Reuben Bryant

A yDNA test on a descendant of Reuben's son, Henry K., has proven that Reuben was a son of Austin Bryant.

Reuben's DOB

According to a much later pension application, Sarah/Sally Amos married Reuben Bryant in Buckingham County, VA in May 1810. The ennumeration date for the 1810 census date was Aug. 6. IF Reuben and Sally were truly married at that time, they did not have their own household. Theoretically, they could have been living with her parents (Francis and Rebecca Amos) or with his (Austin Bryant and unknown). In fact, the Bryant household was the only one that could have conceivably accommodated them.

Per a neighbor's affidavit (not the most reliable of records) in Sally's pension application, Reuben and Sally had their first child, Louis ca 1811-2. On June 17, 1812, Reuben enrolled in Capt. Mcrae’s Company for the War of 1812. He was discharged on 17 December 1813. In 1814, he appeared on the Buckingham County personal property tax rolls for the first time.

Generally, a male’s first appearance on the tax rolls meant that he had turned 21 within the previous 12 months. At first blush, this suggests Reuben’s DOB was 1793. However, military service in 1812 and 1813 probably precluded his appearance on the tax rolls. Since Reuben supposedly married in 1810, he was probably 18-21 then. Based on all of the above, his estimated DOB was 1789-1792.

Reuben's DOD

Sally's pension application file indicated that Reuben died Dec 1818.

Reuben and Sally's Family

Testimonies in Sally's application for Reuben's War of 1812 pension state that she had 5-6 children. Add the census data, and the total appears to have been 5-7 children. There were two 1820 census records for Sally Bryants in Buckingham Co, Va. Both are good candidates for the widow of Reuben. In fact, there's a chance she was ennumerated twice, because one Sally was next door to her mother, Rebecca Amos, and the other was very close to a Polly Amos, probably her sister. In both households, there were just two boys under 10 and 1 or 2 girls under 10. These children were fathered by Reuben. Sally had additional children after the death of Reuben.

Below is a profile of the family:

Reuben/Reubin Bryant b. 1789-1792 d. ca Dec 1818 m 1810 m ca May 1810

Sarah/Sally J. Amos Bryant b. ca 1790 d. 24 Oct 1879 m. ca May 1810

Louis/Lewis Bryant b. ca 1811-12. This name and DOB were mentioned by a neighbor in Sally's pension application. We have found no other records for a Louis Bryant in Buckingham County during this time period. He may have died young, left the county, or used a different name. There was a Lewis Bryant m. Rosetta in the 1850 Nelson Co, Va census who stated he was b. 1822 in Va. Some people have listed him as a son of Reuben/Sally. However, they have done this based on information posted at FamilySearch, an unreliable source. It will take a yDNA test to establish whether the Lewis in Nelson -- who was about a decade older than posited by Sally's neighbor -- was a son of Reuben. In the meantime, beware of trees on Ancestry that are terribly wrong.

Eveline Bryant b. ca 1815 d. bef. 1860 m. John H. Godsey bef. 1838. (Eveline's DOB is based on the 1850 census not the neighbor's estimate.)

Henry K. Bryant b. ca 1816 d. Jul 1882 m. Elizabeth bef. 1846. This line is well documented as a son of Reuben and Sally Amos Bryant. Henry's DOB was relatively consistent in 1850, 1860, and 1880. The ennumerator made an error in the 1870 census.

Sophia b. 1815-8 d. 1 Apr 1887. Sophia gave her DOB as 1818 in 1850 and 1815 in 1860. We have not found her in 1870. In 1880, there was an error in her ennumeration. Sophia's death certificate verified that she was a daughter of Reuben and Sally. Since the name "Sophia" was not mentioned in the neighbor's affidavit, it's possible her middle name was "Catherine." (On her death certificate, Sophia's DOB was either mistranscribed or stated incorrectly by the informant.)

Children of Sally Amos and other partner(s)

Sally did not remarry after the reported 1818 death of Reuben. She did, however, have two additional children:

James Bryant b. ca 1820-1825 d. aft 1908 m. Mildred Ann Brown (daughter of Clough Ripley Brown and Parthenia Ragland) ca 1846. Per a yDNA test on a descendant, his father was NOT a Bryant. In the 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses, James cited his DOB as 1824, 1825, 1820, and 1820. In 1900, he stated that he was born in March 1820. (Note: James did not have any middle initials or middle names. He was married only once. See the last paragraph for more information.)

William H. Bryant b. ca 1823-1825 m. Eliza bef. 1846. In the 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses, William cited his DOB as 1825, 1823, 1828, and 1830. We give the earliest censuses the most weight, unless there is a good reason to do otherwise; in this case, there isn't. William used the middle initial "H." only in the 1880 census. Eliza died after 1880, and he then married Adline. In 1900, William was living relatively close to his only surviving sibling, James.

Of Kith and Kin

A booklet titled "Of Kith and Kin: The Family of Reuben and Sallie Amos Bryant" written May 1990 by Fannie Lee Moore Wood describes the life of Henry K. Bryant and his descendants. The book does not mention any of Henry's siblings. About Reuben and Sally Amos, it is spare: "Little information is available about Reuben, except that he was a teacher by profession and is remembered as having very beautiful penmanship. He chose for his wife a young lady by the name of Sally Amos, also of Buckingham County."

