Friday's Photo: Winfrey Albert Bryan of Bienville Parish, Louisiana

This is another wonderful photo from the Frye family's collection.[1] Winfrey Albert Bryan was found in the 1900 United States census as Winfrey A. Bryant, the son of William B. Bryant, and Mary O. Bryant of Bienville Parish, Louisiana.[2] In 1942, Winfrey Albert Bryan was living in Bryceland in Bienville and gave his date of birth as 8 January 1881 on his WWII Draft Registration Card.[3] 

Winfrey Albert Bryan is not a descendant of my Reddick Bryan family but of James Monroe Bryan, who is buried in the Mt. Olive Cemetery in Bienville Parish.[4] I have never found a relationship between the two Bryan families, but I am always looking. 

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

© 2022 

    1. Winfrey Albert Bryan, photograph, no date; scanned image, from the privately held photo collection of the Frye Family, San Francisco, 2019. Used with permission. 

    2. 1900 U.S. Census, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, population schedule, Ringgold, ward 2,  enumeration district 5, page 13, dwelling 203, family 206, William B. Bryant household; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/5894940:7602: accessed 28 September 2022); citing NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 558.

    3. "U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942," database with images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/11120235:1002? : accessed 28 September 2022), Winfrey Albert Bryan; citing The National Archives At St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War II Draft Cards (4th Registration) For the State of Louisiana; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147.

    4. Public Member Trees, database, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/18587955/person/292195959846/facts : accessed 28 September 2022).

Erath County (Images of America), a Review and a Chance to Win a Free Book.

I have been researching Erath County records since the late 1990s. My paternal grandparents, Redic Bryan and Myrtie Hairston, were married in Erath County in 1900. My grandfather's parents, Terrell Bryan and Harriet Albritton, emigrated from Louisiana, settled in the Stephenville area around 1878, and are buried in the West End Cemetery. My grandmother's parents, Phillip A. Hairston and Lodema Criswell, moved to Erath from Falls County in 1883. They lived in Bethel near Morgan Mill until leaving, with my grandparents, for Baylor County, Texas in 1905. 

Erath County (Images of America) shows me photographs of the people and places I have been reading about for more than 20 years. Thank you to Sheryl Reed Rascher for an excellent compilation of 19th and 20th-century images. Everyone interested in Erath County families, communities, and history should have this book. 

Sheryl Reed Rascher, whose family has lived in Erath County for six generations, lovingly assembled this book with the assistance of other Erath County experts. Images for the book came from private collections, the Ralph and Dossie Rogers Historic Images Collection, the Stephenville Historical House Museum, and the Dublin Historical Museum. This book gives access to many photographs that may not be available elsewhere. As an avid researcher but not a Texas resident, this book allows me to see many images housed in the local museums that would otherwise require a visit.

The images in the book are organized
within the above eight topics. 

The Introduction first gives a concise history of Erath, and the remainder of the book is organized by topics. I especially liked a photograph of early settlers found in the Early Erath section. The photo, taken in 1903, includes the names, birth dates, place of birth, and date of removal to the area west of Waco. 

My great-grandparents, Terrell Bryan and Harriet Albritton, are pictured on page 88 in the Civic Duties section. 

My only criticism is one I have with the many Images of America books I own; there is no index. Many names, organization names, and community names are found in these books. For researchers, an index would be extremely helpful. 

I highly recommend this wonderful collection of historical photographs to anyone interested in Erath County. Sheryl Reed Rascher's Erath County (Images of America) was published on 12 September 2022 and is available for purchase at Amazon for $23.99.

A Chance to Win a Free Book

As I have two books, I will send one to a lucky winner at no cost. Let me know that you want the book by commenting on my Facebook page on or before 15 October 2022. I will randomly draw a name and contact the winner on 16 October 2022. 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publishing company for the purposes of review. The author, Sheryl Reed Rascher, send me a complimentary copy for sharing a family photo. However, my opinions are my own and are not influenced by outside sources.

.

Diana

© 2022 

Friday's Photo: A Genealogist's Holiday

My daughter sent this picture in response to a friend's text asking, "What are you doing?" I know that she thought it funny and I'm sure it was. She was watching us as we tried to read the letters on this cemetery stone. Genealogy is never her favorite part of a trip, but she knew there would be at least a few genealogical activities. 

This trip to Ireland was planned for our 40th wedding anniversary in 2020, which was postponed due to COVID closures. I only planned a few genealogy activities. We met a some of my husband's cousins and looked for family townlands, but most of the trip was spent admiring the beautiful country of Ireland, learning more about Ireland's history, and enjoying family time. 

This cemetery is the Killeen Cemetery, also known as the Cillin Graveyard, in New Quay, County Clare. What my husband did not know, as he was trying to read the letters by feeling them, was that this was the grave of his second great-grandfather, Patrick Murray. I wanted to know if there could be more than one name on the stone. There was not, but it is said that my husband's great-grandparents, James Murray and Cecelia Linnane are also buried in this plot. 

Genealogical Tidbits From Our Trip

Julia Murray Moylan's home has been sold. Her home on the Flaggy Shore in New Quay was also a store where she sold numerous items, including ice cream, candy, and cigarettes. Julia was the sister of my husband's grandmother, Susan Murray Quinn. 

My second-great-grandmother, Julia Halvey (also seen as Harvey), was born in Quinpool, County Clare - about a one-minute drive from Quinville House.  We could not find Quinpool but suspect it may have been on a portion of the land behind the Quinville House Gates. 

We found my husband's grandfather's name, William Quinn, on a wall at the Galway City Museum as one of 322 from Galway imprisoned in Frongoch Internment Camp following the Easter Rising in 1916. 

This is not a genealogy tidbit, but aside from visiting my husband's Murray and Quinn cousins and our friends, the Fordes, visiting Connemara was the best part of our trip. The scenery was breathtaking, and we enjoyed the gardens and small towns. 

Everyone liked Linnane's in New Quay. It wasn't our first dinner at this restaurant. I've always wondered if this Linnane family of New Quay was connected to my husband's great-grandmother, Cecelia Linnane. I will never know until I do some digging. 

This is me in front of EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum. I can't say enough good things about it! If you go to Dublin, visit this museum. Note that only I went to the EPIC. Everyone else went to the Guinness Storehouse. 

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

© 2022