Given the difficulty in tracking an anonymous John Bryant from generation to generation, some have become appealing targets for pinning on the tail-end of the family tree. The appeal of our John Bryant Jr derives from his military service in the army of George Washington during the Revolutionary War and from his wife Judith Winfrey's probable antecedents deep into Lincolnshire, England. The fact that they did a lot 0f traveling, leaving a trail in multiple states, has made them seem like a feasible genealogical solution for those who have run into dead ends.[1]
What may have seemed feasible to some, did not add up to others. In fact, early researcher Robley Winfrey bemoaned that he would never sort this family without a clearer understanding of their travels and some help from the Bryant side. Robley was decades dead before our group of researchers discovered via DNA tests that John Jr. was the brother of Austin and Anthony. This surprise forced us into a massive research endeavor and has led to many discoveries about the life and times of John Bryant Jr and his family. The research continues with help from Nancy Bryant, who has become an expert in this family, and Don Winfrey, the keeper of the Robley files, including a 122-page notebook on the Bryants.[2]
Thus far, we have accumulated a great deal of new information about this line and proven via both yDNA and genealogy that John and Judith did not have a son, James T. Bryant, despite the many family trees that once showed him as such. If you have H. M. (Harwell Meekins) on your tree, you can remove him too. There's always been plenty of genealogical evidence that his father was William from Charlotte and Prince Edward Counties in Virginia. (Very recently, they have added yDNA evidence.) Additionally, we have proof that the John Bryant who married Elizabeth McNew and lived in Indiana and Illinois was not a son. Many family trees erroneously indicate other sons and daughters.
Here is our current reconstruction of the family:
John Bryant Jr. b. 5 Nov. 1754 in Albemarle Co, Va d. 29 March 1842
Judith (Judy) Winfrey b. 1762-4 Buckingham Co, Va d. 22 Sept 1842 m. 1783-early 1786. [3] (Judith was the daughter of John Winfrey Sr. and Mary Turpin.)
Randolph Bryant b. 18 Nov 1786 (in a Ky Co of Virginia) m. Mary E. Alexander in 1813 d. 4 Aug 1856 (Randolph was probably named for Randolph Jefferson, a neighbor in Buckingham Co., Va. His bible listed the DOB of his parents and children.)
William b. ca 1788 in Va m. Molly bef. 1815 d. aft 1850. For more information, click here.
Sarah/Sally b. 25 June 1792 in Va d. 29 May 1894 in Schuyler, IL m. Shelton Luttrell 13 or 18 Nov 1813. (Named for her grandmother, Sarah Murray.) For detailed bios of Sarah, click here
John III b. 1790-4 (Va) d. ca 1855-6 in MS m.1 unknown ca 1810 m.2 Letha Shelton bef. 1825. d. aft.1850 For details, click here.
Probable Allen b. 1793 in Va. d. aft. 1870 in Jackson Co, AL m. Mary Morgan bef. 1830 d. aft. 1870. For details, click here.
Either a Daughter DOB of 1795-1804 or a son DOB 1795-1801[4]
Son DOB 1802-1804, probably James Bryant m. Eudocia Littrell. (If not, James was a grandson.)
Daughter DOB ca 1805. For information about her children (Kesiah and William) click here.
Note: All children listed in the 1820-1840 censuses or located by other means are accounted for in the list above--except those that were clearly grandchildren. However, that does not mean the above list is complete. Due to the fact they were living in an un-ennumerated part of Tn in 1810, there could be (and probably were) additional children b. 1784-5 and 1787-1802, who had departed their parent's home before 1820.
Whereabouts per Pension Records
John Bryant:
When I entered the service both times I lived in Buckingham County State of Virginia Since the revolutionary War I have lived in Lincoln County KY, Adair County the same state Lincoln County Tennessee Then Jackson County Alabama Then back to Lincoln County Tennessee Then Jackson County Alabama where I lived about twelve years Then Franklin County Tennessee then back to Jackson County Alabama where I now live
Philip Winfrey:
State of Kentucky, Adair County ___,
Be it remembered that on this 27th day of August in the year of our lord 1838 Philip Winfrey in the county and state aforesaid aged 74 years personally appeared before the undersigned a Justice of the Peace in and for the county afo and made oath that he is well acquainted with John Bryant now a citizen of Alabama Jackson County, that he has been acquainted with said Bryant upwards of sixty years he became acquainted with said Bryant in Buckingham County Virginia that said Bryant moved to kentucky about the year 1795 that soon thereafter this affiant came to Kentucky & settled near said Bryant in the county of Lincoln that some time thereafter the said Bryant and this affiant moved to what is now the county of Adair & settled near together that between 20 and 30 years ago said Bryant moved from here and is now living in Alabama.
