis. I checked numerous family trees on the Internet and found Davis was often recorded as her maiden name as well.  Wanting to clear this up, I knew that I needed to write a post about Louisa. 

Louisa Marion Regan was the second child born to John Regan and Martha Davis. She was a grandchild of my great-great-grandmother, Elizabeth Regan Bryan, and her first husband, Joseph Regan. Three of four census records indicate that Louisa was born in Louisiana. It is said that Reddick Bryan and his wife Elizabeth came from Georgia to Louisiana with most of their family in the fall of 1838. 

Deed records show the John Regan family living in Bossier Parish in the late 1850s until at least 1860. The bible transcription and a compilation of Louisiana marriage records by Jordan Dodd indicate that Louisa Regan married John J. Gregg in Bossier Parish on February 17, 1857 (Oddly, a second marriage date of July 2, 1857 is also found in this publication). 

John J. Gregg and Louisa M. Gregg were recorded on the 1860 census in Bossier Parish along with a one year old child, John J. Gregg. It is assumed this child died at an early age as he was not found in records after this time. 

Another child, Lilla May Gregg was born in 1863. Lilla married W. L. Gilmer. She died on March 2, 1902 and is said to be buried in the Gilmer Cemetery in Webster Parish. This is also the burial place of her grandfather, John Gregg, who died in 1853. 

Bossier Banner - September 1866
John J. Gregg enlisted in Company C, Louisiana 6th Cavalry Regiment during the Civil War. He was on a list of soldiers paroled at Shreveport in June 1865, but lived only a little more than a year following as Louisa M. Gregg was applying to be the administratrix of the succession of his estate in September 1866. 

By 1870, Louisa was the wife of Columbus C. Brice and living in Bienville Parish with his children from his marriage to Francis A. Simpson along with her daughter, Lilla. 

Louisa and Columbus had children Samuel Regan Brice, William Clarence Brice, Thomas Glover Brice, T. Bryan Brice, Ambrose Brice, and Hattie Brice. Death records were found for four of these children; all recorded with Regan as their mother's maiden name. 

Louisa died on July 19, 1908 and is buried in Brice Cemetery in Bienville Parish along with her husband and many family members. 

Louisa's mother, Martha Ann E. Davis was buried in
the Bryan Cemetery in Bienville Parish
We know that Louisa's maiden name was Regan and nothing I found when researching indicated that Louisa ever had the name Davis. Her mother was a Davis, a cousin married a Davis, and in Bossier Parish there was a Louisa Davis who was married to a John J. Davis.  All could have caused some confusion. But, I could be wrong - Louisa could have married a Davis prior to John J. Gregg or before Columbus Brice. Does anyone have documentation? 


If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page where you will see each post and other interesting finds. 


Diana
© 2016

Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal; Census Place: Bossier, Louisiana; Roll: M653_408; Page: 718; Image: 277; Family History Library Film: 803408. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal; Census Place: Ward 1, Bienville, Louisiana; Roll: M593. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

Ancestry.com. 1880 United States Federal; Census Place: 1st Ward, Bienville, Louisiana; Roll: 448; Family History Film: 1254448; Page: 540C; Enumeration District: 006. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal; Census Place: Police Jury Ward 1, Bienville, Louisiana; Roll: T623_558; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 1. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

The Bossier Banner. (Bossier Parish, LA), Newspaper, September 29, 1866; microfilm. Accessed July 2007. 

"Brice Cemetery, Bienville Parish Cemeteries of LA Gloria B. Mayfield." Brice Cemetery, Bienville Parish Cemeteries of LA Gloria B. Mayfield. Web. 24 Jul. 2016. <http://www.cemeteries-of-tx.com/Louisiana/Bienville/cemetery/Brice.htm>.

Dame, Debra Walker. 2001. Gilmer Cemetery, Webster Parish, LA. Web. 24 Jul. 2016. <http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/bossier/cemeteries/gilmercem.tx>

Dodd, Jordan R., comp. Louisiana Marriage Records, 1851-1900. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.

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

"Hettie Brice Pratt in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007." Web. 24 Jul. 2016. <http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?h=6012161&db=numident&indiv=1>.

