Letter, MD, Prince Georges, Estelle Bryan, 1935 Dear ESTELLE BRYAN, Your letter inquiring about the BRYAN family was received in due time. I’m afraid I can be very little help to you. I have had too many letters of the same nature from other cousins living in distant cities & when my husband was living we took a “look about” but it is a task for a specialist to gather such data from records of so long ago, so I have always just told them the same as I shall tell you. What I know from “hear say”. I am 70 years old, have lived right here all my life, & everybody around, high & low knows who my people were & what I am. “So why bother old grandma BRYAN”, used to say. When some of the children would ask questions about the family, “You better not look back too far, you might be shamed, because all those old fellows came from Ireland to keep from being hung.” Now draw your own conclusions. No one was more of a southern aristocrat than Grandma, in every thought, word & act, but she thought it entirely unnecessary to parade her aristocracy. But to answer your questions. I have heard Grandma speak of her husband’s father being in the Revolutionary War. Grandpa was in the war of 1812. I never heard my father speak of those things at all, he was born in 1838. When our court house at Port Tobacco in Charles County was destroyed by fire, & all the records were destroyed, Grandpa’s people all lived in Charles County & there is a town or village there named “Bryan Town”. Grandma said it was named by, or for, Grandpa’s folks. As to education of my father, his brothers and sisters, I am not certain, but I think aunt N---- [BRYAN] & aunt REBECCA [BRYAN] were educated in private school somewhere in Charles County. Uncle RICHARD [BRYAN] was a Georgetown graduate. The other boys had private tutors. Aunt SYMPHRONIA [BRYAN] went to the convent at Frederick, MD. Now I am not absolutely certain of any of this. Uncle PLINY BRYAN was a Captain in the Civil War & died of yellow somewhere down south, Memphis or Louisiana. I believe GRANDMA BRYAN’s own folks, the LANHAM’s, went to California during the gold rush of 1849. some of them crossed the entire west but her parents only went as far as St. Louis, you probably know all that from Uncle BAYNE. Personally, I take no interest whatever in this family research business, but I have a daughter living in Wyoming who has the same “bug” that you have. You speak of our great grandmother ANNE BUSEY BALL, shouldn’t it be “REBECCA ANNE BUSEY BALL Bryan”? We have an old Silver Ladle handed down & it has R. A. B. B. engraved on it & I sort of have the recollection that grandma used to say that was what it was for, of course I may be mistaken. Talking of the name BRYAN, when WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN ran for president the mail for our family was so great that we used to have a “gunny” sack full, every day, letters from everywhere, asking about the relationship & to use our influence for political jobs & c. & c. & c. It would have been a dreadful nuisance, except it was so absolutely absurd. As you know, of course, there is no connection whatever between the families. My daughter & I were in Buffalo this past summer & we spoke of Uncle BAYNE’s family living there, but of course, he being dead & know knowing any of your names, we made no connections. Page 1 of 3 ** PAGE BREAK ** Letter, MD, Prince Georges, Estelle Bryan, 1935 I am the only one of the BRYAN family living in Prince George’s County, all the others have gone long ago, I mean are living elsewhere. If you ever come to Washington, give me a ring, will be glad to have you visit us. All of my family are married & gone, except two daughters, who live at home with me, but work in Washington, they drive in & out each day, so I had a very lonely, though happy, life. This is a very “messy” letter, but be lenient & forgiving an old woman. I am sorry I could not be any help to you, but maybe you can get into the D. A. R. any way, they do seem to have a good time at their meetings here in Washington. With all good wishes for your success, which depends lots & lots upon not only your persistence, but money & pull work wonders. Most sincerely, REBECCA ANNE BRYAN LYONS Notes: This was the return address on the letter to my mother ESTELLE BRYAN SUMMERS, dated December 8, 1935. Mrs. THOMAS H. LYONS Clinton, Maryland The reference to Uncle BAYNE was JOHN HENRY BAYNE BRYAN, my grandfather, (ELENOR SUMMERS CULLEN) - 1924 Page 2 of 3 ** PAGE BREAK ** Letter, MD, Prince Georges, Estelle Bryan, 1935 ###### # # ##### ####### # # ##### ####### # # # # ## ## # # # ## # # # # # ## ## # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ###### # # # # #### ##### # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ## ### # # # # # # ###### # # ##### ####### # # ### ##### ####### # # 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 3 of 3 ** PAGE BREAK **