Summary of John Jr. Migration Pattern
Based on the pension information above and the data below, this is an estimate:
1754 to ca 1795-7: Virginia, including the Ky counties of Virginia
ca 1795-7 to ca 1809: Lincoln, Green, Adair counties KY
ca 1809 to ca 1815: Lincoln TN
ca 1815 to ca 1819: Jackson AL
ca 1819 to ca 1820: Lincoln Co TN
ca 1820 to ca 1830: Jackson Co AL
ca 1830 to ca 1837: Franklin Co TN
ca 1837 to 1842: Jackson Co, AL
Detailed Timeline for Family
Virginia
1754 (5 Nov): Birth in Albemarle (Source: pension application and Randolph’s family bible; this was probably the part of Albemarle close to Cumberland Co.
1775: John Bryant Jr. turned 21
1781: John Bryant Jr reported that he was drafted twice from Buckingham Co, serving three months in each enlistment first under Captains Anthony Winston and then under John Mosely. He was at the Siege of York and saw the surrender of Cornwallis. Philip Winfrey confirmed this, stating that they served together from the beginning to the end of both tours. (Source: full pension application)
1783-early 1786: John Bryant Jr. married Judith Winfrey.
1786 (Nov. 18): Birth of son, Randolph, in one of the Kentucky Counties of Virginia [5] (Source of date: Randolph's bible; source of location: 1850 census.)
1787: John Bryant Jr. assessed personal property taxes in Buckingham Co. on the same day as his father (Source: review of original tax rolls; see details in appendix)
1788: The tax roll shows John Sr. (at least 56 years of age) with two tithables: John B. and Anthony. We have found this entry difficult to interpret, because in 1788, John Jr. was a married man of 34 with children. The rule of thumb was to list adults over 21 separately. We consulted a professional genealogist who stated, “There was no set way of recording individuals on the tax or tithables lists. One can find variations in the different Virginia counties and parishes. If a father and son live with or near one another, they may be listed together (or adjacent to one another) in the tax book. However, this would not necessarily mean that the father was responsible for the tax.” (Source: review of original tax rolls; see details in appendix)
1789: John Bryant J assessed personal prop taxes on a different day than his father. (Source: review of original; see details in appendix)
1792 (June 25): A bio written about John’s daughter Sarah indicated she was born on the James River, Patrick Co. The James River flows through central Va and forms the northern border of Buckingham Co. In contrast, Patrick Co was/is on the southern border of the state. The person writing her bio could have confused her parent's antecedents (James River) with Sarah's place of birth (Patrick Co). Based on the personal property tax records, John Jr. could not have been in Buckingham Co. after 1789. So where was he? So far, we have found no evidence of John Jr. in Patrick Co. One researcher has reported a 1790 deed in Patrick Co for a John Bryant, but we have not been able to verify this, and John Jr. did not mention Patrick Co, in his pension application. Still, circumstantial evidence might be read into the 1791-4 land records for early Patrick Co; they listed 5 Littrells (including Michael, Richard, and John who were presumably the same men that moved to Adair, Ky by 1802), plus other familiar names, in particular a Winfrey (first name unreadable), Richard Massey, Wm McGehee, and Samuel Staples--a man of that name was one of the executors of the will of Richard Murray. (There are also several Sheltons but not a John, the only Shelton in the early Adair records.)
1798: John Bryant, Sr. died in Buckingham Co. Due to the burning of the Buckingham courthouse, there is no record of the will; however, land records suggest that Widow Sarah Murray Bryant continued to live on part of the Rock Island Creek property. Thus, it is likely that she received a life interest in the estate. If so, the estate would not have been completely settled until her death. (A professional genealogist has concurred with this interpretation.)
1798: Secondary published source notes "John B. Bryant" sold acreage to Austin Bryant and Anthony Bryant. The middle initial "B" could have been an error based on the 1788 tithe, where "B." may have stood for Bryant not a middle initial. The sale by John Jr. was surely done by proxy.
