Family, Private Collections, Bryan P.C. 108.1 COLLECTION: Charles S. Bryan Collection, 1707-1862. 9 items. See: Barbara T. Cain, Ellen Z. McGrew, and Charles E. Morris, ed., Guide to Private Manuscript Collections in the North Carolina State Archives (Third Revised Edition), Raleigh, Division of Archives and History, 1981, page 73. Page 1 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan Collection: BRYAN, JOHN, PAPER P.C. 368 Chowan Precinct, North Carolina 1722 Physical Description: Land grant. 1 item. Acquisition: Transferred from Miscellaneous Papers, May 15, 1961. Description: Land grant to John Bryan of 640 acres in Chowan Precinct on the south side of the Morattock (Roanoke) River, from John, Lord Carteret, April 6, 1722. On the reverse of the grant, John Bryan signs over this land to John Gray, May 20, 1726; and John Gray signs over (he same land to Nicholas Smith, Edgecombe, August 13, 1739. Page 2 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan Collection: BRYAN, JOHN, PAPER P.C. 353 Bertie County, North Carolina 1819 Physical Description: Summons. 1 item. Acquisition: Description: The summons is to John Bryan, administrator for Penelope Swain, August 18, 1819. Page 3 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan Collection: JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 – 6.28 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 Physical Description: C. 2,300 items in five mounted volumes, 1 scrapbook, and 20 boxes, consisting of letters, surveys, land grants, plats, deeds, inventories, wills, bonds, agreements, accounts, promissory notes, bills and receipts, bills of sale, recipes, poems, newspaper clippings, maps, broadsides, licenses, genealogies, court records. Acquisition: Accession Book in Search Room: 1908, J. Bryan Grimes, grandson of John H. Bryan, gave 548 items (1773-1906); these were mounted in volumes. The following records appear in the Biennial Reports: 1908-1910 - 109 items, donor unknown; 1910-1912 - 118 items, 1912-1914 81 items, 1914-1916 - 94 items, 1916-1918 - 148 items (1796-1862), 1920-1922 - 147 items (1798-1870), all given by Colonel J. Bryan Grimes; 1930-1932 - 4 items (1864), donor unknown; 1955, April 15 - 1 item, letter to John H. Bryan, Newbern, March 3, 1837, from George E. Badger, 3 pages, photocopy, original in possession of A. L. Nicholson, Macon, North Carolina. Description: BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION: The collection consists primarily of the papers of John Herritage Bryan. These papers, mainly through correspondence and to a lesser degree in such miscellaneous items as broadsides, invitations, programs, etc., reflect the political and social scene, nationally and locally, from the early 18005 until the end of the Civil war. John Herritage Bryan's family emigrated from England to Nansemond County, Virginia, and settled in Craven County, North Carolina, in 1747. James Bryan, Sr., his father, married Rachel Herritage (granddaughter of William Herritage) and became a prominent merchant and planter. They had three children, John Herritage, Elizabeth (died in early childhood), and James West. After the death of James Bryan, Sr., his widow married Dr. Frederick Blount of New Bern. John Herritage Bryan was born in New Bern, November A, 1798. He entered the University of North Carolina at the age of fourteen and graduated with distinction after two years. He studied law under Blake Baker of Warren County and Judge William Gaston, and was admitted to the bar in 1819. Bryan served in the State Senate in 1823 and 1824, and was elected to Congress for two terms (1825-1829). After returning to North Carolina, he practiced law in the eastern counties, in the federal courts, and in the North Carolina Supreme Court. In 1838 he moved to Raleigh, seeking a more favorable climate; in 1857, in declining health, he gave up most of his practice. He died in Raleigh May 19, 1870, and is buried there at Oakwood Cemetery. Page 4 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRIAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 - 6.28 - 2 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 Bryan married, December 20, 1821, Mary Williams Shepard, daughter of William Shepard, a leading merchant of New Bern. The Bryans had fourteen children. The seven sons attended the University of North Carolina and the daughters were educated in the North. Isabel Ann married A. P. Bryan; Charlotte Emily, Bryan