"Louisiana Deaths Index, 1850-1875, 1894-1956," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FS19-KT1 : 12 December 2014), Samuel Ragan Brice, 14 Jan 1951; citing Arcadia, Bienville, Louisiana, certificate number 0083, State Archives, Baton Rouge; FHL microfilm 1,418,605.

"Louisiana Deaths Index, 1850-1875, 1894-1956," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FS1Z-THH : 12 December 2014), Thomas Glover Brice, 05 May 1934; citing Arcadia, Bienville, Louisiana, certificate number 5001, State Archives, Baton Rouge; FHL microfilm 2,113,573.

"Louisiana Deaths Index, 1850-1875, 1894-1956," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F3QD-XV4 : 12 December 2014), William Clarence Brice, 23 Aug 1923; citing Shreveport, Caddo, Louisiana, certificate number 8799, State Archives, Baton Rouge; FHL microfilm 2,367,332.

"Soldier Details - The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service)." Soldier Details - The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service). N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jul. 2016. <https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-soldiers-detail.htm?soldierId=E67108A3-DC7A-DF11-BF36-B8AC6F5D926A>.


Friday, July 15, 2016

Friday's Photo: Clifford and Paul Cook


This photo labeled, Clifford and Paul Cook, was found in the Frye Family Collection. 

Elizabeth Clifford Cook and her brother Paul were two of the five children of Dr. Edward Clifton Cook and Mary Marguerite "Maggie" Martin. Other siblings were Marguerite, Charles, and Virginia.

Elizabeth Clifford was born on September 4, 1906 and married Dowling D. Shelby. Paul Cook was born on November 19, 1907 in Bienville Parish and married Carmen Sylvia McDowell. They are buried in Bienville Parish along with other family at Providence Cemetery in Ringgold.  

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page where you will see each post and other interesting finds. 

Diana
© 2016




Sources

Family photographs and documents from the Frye Family collection. Accessed June 6, 2916. Used with permission.

Hollingsworth, Alverne J. "Dr Paul M. Cook (1907 - 2003) - Find A Grave Memorial." Find a Grave. 30 Jan. 2008. Web. 15 Jul. 2016. <http://forums.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=24279624>.

Sunday, July 10, 2016

From the Files of Marguerite Cook Clark: Priscilla Neal Williams

Priscilla Neal  7 1/2 months. 

Priscilla Neal was born on December 24, 1902 to Alice Belle Neal and Thomas W. Neal. She grew up in Castor, Bienville Parish, Louisiana and lived much of her adult life in Minden, Webster Parish. 

Priscilla Neal married Lory W. Williams and had two daughters. She was a homemaker and a member of the First United Methodist Church of Minden where she was active in the United Methodist Women. 

Priscilla Neal Williams died on October 20, 1998 in Shreveport. Her husband died three years earlier. They are both buried in Old Castor Cemetery. 


       Priscilla was one of 13 graduates of Castor High        School in 1922. Click here to see the names of her       classmates and other school information. 


If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page where you will see each post and other interesting finds. 

Diana

© 2016

Sources

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

Shoemaker, Suzanne. "Obit: Priscilla Neal Williams, Caddo Par., Louisiana" The USGenWeb Project Louisiana Archives Nov. 1998. Web. 7 Jul. 2016. <http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/caddo/obits/williamspn.txt>.

Saturday, July 9, 2016

From the Files of Marguerite Cook Clark: Thomas W. Neal


"Coz Tom Neal" was written by Maggie Martin Cook daughter of Laura Bryan and Thomas Jefferson Martin.

Earlier this week, I posted photos and family information about Alice Belle Cook Neal. Thomas W. Neal was her husband. He was born on January 8, 1879; the son of Simeon T. Neal and Louisa Wardlaw. He was born and raised near Castor in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.  All records indicate that he was a general farmer. He was also a member of the Castor Methodist Church, a Mason, and, at one time, a merchant in Castor. 

Thomas W. Neal married Alice Belle Cook on Dec. 23, 1900 in Bienville Parish and they had children Priscilla Neal, James Bryan Neal, Simeon Thomas Neal, and Josie Catherine Neal. 