War of 1812 Service

On July 1, 1812, President James Madison asked Congress to declare War on Britain. The House of Representatives deliberated for several days before passing the resolution. The Senate took up the issue and passed it on July 17, 1812. Reuben Bryant enrolled that same day. Reuben served 18 months of the 32 month war. His pension file includes statements from Sally and friends (written decades later) indicating that he served under Captains Anderson Shelton, Gannaway, Samuel Leakes, and William Gregory. Their memories may have been imprecise or its possible that he served in more than one unit. The official determination was that Reuben served under "Capt Mccrea" in the 20th Regiment of US Infantry.

By all accounts, there were two Capt. Mccreas in the US military. One was the captain of the much heralded Petersburg Volunteers. Perhaps because of their independent origins, the records for this unit are poor. They were not included in official regimental lists for the War of 1812. One researcher who did an article about the company for the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography stated that he found compiled service records for Capt. Richard McRae's company filed under Major Alexander's Independent Battalion Virginia Volunteers with two units from Pennsylvania in Record Group 94. The same researcher could not come up with any muster rolls but relied instead on a newspaper account dated October 16, 1812. The list did not include Reuben Bryant, and given that Reuben enlisted several months earlier, it seems unlikely that this was his company.

Also, Richard McRae's unit was associated with the 19th Regiment. In contrast, Reuben's pension file stated that he was in the 20th Regiment (recruited from Virginia). Thus far, all the pieces appear to suggest that Reuben served under John Macrae in the 20th. However, among those listed in the October roster for the Petersburg Volunteers was a John Shelton, and his official file stated that he was in the 20th Regiment.

Sorting this out will require more research. In the meantime, Reuben was most likely in the 20th Regiment which saw action at the Battle of Frenchman’s Creek (November 28, 1812), the Battle of Fort George (May 25-27, 1813), at the Battle of Craney Island (June 22, 1813), the blockade of Fort George (July-October 1813), Wilkinson’s St. Lawrence River campaign (October-November 1813), the skirmish at Hoople’s Creek (November 10, 1813), and the Second Battle of Lacolle Mills (March 30, 1814). For more details, click here

Sally and the children

The cover sheet for Reuben’s pension file said Sally got 80 acres under warrant #53946. She then got 80 supplemental acres under warrant #55599. She probably sold these warrants by assignment. Sally later requested a widow’s pension. It was granted in the amount of $8/month in 1871.

A document in the pension file cited the DOBs of children as: 1812, 1813, 1815, 1818, and 1819. An affidavit by George Baber said Reuben and Sally had 6 children and then proceeded to list 5: Louis b. 1811 or 1812; Henry (indecipherable), Catherine b. 1815, James (indecipherable), and Eveline b. 1819. (Since George was a neighbor, not a family member, and distant memory is faulty, the DOBs are estimates and must be used in combination with other data, particularly yDNA results.)

Sally died 24 Oct 1879. Neighbors said she was living with her son William at the date of her death. As the widow of a veteran, the U.S. government reimbursed William $1.23 for white gloves and black calico plus $10.77 for nursing in her last days, medicine during her illness, the wagon that carried her to the grave, digging the grave, and the plank for covered it. The coffin cost another $10.

A court martial for the 1st battalion of the 24^th Regiment of the Virginia Militia was held at Fountain’s Mill on Nov 17, 1841. Among the many present for the proceedings under Captain William Turner: James Bryant, Henry Bryant, several Statons, several Babers, a Couch, a Cobb, and an Anderson--all longstanding neighbors to the Bryants on Rock Island Creek. Also present but serving under Captain Chambers: William H. Ballowe. Under Captain Johnson: William T. Amos.

Henry enlisted in Company D of the 56th Virginia Regiment (Confederacy) as a private on 8 July 1861 at the age of 46. A transcription of his record stated that he was discharged for minority on 23 Oct 1862. This appears to be a transcription error that should read "discharged for majority," meaning he was too old for service.

Many people appear to have confused James with others, giving him an amalgam of names, initials, wives, and children. James is easy to locate in Buckingham County for 5 censuses always married to Mildred A. In all five censuses, he gave his name as "James Bryant." Some of the additional detail below is largely for the purpose of dispelling confusion about his name. He enlisted a few weeks after his brother in Company D of the 56th Virginia Regiment as "James Bryant" and was listed as deserted on 7 Dec 1864 as "James Bryant." In Mildred's 1908 pension application, she listed his full name as "James Bryant." Following the death of Mildred, on 27 June 1909, there was an affidavit attached to the pension file, requesting reimbursement for funeral expenses. The applicant was Mildred's son. The attorney wrote that Mildred was the widow of James X Bryant. The middle initial is impossible to read. It could be M. W., or Wm. Even so, there is no reason to believe the attorney. Additionally, the attorney appeared to write the son's name once as "James Wm. Brian" and the second time as "James M. Bryant Jr." A subsequent letter of approval, appearing to mimic the more legible name, addressed the son as "James M. Bryant Jr." Much later, a contributor to the book, "The Virginia Regimental Histories Series" made an error and added the middle name "Henry," perhaps inadvertently combining the two brothers or confusing him with a completely different man--James H. Bryant, who lived very briefly in Buckingham and was married to Polenana or Pollyanna.