An Incident in the Life of George S. Bryant

By America Bryant (b 1821)

In the first settlement of Kentucky, when it was all in forest and undergrowth and the houses were very far apart, my father, 5 years old, got lost and wandered about ten miles from home. He started to follow the children to school, but lost his way and wandered on and on. Toward night he fell across a big log and slept there until morning. He was very tired. In the morning when he awoke he found a wild turkey’s egg, and seeing a log cabin not far off he went to it. The door was propped shut, like many doors were at that time, and he pushed on it and it fell down. The man living there was a Mr. Silvers. The first thing my father said when he opened the door was, “I want to roast my turkey egg.” The man asked him who his father was and he said, “Mars Johnny” and that his mother was “Miss Polly.” The man then asked him what his nanny’s name was. He told him she was “Nanny Bess.” As there were not many people who had nannies the man knew then who the child must be. He got on his horse and took the child home. Meanwhile the child’s parents were nearly distracted and many of the neighbors had hunted all night for him. There was much rejoicing when the man brought my father home, and my grandmother, who used often to tell me the story, said it took several days to pick the briars out of his feet.

Relation

  1. Isaac Briand - of France (presumed)
  2. Thomas Briand - of France (presumed)
  3. Stephen Briand Sr - Ex-Noble in Court near Versailles, Fled to Holland in 1685
  4. Stephen Briand Jr - Fled Holland to England
  5. Jacques Briand (b. 1660) French exile in England - Landed at Jamestown July 23, 1700
  6. James Bryant Sr (b. 1709) of Virginia (m. Elizabeth Faure)
  7. James Bryant Jr (b. 1735) of Virginia (m. Jane Guerrant)
  8. John Bryant (b. 1760) - Veteran of the Revolutionary War
  9. George S. Bryant (b. 1789) of Kentucky
  10. James M. Bryant (b. 1826) of Kentucky
  11. Thomas Edwin Bryant (b. 1853) of Missouri
  12. Thomas Vaughn Bryant (b. 1888)
  13. Vaughn Motley Bryant (b. 1916)

The Briand’s were stripped of nobility during the persecution of protestants in France. They fled to Holland and England, then eventually to Virginia. Generations later, John Bryant fought in the Revolutionary war. John’s Father and two of his uncles fought Cornwallis in the Battle of Guilford Court House. Thomas died in combat and Isaac was wounded in combat. Both John’s Mother (Jane) and Grandmother (Elizabeth) were 3rd generation Huguenots. At that time, James Sr. and James Jr. were named Jacques Briand which was later anglicized to James Bryant.

The Bryant presence in the Americas were the direct result of religious intolerance of Protestants in France. Generations later, another branch of our family (the Killens) fled to America due to religious intolerance of Catholics in Ireland. Funny how the two should meet.

Source (mirror)