Thomas W. Neal died on January 14, 1933 from an accidental shooting. An article describing his death is difficult to read, but can be found by clicking on this link at The Digital Archives of the Bienville Parish Library. Thomas W. Neal is buried in the Old Castor Cemetery with at least three generations of Neals. 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page where you will see each post and other interesting finds. 


Diana

© 2016

Sources

Blackwell, Wylie. Blackwell, Cooper Family Tree at Ancestry.com. "Thomas W Neal - Facts." Web. 7 Jul. 2016. <http://person.ancestry.com/tree/26793326/person/13814905895/facts>.

Digital Archives of the Bienville Parish Public Library. "Accident Ends Life of Castor Man Saturday," The Bienville Democrat. 19 Jan. 1933. Arcadia, LA. Retrieved July 07, 2016, from http://bienville.advantage-preservation.com/Viewer/?key=neal

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

"Thomas W Neal (1879 - 1933) - Find A Grave Memorial." Web. 7 Jul. 2016. <http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=NE&GSpartial=1&GSbyrel=all&GSst=20&GScntry=4&GSsr=721&GRid=104436972&>.


Friday, July 8, 2016

Friday's Photo: Hinds County, Mississippi

Mississippi State Capitol Building - Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi

Three weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit Hinds County, Mississippi for about 20 minutes. It's a place that I would like to know more about. My great-great-grandfather, John L. Hairston lived in Hinds County for at least 18 years. We stopped in Jackson as it was on the way to my daughter's new home in Austin, Texas. However, you can see from the map at the bottom of this post, my Hairstons lived on land about 30 miles from Jackson. The closest known community was Utica, about 7 miles from the Hairston farm. 

From tax records, I know that John L. Hairston was living in Hinds County by 1847. Census records indicate that John L. and his wife, Eliza, and children were living in Hinds County in 1850 and 1860. 

At least three Hairston children were born when their parents were living in Hinds County; Adeline, Phillip (my great-grandfather), and Martha Elizabeth "Mattie." 

Two of the Hairston children married in Hinds County.  Mary Hairston married Thomas B. Gilbert in Hinds County on September 19, 1864 and Permelia Hairston married Joseph Sidney Noah on June 11, 1865. 

In 1855, John L. Hairston purchased about 80 acres of land and two years later purchased 40 acres of adjacent land.  He sold this land to his neighbor, George W. Prince, in 1865 before leaving for Texas. This land is indicated by the red marker on the map below. 



This week I read much about Hinds County during the Civil War. How did my Hairston family fair? I suspect not well. Hinds County was said to be in a constant state of action throughout most of the Civil War. In 1863, the Union army occupied many of the towns and cities. Buildings in Raymond and Jackson were burned or badly damaged. Sherman's  invasion of Hinds County left destruction in its wake. 

Battles throughout the county and in nearby Vicksburg would have had an impact on the Hairston family. One family story was that after one battle, John L. went looking for his son (family assumed it was Phillip) and that he was unrecognizable and unable to talk. It doesn't seem likely that it was Phillip as he would have been between the ages of 10 and 12 during the battles in or near Hinds County. There was never a mention of the war in documents detailing Phillip Hairston's life. Could it have been another child, a sibling, or a son-in-law? 

The war ended in May of 1865. John L. Hairston sold his land on October 10, 1865 and left Hinds County. 

There are more records to search and newspapers to read. AND, maybe a lengthier stay in Hinds County. 




If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page where you will see each post and other interesting finds.

Diana

© 2016

Sources

Deed of Sale from John L. Hairston and Luiza Hairston to Geo. W. Prince, 10 Oct. 1865. (filed 15 Nov. 1865), Hinds County, Mississippi, Deed Book 28, page 697. Chancery Clerk's Office, Raymond, Mississippi.

Hunting For Bears, comp.. Mississippi Marriages, 1776-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

"Mississippi, State Archives, Various Records, 1820-1951," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-21745-68357-35?cc=1919687&wc=MMYG-KNQ:n1410068766 : accessed 24 Dec 2013), Hinds > County tax rolls 1831-1848, Box 3655 > image 286 of 319

Quinn, Diana B. "Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #52 John Lewis Hairston - A Timeline." Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog. 31 Dec. 2014 Web. Accessed 3 Jul. 2016.  <https://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/2014/12/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks-52-john-lewis_31.html>.

