Friday's Photo: Second-Great-Grandparents

William Moore Criswell and Mary Ann Evans Criswell

Second great-grandparents are ideal for genealogy research. Some vital records and census data usually exist for them. I have found marriage licenses, census records, a few birth records, directories, newspaper articles, and so much more! And even though they all were born between 1793 and 1850, I have photos of six of them.  

Julia Harvey Glynn and 
daughter, Carrie

Everyone has 16 second great-grandparents. Each generation back doubles the number of direct ancestors: 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great-grandparents, and 16 second great-grandparents. Of my 16 second great-grandparents, I know the first and last names of eleven. 

Olive Caroline Davis

The names of three of my maternal second great-grandparents are unknown. The remaining are listed below:

Olive Caroline Davis

George Lullen Giddens and Luellen Bradshaw

Joseph Allen Glynn and Julia Harvey

My paternal second great-grandparents include the following, along with one unknown second great-grandmother:

Reddick Bryan and Elizabeth Span Regan

William Moore Criswell and Mary Ann Evans

Peter Albritton and Hollon (last name unknown)

John L. Hairston  

 

Reddick Bryan and Elizabeth Span Regan Bryan

Five of my second great-grandparents are still a mystery to me. But each blank spot on my tree is a reminder that the search is never really over. How many of your 16 can you name?

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

© 2025

Carrie Glynn and Julia Harvey Glynn, photograph, ca. 1885; scanned image, held in the photo collection of Diana Quinn, Virginia Beach, VA, 2025. Location of the original photo is unknown. 

Mary Ann Evans, photograph, no date; scanned image, from the privately held photo collection of Diana Bryan Quinn, Virginia Beach, VA, 2025. 

Olive Caroline Davis, photograph, no date; scanned image, from the privately held photo collection of Brenda and Mike Parker, 2001.

Reddick Bryan and Elizabeth S. Regan, photograph, abt 1855; scanned image, from the privately held photo collection of Diana Bryan Quinn, Virginia Beach, VA, 2025. 

William M. Criswell, photograph, no date; scanned image, from the privately held photo collection of Lena Stone Criswell, NM, 2001.

Friday's Photo: Frances L. Bryan - Bienville Parish, LA to Erath County, TX

Frances L. Bryan 1859 to 1894
This appears to be a copy of the tintype seen below. Using Mark Thompson's
Historical Photo Analyzer at ChatGpt, I can surmise that due to her age and
the style of clothing, this photo was likely taken between 1875 and 1880.
As the family left Bienville in about 1876, and they were in Erath County
by 1878, I am unable to identify the location where the photo was taken.

This is likely the original image,
and the hand-colored version was
probably a later copy.

Frances L. Bryan was born in Louisiana on February 13, 1859, to twenty-two-year-
old parents, Terrell Bryan and Harriet Louisa Albritton. Frances was the second of their ten known children—her older brother Joseph had died in infancy two years before her birth. Family stories suggest that Frances may have had an intellectual disability, or possibly epilepsy. 

Frances spent the first part of her childhood in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. In 1861, when she was about two years old, her father joined the Louisiana Infantry. During his time away, Harriet and her children lived with Harriet's mother, Hollon Albritton.  By the war's end, Frances was the eldest of three girls, with at least six more children to be born to Harriet and Terrell by 1884. 

In about 1876, the Bryan family relocated to Eastland County, Texas, looking for new opportunities.  Frances was almost 20 when they moved to Erath County in 1878. Unlike her siblings, who married and started their own families, Frances did not marry or have children. She passed away on December 24, 1894, in Erath County at the age of 35. 

Frances’ cemetery stone at the Old Valley Grove Cemetery near Stephenville in Erath County lists her death as occurring in 1904. However, Terrell and Harriet Bryan's family Bible records her passing in 1894 at the age of 35 years, 10 months, and 11 days. I have not found any other records or reports confirming her death. She does not appear in the 1900 census, which also states that only six of Terrell and Harriet's children were still living at that time. Those six were Terrell L. Bryan Biggs, Hollon S. Bryan Latta, Laura L. Bryan Keith, Alice A. Bryan Hammett, Dorothy (Dollie) E. H. Bryan Wylie, and my grandfather, Redic E. Bryan.

