From the Files of Marguerite Cook Clark: Thomas Eddie Stewart

According to his WWII draft card, Tom Stewart was tall, had black hair, brown eyes, and a ruddy complexion. Thomas Eddie Stewart was born May 23, 1884 (also seen as 1883), in Arcadia, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, to Sarah Catherine "Kate" Watts and Elastus T. Stewart. Siblings were James Pitman, Sarah Elizabeth, Alice Corinne, John Hiser, Martha "Mattie Lou," and Mary Lou.  

Very little can be found about Tom Stewart. From records at Ancestry.com, I saw that he was a farmer and it doesn't appear that he ever lived outside of Bienville Parish. 

Thomas Eddie Stewart died on April 16, 1950. He is buried in the Arcadia Cemetery along with his parents and four siblings. 

Tom was a grandson of Catharine Amanda Bryan Watts, sister to my great-grandfather, Terrell Bryan and Marguerite Cook Clark's great-grandfather, Joseph Bryan.  Catharine Amanda, Terrell, and Joseph are all children of Reddick Bryan and Elizabeth Regan.

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

© 2020

Sources

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Marguerite Cook Clark. Accessed April 28, 2014, September 14, 2014, and November 9 to 11, 2016. Used with permission.

Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 25 January 2020), memorial page for Thomas Eddie “Tom” Stewart (23 May 1884–16 Apr 1950), Find A Grave Memorial no. 71746126, citing Arcadia Cemetery, Arcadia, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, USA ; Maintained by Scout Finch (contributor 47112463).

"Thomas E. Stewart." Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/45260559/person/25786599866/facts?indiv=try&h&db. Accessed 25 Jan. 2020.

From the Files of Marguerite Cook Clark: Alice Corinne Stewart Boone

These three photos of Alice Corinne Stewart were found in the files of Marguerite Cook Clark. Marguerite Cook Clark's mother, Mary Marguerite "Maggie" Martin Cook, labeled these photos. Maggie and Corinne were both born in 1887 and were first cousins. 

Alice Corinne was the daughter of Sarah Catherine Watts and Elastus Stewart. She was a granddaughter of Catharine Amanda Bryan Watts, sister to my great-grandfather, Terrell Bryan and Marguerite Cook Clark's great-grandfather, Joseph Bryan.  Catharine Amanda, Terrell, and Joseph are all children of Reddick Bryan and Elizabeth Regan. 

There was little documented information about Alice Corinne in trees at Ancestry and FamilySearch. However, I am persistent and after three nights of searching found a very sad story. 

This photo of Alice Corinne Stewart is very
difficult to see. If you would like to
fix this photo, please contact me and I 
will send you the original scan. 

Alice Corinne was born in September 1887 in Louisiana. She was living in Bienville Parish in 1900 with her parents and siblings. It is said that she married Augustus Chapman Boone on September 22, 1907. This date is not confirmed by documentation. No amount of persistence has helped to locate her and her husband in the 1910 census; however, records do show that the couple was living in Louisiana when their son, Augustus Chapman Boone Jr., was born in 1912.  In 1916, they left Louisiana for Marion County, Texas. By 1920, Alice Corinne, along with her husband and son, were living in Mineola, Wood County, Texas. 

Newspapers.com
The Bienville Democrat
Arcadia, Louisiana 05 May 1921

In May of 1921, Alice Corinne, Augustus, their son, and infant babies (twins) visited Mr. and Mrs. George R. Boone in Bienville Parish. It appears that they may have stayed in Louisiana as on July 18, 1921, Alice Corinne died in a sanitarium in Shreveport after an appendectomy.  It was reported that her twin babies died after nursing as they became infected as well. Her burial place is unknown. 

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

© 2020












Sources

Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census. Year: 1900; Census Place: Police Jury Ward 1, Bienville, Louisiana; Page: 13; Enumeration District: 0001; FHL microfilm: 1240558

Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census. Year: 1920; Census Place: Mineola, Wood, Texas; Roll: T625_1860; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 147.

Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index for Augustus Boone Jr. Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Marguerite Cook Clark. Accessed April 28, 2014, September 14, 2014, and November 9 to 11, 2016. Used with permission.

Newspapers.com. Alice Corinne Stewart Boone death on July 18, 1921 - babies died on July 19 and July 20. The Bienville Democrat. Arcadia, Louisiana 21 Jul 1921, Thu  •  Page 5.    https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42434512/alice_corinne_stewart_boone_death_on/

Newspapers.com. Mr. and Mrs. A C Boone and children of Mineola. The Bienville Democrat Arcadia, Louisiana 05 May 1921, Thu  •  Page 4.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42432760/mr_and_mrs_a_c_boone_and_children_of/

Catharine Amanda Bryan Watts of Bienville Parish, Louisiana

This paper was found tucked into Terrell Bryan's family Bible. The names of his siblings and half-siblings are listed under his parents' names. Those who died young are not listed. My grandfather, Redic E. Bryan, wrote the final line at the bottom - These uncles and aunts buried in Bienville Parish, La. (REB). However, most, but not all were buried in Bienville Parish. 

Catharine Amanda Bryan's date of birth was recorded
in this Bryan family Bible record. The penciled note next
to her name is "Aunt Mandy." 

Catharine Amanda Bryan was born in Georgia, probably Houston County, on August 17, 1834. She was the second daughter born to my great-great-grandparents, Reddick Bryan and Elizabeth Regan. What I know about Catharine Amanda Bryan has been gleaned from conveyance records, census records, and a few documented sources. The Bryan family moved to Northwest Louisiana in the late 1830s and settled near what was later known as Ringgold in the Parish of Bienville. At age 14, on August 9, 1849, Catharine Amanda Bryan married James C. Watts. 

In 1858, Catharine Amanda's father-in-law, Richard I. Watts, gave his entire estate, valued at over two thousand dollars to Catharine Amanda and his daughter, Lurany S. Ezell. Some land transactions and sales followed.

James C. Watts died before August 21, 1867. On documents found in his probate record, the earliest dated August 21, 1867, Catharine A. Bryan was listed as his widow and C. A. Watts was also listed as the Natural Tutrix* of her children. Catharine's half brother, James Bryan, was listed as the Under Tutor* for the minor children of James C. Watts. The children were listed as Edmund Bryan, Alice Elizabeth, Sarah Catherine, and Martha Caldwell Watts.

The grave of Edmund and his wife in the Wimberly Cemetery.
Edmund married Martha Wimberly,
Alice married Green H. Huckaby,
Sarah Catherine married Elastus Stewart,
and Martha married Jeff Tolbert. 

Catharine Amanda Bryan was referred to as "Amanda," Mandy and "Manda" in family letters and other documents. She was found in the 1870 census living with children, Edmund Watts-age 17, Alice Watts - age 13, and Martha Watts - age 4.  A daughter, Sarah Watts was living with Catharine Amanda's sister, Georgia Ann Frances Bryan Pitman Wimberly. Catharine Amanda remained close to her family as most of her neighbors listed on the census page were family members.

In 1873, Catharine Amanda Bryan Watts was listed in a conveyance record as the wife of J.B. Thomas and a resident of Bienville Parish.  Red River Parish marriage records show that Amanda C. Watts married  G. B. Thomas on January 7, 1873. This matches the handwritten record found in Terrell Bryan's family Bible. Catharine Amanda was recorded as "C. A. Bryan Watts Thomas."

On April 11, 1875, Amanda Watts was counted as present at a church meeting held at the Liberty Chapel in Bienville Parish. Most members of the chapel were descendants of Reddick Bryan and Elizabeth Regan. Also on the list were Mrs. Alice Huckaby and E. B. Watts,  children of Catharine Amanda Watts.

