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This blog is used to share information I find about the families I am researching. To see these family names click on the "My Families" tab. Please feel free to make comments, corrections, and ask questions here or on my Facebook page or go to the "About Me" tab to send an e-mail.

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My posts can be accessed by the date posted from the column on the right. Blog posts containing specific surnames can be found by clicking on the names in the left column.

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Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Navigating the History of Erath's Old Poor Farm with New Technologies

Terrell Bryan and his wife, Harriet Albritton


In 2018, I wrote the blog post Terrell Bryan Managed a Poor Farm in Erath County, Texas. I learned much about Terrell Bryan and the poor farm from old newspapers and a few county court records. Records showed that Terrell, my great-grandfather, managed a poor farm from about 1883 to 1887. In 1888, the old poor farm was sold, and a new poor farm was established. Little is known about the old poor farm, and its location was only seen in newspaper ads as "about a mile from the college" and "southwest of Stephenville." 

Six years ago, locating the site would have required a lengthy examination of deed records. However, recently developed technological advancements have enabled me to perform searches and transcriptions in minutes. Simply entering +"poor farm" + Erath into the new Full-Text Search at FamilySearch.org resulted in two deeds describing Erath's "old poor farm."

From these two deeds, I learned that on 9 November 1877, J. B. Hill purchased land from Matilda Duprey, widow of J. B. Duprey. At the time, C. H. Walker was the administrator of the J. B. Duprey estate. 

J. B. Hill sold part or all of this land to Erath County on 10 August 1880. 

On 20 February 1889, J.L. Humphries, serving as the County Judge of Erath, sold the land known as the Old Poor Farm to J.W. Ferguson for $300 and the further consideration of two promissory notes. 

These dates line up perfectly with the accounts found in old newspapers. On 28 November 1880, the Brenham Daily Banner announced that Erath County was going to establish a poor farm. Eight years later, on 20 December 1888, sealed bids for the sale of the old poor farm were being considered. 

The location of the "old poor farm" can be seen in the deeds. I used ChatGPT, an Artificial Intelligence system, to make the transcriptions found at FamilySearch easier to read. I also asked ChatGPT to explain the deeds to me in a timeline manner to better understand the past transactions described in the deeds. Transcriptions of the deeds can be seen below. 


Found in Deed Book 27, Pages 211-212

The State of Texas, County of Erath
Know all men by these presents that I  J.L. Humphries County Judge of the County of Erath and State aforesaid in consideration of the sum of 300.00 Three hundred Dollars to me in hand paid by J.W. Ferguson and the further consideration of two promissory notes bearing even date herewith and bearing 10% interest from date until paid for the sum of one hundred and fifty Dollars each have Granted sold and conveyed and by these presents do Grant Sell and Convey unto the said J.W. Ferguson of the County of Erath and State of Texas all that certain tract or parcel of land to wit. Sixty-three acres of land more or less situated about one half mile South of Stephenville, Erath County, Texas, being the same land purchased by J.B. Hill and J.F. Hill from Mrs. Matilda Duprey and from C.H. Walker, administrator of J.B. Duprey deceased. For a more particular description of which, reference is hereby made to the deeds of said Matilda Duprey and Walker to the said J.B. Hill except those parts of said land sold by the said J.B. & J.F. Hill to Mrs. E. Hazlewood and to W.W. Hickey and by said J.B. Hill to J.H. Parr but including in this conveyance Seven and a half acres of land bought by said J.B. Hill from Mrs Hazlewood by deed dated 9th day of November 1877 to which reference is hereby made for a more particular description of said Seven and a half acres this Deed intended to convey Fifty three acres more or less the same as known as the old Poor Farm of Erath County and deeded by J B Hill to Erath County on the 10th day of August A D 1880. To have and to hold the above described premises together with all and singular the rights and appurtenances thereto belonging unto the said James W. Ferguson his heirs and assigns forever and I  J.L. Humphries Co Judge as aforesaid hereby bind Erath County to warrant and forever Defend all and singular the said premises unto the said James W Ferguson his heirs and assigns against every person whomsoever lawfully claiming or to claim the same or any part there of in as full and ample a manner as I can convey or aught to convey the same
Witness my hand at Stephenville this 20th day of February A D 1889.
J.L. Humphries
County Judge
Erath County, Texas


