Clippings from The Baylor County Banner - Seymour, Texas - April 12, 1923

My grandparents, Redic E. Bryan and Myrtie Hairston, and my great-grandparents, Phillip A. Hairston and Lodema Criswell, moved to Baylor County in 1905. My father, Whit Criswell Bryan, was born in Seymour in 1920. He was the youngest of seven children born to Redic and Myrtie. 

In April 2019, I visited the Texas State Library and Archives to read Baylor County Banner issues that could not be found online or on microfilm. I photographed articles with information about my father's family who lived in Seymour. While sorting through my family finds, I realized I had photos of articles that might interest others looking for family. I have pictures of numerous articles from 1923 and a few from other years. I will post as time allows. 

Thank you to Matt Gwinn at the Baylor County Banner for giving me permission to post these clippings.  

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 

Harrison, O. C. The Baylor County Banner. (Seymour, TX.), Vol. 27*, No. 29. 12 Apr 1923. Print. Accessed 15 April 2019. 

*Note that January and February issues were part of Vol. 28. This and all March and April issues were printed as Vol. 27. In May, it goes back to Vol. 28. 

Mildred Rebecca Manning Prothro Bryan AND a Question About My Last Post

Mildred Manning Prothro Bryan   

A family photo at home.
This is said to be the home where Mildred and Tillman raised their family. 

When Julia Brittain sent me a copy of this photo in the 1990s, the caption below named each person as well as their ages. 
Mildred Manning Prothro is seated next to her daughter-in-law, Mary Elizabeth
McDowell Bryan, wife of Tillman II. Mildred's children Jewell and Willie, are
standing. Erie Prothro is the daughter of Mildred's son, Edward Prothro. Marie
and Della are the daughters of Tillman II and Mary Elizabeth. 

On Friday, I finished the last of three posts about Tillman Bryan and Mildred R. Manning Prothro Bryan. As I began putting away all of my records regarding Tillman and his wife, Mildred, I saw two dates on Mildred's pension request that didn't match what I had written previously regarding her death. 

According to the cemetery stone in the Bryan Cemetery, Mildred died on December 8, 1912.  Looking at the pension request, I see that Tillman's service records could not be found in April 1912. And, I see further documents completed in 1913. On June 5, 1913, H. V. Tooke and J. Frank Tooke stated they had personal knowledge that Tillman served as a corporal in Company E of the 5th Louisiana Calvery. 

Why would they need to testify about this matter if Mildred died in 1912? 

Of course, I needed to know more . . . 

Mildred Rebecca Manning was the daughter of Simon Manning and Mary Brown. She was born in 1839 in Louisiana, where her family was described as living near Ringgold. Mildred married her first husband, Hartwell M. Prothro, on March 23, 1854. He died in a steamboat explosion in March 1856. Their only child, Edward Hartwell Prothro, was only a little more than six months old. 

Mildred married Tillman on April 15, 1857. Mildred and Tillman had a large family. You can see more about their children at Friday's Photo: Tillman C. Bryan.

Tillman's death was documented on his cemetery stone and in James Bryan's family bible as June 16, 1899. No record of Mildred's death can be found except the date on her cemetery stone - December 8, 1912. The stone is a more contemporary cemetery stone and is shared with her husband, Tillman. Tillman's old stone was described as leaning against the fence by my father in 1981. Was Mildred's old stone destroyed or worn? Who replaced the stone, and where did they get the death date? There is no death certificate.

And then I found it . . . 

In an undated family letter, Mildred's daughter, Sallie Bryan Hammett, wrote, "dear Mama died December the 18, 1914." 

That letter, and one other written by Sallie Bryan Hammett, will be a part of my next Bryan post. 

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

© 2021 

Sources 

Bryan Family Photograph. 1903. Photocopy (original held by Brittain family) held by D. B. Quinn [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Virginia Beach, Virginia. 

Bryan, Tillman C.and Manning, Mildred R. Prothro Cemetery Stone Photograph. 1981. Photograph held by D. B. Quinn [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Hammett, Sally Bryan. Sally to cousin Lizzie Regan, no date. Photocopy held by D. B. Quinn [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Virginia Beach, Virginia.  