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

© 2025 

"Frances L. Bryan," colorized photograph, about 1880; scanned image, from the privately held photo collection of Jane Aebersold, CO, 2013.

"Frances L. Bryan," photograph, ca.1880; scanned image, from the privately held photo collection of D.B. Quinn, 2022.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/28974168/frances_l-bryan: accessed February 1, 2025), memorial page for Frances L. “Fanny” Bryan (13 Feb 1869–24 Dec 1904), Find a Grave Memorial ID 28974168, citing Old Valley Grove Cemetery, Erath County, Texas, USA; Maintained by LookingForFamily (contributor 47127361).

Mark Thompson’s Historical Photo Analyzer (ChatGPT), response to a question by Diana Quinn, February 28, 2025. Available at https://chatgpt.com/g/g-gbEbpBXtc-mark-thompson-s-historical-photo-analyzer. 

Memories written by Terrell Little "Bunch" Biggs, 13 July 1937; digital copy, original copy held by Pat Waas, TX.

Terrell Bryan Family Bible Records, 1836 - 1927, The Illustrated Polyglot Household Bible (Philadelphia: G. Zeigler, McCurdy, & Co., 1870), "Family Record," privately held by Diana Bryan Quinn, Virginia Beach, VA, 2021

A Church Meeting Held at Liberty Chapel, Bienville Parish, Louisiana - April 11, 1875

The following description of the Liberty Chapel was found on a paper titled "Brief Statement of the History of the Grand Bayou Church. It appears to have been written by Marguerite Cook Clark. She sent this to E. Ragan Pruitt in 1982. He passed this on to me in 2003.

"Liberty Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church South, Bienville Parish was located some 6 or 7 miles SE of Ringgold on what was the Reddick Bryan place, near the Bryan cemetery was the founder of Methodism in this area.  As early as Oct. 1845 they were having Camp Meetings. Elizabeth S. Bryan reported there were only 4 tents, but they had a fine time. That had a good many hearers, and there were 13 who joined the church."

Along with this description, Ragan sent me a copy of this information about the Liberty Chapel and its members. However, when I visited Marguerite Cook Clark's daughter, Palma, I saw the actual document and scanned it along with the back of the document, which contained some notes and a few more names.

I have identified the individuals named in this document below. At least thirty-one of those named are connected to my Bryan/Regan family. There may be errors, and I would appreciate any corrections or additional information about the persons listed.

Mrs. Mary Manning 

May have been the mother of Mildred Manning Prothro Bryan, wife of Tillmon C. Bryan. In 1870, Mary Manning was living with the Tillmon C. Bryan family. 

Mrs. Eliza S. Bryan 

Born Elizabeth S. Regan in 1798, she was the daughter of Joseph and Dorothea Regan of Robeson County, NC. In 1875, she was the widow of Reddick Bryan.

Mrs. Sarah Bryan

"Absent" was written next to her name. Could this be Sarah Lawson Bryan, widow of Miles Bryan, who died in 1863? Miles is thought to be closely related to Reddick Bryan.

Mr. John Regan and Mrs. John Regan

"Moved" was found next to their names. John Regan was the son of Elizabeth Regan and her first husband, Joseph Regan. He married Martha Davis. All surviving children of John Regan and Martha Davis were on this list.  Three of the Regan's four sons were killed during the Civil War.

Mr. James Bryan

James Bryan, first son of Reddick Bryan and his first wife. James Bryan married Alice Mary Wimberly.

Mrs. A. M. Bryan

Alice Mary Bryan, daughter of William Wimberly and wife of James Bryan.

Mr. Kenneth Wardsworth and Ann Wardsworth

"Died" is written next to "Kenneth Wardsworth." No other information can be found about Kenneth or Ann Wardsworth. 

Mrs. Amanda Watts

Catharine Amanda Bryan, sometimes called "Manda."  She was the daughter of Reddick Bryan and Elizabeth Regan and the widow of James C. Watts.