Grimes; Ann Shepard, Andrew Syme; Mary Shepard, Edwin G. Speight; Elizabeth Pettigrew, Kenelon H. Lewis and Octavia Maria, John C. Winder. The sons attending the university were: Francis Theodore, John H., Jr., William Shepard, James Pettigrew, Henry Ravenscroft, George Pettigrew, Frederick Richard. Francis graduated in 1842 and received his A. M. in 1845 and graduated in 1846 from West Point with a commission as second lieutenant in the Topographical Engineers. He was an aide on the staff of General John Ellis Wool in the Mexican war and, after being wounded at Buena Vista, was brevetted for gallantry on the field. He served at various military posts before making his home in St. Louis. John H., Jr., received an A. B. degree from the University in 1844 and an A. M. in 1847. He was a teacher, lawyer, and bank teller. William Shepard received his A. B. degree in 1846 and his A. M. in 1850. He began his law practice in Baltimore and, in 1857, married Eliza Haywood of Talbot County. He served as an associate justice in the the Court of Appeals (1883-1898) and as a judge of the Superior Court of Maryland. James Pettigrew received his A. B. degree in 1849. Henry Ravenscroft received his A. B. degree in 1856. He was a planter, lawyer, presidential elector (1880), vice president of the University of North Carolina Board of Trustees, Judge of the Superior Court (1900-1907), mayor of New Bern, and a member of the board of directors of the North Carolina Penitentiary. George Pettigrew graduated from the University in 1860. Following graduation he was appointed tutor of Latin. At the beginning of the Civil war, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the Second Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry, and was stationed at Kinston before his transfer to the Army of Northern Virginia. He was wounded at Upperville, imprisoned nine months, and, on exchange, returned to his regiment as captain. He was mortally wounded while leading his company in a charge against the enemy on the Charles City Road, ten miles east of Richmond. Frederick, the youngest son, attended Hillsboro Academy and the University in 1861 and 1862. He died the following year at the age of sixteen. Page 5 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 – 6.28 - 3 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 The collection is described in the following manner: CORRESPONDENCE I. John Herritage Bryan Correspondence (1822-1865) Letters from: Wife Bryan children Nieces and nephews Brother Brothers-in-law Blount relatives Individuals Organizations (invitations and memberships) Letters to: Family Individuals II. Mrs. John Herritage Bryan Correspondence (1821-1875) Letters from: Husband Bryan children Nieces and nephews Brother Sister Daughters-in-law Individuals III. Family Correspondence (1846-1865) Letters to: Elizabeth Bryan Lewis Isabel (Mrs. A. P.) Bryan Charles Bryan Frederick Bryan John H. Bryan, Jr. Octavia Bryan Winder Annie Bryan Syme Mary Bryan Pettigrew Brown IV. Miscellaneous Correspondence (1786-1871) Page 6 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 – 6.28 - 4 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 Description of arrangement - continued MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS (1716-1875) I. Land grants, surveys, etc. II. Agreements III. Deeds Bryan family Miscellaneous IV. Wills Bryan family Blount family William Herritage (1769) Miscellaneous V. Accounts VI. Speeches VII. Broadsides, circulars, petitions (1824-1844) VIII. Newspaper clippings IX. Court papers X. George Pettigrew Bryan Scrapbook XI. Bryan Grimes Papers Page 7 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1-6.28 - 5 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 CORRESPONDENCE I. John H. Bryan Correspondence (1822-1865) John H. Bryan's correspondence contains letters from his wife Mary Shepard Bryan, his brother James Nest Bryan, his sons (Francis Theodore, John Herritage, Jr. , William Shepard, Henry Ravenscroft, George Pettigrew, Frederick Richard), his daughters (Mary Shepard Speight, Octavia Maria Winder, Elizabeth Pettigrew Lewis, Isabel Ann Bryan, Charlotte Emily Grimes, Ann Shepard Syme); his in-laws Ebenezer Pettigrew, Charles, Richard W., John S., and William B. Shepard; nieces and nephews, James, Mary, Johnston, Nancy, Charles L., and William S. Pettigrew; relatives Alexander and Frederick Blount; and many individuals. Letters (1827-1855) from Mary