"Louisiana Confederate Pensions, 1898-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939F-VZSD-5S?cc=1838535&wc=M61M-PNB%3A164934001 : 20 May 2014), Brown, John B - Evans, C H > image 991 of 1406; Louisiana State Archives, Baton Rouge.

Louisiana, Bienville Parish. 1850 U. S. Census, population schedule. Database with images. Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com : 2020. 

Manning, Mildred R. Prothro Bryan Photograph. No date. Photocopy (original held by Brittain family) held by D. B. Quinn [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Virginia Beach, Virginia. 

Sherrod, Ricky L. "Strong Southern Women: Female Leadership on the Northwest Louisiana Frontier." Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association 52, no. 1 (2011): 5-34. Accessed January 16, 2021. 

Friday's Photo: Tillman C. Bryan and his Pension Record

This is the third photo of Tillman posted in the last two weeks. This tintype shows a much older Tillman. I love that I was able to easily see the same facial features in all three photos. Look at his nose and the shape of his mouth and mustache. 

This photo of the older Tillman came from Marguerite Cook Clark's collection. It's actually clipped from this photo of two brothers - Joseph B. Bryan and Tillman C. Bryan. 

This photo is labeled J. B. Bryan (Grandpap) and Uncle Tillman Bryan.
Marguerite's mother, Mary Marguerite "Maggie" Martin Cook (1887-1970)
labeled the photo in an album. 

This photo of Tillman was taken about 
the time of the Civil War. 

Tillman's pension record for service in the Confederate Army is a good record of his birth and other facts not easily found for those born in 1830.   I am certain that Tillman completed the application himself. He gives his birth date and place of birth - September 13, 1830, in Houston County, Georgia. 

At the time, Tillman suffered from facial paralysis and probably skin cancer as he wrote that he had "cancer on the face." 

Tillman enlisted in the Confederate Army in the spring of 1862 and served in the calvary until the end of the war. He listed three "comrades" living nearby; V. M. Davis and Fred Davis of Ringgold, and Howell Albritton of Campti. V. M. Davis and Jacob Cook witnessed the pension record. 

Tillman wrote that he had seven living children. Two sons and three daughters were married, while one daughter, age 15, and one son, age 23, lived in the home. 

The children at home would have been Jewell Antonette Bryan, age 15, and William Rufus Bryan, age 23. 

His married children were Tillman C. Bryan, John Wesley Bryan, Sally Manning Bryan Hammett, Ida Amelia Bryan Sheffield, and Tommie Eta Lissinie Bryan Nix.

This application was filed on February 1, 1899. There were a total of 27 questions. 

It appears that Tillman was approved to receive $8.00 a quarter; however, he probably did not receive any of the pension funds as he died on June 16 of the same year. 

Tillman's five-page pension record can be found at FamilySearch.org. Sign-up for a free account and click here to view the record. 

In April 1912, Tillman's wife, Mildred, filed for a widow's pension. Mildred reported they were married on March 15, 1854. This doesn't match the dates reported previously. She actually married her first husband, Hartwell M. Prothro, on March 23, 1854. He died in a steamboat explosion in March 1856.  

It was written that Tillman died of natural circumstances and is buried in the Liberty Chapel Cemetery. Tillman and Mildred are buried in the Bryan Cemetery. Is that formerly the Liberty Chapel Cemetery? 

Mildred died on December 8, 1912.* It is not known if she collected pension funds. With your free account at FamilySearch.org, you can view or download Mildred Bryan's pension application.  

To learn more about Tillman, visit the posts below. 

T. C. Bryan of Bienville Parish, Louisiana - Was he Tillman or Tilman?

Friday's Photo: Tillman C. Bryan 

*To learn more about Mildred and see an alternative death date read Mildred Rebecca Manning Prothro Bryan AND a Question About My Last Post.

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

© 2021 

Sources 

Bryan, Joseph B., and Bryan, Tillman C. Photograph. No date. Photograph in album held by M. Harrison [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] NC.*

Bryan, Tillman C. Photograph. No date. Photograph held by H. Forstmann [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] CT.

Bryan, Tillman C. Photograph. No date. Photograph in album held by M. Harrison [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] NC.*

"Louisiana Confederate Pensions, 1898-1950", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CSL8-FKMM : 27 November 2020), T C Bryan in entry for MM9.1.1/CSLF-6SMM:, 1899.