1795-1800: Lincoln Co, Ky & Green Co, Ky
Sarah reported that, when she was a young child, her parents moved from Virginia to Kentucky. In supporting documentation for John Jr's pension application, Phillip Winfrey recalled that the two men had moved together to Lincoln Co, Ky about 1795, lived there for about two years, and then moved again to Adair Co, Ky. (Our John Bryant was not the man who had property on Paint Lick Creek in a section of Lincoln that later became Garrard; that was John Bryant m. Mary Owsley.) We estimate that John Jr. arrived in Lincoln, KY ca 1795-7.
When did John Jr. move to Green County? He was not there as of June 27, 1799 because the tax records had no Bryants or allied families. Instead, he arrived in late 1799 or early 1800 because John Bryant (along with Winfreys, Littrells, Puryears, and Rices) were all listed in the reconstructed 1800 census. At that time, John Jr. had 0 males 16-21, 1 horse, and 12 cattle. Also arriving in Green Co. about this time was Josiah Bryant m. Polly Lipton. He was very likely a relative.
Adair Co, Ky
1801 (Dec): Part of Green Co became Adair Co, Ky.
1802: The tax list had 4 John Bryants of which 3 were on Russell Creek. We presume that our John Bryant was the one without land. Also in the county: Richard, John, Michael, and Jessse Littrell; John Shelton; and Philip, Henry and two John Winfreys. Only the Winfreys had land. (It was on the Green River.) Of the court orders between 1802-1807 below, we are confident that our John Bryant is the one indicated only in entries that mention surveying or include his known friends, i.e. a Winfrey or a Hardin.
1802 (Oct 25): John Bryant, Henry Winfrey were to help suggest road intersection (Adair Co, Kentucky Court Orders 1802-1808 by Laird, Jackson and Reid)
1803 (Mar 7): A John Bryant made proof for 200 acres on Cany fork of Wolf Creek. This is probably one of the two other John Bryants in Adair at the time. (Adair Co, Kentucky Court Orders 1802-1808 by Laird, Jackson and Reid; transcription by David Pierce)
1803 (Mar 7): Ordered that Matthew Robertson, John Bryant, John Duncan, Joseph Cartwright, John Kilbreath, or any 3 of them do view the best way for a road... (Adair Co, Kentucky Court Orders 1802-1808 by Laird, Jackson and Reid)
1803 (June 6): John Bryant be surveyor from Green R to the city line...(Adair Co, Kentucky Court Orders 1802-1808 by Laird, Jackson and Reid)
1803 (June 6): John Bryant hatter be surveyor from Columbia to Russell's Creek... (Adair Co, Kentucky Court Orders 1802-1808 by Laird, Jackson and Reid)
1803 (Aug 1): Robert Caskey be surveyor of road from Green River to County line in the room of John Bryant, Adair Co. (Adair Co, Kentucky Court Orders 1802-1808 by Laird, Jackson and Reid; transcription by David Pierce)
1803 (Nov 8): John Winfrey, Philip Winfrey, John Bryant and Joseph Hardin do appraise and c the slaves if any and personal estate of Nicholas Gintry decd, Adair Co. (Adair Co, Kentucky Court Orders 1802-1808 by Laird, Jackson and Reid; transcription by David Pierce)
1805 (Oct 7): A John Bryant made proof for 100 acres on Green River, Adair Co. This could be one of the two other John Bryants in Adair at the time. (Adair Co, Kentucky Court Orders 1802-1808 by Laird, Jackson and Reid)
1806 (Jan 6): John Bryant for 300 acres on Sulpher Fork. This could be a different John Bryant. (Adair Co, Kentucky Court Orders 1802-1808 by Laird, Jackson and Reid)
1806 (Jan 6): The Order of the last Court Appointing John Phillip, Jno. Abrell, Thos. White and John Duncan reviewers of the road leading from Turnbeaus to Sheltons lick be recinded and that Randaf Neet, John Winfrey, Phillip Winfrey and John Bryant or any three of them do review the Sd road. (Adair Co, Kentucky Court Orders 1802-1808 by Laird, Jackson and Reid)
1806 (July 7): John Bryant be surveyor of road in room of Stephen Herriman...(Adair Co, Kentucky Court Orders 1802-1808 by Laird, Jackson and Reid)
1807 (Nov 5): John Bryant et al do appraise the slaves, if any, and personal estate of Elizabeth Coffee, dec'd... This could be a different John Bryant. (Adair Co, Kentucky Court Orders 1802-1808 by Laird, Jackson and Reid)
1807-1813: There's no sign of John Jr. in Adair. (Neither of the John Bryants in the 1810 Adair census match the demographics of John and Judith's family.) John may have returned to Buckingham to settle his father's estate but more likely he moved on to an unennumerated area of Tennessee, leaving Randolph and John III in Adair. Lincoln County was formed in 1809 but was not ennumerated in 1810. Only one county in Tennessee was.