Found in Deed Book 28, Pages 105-107

The State of Texas, County of Erath
Know all men by these presents that I, J.L. Humphries County Judge of the County of Erath and State aforesaid for and in consideration of the sum of Three hundred ($300) Dollars to me in hand paid by J.W. Helm Ferguson and the further consideration of two promissory notes of even date herewith and bearing 10 percent interest per annum from date until paid for the sum one hundred and fifty Dollars each retaining a vendor's lien for the payment of same have granted sold and conveyed and by these presents do grant sell and convey unto the said J.W. Ferguson of the County of Erath and State of Texas all that certain tract or parcel of land lying and situated about one half a mile South of the town of Stephenville on the Bosque River in the County of Erath and the State of Texas and known as the Old poor farm of Erath County and more particularly described as follows, to wit

A part of the John B. Duprey Survey being the same land purchased by J.B. Hill and J.F. Hill from Mrs Matilda Duprey and from C.H. Walker, administrator of J.B. Duprey deceased. Beginning at the S.E. Corner of a seven and one half acre survey deeded by Mrs. E. Hazlewood to J.H. Hill for S.E. Corner of this an a live oak tree marked J H: 

Thence N. 36° W. passing N.E. Corner of Said Seven and one half acres tract 554 varas  a corner in bed of branch from which a rock Boulder on north bank of Branch marked X bears N 43 W. 4 vrs: Thence up and with the meanderings of said branch to a corner of a 27 acre Survey of land deeded by J.B. Hill to W. W. Hickey, a post oak marked H on Side of branch bears S.W. 1 vara
Thence westwardly 317 varas to a corner in the east line of a survey deeded by J.B. Hill and wife to J.H. Parr.

Thence S. 7° E with east line of the Said Parr Survey 655 varas to a rock pile for a corner from which a Black Jack tree 2 ½ inches in diameter bears S. 55 W. 12 ½ varas and a Live Oak marked X bears S. 9° E. 17 ½ varas: 

Thence N. 60° E. 535 varas to N.W. corner of said seven and one half acres. Survey a Rock pile for corner from which a live oak marked H bears S. 7° E. 15 varas 

Thence S. 63° E 185 varas to a rock pile, on prairie for S.W. corner of Same.

Thence N. 60° E. 216 Varas to the place of beginning containing 53 acres of land more or less
to have and to hold the above described premises together with all and singular the rights and appurtenances thereto in any wise belonging unto the said J.W. Ferguson   I  J.L. Humphries County Judge as aforesaid heirs and assigns forever and do hereby bind Erath County to warrant and forever defend all and singular the said premises unto the said J.W. Ferguson his heirs and assigns against every person whomsoever lawfully claiming or to claim the same or any part thereof in as full and ample a manner as can convey or aught to convey the same witness my hand at Stephenville this 20 day of February, A.D. 1889
J.C. Humphries 
County Judge
Erath County 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

© 2024 

"#52ancestors Post Thirty-Nine: Terrell Bryan Managed a Poor Farm in Erath County" blog entry, 25 October 2018, Moments in Time: A Genealogy Blog (https://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/52ancestors-post-thirty-nineterrell.html : accessed 24 March 2024).

"Erath County is to have a poor farm," The Daily Banner (Brenham, Texas), 28 Nov 1880,  p.1, col. 3; database and images, The Portal to Texas History (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth478713/ : accessed 24 Mar 2024). 

Erath County, Texas, Deed Book 27: 211-212, Deed, 20 Feb 1889; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3WM-9SR4-M? : accessed 18 March 2024), image 109. 

Erath County, Texas, Deed Book 28: 105-107, Deed, 20 Feb 1889; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3WM-9SGH-C? : accessed 18 March 2024), image 56. 

"Old Poor Farm for Sale," The Stephenville Empire (Stephenville, Texas), 15 Dec 1888,  p.1, col. 4; database and images, The Portal to Texas History  (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth857540/m1/1/zoom/?resolution=4&lat=3804.5&lon=3019.5 : accessed 24 Mar 2024). 

Friday, March 22, 2024

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




I love this old photo of Albert Brown Bryan and his grand-aunt, Alice Mary Wimberly Bryan estimated to have been taken about 1890. Albert's grandmother was Alice's sister, Sarah Margaret Wimberly Bryan. Alice was married to James Bryan, and Sarah to his half-brother, Joseph Brown Bryan. 

