The mysterious Richard Bryant of Buckingham County

There was a Richard Bryant in the Buckingham Co. personal property tax rolls from 1804-1806 (listed three times with Anthony, brother of Austin) and from 1810-11 (listed twice with Austin, following Anthony's death). A male's first appearance on the tax rolls, under his own name, usually indicated that he had turned 21. If Richard was 21 in 1804, his DOB was ca 1783.

This was not Anthony's son "Richard B. Bryant," whose DOB was ca 1791. However, it's conceivable that Richard was a younger brother/half brother of Anthony and Austin.

Arguments for brother:

--John Bryant m. Sarah Murray. Anthony was named after Sarah's brother. Richard was the name of Sarah's father.

Arguments for cousin:

--He was listed with Anthony on the tax lists while Anthony was still alive. Had he been Austin's son, he probably would have of assessed at the same time as his father.

--There was no sign of a Richard Bryant living in Buckingham County in 1810. (Austin's Bryant's household in 1810 had two sons 16-25. Those should be Reuben and John.)

Arguments for Austin's son:

--He existed and belonged to someone. By the process of elimination, one option is Austin.

-- His DOB fits within the range of other proven children of Austin.

--See the land warrant below.

Land warrant for military service

The land warrant below describes a unmarried Richard Bryant who enlisted in the War of 1812 and died in service. As heir, his father, an Austin Bryant, received an 1820 land grant for 160 acres. Here is a partial transcript of the script warrant for land located in what is now the northwest corner of Lonoke Co adjacent to White Co:

Document #12235; Accession#: AR2940__.578

Austin Bryant, father and heir at law of Richard Bryant, deceased having deposited in the General Land-Office a Warrant in his favor, #12,235 there is granted unto Austin Bryant heir at law[1] of Richard Bryant deceased late a Pvt. in Buckner's Company of the 5th Regiment of Infantry a certain tract of land containing 160 acres being the south twenty of section seventeen of township 5 north in range ten west."

This Richard Bryant enlisted Jan 7, 1812 and died Nov. 7, 1812. The enlistment register did not show his place of birth. The only additional information was: "See pension case. (Book 667)" The 5th U.S. Infantry was recruited from Pennsylvania, but at least one captain was from Virginia. Captain Colin Buckner from Va was with the 5th infantry starting in July 1808.[2] A 1813 letter stated that he was from Lynchburg, which was about 60 miles from the Bryant property on Rock Island Creek. Thus, it's conceivable that Captain Buckner recruited from Buckingham and nearby counties.[3]

Solving the mystery

There are several possible solutions to this mystery.

1. The Richard Bryant of the Buckingham tax lists was the youngest son of John Bryant Sr./Sarah Murray. He died without children before ownership of the land on Rock Island Creek was settled. (No will survives but deeds show the male heirs of John Sr. as John Jr, Austin, and Anthony).

2. The Richard Bryant of the Buckingham tax lists was a cousin of Austin and Anthony. He moved away before 1810.

3. The Richard Bryant of the Buckingham tax list was a son of Austin. He was living elsewhere in 1810.

Who as the Richard Bryant of the warrant? Here are the possibilities:

1. He was the son of another Austin Bryant, probably living in Pennsylvania.

2. He was the son of Austin Bryant and died in the war of 1812. (Austin's son Reuben died in the war.) As in the case of most warrants, it was sold to a 3rd party. (If the script warrant had been recorded in a timely fashion, this would have happened in Pulaski County Arkansas, which initially covered the entire Arkansas Territory. A review of early books indicated that the deed had not been recorded in Pulaski County by 1906.)

Incorrect scenario:

In earlier decades, some people thought that the Austin Bryant listed with a DOB of 1770-1780 in the 1830 Pope Co, AR census was Austin from Buckingham. This is unequivocally wrong for many reasons: 1. RIC Austin was still alive and living in Buckingham. 2. RIC Austin was 10-20 years older than the man in Arkansas. 3. The two men had completely different family compositions.

The pension case referenced above for Richard Bryant in Book 667 is not available digitally. It needs to be requested through NARA.

It's possible the Pope Co. Bryants were descendants of Austin Bryant, son of William Bryant m. Polly Barnett.[4] A simple yDNA test will put them in the correct lineage.

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[1] An heir at law is someone who, after his or her relative's death, has a right to inherit all his intestate estate. For a young person, this is usually a parent. If the parent is dead, then it's a sibling.

[2] Historical Register of the United States Army: From Its Organization ...by Francis Bernard Heitman. Pg 155.

[3] Both the 10th and 24th Regiments from Buckingham were attached to the 5th Regiment Virginia Militia. A Capt. George Booker from Buckingham was attached to the 5th regiment of the Virgina Militia from Dec. 1813 to April 1814--after Richard's death. However, military files from the War of 1812 often show a mish mash of officers and units in which a soldier served.

[4] William Bryant b. ca 1757 in Va. He spent most of his adult life in Wilkes, Ga but enlisted in the Rev War from Amherst, and his descendants suspect his origins were in Bedford Co. Both of these counties were very close to Buckingham. Both of our lines have strong naming similarities, including Austin, Bluford, and Peyton. William could be a 4th son of John Sr. However, if his origins were Bedford County, then he's more likely to be a nephew of John Sr. For more info: http://www.chattahoocheehillshistoricalsociety.org/cemeteries/bryant-genealogy.htm http://genforum.genealogy.com/bryan/messages/8456.html http://seibelfamily.net/BoothResearchVA.htm