9. Migration to Kentucky

Some early Americans, especially those of Scottish or Scotch-Irish heritage, were predisposed to live on the frontier—an ever-shifting target. Kentucky was the closest frontier for residents of Virginia. In 1775, Daniel Boone blazed his Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap. Pioneers began to migrate there in earnest, following the Revolutionary War, when all Virginia territory beyond the Appalachian Mountains was initially named “Kentucky County."

Living in Kentucky was dangerous. According to a contemporaneous US government report, roughly 1,500 settlers were killed in Indian raids between the end of the Revolutionary War and 1790, when Kentucky residents petitioned the US government for statehood. The formation of Kentucky and the provision of land there to Revolutionary War veterans provided a lot of work for surveyors--the apparent trade of John Bryant Jr. It's possible he may have worked in the Kentucky portion of Virginia during the 1780s. (His son Randolph indicated that he was born 1783 in one of the Kentucky counties of Virginia.)

After a series of constitutional conventions, Virginia offered terms of separation, and Kentucky became the fifteenth state on June 1, 1792. John Bryant Jr. moved his family permanently to Kentucky toward the very end of the 18^th century. In moving there, the Bryants of Rock Island Creek were part of a massive western migration.

In Virginia, the primary unit of social cohesion had been the "neighborhood," a group of 10-20 households that were close enough to borrow from each other, to offer help in times of need, and to celebrate together in times of joy. As one generation succeeded another, neighborhoods usually became kinship groups. John Jr. and Judith moved to Lincoln Co, Kentucky circa 1795-7 with the Winfrey, Rice, and possibly the Puryear families. (The tenure of John Bryant Jr. and Judith Winfrey in Kentucky is detailed in Chapter 5.) Ever the traveler, John Jr. left Adair for Tennessee between 1809 and 1813.

This was the same time frame that Anthony's descendants--in a process complicated by the war of 1812--began arriving in Green Co. adjacent to Adair. Other neighbors from Buckingham--the Tapscott, Staton, Rice, Ford/Faure and Chaudoin (mentioned in the quote below) families--also moved to Green Co.

Green County Kentucky

A better state of society did not exist anywhere west of the mountains than the early population of Green County KY. They were proverbial for all those characteristics which have ever been ascribed to the old Virginia gentlemen and lady – frank, free, open, generous, hospitable and sociable: fond of pleasure and good living and enjoyed themselves greatly in those innocent sports common in the country at that day as the chase (fox hunting) the dance, etc. Among those to whom these remarks apply I would mention the names of David Allen, Andrew Chaudoin, Liberty Green and more. Nearly every person above named were man of good sense, judgment and discretion.”

---From William B. Allen's "A History of Kentucky"

The widow and children of Anthony Bryant followed in the footsteps of John Jr. By the time they arrived in Kentucky, there were of marrying age. Richard B. married Nancy Rice in Green Co, Ky in Feb or March 1813 and was listed on the county tax rolls on June 16th. His marriage exemplifies a connection between the Bryant, Rice, and Puryear families that began in Buckingham.[1] [2] Anthony’s widow was also on the June 16, 1813 tax list for Green County; she was listed as a property owner (Widow Breant). In 1814, Rhoda, executed a power of attorney in Green Co., Ky., giving William Price authority to sell the Virginia land.[3] Sallie/Sarah Bryant married John Mann of Mannsville, Ky on 29 May 1814. (Her mother gave consent and her brother William P. witnessed the marriage.) David married Elizabeth Puryear, daughter of Jesse Puryear, in 1815. William Price married Nancy Cave 6 May 1816. Consent for the marriage was given by Thomas Cave, Nancy's father.

David P. and his mother Rhoda moved a bit north to Washington Co. where they owned adjoining properties on Rolling Fork Creek. David's oldest son, Anthony Murray, was born there in 1818. Before 1820, David returned to Green Co. Rhoda remained in Washington Co. for several more years and was enumerated there in 1820 with Millie (16-25), Willis (16-18), and a girl under 10. Living very close to Rhoda's household was Matthew Bates and several of his sons, including Squire Bates. Allen Bryant, likely son of Austin, also lived in Washington Co. at the same time.[4]

The 1820 census showed four Bryants in Green Co, Ky. William Price and David P., a planter who grew tobacco, lived in Summersville. Richard and Josiah (see chapter 13) were located in Campbellsville. The town was established by the General Assembly in 1817 on the 10,000-acre Joseph Richeson survey. (Richeson later acted as guardian for the children of David Bryant.) When Taylor Co. was carved from Green in 1848, Campbellsville became its county seat.

