#52ancestors Post Nine: Two Important Bryan Family Wills

This week's writing prompt for #52ancestors is will. Very few of my ancestors wrote wills. If more of my ancestors had written wills, I could spend less time searching and have more time to clean and cook!

Copies of these wills were given to me in 1999 by J. Dennis Bryant, an avid Bryan/Bryant researcher. Dennis was the researcher who found my great-great-grandfather, Reddick Bryan, in Martin County, North Carolina. My father and others in his generation knew Reddick was born in North Carolina, but Reddick was not located in the state until Dennis searched deeds in Martin County.

This first will is that of Needham Bryan. He died in 1797 in Martin County, North Carolina.  He was the son of Robert Bryan and father of James Bryan. James is thought to be the father of Reddick Bryan.

The following will was transcribed by Kelly Midura and can be found on her blog Bembry Roots. Her ancestor, Ann Bryan, was the daughter of Needham Bryan and the wife of Miles Bembry.

NEDAM BRYAN; Martin County will book page 343; 11 March 1797.

In the name of God Amen I Nedam Bryan of the County of Martin and State of North Carolina being of sound mind and Memory Calling to mind the uncertainty of this Transitory life Do make and Ordain this my last will and Testament in manner and form _____ ________ To wit bequeath my soul to God, who gave it measure and Certain hopes of a Joyfull  Resurrection at the last day and my body to the Earth to be Entered at the Discretion of my beloved wife and my executors who I shall hereafter name as to my Worldly Goods which is hath pleased God to bless me with in this life.  I dispose of in manner and form following after my Just Debts being paid:

Item: I lend my unto my beloved Wife Jerusha Bryan all my hole Estate Real and personal During her Natural lifetime and After her Death in the manner and form following to wit. Item: I give and____ unto my Son James Bryan my plantation wherein I now live and all the land thereto belonging and my Still to him and his heirs for Ever.

Item: I give unto my Daughter Ann Bembray one hundred acres of land where James Bellflower formerly lived now possession of So (?) Bembray also one Negro girl named Hannah which she now has in possession to her and her Heirs forever. And it is Further my Will and Desire that all my Savanna Land that I have not all ready disposed of be Equally Divided among my five Children also all the Negros that I have not already given away to be Equally Divided Among all my five children including all the Rest of my personall  Estate to be Equally Divided as Above mentioned.

Last I Also ____and apoint my Loving friends Hardy Bryan and John Hayman and Timothey Ward Excr. to this my Last Will and Testament Revoking and Annulling all Other form of wills heretofore made by my hand and seal this 11 Day of March 1797.

___________published and declared in presents of

Test. Williams C. King

Henry Cooper

 Nedom Bryan (seal)

Dennis Bryant wrote the following about Needham Bryan:

 "This was doubtless the Needham Bryan that is recorded as a Captain of Militia during the Revolution in Volume I of the MARTIN COUNTY HISTORY by Manning and Booker. Captain Needham Bryan patented several tracts of land in Martin Co. in the l750's. Some of that land is included in the will of "Nedam" Bryan in Martin Co, which is dated March ll, l797. Nedam specifically mentions his wife, Jerusa (this may be Jerusa Cain), and his son James in the will. I believe this is the James Bryan that was the father of Reddick Bryan. This James Bryan transferred 5O acres of his inherited land to Reddick Bryan on Sept. l0, l8l3 with no purchase price specified in the deed." 

This does not prove Reddick Bryan to be the son of James and grandson of Needham, but certainly gives some well-needed information to further an investigation.  

This will, found in Martin County's Will Book I, was the last will and testament of Robert Bryan. On December 16, 1773, Robert Bryan resided in Halifax County, North Carolina. His will was proved in July of 1774 in Martin County, North Carolina.  This change from Halifax to Martin probably occurred due to a change in county boundaries. In 1774, the southeastern part of Halifax County was combined with part of Tyrrell County to form Martin County. 