Mr. T. C. Bryan and Wife

Tillman C. Bryan, son of Reddick Bryan and Elizabeth Regan, was married to  Mildred Manning Prothro Bryan.

Mrs. Sarah M. Bryan 

Sarah Margaret Wimberly was married to Joseph B. Bryan. She was the daughter of William Wimberly.

Mrs. Laura F. Martin 

Laura Frances Bryan, the first child of Joseph B. Bryan and Sarah Margaret Wimberly. She was married to Thomas Jefferson Martin.

Friday's Photo: Another Biggs Family Photo

Unidentified young woman found in the Biggs Family Bible

I have had a genealogy web page at Rootsweb, now part of Ancestry, since about 2004. Ancestry is retiring its Rootsweb pages in 2024. They say the pages will become static pages. You will be able to see the pages, but I will not be able to make changes. Just in case they lose my web pages, I am putting some of the web page content on my blog, and this post is the first of many. 

This unidentified photo was shared by a Bryan / Biggs researcher and her daughter and has been on my webpage for almost 20 years. 

Terrell Little Bryan, known as "Bunch," was the daughter of Terrell Bryan and Harriet Albritton. She was born in 1861 in Bienville Parish and left her home and many aunts, uncles, and cousins when her parents decided to move to Texas in about 1876. The family spent about a year in Eastland, Texas, before moving to Erath County. Terrell married James D. Biggs in Erath County on 16 May 1880. Terrell and James are pictured below. Note their names on the Bible. The photo above was one of several found in that Bible. 

Other Biggs Family Posts

Friday's Photo: The Biggs Family + One in Erath County, Texas

Friday's Photo: Four Unidentified Photos Found in the Biggs Family Bible

Friday's Photo: Terrell Little "Bunch" Bryan

The Terrell Bryan and Harriet Albritton Family

Flowers and Family - A Letter from Erath County to Bienville Parish - May 3, 1913

Friday's Photo: Ina, Charlie, and Jimmy Biggs of 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

© 2023 

Unidentified photos found in the Biggs family Bible, photographs, no dates; scanned images from the privately held photo collection of Mary Sue Blackwell Pierce, TX, 2006.

Mary Sue Blackwell Pierce,  "Birth Record of Biggs Family," 1847 - 1939; supplied by Mary Sue Blackwell Pierce, Texas, 2006.

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: Ina, Charlie, and Jimmy Biggs of Erath County, Texas

Yesterday, I posted Flowers and Family - A Letter from Erath County to Bienville Parish - May 3, 1913. The letter was written by my grandfather's sister, Terrell Little "Bunch" Bryan Biggs. Aunt Bunch, as my father called her, married James Daniel Biggs and had eight children. Two died as very young children.[1] This photo is a picture of the three youngest children who lived to adulthood; Ina Lou, Charlie, and Jimmy.[2] 

The photo was found in Marguerite Cook Clark's collection of family photos and documents originally held in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. It is unknown who received the photo in about 1899 or if it was sent by Bunch or possibly by one of her parents, Terrell Bryan or Harriet Albritton Bryan.[3]

The photo above appears to have been taken about 1899 as the youngest, Charles Calvin Biggs, was born on 15 March 1898. Charles was born in Erath County, married twice, and had no children. He was a teacher and died in Plainview, Texas on 18 July 1957 where he was buried.[4] 

Terrell Little "Bunch" Bryan and her husband James Daniel
Biggs. The young girls are Margaret (Maggie) and Willie. The
boy standing is Terrell Bryan, and the baby is James Ely. Ina
Lou and Charles Calvin were not yet part of the family. The 
older girl was Belle Hanley.[7] 

Ina Lou Biggs was born on 26 September 1894 in Erath County. She worked for at least a few years as a teacher. Ina Lou married Frank Bain Blackwell and they had children Frank Bain Jr., Mary Sue, and William Reed. Frank Blackwell Sr. died in 1929 just a few months after his youngest son's birth. Three years later Ina Lou married Robert Lee Chapman and they had children Margaret Elizabeth and Charles Donald. Ina Lou died 4 October 1984 and is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Tyler, Texas.[5] 