Dorothy "Dollie" Bryan Hammett
is buried in the cemetery at
Davis Springs Methodist Church

In 1877, Mrs. C. A. Watts was listed on the membership list of  Pleasant Grove Church. A notation next to her name and many others, including her sister's Hammett family, indicate that they were being transferred to Davis Springs, a Methodist Church in Natchitoches. C. A. Watts was listed on the membership list of the Davis Springs Methodist Church in Natchitoches Parish in 1879. Her sister, Dollie Hammett, was also on that list. Dollie and her husband, Robert E. Hammett were active members of the church. Catherine Amanda was also listed as a member of the church in 1881 as Mrs. C. A. Watts and in 1892 as Watts, C. Amanda.

CLIPPED FROM

The People's Vindicator

Natchitoches, Louisiana

06 Mar 1880, Sat  •  Page 2

Newspapers.com

I was not able to locate Catharine Amanda Bryan Watts on the 1880 census; however, a Mrs. Wetts was living with Catherine's sister, Dollie Hammett, and family in Natchitoches Parish. Mrs. Wetts was listed as a daughter but, she was a 45-year-old widow born in Georgia. All those facts, as well as the church memberships and the clipping on the left, confirm that she was in Natchitoches in 1880. 

In 1881, a conveyance record also indicated that she was living in Natchitoches Parish.  Mrs. C. A. Watts was acting as attorney-in-fact for her daughter, Martha "Mattie" Tolbert, signing a land transaction in Bienville Parish. Catharine Amanda's other children all signed this transaction. The daughters all had husbands who were mentioned in the conveyance record and authorized their wives' actions.  No mention was made of Catharine Amanda's husband in this land transaction.  This, and her use of the Watts surname soon after her marriage, lead me to believe that she did not remain married. Further research is needed to confirm this.

Catharine Amanda Bryan Watts' signature was found in her father's probate records.

Catharine Amanda Bryan died on September 14, 1903, at age 69. This date was found in Joseph B. Bryan's family Bible. Her name was written as "C. A. Watts" so I assume she didn't marry again.  I have no records for Catharine Amanda beyond 1892. I have not found her in the 1900 census and currently don't know where she died or where she is buried. 

Catharine Amanda Bryan's date of death was recorded
in this Bryan family Bible record.

*Similar to guardian, a tutor is a person appointed or qualified by a court to act as guardian of a minor’s property. In every tutorship, there is an under-tutor who shall act when the tutor is unable or whenever the interest of the minor is in opposition to the interest of the tutor. Each time that I read about this tutorship and under-tutors, Louisiana Law was mentioned. It appears that these terms may be unique to the laws of Louisiana. 

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

© 2020

Sources

Ancestry.com. Louisiana, Compiled Marriages, 1728-1850 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997.

"Bryan."  Watts Family http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~bryanquinn/genealogy/Bryan-Watts-Thomas-CatherineAmanda.htm. Accessed 17 Jan. 2020.

Family photographs, letters, copies of Bienville Parish records, and other documents from the collection of Diana Bryan Quinn.

Bible records from the collection of Marguerite Cook Clark. Accessed April 28, 2014, September 14, 2014, and November 9 to 11, 2016. Used with permission.

The People's Vindicator. Natchitoches, Louisiana 06 Mar 1880, Sat  •  Page 2. Newspapers.com

Year: 1870; Census Place: 4th Ward, Bienville, Louisiana; Roll: M593_507; Page: 85A; Family History Library Film: 552006

Year: 1880; Census Place: 3rd Ward, Natchitoches, Louisiana; Roll: 457; Page: 616B; Enumeration District: 033

The Bryan Puzzle, a study of the Bryan families living in Martin County, North Carolina during the 18th and early 19th centuries - compiled by Dr. Howard V. Jones

In June 2000, my father and I traveled to
Williamston to visit the Martin County
courthouse to view the deed records and get a
few specific records for Dennis and Howard.
This was my first time looking at courthouse
records. I was clueless and thankful the
women working at the courthouse were
so patient.

