In 1981, William Walter Bryant compiled a manuscript entitled "William S. and Mary E. Bryant Family of Pulaski Co, MO," delineating what he knew about his own line and speculating about the rest. In addition to erroneous speculation about his Bryant ancestry, he made some mistakes in listing the children of Richard, including 1) overlooking children, 2) listing a niece as a child, and 3) including a Bryant that belonged to an unrelated family. Seven pages of his manuscript were "contributed" to Pioneer Families of Pulaski County. Hopefully, the information below and on this website will clarify some of the errors.
Richard B. b. ca 1791 in Buckingham Co, Va d. 1855 in Pulaski Co, Mo[1] He married three times and had a total of 12 children.
Marriage #1:
Wife: Nancy Rice b. bef. 1797 in Green Co, Ky in Feb/March 1813 d. bef. 1827. (Nancy was the daughter of Edwin Rice and Elizabeth Bailey Rice Hunt. Edwin's father George owned land near the Bryants in Buckingham Co. There was a strong weave of intermarriage between the Bryant-Rice-Cave-Puryear-Bailey families. The Rice and Bryant families moved from Buckingham Co, Va to Kentucky together.)
Children:
Edwin b. 1815-1820 m. Lucy ca 1838 d. ca 23 day of November 1841[2] (Named for Nancy's father Edwin Rice)
Possibly Nancy b. 1815-1820 in Green Co, Ky m. Wm L. Duncan in Pulaski Co, Mo. [3]
David P. b. 1824-5 in Green Co, Ky m. Susan Jackson ca 1847 d. 1872 [4] (Named for his uncle, Richard B.'s brother)
Daughter b. 1820-1825 in Green Co, Ky
Marriage #2:
Wife: Mahala Sanders b. bef. 1818 m. in Green Co, Ky on 16 July 1833 d. bef. 1850 (Daughter of James Sanders and Mary Ann Hardwick of Adair Co, Ky; they were close neighbors of Richard B. in the 1830 census. The families may have lived closer to the Green County seat than to the Adair Co. seat, hence the marriage in Green Co. The 1830 census for James Sanders indicates that Mahala was one of the daughters b. 1810-1820.)
Children:
Nancy J. b. 1835 in Pulaski Co, Mo
Amanda C. b. Oct 1838 in Pulaski Co, Mo m. John Milton Jones 8 Apr 1856 in Pulaski MO d. 1911 in Camden Mo
William W. b ca 1841 in Pulaski Co, Mo. William m1 Judy Thornberry m2 Clarnetta. He was a sergeant and corporal in the Union Calvary in Kansas and died 1883 in Douglass Co, MO. No known children. In 1880, he said his mother was born in Indiana.
Uncertain about mothers (either Mahala Sanders or Rebecca Davis):
John ca 1845 in Pulaski Co, MO (Note: at least one tree has m. Dora Aaron 28 April 1870 in Lawrence Co, Mo d. 1884 in Maries Co Mo. However, this John stated in 1880 that his father was b. in TN and his mother was b. in SC. This can't be stretched to fit Richard B. or any of his wives. Also, Lawrence Co. was a long way from the Pulaski/Phelps Co. Finally, the names of his children do not match anyone else in the family. Richard certainly had a son named John but he wasn't the man who married Dora Aaron. THIS IS AN ERROR)
Emily b. 1846-7 in Mo may have married Walker Christerson (In 1880, 1900, and 1910 the census show that both of Emily's parents were b. in Mo. That certainly wasn't the case for her father but was a common error, especially for children that never knew a parent. Of Richard's 3 wives, none were born in Mo. In 1920, Emily said her mother b. in Ky (Mahala). Some show the wife of Walker Christerson as Emily Tippett but Walker's wife named her first child, "Richard," making her a candidate for the daughter of Richard B., unless there is other info to the contrary.)
Mahala b. 1848-9 in Mo. One would naturally assume that she was the daughter of Mahala but Richard definitely made one unconventional naming choice --Nancy J. daughter of Mahala, his second wife, was named for his first wife. So it's conceivable that Mahala was the daughter of Rebecca Davis. We know that Richard was married to Rebecca by 1850, because they were listed together in the 1850 census. Mahala may have married Burchtold.
Marriage #3:
Wife: Rebecca Davis b. ca 1828 in IL m. bef. 1850
Children:
Permelia b. ca 1853
Richard b. ca 1855
In the 1860 census, Rebecca Bryant, age 34, was head of the household with her children, step-children, and a nephew. Living in adjacent households were two likely brothers, Thomas Kilby Davis and John Davis.
Many of the children of Richard B. Bryant appear to have died young.
For additional information about Richard B., see chapters 8, 9, and also review the page on his brother, Willis.
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[1] Probate Records Pulaski County, Missouri Book 3, Page 34 Date 1855 FHC Film #0944684
[2] 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”
[3] We suggest this speculatively based on these facts: 1. William L. and Nancy named a child "Rody Ann" or "Rhoda Ann" as did other descendants of Anthony and Rhoda Bryant. 2. Nancy was b. 1819 in Ky. This makes her a good fit for Richard's oldest daughter, who was no longer living with her father in the 1840 census. 3) No other family has claimed Nancy. 4) Richard B.'s first wife was a Nancy and he also had a sister named "Nancy." However, the entire proposition that William L. was married to Nancy Bryant is undermined by another fact: Richard certainly had a daughter by his second wife Mahala. who was listed as "Nancy J." b. 1835 in Mo in the 1850 census.Then again, this was a man who may have persuaded both his second and third wives to name girls after their predecessors, so it doesn't seem too difficult to believe that he may have named two daughters Nancy, especially if one went by a different name. Richard's own sibling group included William Price who went by "Price" and Willis O. They were different men but the names "William" and "Willis" were very similar. William L. Duncan m1 Emily Duncan m2 Nancy.
[4] There are two estate records for David P. Bryant. The first was 23 Nov. 1872 shows items sold by the estate. His heirs were his children: Joseph A., Nancy A., Thomas E., Biddy (Susan Obedine), George, and William. Another record in 1878 listed the same heirs except Thomas, who had died in 1875, and included annual reports. (The heirs of Thomas E. were his siblings.) Among the records is proof that David P. was the son of Richard B. rather than Willis O.