Albert was the son of James Anderson Bryan and Sarah Frances Nix. Both died of influenza when Albert was about two years old. Augustus Reddick Bryan and his wife, Erie Ontario Nix, raised Albert and their three daughters in a log home about four miles south of Ringgold in Bienville Parish. 

I was uncertain whether to call Alice the grand-aunt or great-aunt of Albert. Most dictionaries consider them synonymous terms. However, at Ancestry.com, a grand-aunt is the name that should be given to the sister of a person’s grandparent. A great-aunt is used for those who are at least three generations older than the person. So, a great-grandparent's sister would be a great-aunt.  

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
© 2024 

Alice Mary Wimberly Bryan and Albert Bryan photograph, n.d.; digital image, from the privately held photo collection of Marguerite Cook Clark (1913-1989), Waynesville, North Carolina, 2022. Photos were accessed and scanned at the home of Marguerite Cook Clark's daughter in Alpine, Texas, on April 28, 2014, September 14, 2014, and November 9 to 11, 2016.

Friday, March 15, 2024

Friday's Photo: The Home of Joseph W. and Josie Bryan Cook - 1925 - Bienville Parish, Louisiana



There are three lines of writing above and below these photos are as follows:

Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Cook's home 1925
Grandma and Grandpa's home
Where "we"all" were 

When enlarged, the writing was easy to see. However, the year was difficult to decipher—it could be 1905, 1925, or 1935, but I suspect 1925, as there were several pictures near it in the album that took place at an anniversary celebration in November 1925. For more about Josie and Joe click on the links below. 


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

© 2024 

Photos of the Cook home and Josie and Joe Cook, photographs, ca.1925; scanned images, from the privately held photo collection of the Frye Family, San Francisco, 2019.


Saturday, March 9, 2024

A Record of Enslavement - Could this be Mourning Iverson of Bienville Parish?


I have had this Bill of Sale for quite a long time, but mine was faded, and the enslaved person's name could not be seen. This copy, from Martin County's Deed Book F, found at FamilySearch last week, can be easily read. 

To all People to whom these presents shall come, I, James Bryan of the county of Martin and State of North Carolina planter for and inconsideration of love good will and affection which I have and bare towards my loving Daughter, Amy Bryan of the County and State aforesaid have givin and granted and by these presents do freely and grant unto the said Amy Bryan her heirs Executors, admns and assigns one negro named mornin to have and to hold all the negro slave to her the said Amy Bryan her heirs Exors and from henceforth as her and her property absolutely without any manner of consideration. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 17th day March 1815 - Signed sealed and delivered and in the presence of
                                                                                                                                       James Bryan {his mark}
Benj. Bowers
Reddick Bryan

Martin County December Term 1816  this bill of sale was proven in open court by the oath of Reddick Bryant, one of the subscribing witnesses and ordered to be registered.

H.B. Hunter Clk


Persons Named in this Bill of Sale

Benjamin Bowers and Reddick Bryan witnessed this transaction. No information has been found to positively identify Benjamin Bowers. Reddick Bryan was my second great-grandfather. Much about him can be seen by clicking on this page

James Bryan
I have long suspected that James Bryan, of Martin County, North Carolina and  named in the bill of sale, was the father of Reddick Bryan. Two years before this transaction, he deeded land to Reddick with no mention of cost. Reddick witnessed this document where James names Amy as his daughter. It is thought that James moved to Twiggs County, Georgia. Reddick was one of the administrators of a James Bryan's estate in 1817 in Twiggs.

Amy Bryan

Amy Bryan was named as the daughter of James. It is thought that she moved to Twiggs County with her family as Reddick, who was living in Twiggs, was the administrator of an estate of an Amy Bryan in 1826 in Twiggs County. 

Mornin
Mornin was an enslaved woman gifted to Amy Bryan by her father James. Mornin's age is not known, but if Amy Bryan went to Twiggs, it was very soon after this transaction and Mornin probably went with her. 