"Louisiana Confederate Pensions, 1898-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939F-VZSD-5S?cc=1838535&wc=M61M-PNB%3A164934001 : 20 May 2014), Brown, John B - Evans, C H > image 991 of 1406; Louisiana State Archives, Baton Rouge.

____________________________________

*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.

Friday's Photo: Tillman C. Bryan

I love getting unexpected surprises in my email. This photo of Tillman Capers Bryan was new to me and very unexpected. Do you have this photo of Tillman or other photos to share?

 

Tillman Bryan standing next to a posing chair with fringe.
A chair similar to this can be seen in many photos from the
Bienville area attributed to the 1860s and 1870s. According to 
Maureen Taylor, long over-large slack coats, wide trousers, and
suspenders were common between 1860 and 1870. 

Tillman Bryan (also known as Tilman and Tilmon) was the son of Reddick Bryan and Elizabeth S. Regan. He was born on September 13, 1830*, in Houston County, Georgia. Tillman was eight years old when his family left Houston County for Louisiana in the fall of 1838. 

At age 20, the 1850 census shows that Tillman was a laborer and living with his parents. Older brothers, James and Joseph, were married and living very near the family home.

 

These photos were found side by side in an album from the collection of 
Marguerite Cook Clark (1913-1989). The handwriting above the photos is attributed to Marguerite's mother, Mary Marguerite "Maggie" Martin Cook (1887-1970).

Tillman married Mildred Manning Prothro at age 26 on April 15, 1857. She was a widow with one child. A Bible transcription, found at the National Headquarters of the Daughter's of the American Revolution, indicates that Tillman and Mildred had the children listed below. 

• Mary Elizabeth Span Bryan born September 24, 1859, and died on December 19, 1866. 
• Benjamin Terrell Bryan and Tillman C. Bryan were twins and born on April 17, 1862. It is presumed Benjamin Terrell died as he is not mentioned again. 
• John Wesley Bryan was born on September 8, 1864.
• Sally Manning Bryan was born on March 5, 1866. 
• Ida Amelia Bryan was born on May 15, 1868. 
• Tommie Eta Lissinie Bryan was born on December 25, 1869.
• Benjamin Mae (or May) Bryan was born on June 23, 1871, and died on December 2, 1872.
• Mark Pomroy Bryan was born on March 6, 1873, and died the same day. 
• William Rufus Bryan was born on May 23, 1876. 
• Jewell Antonette Bryan was born on February 2, 1884. 
• Amanda Melvina Bryan might be another child. She died on August 19, 1877, but she was not listed under births.

To learn more about this family and see some of Tillman's pension documents, watch for my next Bryan family post. 

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 

*Tillman, born in 1830, has been said to be born on September 15 (cemetery stone) and on September 13 (Transcriptions of Reddick Bryan's family Bible and Tillman's family Bible along with his pension record and the record found in Joseph B. Bryan's Bible).

Sources 

Bryan, Tillman C. Photograph. No date. Photograph held by H. Forstmann [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] CT.

Bryan, Tillman C. Photograph. No date. Photograph in album held by M. Harrison [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] NC.

Clark, Mrs. Albert for the Bistineau Chapter, Louisiana DAR, “Bible Records Bryan and Related Families Bienville and Natchitoches Parishes Louisiana.” Louisiana DAR Genealogical Records Committee Report, Series 1, Volume 117: Louisiana. (1976), 57. digitized typescript, DAR Library, Washington, D.C.

Louisiana, Bienville Parish. 1850 U. S. Census, population schedule. Database with images. Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com : 2020. 

Pharr, Mrs. John Newton for the New Iberia Chapter, Louisiana DAR, “Bible Records Bryan and Related Families Bienville and Natchitoches Parishes Louisiana.” Louisiana DAR Genealogical Records Committee Report, Series 1, Volume 25: Louisiana. (1950), 123-126. digitized typescript, DAR Library, Washington, D.C.

Taylor, Maureen A. Family Photo Detective: Learn How to Find Genealogy Clues in Old Photos and Solve Family Photo Mysteries. Cincinnati, OH: Family Tree Books, 2013.

T. C. Bryan of Bienville Parish, Louisiana - Was he Tillman or Tilman?

When writing about my great-grandfather's brother, I never know if I should write Tillman or Tilman as his first name. I began with my father's family information, and he wrote the name as Tilman Capus Bryan. I was told by a Tillman/Tilman descendant early in my research that his name was Tillman Capers, not Tilman Capus, so I changed that in my tree but still see much confusion about his name. And, to add to the confusion, his son is also Tillman/Tilman Capers Bryan. 

