Friday's Photo: Terrell Bryan's Twilight Years

My second cousin sent me this photo of my great-grandfather, Terrell Bryan. This was taken at the home of his daughter, Dollie Wylie, in Bronte, Coke County, Texas. It may have been taken sometime between the death of Terrell's wife, Harriet Albritton Bryan, in 1909 and Terrell's own death in 1920.  

Terrell moved often after his wife's death. He was living in Stephenville when his wife died February 9, 1909. Soon after, he must have gone to West Texas as a local newspaper reported Terrell Bryan returned home from a trip of some time in Coke and other west Texas counties. At that time, three of his children lived in West Texas. Dollie Wylie lived in Coke County, Allie Hammett lived in Baylor County, and Redic Bryan lived in Howard County.  

In May 1910, he was found as a roomer at the home of Olin Cameron, a liveryman, in Stephenville, Texas. Terrell was 73 years old and not working. Soon after, Terrell was admitted to the Texas Confederate Home. Between March and September of 1911, he visited Stephenville at least twice. He requested to be discharged from the home in August 1912. His daughter, Terrell Little "Bunch" Bryan Biggs wrote the following about Terrell's living situation in June 1913.

Yes, PaPa could be here with me and be one of my family if he just would. I would love to wait on him but he won't do anything his children wants him to do. He is a Woodsman. He draws his Policy now it ought to keep him up. He gets his pension besides what we children does for him. He don't care to spend money anyway. 

He is so hard to get along with is the cause of him leaving the old Soldiers Home. He stayed there just as long as he could. I know just how he was. He is so childish and so strong headed. You know Mama was all the one could do any thing with him and she could not do much. Poor old man. Makes his own bed hard. I don't think he will ever change. 

McNeil Wylie reported Terrell moved in with the Wylie family in 1914. That must have been short lived as Terrell was living in Stephenville in June 1914 when Bunch wrote in another letter I saw Papa the last time I was at Stephenville. He looks well and fine. looks so big and stout.  Terrell wrote to his niece in Georgia on October 17, 1915. He stated he had lived with Dollie Wylie in Bronte, Texas, but was presently living in Stephenville. 

Terrell was again admitted to the Texas Confederate Home on October 31, 1916. It is unknown when he left the home, but below is Terrell at the Wylie home in about the year 1918.

Four Generations - Terrell Bryan at the Wylie Home in Bronte Texas. Terrell's daughter, Dollie Wylie, is pictured along with her son McNeil Wylie (in uniform) and her grandson, T. M. Wylie, Jr. - son of  T. Milton Wylie. 

Terrell Bryan was 83 years old when he passed away on May 16, 1920, at the home of his daughter Dollie Wylie. I am glad he was with family.  Terrell is buried in West End Cemetery in Stephenville, Texas. 

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 genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2017

Sources

1910 United States Federal Census for Terrell Bryant. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jul. 2017. <https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7884/4449200_00590/27981400?indiv=try&h&db>.

Biggs, Terrell L. Bryan (Morgan Mill, Erath County, TX) to "Mrs. E. O. Bryan" [Erie Ontario Nix Bryan - Ringgold, Bienville Parish, LA]. Letter. 11 June 1913. From the collection of Marguerite Cook Clark. Accessed April 28, 2014, September 14, 2014 and November 8,9,10, 2016. Used with permission.

Biggs, Terrell L. Bryan (Morgan Mill, Erath County, TX)  to "Mrs. E. O. Bryan" [Erie Ontario Nix Bryan - Ringgold, Bienville Parish, LA]. Letter. 13 July 1914. From the collection of Jaqueline Dudley Skinner.

Bryan, Terrell  (Stephenville, Erath County, TX) to "Miss Lizzie Ragan" [Lizzie Ragan, dau. of Span Regan-Terrell County, GA]. Letter. 17 October 1915. From the collection of E. Ragan Pruitt.

Family photograph (Terrell Bryan) from the collection of Fran Lomas. Used with permission.

Family photograph (Wylie Family Group) from the collection of Jane Aebersold. Used with permission. 

The Dublin Progress. (Dublin, Tex.), Vol. 21, No. 51, Ed. 1 Friday, April 30, 1909, newspaper, April 30, 1909; Dublin, Texas. (texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth543466/: accessed July 25, 2017), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dublin Public Library.

Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog: Friday's Photo: A New Photo of Terrell Bryan AND More About His Time at the Texas Confederate Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jul. 2017. <https://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/fridays-photo-new-photo-of-terrell.html>.

Wylie, McNeil. Circumstances Leading to the Departure of Terrell Bryan From his home in Ringgold, Louisiana: Selecting Erath County, Texas as his home. No Date. Print.