According to family stories, Anthony's sons were not content in Kentucky and longed to move farther west. All four--David P., Richard B., William Price, and Willis O.--made a reconnaissance trip to Missouri, probably in 1822-3. Conflicting reports indicate that David either died on the trip and was buried on the “Cascaskia River" (the Gasconade River) or died shortly after his return to Kentucky. His death was prior to 17 Nov 1823 because that’s when a guardian bond was recorded for Elizabeth Bryant—a common practice, even though she was the mother of the children. For more on David P. Bryant, click here.

Willis was living with his mother in Washington Co. in the 1820 census. He married Bardny, a daughter of Matthew Bates, ca 1823. Data supports this because ca 1824, their first child, William, was born in KY. Willis and Barda migrated to Mo by 1826 because that's where their next child was born. For more about Willis, click here

Millie Bryant, daughter of Anthony and Rhoda, married William Adams in Green Co on 20 April 1824. Squire Bates provided security. For more about her, click here

Richard B. lost his wife, Nancy Rice, before 1827.[5] Richard (30-40) was living near the Winfrey clan in Adair Co., Ky for the 1830 census, when his household was ennumerated as follows: 1 m 5-10 (David P. named after his dead brother), 1 m 10-15 (Edwin who died in 1841[6]), 1 f 5-10 (unknown), 1 f 10-15 (unknown), 1 f 15-20 (probably his youngest sister), 1 f 50-60 (probably his mother, Rhoda). Adjoining census pages included William Winfrey, Philip Winfrey, and a Staton--all closely connected families from Buckingham Co. On 16 July 1833, Richard married Mahala Sanders in Green Co. Soon thereafter, they moved to Missouri. For more information about Richard, click here.

William Price Bryant remained in Green Co, Ky. The 1830 census listed him as Price Bryant, age 30-40. In addition to his wife, Nancy Cave, the household included 1 boy 5-10; two girls age 0-5 (Nancy S. and Elizabeth I.); another girl age 5-10 (Sarah M.) and another girl 10-15 (Rhoda). They were living next door to Randolph Rice from Buckingham Co. (see footnote 1 below) In 1833, William P. Bryant recorded a deed for 250 acres in Green Co. He moved to Indiana in 1836. For more about him click here

Descendants of the original David P. remained in Green and surrounding counties for several decades. For more about them, see the next chapters.

[1] George Rice Sr. of likely Irish ancestry supposedly married Mary (Betty). Two of the George's children were Edwin and Elizabeth. (1) Edwin Rice married Elizabeth Bailey (born abt 1769 in Va). They named one of their daughters "Nancy" (born about 1794 in Va) after an aunt. (George Rice, Sr. died before 1794 but members of his family moved to Kentucky.) This Nancy Rice II married Richard Bryant on 3 Feb 1813 in Green Co. Ky. (2) Elizabeth Rice married Revolutionary War soldier Jesse Puryear. They had a daughter named Elizabeth Puryear who married David Bryant, brother to Richard Bryant.

[2] There was also intermarriage with the Benningfield and Cave families.

[3] Green County Deed Book 7, page 31 dated 24 October 1814. It reads: “I Rhoda Briant...reporing special trust and confidence in my son William Price Briant...appoint him my lawful attorney ... to sell and dispose of a certain tract or parcel of land lying in the State of Virginia, Buckingham County, containing 275 acres,...”

[4] In 1822, Allen appears to have married Massie Slayton in Barren Co, which was adjacent to Green Co. on the south. Their marriage bond was signed by a William Bailey. Allen’s brother, Elisha, moved to Hopkins Co, Ky before 1830.http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~j11980d/slayton/slaytonbailey.html

[5] She is shown as deceased and an heir at law of her father, George Rice, as the late wife of Richd B. Bryant. This from Green County Deed Book 12 Page 200, dated 11 January 1827

[6] On page 137 of the Letters of Administration for the estate of Edwin Bryant, State of Missouri, County of Pulaski, it says: “Be it remembered that on the 23 day of November 1841 personally came before me E. Swink Clerk of the County Court for the County of Pulaski, Richard Bryant and deposeth and saith that Edwin Bryant late of said county died without a will leaving a wife Lucy Bryant and child John about two (?) years old and he as administrator of said deceased will make or cause to be ...Richard B. Bryant”