Reddick Bryan
1793-1864

As I began my search for my great-great-grandfather, Reddick Bryan, I was assisted by two very experienced, thoughtful genealogists. First, J. Dennis Bryant of Georgia who found Reddick Bryan in Martin County, North Carolina deed records. Second, Dr. Howard V. Jones of Iowa who was a descendant of a Martin County Bryan family. I never met either of these men, but through phone conversations and other correspondence, both showed me the importance of the exhaustive research needed to produce evidence-based conclusions. 

From Howard and Dennis, I also learned the value of land records and other documents found in deed books. And, they encouraged me to take my first genealogy trip to the courthouse in Martin County, North Carolina to find additional deed records.

In early 2000, through correspondence, I introduced Howard and Dennis. They shared documents and the next year, Howard sent me a wonderful 37-page document titled The Bryan Puzzle, a study of the Bryan families living in Martin County in the 18th and early 19th centuries. This document is a compilation of Howard's research and information shared with him. This is an invaluable tool if you are researching Bryans in North Carolina, especially near Martin, Halifax, and Edgecombe Counties.

Howard Vallance Jones
1922-2013

Using deed records and wills, Howard shows possible relationships of these Bryan families. Howard wrote that there is much speculation in this document and all should not be confused as fact. One example of the speculation is Howard placing Reddick as a son to James Bryan on page 19. This is not proven; however, Howard gives me a good place to begin my research. Look at the land records related to Reddick and his thought-to-be family. Researching these other Bryans, neighbors, or even witnesses on deed records may give me some new family information.

Howard asks questions and makes very helpful comments throughout this document. I use a copy of The Bryan Puzzle to make notes and add information when researching North Carolina Bryans. Download a copy of The Bryan Puzzle by clicking on this link. 

Dr. Howard Vallance Jones, Jr., 91, of Cedar Falls, Iowa, died May 17, 2013. Click here to see his obituary. 

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

© 2020

Sources

Family photographs from the collection of Diana Bryan Quinn

The Bryan Puzzle, a study of the Bryan families living in Martin County, North Carolina during the 18th and early 19th centuries - compiled by Dr. Howard V. Jones, Jr.  Used with permission. 

Three Bryan Cemetery Monuments Beautifully Restored in Bienville Parish, Louisiana

Elizabeth Regan Bryan, Georgia Ann Frances Bryan Pitman Wimberly, Reddick Bryan

The earliest marked
grave in this cemetery

In the fall of 2017, my distant cousin, Jane Stewart Slater, sent photos of damaged cemetery monuments in the Bryan Cemetery in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. Jane and I are both descendants of Reddick and Elizabeth Regan Bryan who settled near Ringgold in 1838. A large tree had fallen and damaged Reddick and Elizabeth's cemetery monuments along with the monument for their daughter, Georgia Ann Frances Bryan Pitman Wimberly. 

In March 2018, I posted #52ancestors Post Twelve: The Bryan Cemetery in Bienville Parish - History, Photographs, and Disrepair and later posted Repairing Cemetery Stones in Bienville's Bryan Cemetery. By June 2018, descendants of Reddick and Elizabeth Bryan donated enough funds to begin repair of the monuments. 

Jason Campbell at Campbell Monument Company in Provencal, Louisiana accepted the job. Elizabeth Bryan's monument was quickly repaired at the cemetery. Reddick Bryan's needed a small excavator to remove it and this was hampered by many months of bad weather. Both his monument and Georgia's needed to be repaired away from the cemetery. 

Thank you to Jason Campbell for the amazing restoration, to Jane Stewart Slater for making all arrangements, and to the descendants of Reddick and Elizabeth Bryan who donated the needed funds. 

The pictures below show the now beautifully restored monuments as well as the damaged condition of each monument before restoration. 

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

© 2020