When I read this bill of sale, I was surprised to see the name Mornin. Mornin was very similar to the name Mourning, which I found when writing about records of persons enslaved by Reddick Bryan at Slavery and the Bryan Family

An enslaved woman, 43-year-old Mourning, was listed on an 1856 transaction between Reddick and his son, Joseph B. Bryan, in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. She was not listed in the family bible transcription but was one of several enslaved persons who would remain with Elizabeth Bryan as reported on the Partition of Slaves recorded after Reddick Bryan's death in 1864. This same person was found as Mourning Iverson on the 1870 United States Census in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. 

Mourning appears to be the mother of several of the enslaved persons named in Reddick Bryan's probate. The ages of her enslaved children indicate that she probably came with the Reddick Bryan family on their move to Louisiana from Georgia. 

Could Mourning Iverson and Mornin, found in the 1815 Martin County Bill of Sale, be the same person? 

More Questions than Answers 

Unfortunately, there are more questions about the relationships between these people than answers. Twiggs County records burned in 1901, leaving absolutely no early records. I cannot say that James was the father of Reddick and Reddick, the brother of Amy. Reddick could easily be a nephew or cousin. 

And I cannot say that Mornin is Mourning Iverson.

Although I don't know the answers to these questions, it is important to share this information.  I may never solve these hard genealogical puzzles, but future researchers will have more clues than I did when I started researching. 


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
© 2024 

"Administrator's Sale," Southern Recorder (Milledgeville, Ga.), 5 September 1826, p.4, col.5; digital images, Digital Library of Georgia, (https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn82016415/1826-09-05/ed-1/seq-4/ : accessed 9 March 2024).

"Administrator's Sale," The Georgia Journal (Milledgeville, GA), 6 January 1818, p.3, col.6; digital images, Digital Library of Georgia, (https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn82014251/1818-01-06/ed-1/seq-3/ : accessed 9 March 2024).

Diana Bryan Quinn "Slavery and the Bryan Family," blog page, 24 June 2020, Moments in Time: A Genealogy Blog (https://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/p/throughout-my-bryan-family-research-i_10.html : accessed 9 March 2024).

Martin County, North Carolina, Deed Book F: 378, Bill of Sale, 17 March 1815; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L983-N3LW? : accessed 9 March 2024), image 193. 

Martin County, North Carolina, Deed Book F: 220, Deed, 10 September 1813; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G983-NQ3B? : accessed 9 March 2024), image 114. 

Friday, March 8, 2024

Friday's Photo: Alice Mary Wimberly Bryan of Bienville Parish, Louisiana

Alice Mary Wimberly Bryan 1829 - 1916


This photo and obituary of Alice Mary Wimberly Bryan are from the collection of Marguerite Cook Clark. An earlier photo of Alice, from the Frye family's collection, along with her husband, James, was posted last week

James Bryan and Alice Mary Wimberly were married on 13 January 1846. James is the son of Reddick Bryan and his unknown first wife. Alice is the daughter of William Wimberly and Lucy Smith Lawson. 

Alice died at the home of her nephew, Augustus Reddick "Bud" Bryan. Bud was the son of her sister Sarah and Sarah's husband, Joseph B. Bryan, half-brother to Alice's husband James. 

Alice and James did not have children of their own but did adopt two children - Josephine "Josie" Sarah Catherine Bryan and John Terrell Bryan, the children of Sarah Margaret Wimberly and her husband, Joseph B. Bryan. 

James died in 1884. Both Alice and James are buried in the Wimberly Cemetery. 

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
© 2024 

Alice Mary Wimberly Bryan photograph and obituary; digital images from the privately held photo collection of Marguerite Cook Clark (1913-1989), Waynesville, North Carolina, 2021. Photos were accessed and scanned at the home of Marguerite Cook Clark's daughter in Alpine, Texas, on April 28, 2014, September 14, 2014, and November 9 to 11, 2016.

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Last Week, Everything Changed . . . Finding Reddick Bryan Using FamilySearch's Full-Text Search


Two weeks ago, I started on a much-procrastinated project - my brick wall, Reddick Bryan. He lived in Martin County, North Carolina, moved to Georgia and later to Bienville Parish, Louisiana. I am hoping to find more information that points to his parents. There are many public trees giving him a variety of parents, but none show adequate documentation. 

Exhaustive searches in Martin County, North Carolina records and Bienville Parish records were completed years ago, but I had never spent enough time looking at deeds and other records in the surrounding counties or in Pulaski, Houston, and Twiggs Counties in Georgia, where Reddick was said to have lived. 