James Ely Biggs (Jimmy in the photo) was born on 17 June 1890. He married twice and had one son, James Bryan Biggs called "Little Jim." James Ely Biggs was a teacher in Baylor County in 1910. He died on 17 August 1970 in Waco, Texas, and is buried in Plainview next to his brother, Charles.[6] 

Other Biggs Family Posts

Friday's Photo: The Biggs Family + One in Erath County, Texas

Friday's Photo: Terrell Little "Bunch" Bryan

The Terrell Bryan and Harriet Albritton Family

Flowers and Family - A Letter from Erath County to Bienville Parish - May 3, 1913

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. Ina Lou Biggs Blackwell Chapman, "Birth Record of Biggs Family," 1847 - 1939; supplied by Sue Blackwell Pierce, Texas, 2006.

    2. Three Biggs Children, photograph, n.d.; digital images, 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.

    3. Terrell Bryan Family Bible Records, 1836 - 1927, The Illustrated Polyglot Household Bible (Philadelphia: G. Zeigler, McCurdy, & Co., 1870), "Family Record," privately held by Diana Bryan Quinn, Virginia Beach, VA, 2021.

    4. Chapman, Birth Record of Biggs Family. Also, "Heart Attack Fatal to Plainview Man," Lubbock Morning Avalanche (Lubbock, Texas), 18 July 1957, p.5; database with images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/101229162/charles-calvin-biggs-obituary/: accessed 28 April 2022).

    5. Chapman, Birth Record of Biggs Family. Also, Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41174153/ina-lou-chapman: accessed 06 May 2022), memorial page for Ina Lou Biggs Chapman (26 Sep 1894–4 Oct 1984), Find a Grave Memorial ID 41174153, citing Rose Hill Cemetery, Tyler, Smith County, Texas, USA ; Maintained by Tamera (contributor 46830348). Also, Locals, The Osage Chief (Fairfax, Oklahoma), 1 September 1916, p.3; database with images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/101232110/ina-lou-biggs-teacher/: accessed 28 April 2022).

    6. Chapman, Birth Record of Biggs Family. Also, "Biggs, James Eli," myplainview.com

 (http://unger.myplainview.com/cemetery/cemetery.php?row_id=2969 : accessed 25 April 2022). Also, J E. Biggs to teach in Red Spring, The Baylor County Banner (Seymour, Texas), 17 June 1910,  p.6, col. 1; database and images, The Portal to Texas History (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth429359/m1/6/zoom/? : accessed 5 May 2022). 

    7. The Biggs Family, photograph, ca.1892; scanned image, from the privately held photo collection of Patricia Pierce Waas, TX, 2006. Also, Diana Bryan Quinn "Friday's Photo: The Biggs Family + One in Erath County, Texas" blog entry, 25 October 2019, Moments in Time: A Genealogy Blog (https://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/2019/10/fridays-photo-biggs-family-one-in-erath.html: accessed 4 May 2022).

Friday's Photo: Is this a Bryan, Albritton, McNeil, or Wylie Descendant?

My second cousin Jane is sorting family photos and came across this one. Jane and I share the same great-grandparents, Terrell Bryan and Harriet Albritton - both born in Georgia, raised in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, and raised their family in Erath County, Texas. Jane is a descendant of Terrell and Harriet's daughter, Dorothy Elizabeth Harriet Bryan and her husband Thomas S. Wylie. Tom Wylie, born in Tishomingo, Mississippi, was the son of Samuel Kelso Wylie and Mariah McNeil. Tom Wylie had numerous siblings who lived along with his family in Erath County.

Could this blue-eyed beauty be a niece of Terrell and Harriet, living in Northwest Louisiana? Or maybe a niece of Tom Wylie living in Erath County?  I haven't been able to date the photo, but wonder if it could possibly be Jane's grandmother, Dorothy Elizabeth Harriet Bryan. 

If you can identify this young woman, I would love to hear from you!

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

Abersold, Jane. Wylie Family Tree. Ancestry.com https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/196554/family/familyview?indiv=try&h&db. Accessed 5 Mar. 2020.

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Jane Aebersold. Used with permission.