Rowland, Eron O. "History of Hinds County, Mississippi, 1821-1922."  Jones PTG CO., Jackson, MS 1922. Web. 3 Jul. 2016. <https://archive.org/stream/historyofhindsco00rowl#page/34/mode/2up>.

Year: 1850; Census Place: Hinds, Mississippi; Roll: M432_372; Page: 165A; Image: 336
        
Year: 1860; Census Place: Hinds, Mississippi; Roll: M653_582; Page: 674; Image: 206; Family History Library Film: 803582

Thursday, July 7, 2016

From the Files of Marguerite Cook Clark: Alice Belle Cook Neal

This is one of two obituaries that I have for Alice Belle Cook Neal.
The other is smaller  and not legible. I will make a better copy to post the
next time I visit the Marguerite Cook Clark collection. 

Alice Wimberly Bryan , wife of James Bryan, and Alice Belle Cook Neal
Photo from the Marguerite Cook Clark collection
This photo was labeled "Lizzie and Belle Cook." Should I assume that Lizzie was Belle's sister, Mary Elizabeth? Photo from the Frye Family collection

This photo was labeled "Aunt Belle Neal"     Photo from the Frye Family collection


This post, with the obituary, has been sitting in my "to post" list for more than a year.  I didn't know much about Alice Belle Cook Neal until I had the opportunity to visit Frye/Bryan family cousins last month. They shared much about Alice Belle and her family. AND, they had pictures to share as well. 

Alice Belle Cook was born to Joseph W. Cook and Josie Sarah Catherine Bryan on July 13, 1878 in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. Her mother, Josie, was the biological daughter of Joseph Bryan and Sarah Wimberly and the adopted daughter of James Bryan (brother to Joseph) and Alice Wimberly (sister to Sarah). "Allie Belle" had four siblings; Lula Laura Cook, Karl Franklin Cook, Mary Elizabeth Cook, and James Bryan Cook. 

Alice Belle Cook married Thomas W. Neal on Dec. 23, 1900 in Bienville Parish and they had children Priscilla Neal, James Bryan Neal, Simeon Thomas Neal, and Josie Catherine Neal. She died on January 12, 1959 and is buried in Old Castor Cemetery. 

There will be additional posts about this Bryan-Cook-Neal family soon. 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page where you will see each post and other interesting finds. 

Diana

© 2016

Source

BowmanFrye. "Frye Family Tree." Family View - Ancestry.com. Web. 7 Jul. 2016. <http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/44469039/family?cfpid=6225724348>.

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

Family photographs and documents from the Frye Family collection. Accessed June 6, 2916. Used with permission.


Monday, July 4, 2016

From the Files of Marguerite Cook Clark: Haughton, Louisiana



Saw this sign on a recent
road trip. Didn't dare ask
to stop!



Here is another photo saved by Marguerite Cook Clark. This is the town of Haughton in Bossier Parish, Louisiana - about 35 minutes from Marguerite's home of Ringgold in Bienville Parish. 


Barncastle Drugs and Groceries
The town's current website states that Haughton was named for the family of William and Harriett Hassell Haughton in 1884. Haughton, previously known as Lawenceville, was renamed after Mary Jane Haughton Lawrence sold land to the railroad, which already had a Lawenceville on it's route. In the photo, the railroad station is on the left and at the end of the road is Barncastle Drugs and Groceries. 

Diana

© 2016

Source

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

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

"Town of Haughton - Our History." Town of Haughton - Our History.  Web. 3 Jul. 2016. <http://www.townofhaughton.org/community/history>.

Sunday, July 3, 2016

Five Years of Sharing! Happy Birthday to My Blog!

Diana - August 1957

It's been five years since my first blog post. I can thank Thomas MacEntee's presentation at the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree 2011 for the inspiration. He referred to blogs as "cousin bait." Yes, I've caught a few cousins, but better than that, my blog allows me to easily tell the stories. 

Thank you to all who read my blog!


Diana

© 2016

Sources

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

MacEntee, Thomas.  "Blogger Summit Part 1 – Beginner to Reader to Blogger." Southern California Genealogy Jamboree. Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport, Burbank, CA. 11 June 2011.