Tillman and Tilman are found as surnames and given names, and both have the same meaning. Tillman is the English variation of the German Tillmann and was originally given to farmers or makers of tiles. Webster-dictionary.org shows the meaning as "a man who tills the earth; a husbandman." Tilman is considered a variation of Tillman. 

Tillman/Tilman Capers Bryan, son of Reddick and Elizabeth Regan Bryan
1830 to 1899

Going through my files and online postings, I found I use both Tillman and Tilman. To make this post easier to read, I will just use one name, Tillman. 

Beginning with Tillman, the father, at Ancestry's Public Member Trees, 117 used the spelling Tilman, 75 used Tillman, and 12 recorded his name as Tilmon. Where did they get the spelling they used? Maybe the name from another family tree, his cemetery stone, or a census record?  In 1850, the census taker wrote Tilman C. Bryan; in 1870 it was Fred Bryant and in 1880 Tilmon C. Bryan. 

Maggie Martin Cook, who only knew Tillman as a young girl, labeled her photos Tillman in her albums. The person who recorded his death in the bible belonging to his brother, Joseph B. Bryan, wrote Tillman as well. 

I have copies of two documents with Tillman's actual signature. Unfortunately, he signed his name as T. C. Bryan. Look at the third document. It is another probate document. Tillman was not present to sign the document. His wife signed his name as Tillman C. Bryan. 

Tillman's signature as T. C. Bryan on his father's probate record in 1864. 

This is referring to a Tribute of Respect written after the death of Martha Caldwell.
T. C. Bryan wrote the document for the Liberty Chapel Grange No. 111
[Farming organization] P. of H.  [The Patrons of Husbandry] and
signed this on August 16, 1875. 

Mildred R. Bryan signed for her husband, Tillman C. Bryan, in 1864. 
Note that Harriet L. Bryan signed for her husband, Terrel Bryan. Terrell
spelled his name as Terrell, not Terrel. 

I have never seen Tillman's family bible, but a 1976 transcription was found at National Headquarters of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 2010. The transcription begins with the statement below. 

Tillman Bryans Holy Bible, July 21, 1894

New York American Bible Society, Distributed in the year 1853. The Old and New Testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This Bible in the possession of Martha Ann Bryan White, great-great-granddaughter of T. C. Bryan. 

Following this was one marriage - Tillman Capus Bryan and Mildred R. Manning Prothro was married April 15th AD 1851. 1851 could easily be a transcription error as they were married in 1857. 

Who has this bible? There were births and deaths of children, some not found in family trees at Ancestry or FamilySearch. I will list them in my next post. However, look at what I found under births for Tillman and his son. 

T. Capus Bryan was borned Sept. 13th A.D. 1830

Tillman Capus Bryan Jr. was borned April 17th AD 1862

Is it really Tillman? And is it Capus, not Capers? We will not know unless we see the actual Bible. Many times the writing is difficult to read and sometimes transcribers correct information. 

A transcription of Reddick Bryan's family Bible was also found at the National Headquarters of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and Tillman's name is transcribed as Tilman. At the time of the transcription in 1950, James Bryan Cook had the Bible. Who has this Bible now? 

Tillman was a life member of the Mackey Lodge No. 122 Free and Accepted Masons. I found his name on rolls and in minutes, but each time he was listed as T. C. Bryan. 

Tillman died on June 16, 1899. This photo of his current cemetery stone, in the Bryan Cemetery, was taken in 1981 when my parents visited Bienville Parish. My father wrote, in the Bryan Cemetery, there is a broken cast-aside stone (Masonic Symbol) T. C. Bryant b 9-13-1820 d. 6-16-1899. This marker is not over a grave but leaning up against the fence. 

 

This tintype found in Terrell Bryan's Bible was labeled Tillman Bryan. 
It was assumed that this was the older Tillman, Terrell's brother; 
however, after asking Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective, to compare
and help identify some of my old photos, I realized this was not Tillman,
the father. Maureen pointed out facial features that didn't match the
known photo of Tillman as well as dating the clothing to be that of the 
1870s. This is more likely to be Tillman, the son. 