In the name of God Amen  I Robert Bryan of the County of Halifax in the Province of North Carolina being in perfect Health of Body and in cense of Mind and Memory thanks be to Almighty God but calling to mind the mortality of mankind and Knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die do make Ordain Constitute and appoint this my last will and Testament in manner and form to wit  First I give and bequeath to my well beloved son Elias Bryan all my land from a line of marked trees [blank space in document] at a place called Little Island the corner a Gum I [blank space in document] Elias Bryan to him & his heirs forever also one [blank space in document] Feather Bed and Furniture to my Elias Bryan and his heirs forever  Item, I Give to my well beloved son John Bryan all my land from my son Elias Bryan lower line to a line of marked Trees Begginning on the Mark at a Pine Between the place where he now living and the plantation whereon I now live also one Feather Bed and Furniture I say to my son John Bryan to him and his heirs forever.  Item, I also lend the use of all and Every Individual of the rest of my whole Estate to my well beloved wife Ann Bryan During her life or widiow and after her death to be Equally divided amongst all of my children that Remains a live at her death, Elias Bryan Excepted I also appoint my two sons Needham Bryan and Elias Bryan Executors to this my last will and Testament  Given under my hand this sixteenth day of December in the year 1773   

Test                                         Robt. (R) Bryan.                                               

Arthur Barden

Jesse Johnson

Sarah (x) Hull

William Hyman  

Martin County July Court 1774  

then the above instrument of writing was in open Court duly proved by the oath of William Hyman to be the last will and Testament of Robert Bryan according to Law and on motion orders to be recorded.  

                                              Test  T. Stuart Clerk.

This will shows Needham Bryan to be the son of Robert. Robert's land was passed down to James through Needham. Note that although only John, Elias, and Needham were named in the will, there were probably other children. Another avid Bryan researcher, Dr. Howard V. Jones, wrote "Needham, John, and Elias are mentioned in Robert's will as sons.  Robert III must be a son because of his possession of some of Robert's land.  William is proved because he mentions brother Needham in his will." Dr. Jones believed there could be others and named Hardy, Jesse, and Moses as possible sons or nephews. 

--------------------------------------------

When I began my #52 Ancestors posts, I had planned to focus only on the Hairston family. I was excited to pick up where I left off in 2014 with 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. However, with #52 Ancestors, there are writing prompts. I like the challenge of the prompts and the Hairston family history, as I know it, won't always fit the prompts. Today, the Bryan family was chosen for the post as I have two Bryan family wills and no Hairston family wills.

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

Bryan, Robert. Last will and testament. 16 Dec. 1773. Martin County, NC, 1774. 

Family photographs, correspondence, and documents from the collection Diana Bryan Quinn.

 Halifax County, North Carolina Genealogy Genealogy - FamilySearch Wiki. Web. 4 Mar. 2018. <https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Halifax_County,_North_Carolina_Genealogy>.

Needham Bryan’s Will | Bembry Roots. WordPress.com, 2014. Web. 4 Mar. 2018. <https://bembryroots.com/2014/02/15/needham-bryans-will/>.

Friday's Photo: Julia Harvey Glynn is buried in Old Saint Raymond's Cemetery

Old Saint Raymond's Cemetery - 2012

Julia Harvey Glynn, my great-great-grandmother on my mother's mother's side is buried in the beautiful Old Saint Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx, New York. 

Before visiting, I called the cemetery and was told Julia's grave was not marked. This did not suprise me as Julia Harvey Glynn was poor. She died on February 12, 1919  at 380 East 140th Street in the Bronx. This was the home of her daughter, Caroline Alter, a widow. 

Julia (right) with her daughter Caroline
About 1890

It was written that Julia was a widow; however she had been separated from her husband, Joseph Albert Glynn, since sometime in the late 1870s. They were found living as a family in 1875 and they were living apart in 1880. From 1909 to 1915, Julia, about age 70, was living in the New York City Home for the Aged and Infirm at Blackwell Island. She was described as being in fair physical condition and destitute. 