1812 (August 23): Randolph and John III both enlisted in Adair Co for 6 months service in Captain John W. Shirley's Company, Barbee's Regiment, Kentucky Militia for the War of 1812. John III's pension application indicated that he returned to Adair Co in March 1813. For an account of the company's travails, click here.
1813: John’s son Randolph purportedly married in Adair.[6]
Meanwhile, Back in Buckingham Co, Va
1806: John Jr. and his brother Austin were codefendants in a lawsuit brought by Cliford Garland. Mr. Garland won a judgment for thirteen pounds, sixteen shillings, and ten pence. (Mr. Garland was a tobacco inspector who lived in Albemarle County. This debt was probably part of John Sr.'s estate.)
1807: John Bryant paid taxes on two tracts (200 & 140 acres) in Buckingham Co, Va. This is our family land on Rock Island Ck and the first recorded payment of land taxes by John Bryant since the 1798-1803 time frame. Timing was first half of 1807.
1808: Survey for Austin Bryant shows John Bryant as adjacent property owner
1809: One page of land tax record indicated that John Bryant was paying on two tracts (200 & 140 acres). Another page had this notation: “Anthony Bryant & Jno Bryant & Austin B. No. acres not mentioned”
1809: John Bryant and Austin Bryant sold 175 Acres to Anthony Bryant
1810: One page of land tax records had John Bryant paying for two tracts (140 & 200 acres); another page has this notation: “Anthony Bryant & Jno Bryant & Austin Bryant No. of acres not mentioned”
1811: John Bryant paid taxes for two tracts of land on Rock Island Creek
1812: John Bryant paid taxes for two tracts of land on Rock Island Creek
1813: John Bryant Estate paid taxes for same tracts of land. (This was the first use of “estate” for this property since 1799. It implies the death of Widow Bryant.)
1814: John Bryant Est. had only 140 acres on Rock Island with notation “Deduction on the authority of Austin Bryant it being ch’d to the Est of Anthony Bryant Est.” Below that was another notation; it is not clear which land record it references: “the 7 tracts of land of 12 acres each that was charged to the Br…. is struck off it being… Jno Pal… on the south of Wm. Berryman”
1815: John Bryant Est paid for 140 acres
1816: John Bryant Est paid for 140 acres
1817: John Bryant Est sold 300 ac on Rock Island Creek (18NE) to P.M. Burgess.
Borderlands between Lincoln Co TN, Franklin Co TN, and Jackson Co AL
In his pension application, John Jr's approximated that he could have arrived in Lincoln Co as early as 1808. If so, he left Adair before his sons Randolph and John III. As noted, we are unable to locate John Jr. in the 1810 census for Adair or any other county. It's likely he migrated to Tennessee before 1809 because many Luttrells (including Shelton), Littrells, and a John and Elizabeth Winfrey signed a Feb 19, 1809 Petition to the General Assembly of Tennessee, asking for protection from people trying to take their land. An editorial notation made when the petition was published in 1971 indicated that some of the signers were listed in the 1812 Franklin Co. tax list. Since Tennessee was a large state, this is helpful in giving an idea of where the petition originated. As it happens, the 1812 Franklin Co. tax list did not have any Winfreys, Luttrells, Littrells, or Sheltons but that's to be expected because they settled in adjacent Lincoln Co, which did not maintain a tax list until much later. Lincoln Co, like almost all of TN, was not ennumerated in 1810.