Tillman Bryan was written twice under this tintype. 

Tillman, the son, had the same inconsistencies in the spelling of his name. I could not find anything signed by him. He was Tillman, Tilman, and Tilmon on census records. In a letter his sister wrote to a cousin, she spelled his name as Tilmon. His obituary is titled Tillman C. Bryan, while his headstone names him as Tilman C. Bryan. 

My conclusion? We really don't know the correct spelling and probably will not unless we find Tillman's Bible. I will continue spelling his name as Tillman Capers and note the spelling variations in my family tree.  

Check my blog tomorrow for a great photo of Tillman as well as more information from the Bible record. 

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

© 2021

Sources 

100 Year History of Mackey Lodge #122. 1954. Photocopy held by D. B. Quinn [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Virginia Beach, Virginia.*

A Footstep In Time"Tilman Capers Bryan Jr. Cemetery Stone Photograph."  Find A Grave Memorial https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34638429/tilman-capers-bryan#view-photo=82174082. Accessed 3 Jan. 2021.

Bryan, Tillman C. Cemetery Stone Photograph. 1981. Photograph held by D. B. Quinn [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Bryan, Tillman C. Memorial Obituary. 1958. Digital copy held by D. B. Quinn [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Virginia Beach, Virginia.* 

Bryan, Tillman C. Obituary. 1958. Digital copy held by D. B. Quinn [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Virginia Beach, Virginia.* 

Bryan, Tillman C. Photograph. No date. Digital copy held by D. B. Quinn [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Virginia Beach, Virginia.*

Bryan, Tillman C. Tintype in Terrell Bryan's Bible. No date. Tintype held by D. B. Quinn [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Virginia Beach, Virginia. 

Caldwell, Martha. Tribute of Respect. 1875. Digital copy held by D. B. Quinn [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Virginia Beach, Virginia.* 

Clark, Mrs. Albert for the Bistineau Chapter, Louisiana DAR, “Bible Records Bryan and Related Families Bienville and Natchitoches Parishes Louisiana.” Louisiana DAR Genealogical Records Committee Report, Series 1, Volume 117: Louisiana. (1976), 57. digitized typescript, DAR Library, Washington, D.C.

Hammett, Sally Bryan. Sally to cousin Lizzie Regan, no date. Photocopy held by D. B. Quinn [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Virginia Beach, Virginia.  

Louisiana, Bienville Parish. 1850 U. S. Census, population schedule. Database with images. Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com : 2020. 

Louisiana, Bienville Parish. 1870 U. S. Census, population schedule. Database with images. Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com : 2020. 

Louisiana, Bienville Parish. 1880 U. S. Census, population schedule. Database with images. Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com : 2020. 

Louisiana, Bienville Parish. 1900 U. S. Census, population schedule. Database with images. Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com : 2020. 

Louisiana, Bienville Parish. 1910 U. S. Census, population schedule. Database with images. Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com : 2020. 

Louisiana, Bienville Parish. 1920 U. S. Census, population schedule. Database with images. Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com : 2020. 

Louisiana, Bienville Parish. 1930 U. S. Census, population schedule. Database with images. Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com : 2020. 

Louisiana, Bienville Parish. 1940 U. S. Census, population schedule. Database with images. Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com : 2020. 

Pharr, Mrs. John Newton for the New Iberia Chapter, Louisiana DAR, “Bible Records Bryan and Related Families Bienville and Natchitoches Parishes Louisiana.” Louisiana DAR Genealogical Records Committee Report, Series 1, Volume 25: Louisiana. (1950), 123-126. digitized typescript, DAR Library, Washington, D.C.

Proceedings of the M. W. Grand Lodge of the State of Louisiana, Free and Accepted Masons, ... Annual Grand Communication. United States: The Lodge, 1912. Digital Copy. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Proceedings_of_the_M_W_Grand_Lodge_of_th/FHktAQAAMAAJ?hl=en

"Public Member Trees." Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com. 2020.

Reddick Bryan Pension Record. 1864. Digital copy held by D. B. Quinn [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Virginia Beach, Virginia.* 

"Tillman."  Definition of Tillman by Webster's Online Dictionary http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/tillman. Accessed 3 Jan. 2021.

"Tillman."  Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillman. Accessed 3 Jan. 2021.

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*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.