Julia was buried in section 18, range 95, grave 3.  A space for Julia's grave could not be found. The row her grave was in began next to this paved road. The numbers began at grave 4 and the numbers across the road did not match. I suspect Julia's grave, and a few others, might be under this road in the photo below. 

It was a beautiful day and the cemetery has some interesting markers. Here are a few more photos of the 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

© 2018 

Sources 

1870 United States Federal Census for Julia Glynn. Ancestry.com. Web. 2 Mar. 2018. <https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7163/4277079_00816/32156612?indiv=try&h&db>.

1880 United States Federal Census for Julia Glenn. Ancestry.com. Web. 2 Mar. 2018. <https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6742/4243467-00439/4880681?indiv=try&h&db>.

1910 United States Federal Census for Julia Glynn. Ancestry.com. Web. 2 Mar. 2018. <https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7884/4449807_00867/19163941?indiv=try&h&db>.

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Diana Bryan Quinn

 New York, Census of Inmates in Almshouses and Poorhouses, 1830-1920 for Julia Glynn. Ancestry.com. Web. 2 Mar. 2018. <https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/1083/31864_243908-00516/142209?indiv=try&h&db>.

New York, State Census, 1875 for Julia Glynn. Ancestry.com. Web. 2 Mar. 2018. <https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7250/004858074_00420/1378013921?indiv=try&h&db>.

#52ancestors: Post Eight: Oscar Edward Noah #56

Coming up with this post was difficult. The writing prompt for #52ancesters is heirloom. Google defines heirloom as a valuable object that has belonged to a family for several generations. I am trying to relate these 52 posts to my Hairston family, but I have no heirlooms. 

My father was orphaned in 1929. Most of his family's belongings were left behind in Seymour, Texas when he and his sisters made their permanent home in Borger, Texas. Whatever heirlooms existed were with Dad's sisters. When his sisters died everything went to my cousin - their caregiver.  

However, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines heirloom as something of special value handed down from one generation to another.  So, I do have heirlooms. My cousin gave me a box of photos - the photos that sent me on this fabulous journey to find my Hairston family. 

This photo of Oscar Edward Noah and his family is one of those found in the box. On the back is written, All the bunch including the grandson Hulen Stroman.

The photo was probably taken in 1921 or 1922 as Hulen was born in 1920. Many Hairston cousins have this photo. Cousin Bob, a descendant of Oscar, sent me the following labeled photo. 

According to his obituary, Oscar Edward Noah, son of Joseph Sidney Noah and Permelia Ann Hairston, was born on March 1, 1871, in Marlin, Falls County, Texas.  His parents were married on June 11, 1865, in Hinds County, Mississippi. It is said they left Mississippi, after the war, for Falls County, first stopping in Arkansas, with Oscar's grandfather, John L. Hairston, and other extended family members including his mother's brother (my great-grandfather), Phillip A. Hairston. 

Oscar Edward Noah is #56 on this family chart. Click to enlarge. 

In 1880, I found Oscar at age 9 living with his mother, brother, and extended family in Falls County. His father was kicked by a mule and died from the injuries in 1873. The entire family moved to Erath County in 1883. The next few years were probably very difficult for the family. Oscar's older brother and only sibling, William, died in 1884. The next year, his mother married A. J. Lackey. Mr. Lackey left the household in 1890. Permelia divorced him and took back her previous surname of Noah. 

I don't know where Oscar attended school or college, but by 1892, he was teaching in Erath County for $40 monthly in the Acrey community. This community can no longer be found on maps. It was described in an 1891 issue of The Stephenville Empire as on the Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railroad, nine miles from Stephenville and six miles west from Bluff Dale. 