Shepard Bryan are addressed to her husband at courts in New Bern, Tarboro, Snow Hill, Washington, and Hillsboro. She writes (October 13, 1827) of expected arrivals via stage; races and feasting on May Day (May 2, 1828) fishing parties (April 20, 1841); news of their children at school and work (May 3, 1842, September 12, 1852); calls from Raleigh neighbors, friends, and local and visiting Episcopal clergy (March 12, October 25, 1842); and events of local interest. Letters (1853-1861) from Charles Shepard Bryan to his father from Norfolk in 1853 report his efforts to secure a position with Cherry & Riggs mercantile house; and from Greenfield, Missouri (1859-1861), report on his work with a commercial firm there and also contain cements on Missouri Governor Robert H. Stewart, the railroads and banks in the state, conditions at the outbreak of the Civil War. Letters (1858-1859) from William Shepard Bryan concern his ambitions as a lawyer in Baltimore (October 25, 1358) and give (1859) his views on reaction in the city to the approaching civil conflict. An undated letter inquires into his interest in two mining companies in North Carolina. Letters (1860, n.d.) from John Herritage Bryan, Jr., discuss his banking position and state his admiration for "Uncle Pettigrew" following the latter's death. In 1860, he writes from Boston describing the political situation there. Letters (1847, 1865) from Francis Theodore Bryan describe (June, 1847) a "military ball" at Lovejoy's Academy in Raleigh; and, a resident of St. Louis in 1865, he pictures the city as it appeared following the Civil War. Letters (1856-1863) from George Pettigrew Bryan report (May 10, 1856, July 27, 1857) on student days in Chapel Hill and at the beginning of the Civil War describe (February 28, 1862) his military activities at New Bern and Kinston. He describes (September 25, 1863) his experiences in federal hospitals in Washington and Baltimore. Page 8 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.l – 6.28 - 6 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 John H. Bryan correspondence - continued Letters (1322-1352 from James West Bryan, in Chapel Hill (1822-1823) express gratitude to Elisha Mitchell for his "unremitted attention" in a math course and announce his selection as a representative to speak for the Phi Society. After graduation and the beginning of his law practice, politics and related matters are the subject of many letters. He speculates on the possibility of Judge William Gaston's going to England in 1827; the probability of the resignation of Judge Robert Donnell (1827) and the suggestion of John Bryan as his successor; the interest (1842) of a "Mr. Moore" going to Raleigh to establish a Whig paper to "silence the Standard in one month"; rumors (1847) of the Democrats starting a newspaper; appointments (1844) to vacancies on the Supreme Court Bench; and a review of the political situation in Washington County (1844) with the Whigs inactive and the Democrats flooding the country with broadsides. James Bryan was an active Episcopalian and wrote of church conventions, of various members of the clergy - their sermons and appointments to pastorates, of the ceremony of the deposition (1853) of Bishop Levi Silliman Ives, and of letters in the Raleigh Register (1853) giving a "correct and truthful portraiture" of the character and mind of Bishop Thomas Atkinson. Local events and social activities in New Bern (1827-1855) are also related: the town "agog" on the occasion of a church conference - “the streets alive with women greedy for preaching, news and trotting," and the Negroes allowed to congregate in meetings at the lodge; the installation of a town clock (1827); the purchase of a new bell; and a court order for insuring the courthouse; disturbance of the Catholic Christmas mass (1842) by fighting sailors; the "beaux monde" in 1841 very gay with "soirees and routs"; and the conversion (1855) of the old Devereux house into the Gaston House, refurnished in elegant style in anticipation of business brought by the newly established railroad. Hardships of practicing law in circuit courts are exemplified in his statement (1838) that the unhealthy climate of the lower part of the state "killed Mr. Moses Mordecai ... drove Judge Seawell from the bench and laid the foundations for Mr. Hogg's fatal disease." James West Bryan discusses personalities encountered in his practice. He speaks (1840) of the kindness