Southern Biographies and Genealogies, 1500's – 1940's The BRYAN - LILLARD Family by Judge D. A. Grimsley. JOSEPH BRYAN settled in the county of Culpeper in 1752. He came from King George county, and is supposed to have been the father of WILLIAM BRYAN, who was the great grand father of WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN now (1900) for the second time the nominee of the Democrats for the presidency. WILLIAM BRYAN lived near the town of Sperryville, now Rappahannock, then Culpeper county, and was a large landowner. He died in 1806, leaving the following children: 1. JAMES; 2. JOHN, m. NANCY LILLARD; 3. WILLIAM; 4. AQUILLA; 5. LUCY, m. DUNNAWAY; 6. ELIZABETH, m. BALDECK. The year following WILLIAM BRYAN's death, his lands were divided among his children, and to his son, JOHN, was allotted that portion lying near the town of Sperryville The old BRYAN house, on this tract, still stands in a good state of preservation. NANCY LILLARD BRYAN, the wife of JOHN BRYAN, was the daughter of JOHN LILLARD, a soldier in the Revolutionary army, who lived in the BRYAN neighborhood. Between 1810 and 1825 the BRYAN family sold out their ancestral estates, and moved west to Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio. JOHN BRYAN, the grand father of WILLIAM'S JENNINGS, left Virginia in 1826. SILAS LILLARD BRYAN, the father of WILLIAM'S JENNINGS, was, at that time, four years of age. JOHN settled on the banks of the Ohio, near the mouth of the Big Kanawha, where he and his wife, NANCY LILLARD, died, the one in 1830, and the other in 1835. After their death the family moved further West to Illinois and Missouri. In 1840, SILAS LILLARD BRYAN, the father of WILLIAM JENNINGS, went to live with an older brother in Missouri, who had before settled in that state. From his home he attended school for a time, then went to Marion county, Ill., where he taught school for a year or so, then went to college, studied law, and began its practice in 1852, and soon rose to prominence in the profession. He was a member of the constitutional convention, and of the senate of the State of Illinois, and a circuit judge for a number of years. He was the Democratic nominee for congress in 1862, but was defeated. He was a man of ability and high character, a devout Christian, and an uncompromising Democrat. He died about 1880, having the following children: 1. FANNY, m.(???)BAIRD; 2. WILLIAM'S JENNINGS, m.(???)BAIRD, having RUTH, WILLIAM JENNINGS and GRACE; 3. CHARLES, m.(???); 4. MAMIE, m.(???)ALLEN; 5. NANNY, unmarried. Page 1 of 2 ** PAGE BREAK ** Southern Biographies and Genealogies, 1500's – 1940's The BRYAN - LILLARD Family by Judge D. A. Grimsley. ###### # # ##### ####### # # ##### ####### # # # # ## ## # # # ## # # # # # ## ## # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ###### # # # # #### ##### # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ## ### # # # # # # ###### # # ##### ####### # # ### ##### ####### # # Transcribed from original documents by Brent R. Brian & Martha M. Brian. This document and others can be found on our website: BMGEN We claim COPYLEFT on the documents that we publish that are our original work. COPYLEFT “rules” can be reviewed on the web site: GNU Free Documentation License In short, use what you like. But if you use our stuff, mention us as the source. Brent R. Brian Martha M. Brian BrianMitchellGenealogy@gmail.com Page 2 of 2 ** PAGE BREAK **