On August 25, 1895, Oscar married Mamie Allen. During the 1895 - 1896 school year, together they taught all grades and managed the Moccasin Rock school in the Lowell Community (not far from Lingleville). Oscar was 24 years old with 3 years of teaching experience and had just received a first grade certificate good for four years. A first grade certificate is the highest a teacher could earn. This enabled Oscar to teach older students and more difficult subjects. His salary was $56.20 monthly. Mamie was 17 years old and had applied for a second grade certificate, but was given a first grade certificate good for four years. Her salary is unknown. 

Oscar was very active in his community and church. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge, the Democratic Club, the Anti-Baily Club and the Erath County Baptist Association. In all of these activities, he served in some type of leadership capacity. 

Oscar served on juries, was appointed an election officer in 1906, served as an election officer during the statewide prohibition election in 1911, and served as a draft registration officer in 1917. He was on the Board of Trustees for the Lingleville School District and on the School Board for Erath County. 

This was published in the Stephenville Empire-Tribune
in 1939 and found at Newspaperarchive.com. To
read the entire article click here.  

Oscar Edward Noah was a well-educated farmer. In 1902, he served on the executive committee of Erath County's newly organized Farmer's Institute allowing farmers to hear prominent lecturers talk about farming in Texas. In 1935, he was one of 36 farmers in Erath to organize the Dublin Soil Conservation Association. 

Oscar and Mamie had seven children and all are pictured above. 

Oscar died at the age of 86 in 1957. Click here to see his obituary. Mamie died three years later. To see her obituary, click here. Oscar and Mamie are buried in West End Cemetery in Stephenville, 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

© 2018

Sources

Crooks, Pam. Back to School-1800's Style! - Petticoats & Pistols. 2008. Web. 25 Feb. 2018. <http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2008/09/10/back-to-school-1800s-style/>.

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Diana Bryan Quinn

Newspaper Archives, Obituaries & Family History Records. Web. 25 Feb. 2018. <https://newspaperarchive.com/>.

The Portal to Texas History. Web. 25 Feb. 2018. <https://texashistory.unt.edu/>.

Shipman, Cindy. "Re: O. E. Noah." Message to Diana Bryan Quinn. 2002. Email. 

Turnbo, Charlie. The Churches of School Hill School Hill, Texas. TexasEscapes.com., 2002. Web. 25 Feb. 2018. <http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsNorth/School-Hill-Churches-Texas.htm>

The Stephenville Empire. (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 24, No. 3, Ed. 1 Friday, August 30, 1895 - Page: 3 of 4 . The Portal to Texas History. Web. 25 Feb. 2018. <https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth857641/m1/3/zoom/?q=mamie%20allen&resolution=4&lat=3733&lon=3134>.

Stephenville Empire-Tribune. (Stephenville, Tex.), READING THIS ARTICLE SAVED FARMER BUYING SEED CORN. 1939 February 24, page 9.  Newspaperarchives.com. Web. 25 Feb. 2018. <https://newspaperarchive.com/stephenville-empire-tribune-feb-24-1939-p-9/>.

#52ancestors: Post Seven: The Courtship of my Grandparents, Redic Bryan and Myrtie Hairston

The writing prompt for #52Ancesters was Valentine so I turned my grandparent's
wedding photo into a Valentine. They were married one week before Valentine's
Day in 1900. 

My grandparents lived in Erath County, Texas when they met. My grandfather, Redic E. Bryan was the son of Terrell Bryan and Harriet Albritton. They came to the Stephenville area in 1878. My grandfather was 8 years old. 

My grandmother, Myrtie Hairston, came to Erath County with her parents, Phillip A. Hairston and Lodema Criswell, in 1883. Myrtie was three years old. They lived in the Bethel Community (near Huckabay) along with extended family. 

I was told my grandfather first met my grandmother when he purchased a horse from her father. 

In 1899, I found the following and one other reference to Redic visiting Huckabay in the Dublin Progress. At the time, he was living in the town of Dublin (also in Erath County). Was he visiting Myrtie? He had Wylie relatives at Ex-Ray and Biggs family in the Huckabay area, but that "incidentally" doesn't make it sound like he was visiting family. 