of William A. Graham. On the death of William Gaston (1844), he writes of an invitation for him to deliver the funeral oration, the family's grief, probability of the sale of Gaston's library, and the recommendation of Beaufort citizens for raising a subscription for a monument to Gaston at Raleigh. When Judge Joseph Daniel died (1848), he recalled him as an "honest, plain and upright old gentleman." Several references (1854) to Negroes and slavery are found in Bryan's observation that in a few years the Negroes would take over New Bern, where they dressed elegantly, had taken over the Episcopal Church with a tremendous Sunday School, and where local merchants openly kept Negro mistresses. He reported in 1859 the town was filled with Negroes being sold at high prices. He also comments that he Wishes to settle in a non-slaveholding state as most of society’s “evils and disadvantages“ arose from slavery. Page 9 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 – 6.28 - 7 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 John H. Bryan correspondence - continued Some idea of transportation is found in a description (1854) of his "wretched ride" from Wilson to New Bern. From time to time, letters contain information and instruction concerning family matters. Letters (1828-1846) from Ebenezer Pettigrew, a brother-in-law, comment February 5, 1828 on Bryan's candidacy for Congress, discuss (August 2 and December 5, 1835) his own successful campaign and later his disillusionment with political life. Returning to Washington County in 1841, he writes (June 7 and August 4) of plantation activities, trips to Norfolk and Baltimore for his health and business, his fortieth harvest at Lake Phelps, great losses in Washington and Tyrrell counties from storms, and trips north purchasing supplies. In 1843, Pettigrew begins construction of a residence for himself and writes (August 15 and November 6) of his progress as well as his satisfaction with the Operation of the plantation canals after many years of labor. In later letters (August 17, September 19, November 1, December 16, 1844) he makes political observations, reports on early outbreak of disease in the country, transportation problems arising from the discontinuance of the boat schedule from Plymouth to Portsmouth and the circuitous route to Raleigh from the east by Elizabeth City, Norfolk, and Petersburg. Writing (May 14, July, 1846) from his plantation "Magnolia," he remarks on Mr. Shepard's brief efforts at farming and gives his opinion of Shepard's political prospects in Washington and Tyrrell counties. Letters (1832-1837) from Charles Biddle Shepard a brother-in-law, describe (November 4 and December 15, 1832) the activities of the General Assembly in Raleigh. July 22, 1836, he describes society at Newport, Rhode Island. Later letters (June 14, 1837) give reasons for his candidacy for Congress and comment (October 11, 1837) on bills before the House and mention such political figures as Martin Van Buren and Henry Clay. Letters (1834-1837) from Richard W. Shepard evaluate (August 1, 1834) the political situation in New Orleans and mention former North Carolinian, Francois Xavier Martin. He expresses regret (July 3, 1837) at the failure of commercial firms in New Orleans and his willingness to do what he can for North Carolina creditors. Letters (1822-1832) from William B. Shepard suggest (August 22, 1822) Bryan's trip north has supplied a store of new jokes to dole out on his approaching circuit. A member of Congress (1829-1837), Shepard describes (January 8, 1830) his living quarters and gives (December 6, 1832) his opinion on political events. Returning from New Orleans in 1832, he writes of the prevalence of disease and poverty in the southwestern country. A number of letters (October 2, 1824, and July 9, 1825) concern family matters, sale of slaves, rental of land and the suggestion (November 12, 1832) that some member of the family settle on their western lands. Page 10 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.l – 6.28 - 8 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 John H. Bryan correspondence - continued Letters (1841-1854) from Mary Bryan Pettigrew a niece, attending a private school in Washington, report (May 27, 1841) on lessons and social activities. At home in 1854 she writes of the family and their neighbors, the Josiah Collins. Letter (October 10, 1853) from James Johnston Pettigrew, a nephew, at