Individual Details
Elizabeth Bryan
(1808 - 29 Apr 1873)
Elizabeth died at the home of her son-in-law J. S. Montford. She was born in North Carolina.
From Southern Christian Advocate Obituaries. Mrs. Elizabeth Holderness, b. 1808 in North Carolina, d. 29 Apr 1873.
Possible Bryan connections:
MACON GA NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS [MESSENGER]
Tad Evans Self-published, Savannah GA 1997
VOL I 1823-1830
p.13 Mon Aug 25, 1823: Solomon Groce will attend to the individual business of James H. Holderness during his absence from this State. George H. Bryan will conduct the business of Holderness & Bryan. Macon, 25 Aug 1823.
[This record of Holderness & Bryan does indicate a link between surnames. George is definitely a possible brother-in-law.]
p.15 Mon Sep 15, 1823. We are authorized to announce George H. Bryan, a candidate for the office of Receiver of Tax Returns for this county [Macon].
[Elizabeth Bryan and James Holderness were married Jan of 1825 - he was said to of Pike Co; she was of Twiggs Co]
p.156 Tues July, 17, 1827 Grand Jury, Muscogee Superior Court, July Term, 1827
George H. Bryan [included]
p.161 Tues Jul 31, 1827 Sheriff's Sale GA, Monroe Co 1st Tues Sep next in Forsyth, Monroe Co. Lot #189/6 dist ...levied on as the prop of David Sheppard, to satisfy executions or fi fas in favor of George H. Bryan.
p.205 Mon Mar 24, 1828 Grand Jury, Harris Superior Court, March Term 1828: Geo. H. Bryan [included] HARRIS CO: Justices of the Inferior Court: Geo W. Rogers, Lemuel Gresham, George H. Bryan
p.333 Sat Oct 9, 1830 Sheriff's Sale Pike Co on 1st Tues Nov next in Zebulon, Pike Co:
Lot #33/8 dist ...levied on as the property of George H. Bryant [sic], to satisfy executions or fi fas in favor of Robert Belcher; James Holderness, security. Signed: Z. L. Fryar, Sheriff
[Still another Bryan-Holderness link after 7 years.]
Macon Telegraph, 27 Oct 1828. 202 1/2 acres to be sold at Zebulon, Pike Co on the 1st Tues in December. Lot 141 in the 9th district of Monroe, now Pike county. Levied upon the property of James Holderness to satisfy a fifa in favor of Robert Belcher vs. Holderness, George Bryan security on appeal.
VOL II 1831-1837
p.327 Thur May 18, 1837 Convention of States Rights Party in Milledgeville on Monday, May 15, 1837 Delegates from: Harris Co [include] George H. Bryan
VOL III 1838-1842
p.141 Thur Oct 24, 1839
Planters & Merchants' Convention held at Macon on tues Oct 22, 1839
Delegates: Harris Co: Dr. David Cooper, G. H. Bryan, Martin Crawford
VOL V 1848-1851
p.295 Wed June 11, 1851
Constitutional Union Convention at Milledgeville on Jun 2. Present: Harris Co: George H. Bryan, D. A. Cochran, Osborne M. Stone, John White
I found a listing of heads of household of Harris Co GA in the 1850 Census and the following was included: Dwelling 454; Family 485; George A. BRYANT; age 39; farmer; value of real estate 10,000; born in NC. [Elizabeth and James Holderness also both born in NC.]
TWIGGS COUNTY GEORGIA RECORDS: A RECONSTRUCTED HERITAGE contained several pages about the families of Benjamin & William Bryan. I could not find a place for this family but will include a brief synopsis of their story. Benjamin (1771-1842) was born in Johnston Co NC and married Mary Sasser Stevens, widow, in 1800. They lived in Jefferson Co GA where Benjamin served in the War of 1812. He drew land in Wilkinson Co in the 1807 lottery & by 1818 was living in Twiggs Co where he remained until his death. They had 13 children between 1801 and 1825. The wife of James Holderness was born in 1808 but her mother was Elizabeth, so she does not fit here.
However, the article also lists other Bryans in Twiggs Co from 1800-1865 and names Blake Bryan (1757-c.1820] who married Elizabeth Blackshear, James C. Bryan (1785-c.1830 who married Penelope Franck, and Edward Bryan (1764-1825) who married Penelope Blackshear. Each of these families moved from NC in the early 1800's. "Mary Bryan, daughter of Blake Bryan and third cousin to Benjamin Bryan, married Maj. Gen. Ezekiel Wimberly in 1809 in Twiggs Co."
MailList Search: Date: Tue, 22 May 2001 From: DELDRIDGE1@aol.
RANDOLPH COUNTY, GEORGIA EARLY DEEDS 1831-1839 (Part 9a)
This deed found in Randolph Co GA along with another witnessed by John Bryan and James Holderness: JOHN TURNER of Randolph Co. to EZEKIEL BRYAN. Lot #277, 7th Dist. Wit.: Joseph Day, William Sinquefield. Dec. 12, 1838/Dec. 18, 1838.
THOMAS BAGBY of Bibb Co. to QUINNEY POWELL of Randolph Co. Lot #149, 5th
Dist. Wit.: John Bryan, James Holderness. Jan. 11, 1838/Dec. 25, 1838.
Search of the USGenWeb Archives discovered the Will of an Elizabeth Bryan, Macon Co GA - possibly the mother of this Elizabeth. The Will dated 29 Jul 1839, no probate date given. She left her real & personal estate to a minor son Erastus J. Bryan and appointed sons Nathan and McGruder to take charge of Erastus and use her estate for his benefit. Witnesses were Mary Bryan and James Holderness. Further examination of online resources at the Macon County GA USGenWeb page and library research show that such connection to Elizabeth, wife of James, is unlikely, although perhaps there is some other kinship.