1813 (Nov 18): John’s daughter Sarah Bryant married Shelton Luttrell in Lincoln, Tn (bio written on Sarah's 100th birthday)
1815 (July 20): Randolph Bryant was at an estate sale for Letty Duncan in Lincoln, Tn (Lincoln County, Tn Will Book March 1809-April 1824)
1815 (25 August): John Bryant named on Priscilla Shelton's inventory in Lincoln Co., TN, following the death of Priscilla's husband Vardeman Shelton. This could be either John Jr. or his son John III who married Priscilla's daughter, Letha. (Lincoln County, Tn Will Book March 1809-April 1824)
1818 (15 Oct) John Briant (John III) and Peter Shelton witnessed a deed from German Shelton to Ambrose Barker for 105 acres on the waters of Sheltons Creek and adjoining school land. Reg: 25 May 1819. Census data through 1840 confirms that the Bryants lived in the Shelton Creek area.[7] (Lincoln Co Deed Book "E")
1820: Lincoln TN [8] per US Census for John Bryant, Jr: 1m 16-18, 1m 16-25, 1 male over 45, 1 girl under 10, 1 girl 10-15, 1 girl 16-25, and Judith over 45. (This census includes a possible son-in-law or daughter-in-law with children.)
1823 (Nov 7) Deed from William Stogsdill to John McGehee for 15 ac in LCT lying on head waters of Har---Cr (Harper's) a S branch of Elk River. Wit: William McGehee, John Briant (John III), Samuel McGehee. (Lincoln Co Deed Book C p 83)
Ca 1820-1830: John Jr. pension suggests that he was in Jackson Co, AL about 12 years. He was probably living either in the Mud Creek area near proven son Randolph or the Big Coon area with probable son Allen.
1825 (July 10): deed from George Tipps to John Bryant of Lincoln Co, TN - for 50 acres of land in Lincoln Co., TN on the waters of Mulberry Creek and adjoining Tipton Lewis. Witnesses: Joel Caton (probably Eaton) and Peter Tipps. Reg: 27 May 1830. (Land Deed Genealogy of Lincoln Co Tenn 1828-1834 by Helen and Timothy Marsh) These properties are in the vicinity of Charity, Tn. This area would have been largely in Lincoln Co, prior to 1871 (year Moore Co was formed) close to the Franklin Co. border. This was the John Bryant who married Frances Leftwich. In 1824, John's brother Wilson Bryant recorded a deed on Mulberry Creek (near Tipton Lewis, David Eaton, N. Pully, Wm. T. Lewis, & Wm. Whitehead). We are currently investigating ties to this family because descendants of John and Frances were named "Reubin," "William Elisha," and "Peyton," relatively uncommon names that were also found in two of our Bryant lines.
1830: Franklin TN per US Census for John Bryant, Jr.: 1 boy under 10, 1 boy 10-14, 1 man 70-79, 1 girl 5-9, 1 girl 15-19, 1 woman 20-29, and Judith 60-69 (This census includes grandchildren and a possible daughter-in-law.)
Ca 1832: John Jr. employed Col? M. Lott? of Winchester, Tn (Franklin Co) to prepare his Rev. War pension papers (letter in pension application [9])
1833: Land map of Jackson Co, AL showed that Randolph had land in sections 1 & 2. (Later, Randolph's son, John J., acquired land 1/8-1/4 mile away on Mud Creek in section 12.)
Ca 1833 - 1836: John Jr. was sick and confined and then infirm (letter in pension application)
Ca 1837: John Jr. employed Esq Patrick in Franklin Co., TN to work on pension application (letter in pension application)
1838: John Jr. was in Jackson Co, AL where he gave a statement for his Rev. War pension application. (pension application)
1839 (Mar 5): Pension certificate #31601 was issued to John Bryant at the rate of $80 per annum under the Act of June 7, 1832, Alabama Agency.
1840: Jackson Co AL per US Census for John Bryant, age 85, veteran: 1 boy 10-14, 1 girl under 5, 1 girl 5-9, 1 woman 20-29, and Judith 70-79 (This census includes grandchildren and a possible daughter-in-law.) At this time, John Jr. and Judith were living near some Morgans, a Luttrell family, and a Wilson family. He was six census pages from Randolph.
1841 (Oct 18): Last pension payment made to John Jr. It covered the 6-month period from March 4- Sept 4, 1841. The payment was made in Huntsville, AL and pensioner certified that he had resided in Jackson Co., AL for a period of 4 years and before that in Franklin Co, Tn
1842: Died in Jackson AL (Descendants believe he was buried at the Old Inglis or Mud Creek Cemetery near Carnes; however there was an odd entry in the LDS files Submitted by a William Bryant. It has the correct birth and death dates of John and Judith and claims that both were buried in the Bryant Cemetery in Stone, Arkansas. Despite considerable research, we have found no verification of this nor of a Bryant cemetery in Stone Co. Also of note: There are entries on Findagrave suggesting they were buried in Bryant Holiness Cemetery. That is approximately 65 miles from Carnes, AL. This is almost certainly incorrect, despite modern markers erected by someone who erroneously thought s/he was a descendant.