Charleston,tells of his indecision about his future location, considering Raleigh, Charleston, and New Orleans. Letter (July 11, 1861) from William S. Pettigrew, a nephew, at Belgrade Plantation, Washington County, sends news of the family and expresses his satisfaction on the election of his brother James Johnston Pettigrew, as colonel of the Twelfth North Carolina Regiment. Letters (1831-1868) from Frederick Blount, a relative to Bryan by his mother's second marriage to Dr. Frederick Blount, from Mobile (December 10, 1831, August 7, 1834), contain descriptions of that city and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and the bad times (April 9, 1836) and refers (February 16, 1834) to the political situation in North Carolina. A letter (October 9, 1868) from New York mentions North Carolina Episcopal clergy at a convention there. Letters (1836-1853) from Alexander Blount, aboard the U. S. S. "Java," Gosport, Alabama, in 1836, tell of his appointment as gig officer and invitations to dine with naval officers. He reports (March 5, 1842) on progress of the temperance movement in New Bern. From Mt. Pleasant, Alabama (1853), he announces his discouragement after two years of hard work and considers the possibilities of a job on the railroad or a river steamboat. A June 29, 1831, letter relates a trip to Boston, the people he met and the places he visited. Other individuals writing to John H. Bryan include: John Y[oung] Mason (Secretary of the Navy, 1844, and United States Attorney General, 1845) writing (May 2 and October 2, 1816) of fellow classmates at the University of North Carolina, giving advice (November 3, 1816) on Bryan's reading law with Judge Blake Baker with a description of Baker and Warrenton society, and recalling (June 16, 1849) a note of Judge William Gaston's, "a model of composition." Richard Dobbs Spaight writes (1817) news of University classmates and, after his election to Congress (1823- 1825), of political and social events in Washington. Francis Lister Hawks, Episcopal clergyman, describes the arrival of a steamboat in New Bern in 1818 and, in 1856, mentions his congregation in New York and plans to return to Raleigh to give a lecture. John B. Jasper states (June 22, 1823) his belief that he holds an interest in a plantation on Adams Creek, sold by his uncle James Bryan to Nathan Smith. William Gaston writes (1825) favoring a proposed mission to Panama and in 1827 reports on a political convention conducted with great propriety, forming a respectable and popular electoral ticket. Louis D. Henry writes from Fayetteville in 1824 of his reaction to Bryan's bill in the State Senate relative to the establishment of separate courts of equity in each judicial district. George Page 11 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.l – 6.28 - 9 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 John H. Bryan correspondence - continued Badge; in 1825 notifies Bryan of his resignation from a Judgeship to practice law in Raleigh. In 1826 Stephen Decatur criticizes the Navy and in an undated letter writes he is expecting the gentlemen from North Carolina for a social cup of tea and a discussion of their claims before Congress. Henry Potter, in 1842, recommends Warren Winslow as district attorney. David L. Swain (1833) gives news relative to the possible establishment of a steamboat line from Elizabeth City to New Bern. James Waddell, writing from Wilmington in 1837, expresses his views on expansion of the Bank of the Cape Fear. Hugh Waddell (1841) requests Bryan to urge George Badger to accept a cabinet post and writes (1854-1856) of his interest in mining coal fields between Raleigh and Wilmington and purchase of an interest in a gold mine in Alamance County. Nathan B. Whitfield writes (1843) from Demopolis, Alabama, of the continuing growth of the town with its industrious immigrant population of French, German, and Swiss mechanics. William A. Gaston (1850) remarks on Judge Henry Potter's age and his expressed determination to outlive the administrations of Van Buren, Tyler, and Polk; in 1859, he states he cannot cooperate with the Democrats without a better understanding but is unwilling to ally with any other party. George C. Mendenhall, Guilford Count (1856) makes observations on Fillmore's candidacy. Griffith McRee (1857) writes a sketch of Bishop Charles Pettigrew, which appears at the close of his second volume of the life of James Iredell, Sr. Lawyers