Three mentions of his visits from Dublin to the Stephenville area were reported in the Stephenville Empire that fall.

The Bethel Community in Erath County no longer exists. It was very near
the Bethel Cemetery on this map - about a 10-minute ride to Huckabay. My grandfather
must have ridden the train to Stephenville in order to visit Huckabay. 

Redic and Myrtie were married on Wednesday, February 7, 1900. The following wedding announcements were found while searching newspapers. 

Found in the Erath Appeal:

R. E. Bryan and Miss Myrtie Hairston were united in the holy bonds of wedlock one day this week at the home of the bride’s parents. Miss Hairston is the only daughter of Mr. Phil Hairston of near Huckabay who is one of Erath’s best citizens and most prosperous and well to do farmers. Miss Hairston is bright, beautiful and attractive and commands the love and respect of all who know her. Mr. Bryan, the son of Esq. Terrell Bryan, is educated, robust and handsome and numbers his friends as legion. He has grown up in our mist and those who know him love him the most. The Appeal joins their host of friends in wishing them a long, happy and prosperous life.  

Found in the Dublin Progress:

Mr. Redic Bryan of Dublin and Miss Myrtie Hairston, of near Huckabay, were married at the home of the bride's parents Wednesday evening and arrived in Dublin yesterday evening on the Rio Grande train. 

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

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Diana Bryan Quinn

The Duplin Progress (Dublin, TX). Vol. 12, No. 9, Ed.1, Friday, July 21, 1899.

The Duplin Progress (Dublin, TX). Vol. 12, No. 38, Ed.1, Friday, February 9, 1900.

The Duplin Progress (Dublin, TX). Vol. 12, No. 16, Ed.1, Friday, September 8, 1899.

The Erath Appeal, Vol. 2, No.29, Stephenville, Texas, Feb. 8, 1900.

The Stephenville Empire (Stephenville, TX). Vol. 28, No. 10, Ed.1, Thursday, October 5, 1899.

#52ancestors: Post Six: Hairston Albritton Bryan

The writing prompt for this week's #52ancestors is favorite name. My father's brother had the unusual name, Hairston Albritton. Hairston was his mother's maiden name and Albritton was his paternal grandmother's maiden name. What I like about the name is the way he creatively modified his name at different times in his life. 

Hairston Albritton Bryan was known as Buster to most family and friends. He was born to Redic and Myrtie Hairston Bryan on January 24, 1906, in Baylor County, Texas.  Buster was the third child and the first son born to Redic and Myrtie. 

Buster (left) and Sherrell Ballew (right) - Seymour High School Tennis Team 1923

He was Buster at Seymour High School when he played tennis and won the county championship for his school. However, he was Bus when he was playing football. 

He was the administrator of his father's estate in 1929 and signed his name H. B. Bryan. On a land record, his name was H. A. Bryan. 

Out on his own and working as a drugstore clerk, Buster was identified as Harry B. Bryan on the 1930 census. 

David Vernoy "Wanda" Land

H. Buster Bryan and Wanda Land were married January 1, 1935, in Ector County, Texas according to the marriage record.  

If you didn't have a birth certificate, did you have a legal name? 

Wanda was actually David Vernoy Land Dorman. She was named after her father, David Vernoy Land and had been married to Rufus Dorman before she married Buster. 

Buster died on September 15, 1940. He was working in the oil fields when an oil well blew.  He was struct by gravel causing the wounds and died of tetanus. His name in his obituary was Buster H. Bryan. On his death certificate, his name is written Hairston Albritton [Buster] 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

© 2018

Sources

Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1990 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Family photographs and documents from the collection of  Diana Bryan Quinn

From the Files of Marguerite Cook Clark: Albert Cook Bryan

Albert Cook Bryan, known as "Cook" was the son of Albert Brown Bryan and Ina Cook Bryan. 

He was a graduate of Ringgold High School and attended Louisiana State University. 

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

Source

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.