[1] Contributing to the problem was a circulating paper written some years ago by a Sammie Brown titled, "The Other Side of the Family: Bryants, Browns, Moodys, Larkins, and others." The author (on the basis on what appears to have been wild speculation) inaccurately named sons of John Jr. and Judith plus sprinkled in many incorrect facts about their lives.
[2] From the period of bef. 1938 to 1993, Col. Robley Evan Winfrey spent thousands of dollars, hiring researchers around the US and Britain to investigate the Winfrey and related lines. He also collaborated with a large group of researchers in the US via US mail. Upon his death, Robley left 8 boxes weighing about 247 pounds. According to Don Winfrey, "Robley wrote one of his researchers that he must put aside the Bryant line for now and concentrate on her Winfrey ancestry and siblings." (Robley, et. al. did the best they could with the resources on hand at the time, but a fair amount of his information has proven incomplete and incorrect. Very little of it survives on this page.)
[3] The use of "Elizabeth" as her middle name was an error. The error originated decades ago, when someone confused Judith with the mother of Harwell Meeking; the latter was about the same age and also lived in Jackson Co. AL. The so-called "International Marriage Record" on Ancestry citing a 1780 date of marriage was based on an old, individual submission to the Mormon Church from someone trying to shoehorn their ancestor into this family tree. The marriage date is unknown. It was most likely 1783 to early 1786 (based on all census ennumerations). The earliest known child was Randolph b. Nov 1786. That suggests a marriage date of ca 1785-6. However, it's possible that Randolph had an older brother or sister.
[4] This is based on the assumption that there was a young married couple living with John & Judith in 1820.
[5] In the 1850 census, Randolph stated his place of birth was Ky. In June 1779, the Virginia General Assembly created the Virginia Land Office and also stipulated that Revolutionary War soldiers who had served three years continuously were eligible for bounty land warrants in Kentucky County of Virginia. John Jr. was not eligible because he only served for six months. However, a lot of people speculatively purchased land warrants from soldiers uninterested in moving. (Daniel Boone lost his shirt this way.) In June 1780, Kentucky Co was divided into Fayette, Jefferson, and Lincoln Counties of Virginia. Additional counties formed later. John may have been in Ky due to the massive amount of work in surveying for the land grants and for the formation of Kentucky, after it petitioned for separation from Virginia in 1782. (A biographic sketch written about Laban Bryant cited his father Randolph’s place of birth as Amherst, Va. This appears to be the original source for all claims that Randolph was born in Amherst. We consider Randolph himself a far more credible source than the unknown person who wrote Laban’s sketch after his death.)
[6] This was supported by Randolph's daughter Margaret Bryant Webb, who later indicated that she was born in Ky in 1814.
[7] Google "Elk River Canoe Rental, Tennessee." The business is at the intersection of the Elk River and Shelton Creek nearly due east of Fayetteville.
[8] Census mislabeled in Ancestry as Jackson Co, TN.
[9] Translation of letter in pension application by descendant Shirley Perry: Some 2 or 3 yrs after the Act of Congress passed June 7, 1838 [error-should have been June 7, 1832], he was taken sick and confined for something like 2 yrs. and for some time after was quite infirm and unable to attend to business of such a nature but as soon as he was able to do so did, but he states that prior to the time of his illness and not long after the passage of said Act of Congress, he employed an Col.(?) M. Lott(?) of Winchester, TN, to process his papers and for the purpose of getting them attended at Winchester, TN, 4 different times but that Col.(?) Lott (?) had not nor did he at anytime process them for him and that after he recovered from his illness and got so he could attend to business he went and called upon an Esqr. Patrick of TN who after some time prepared his papers and when he received them Esq. Patrick informed him that he was apprehensive that the declaration was improperly drawn and advised him not to send it but to get someone who would understand better how such business should be done. At that time he was preparing to remove to Jackson Co., AL, where he is now living and where he had family lived (sic). It was then out of his power to attend to it in TN and that as soon as he got to AL and settled he had his papers prepared and forwarded and that he could not do so sooner than he did under all the circumstances under which he labored.