#52ancestors Post Thirty-Nine:Terrell Bryan Managed a Poor Farm in Erath County

Terrell and Harriet Albritton Bryan

The writing prompt for post #39 of #52ancestors is on the farm. According to census records in both Louisiana and Texas, Terrell Bryan was a farmer. Terrell left Bienville Parish and was in Eastland County by 1877. The family moved to Erath County in 1878. On the 1880 census, it was reported Terrell was a farmer. 

However, I am not writing about Terrell Bryan, the farmer. He did not appear to be a serious farmer and was found attempting other businesses or working for the county throughout much of his time in Texas. For a few years, in the 1880s, Terrell Bryan was the superintendent of the Erath County Poor Farm. 

Poor farms were county or town-run residences where paupers (mainly elderly and disabled people) were supported at public expense. Sometimes, those committing crimes were also sent to the poor farms. In Erath County, records between 1883 and 1898 indicate some charged with lunacy, theft, assault, adultery, gambling, and vagrancy were sent to the Poor Farm. 

The first mention I found of the Erath County Poor Farm, in old newspapers, was the following seen in the Brenham Daily Banner (Nov 28, 1880) - It was announced that Erath County was going to have a poor farm. 

In November 1882, the Erath County Poor Farm was available for rent and listed in the Stephenville Empire that all those desiring to rent the poor farm were to meet with the Commissioner's Court in Stephenville on November 27, 1882. 

Terell Bryan must have been chosen as he was found managing and living on the Erath County Poor Farm in 1883, 1884, 1885, and 1886. I suspect he was there in 1887 as well. I would love to know the terms. How much did he pay to rent, what was his income, did his family have their own home, and how many other buildings were on the property?

This photo of the youngest Bryan daughter, Laura Louise,
was sent to family in Bienville Parish, LA about 1884. 

On July 28, 1880, Terrell purchased 156 acres of land. Was this near the Poor Farm? Did he continue to farm it? I found two newspaper articles indicating Terrell's home was on the poor farm. 

In 1882, Terrell and Harriet probably had five children living at home; Fannie (age 23), Alice Amanda (age 14), Redic (age 11), Dollie (age 9), and Laura (age 4). James T. Bryan was born in 1884, probably on the poor farm, and died that same year. Two other daughters, Hollen Latta and Terrell (Bunch) Biggs were married and not living at home. 

During his time managing the Poor Farm, the children attended school regularly, Terrell purchased a new sewing machine for Harriet, and money was spent on family photos. They did not appear to be lacking everyday necessities. 

From the Brenham Daily Banner (December 8, 1887) - The county commissioners of Erath county have decided to establish a poor farm. The cost of maintaining its paupers is between $2000 and $2500 a year. This must have been the new Poor Farm as in the summer of 1888 the old poor farm, located southwest from Stephenville, was for sale. 

On December 1, 1888, this was found in the Stephenville Empire - The old poor farm situated near the suburbs of Stephenville, is offered for sale. Anyone desiring to avail himself of splendid school facilities should purchase this farm. It is situated about a mile from the college. 

Also found in the December 1, 1888 issue - The old commissioner's court contracted with L. D. Moore on Nov. 15, to operate the poor farm for one year at a salary of $600 per year. Mr. Moore is required to give his entire time as superintendent, and also to make a hand at labor, and furnish a wagon. 

On December 20, 1888, sealed bids for the old poor farm were going to be considered. 

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

© 2018

Sources

1880 United States Federal Census for Terrell Bryan. Ancestry.com. Web. 1 Oct. 2018. <https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6742/4244722-00244/40428579?indiv=try&h&db>


C. Shipman (personal communication, September 10, 2006) From the Sheriff's Jail Log

Family photographs and documents from the collection of  Diana Bryan Quinn

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.

Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog: If Your Family Lived in Erath County, Texas  Blogger, 31 Jul 2017. Web. 1 Oct. 2018. <https://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/if-your-family-lived-in-erath-county.html>.

The Portal to Texas History. University of North Texas Libraries, 2004. Web. 30 Jul. 2017. <https://texashistory.unt.edu/>.