In addition, Reddick was closely connected to a Miles Bryan in both Georgia and Louisiana. I don't know the family connection, but YDNA says it's close. 

I began by reading unindexed succession records in Bienville Parish, looking for any pages or clues I may have previously missed. I spent much time in the library reviewing Bienville Parish deeds on Family Search and much more time at home looking at Bryan family deeds in Houston County also on FamilySearch. I even wrote a blog post about searching the Bienville succession records on Ancestry.com - Look Beyond the Indexed Records When Searching Louisiana Wills and Probate Records at Ancestry.com 


Last Week, Everything Changed . . .   

Then, last week, at RootsTech, it was announced that FamilySearch Labs released Full-Text Search, allowing us to search scanned images of records not previously indexed. According to the website, there are currently only two collections available to search: the United States Land and Probate Records dating from 1630-1975, and the Mexico Notary Records collection, with most records created before the 1900s. However, new collections will be added regularly. 

This means that all of those wonderful land records that were digitized from microfilm will be searchable by name, place, or whatever phrase I use. Not only are they searchable, but when you locate a record, a transcription can be seen along with the record. 

This record of Reddick Bryan was found when I entered the search terms "Bryan" and "Twiggs." These terms are highlighted in the document. The transcription of the two pages was below the record, which was saved as a PDF. I clipped the bottom portion of the transcription to give you an idea of what you will see. 



In only a few days, I completed county searches in North Carolina and Georgia that would have taken me years to complete prior to Full-Text Search. I found records I did not find in previous searches. I was able to search by decade, state, and county. I searched for Bryan using a variety of spellings and full names in quotation marks, such as "Reddick Bryan," as well as only surnames or less common first names. 

A search for "Twiggs" in the 1810s and 1820s showed numerous deeds in other Georgia counties and states naming those who lived in Twiggs County, Georgia, during the time Reddick Bryan was living there. This is especially valuable as Twiggs County's early records were burned in a fire in 1901.

In less than a week, I accomplished the following:
  • Complete searches of deed records at FamilySearch for Bryans in Houston, Twiggs, Pulaski, AND all surrounding counties in Georgia. Began searches for Bryans in counties surrounding Martin County, North Carolina. 
  • Determined that Reddick Bryan probably never lived in Pulaski County, as seen in many family trees. There will be more on this in a later post. 
  • Determined that Reddick probably left Martin County in North Carolina to settle in Twiggs County, Georgia, where he lived before moving to Houston County, Georgia. Again, more about this will be in a later post. 
  • Found new clusters of friends, associates, and neighbors of both Reddick and Miles Bryan that need to be investigated.

With AI, I was hoping for good transcriptions of handwritten records, but I never expected to get something this good in my lifetime! Now waiting for court records, Freedmen's Bureau records, and Irish birth records. Thank you, FamilySearch!


For Descendants of Reddick Bryan and Miles Bryan 

As many of you reading this post will be descendants of Reddick Bryan, I want to offer my help and ask for yours. I have been researching Reddick and his family since the late 1990s. I have collected much information and am willing to share what I have. 

I would also like your input. If you have family documents, a Bible, or family photos, please share. You never know what kind of clue will be in the documents, on the back of a photo, or in a family Bible. Click below to send me an email. 


More About Full-Text Search

Learn how others are using this fabulous tool at the links below. 

Testing the Full Text Search in FamilySearch Labs - An Immediate Success!! from Randy Sever (read his lessons learned and advice) 







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

© 2024 


Friday, March 1, 2024

Friday's Photo: Alice Mary Wimberly and James Bryan




These hand-colored photographs of Alice Mary Wimberly and James Bryan are part of the Frye Family Collection. The family passed them down, beginning with the Bryans' adopted daughter, Josie Bryan Cook. The old frames on these are beautiful. 

James Bryan and Alice Mary Wimberly were married on 13 January 1846. James is the son of Reddick Bryan and his unknown first wife. Alice is the daughter of William Wimberly and Lucy Smith Lawson. At the time, they were living in Claiborne Parish until Bienville Parish was formed to include the land owned by the Bryan and Wimberly families. 



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

© 2024 

Framed hand-colored photos of James Bryan and Alice Mary Wimberly, photograph, n.d.; scanned image, from the privately held photo collection of the Frye Family, San Francisco, 2019.