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.