Here is another link between the surnames Bryan & Holderness. A check of the Houston Co GA Census for 1840 revealed James Holderness, George M. Duncan, and a Sylvanus Bryan all listed on the same page, p.374. Seaborn C. Bryan was on p.367. Richard Wallace was in this census as well, p.377.
Case from Supreme Court of Georgia. Recorder: 11 Ga. 63
George M. Duncan v. Seaborn C. BRYAN
January Term 1852
Mrs. Mary Wallace appealed to the Superior Court to have Duncan appointed trustee of certain slaves claimed as her separate estate [apart from her husband] Duncan had assented and taken possession of the property. Duncan was precluded from denying the trust and setting up title in the husband in order to secure himself from accounting. Motion was instituted by Duncan in Dooly Superior Court [County Court] to dismiss.
Decision: Nov Term 1851. Seaborn C. Bryan as trustee for Mrs. Mary Wallace, filed a bill against George M. Duncan her former trustee, alleging that Wm. Britton who died in South Carolina, by his last will lent to his niece, Mary Edwards, a negro girl and her increase, during her natural life and at her death to the lawful issue of her body. Mary Edwards intermarried with Richard Wallace and moved to the state of Georgia; she had issue William T. Wallace. Richard Wallace's creditors were about to interfere with the negro to pay Wallace's debts and the Superior Court of Houston County in 18??, [1840 - see notes for James Holderness] appointed James Holderness as trustee to preserve the rights of said Mary. At the April Term, 1841, the same Court appointed George M. Duncan in the stead of James Holderness. In 1844, Duncan delivered up to Mrs. Wallace a portion of the negroes but retained the balance. The original suit was for an account for all hire and profits of the negroes and that Duncan be decreed to deliver up the remaining netroes. Defendant's counsel moved to dismiss. The Court below refused to grant the motion and appeal was made.
The judge ruled that one who has accepted a trust and acted upon it, will not be allowed to repudiate it. Duncan's lawyer argued that under the terms of Bitton's will, Mrs. Wallace took no separate estate. The judge conceded that was true, but pointed out that Duncan had already acknowledged this to be separate property and it was adjudged as such by the lower Court and that decision had not been reversed. Duncan had accepted the trust and received possession of the property; therefore he cannot renounce the responsibilities incurred. The judge found no error in this case, and affirm the judgment.
The above Seaborn C. Bryan married Nancy Underwood, 20 Oct 1829. An online search for this named revealed that he was born 2 May 1799; died 17 Aug 1874. No family was found online.
Posted by Dave Hill
Cemetery records [Bryan Cemetery in Macon Co] indicate the same dates of birth and death for Littleton & Elizabeth McG Bryan, but these dates were furnished by a descendant as there are few markers remaining in the cemetery.
MACON GA NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS [MESSENGER]
VOL II 1831-1837
p.209 Grand Jury, Macon Superior Ct Nov Term 1840: Nathan Bryan
[Nathan, son of Elizabeth Bryan and named in her will continued to live in Macon Co. Geo. H. above after some moving around seemed to have settled permanently in Harris Co before 1839.]
VOL III 1838-1842
p.118. Grand Jury, Macon Superior Court, May Term, 1839: Nathan Bryan
p.254 Unclaimed letter at Macon, Bibb Co on 1 Jul 1841: Mrs. Elizabeth Bryan. [After her will - she's likely deceased.]
LAND RECORDS OF MACON CO GA 1857-1863
Deed Book A, Volume 1
Davine V. Campbell & William R. Henry 1994
Central GA Genealogiacl Society, Inc.
p.61-2/19 McG. Bryan Witnessed Deed of John E. Lilly adm. of Armegar Lilly estate to Ichabod Davis on 8 Nov 1845.
MACON GA NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS [MESSENGER]
VOL IV 1843-1847
p.4 Grand Jury, Macon Superior Court, Mar Term 1843 [includes] Nathan Bryan
p.270 Thur, Aug 13, 1846 GA, Macon Co: Nathan Bryan Sr apply to me for letters of admin on the estate of McGruder Bryan, dec'd....William W. Corbitt, C.C.O.
Macon Co USGenWeb: From Macon Co GA Admin & Guardians Book A, p.148: minor children of McGruder Bryan, 1853, Jesse, Martha, Elizabeth, & William. There was also possibly an older son Littleton J. Bryan. Payments were made for boarding of some of the children to Isaac Johnson and Martha Stewart.
Macon Co USGenWeb: There was also a Nathan Bryan in Pike Co GA. On 1 Jun 1829, he gave land to a daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Bryant, for the benefit of his 4 grandchildren, Zipporah, Turner, Sarah & Morgan. Elizabeth Perkins & Elias Bryan, son of Nathan, divorced in 1830. They were married in Wilkes Co GA in 1812. Nathan Bryan Sr's parents said to have been Zipporah & Jesse Bryan, both of whose wills are filed in Martin Co NC. [The elder Littleton above also said to have been born in Martin Co NC]
Events
| Birth | 1808 | North Carolina |  | ||
| Marriage | 6 Jan 1825 | Twiggs County, Georgia - James Holderness | | ||
| Death | 29 Apr 1873 | Florida | |
Families
| Spouse | James Holderness (1798 - 1852) |
| Child | William Thomas Holderness (1826 - 1893) |
| Child | Sarah Holderness (1829 - ) |
| Child | Harriet R. Holderness (1832 - 1863) |
| Child | Caroline Virginia Holderness (1834 - 1908) |
Endnotes
1. Obituary.
2. Email.
3. Obituary.