and clients write Bryan relative to his services and advice. James J. Williams (1854) warns Bryan of the astuteness of Bartholomew F. Moore in a law suit. Several cases involve maritime law. James Hall writes (1828) of a suit involving salvage of a ship stranded on lookout Shoals and R. Morris consults (1832) Bryan relative to insurance claims on a vessel stranded on a bar. Charles F. Deems writes several letters in 1855 relative to his suit against a letter writer to a Charlotte newspaper. James Petigru, of the law firm of Petigru and King, Charleston, consults (1857-1863) Bryan and refers (January, 1861) to his partners Johnston (James Johnston Pettigrew) drilling on Morris Island and King at the Arsenal. Autograph collectors are among the correspondents. William B. Sprague, in 1826, acknowledges a Joseph Hewes' autograph and, in 1842, requests other signatures, stating he has the largest collection of autographs and manuscripts in the country and expressing his wish to complete his file on the members of Congress. Joseph B. Boyd writes (1852) requesting Bryan's autograph and also others, particularly of the Revolutionary period. There are several letters concerning the Rockfish Manufacturing Company, Fayetteville. In 1839 J. W. Sandford, treasurer, writes of construction of the mill, contracting for machinery, and beginning of operation. C. P. Mallett reports (1842-1851) from time to time on sales, changes in machinery, personnel, increased production, New York and Philadelphia markets, and his opinion that the mill produces a better cotton product than any other south of the Potomac. In 1861, C. T. Haigh writes opposing suggested dividends because of slow sales but in 1864 suggests a 50% dividend. Page 12 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 - 6.26 - 10 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 John H. Bryan correspondence - continued On the subject of railroads, Edward B. Dudley, Wilmington, 1841, expresses an interest in purchasing a Negro hired out to the railroad; and Thomas Wright, also writing (1854) from Wilmington, quotes rates for hire of blacksmiths and carpenters. Several correspondents write concerning activities at the University of North Carolina. Joseph J. Summerell, writing for a committee of the Phi Society, in 1841, offers Justification of claims before the board relative to reparation of damages to the Hall. Henri Herrisse complains (1855-1856) of his treatment in a faculty controversy. Thomas Ruffin writes (1858) in regard to a printing order of the Executive Committee. W. J. Headon requests (1854) Bryan to write a biography of Judge Frederick Nash for the student publication. Bryan's term in Congress (1825-1829) is represented by letters of congratulation on his election and requests from constituents. Other letters deal with his interest in securing legislation for better navigation. Alfred Mordecai, assistant to the chief engineer, informs (June 15, 1828) him of the law providing purchase money for a dredging machine to clear the entrance to Ocracoke Inlet. John Stanley suggests (May 10, 1826) the best route for a contemplated canal. Exum Newby writes (1828) of a letter from the Secretary of War and report from the chief engineer concerning a plan for a survey of the Swash, Pamlico Sound; William Eliason, engineer stationed at Fort Macon, asks (1828) for suggestions on navigation of the Swash. The Engineering Department notifies (May 23, 1828) Bryan of an appropriation of $20,000 for improvement of the shoal Swash on the Pamlico Sound near Ocracoke. Letters (1840-1850) from members of Congress to Bryan include Edward Stanly's expectation (1840) of President Harrison's election and his opinion that an appropriation will aid the Central Railroad and emphasize the importance of internal improvements. N. H. Washington mentions (1841) the Bank Bill before the President, the Bankruptcy Bill before the House, and the land Bill before the Senate. The following year he writes of Calhoun's unhappiness at unfavorable demonstrations. William B. Shepherd, in an undated letter, gives his opinion of the political situation. Edward Bates, in 1861, observing few applications from North Carolina for federal officers, inquires if there is anyone Bryan would suggest for the office of district attorney. John Burgwyn, writing from Philadelphia in 1861, warns it is the duty of the state to ward off blows threatening the Union and that much is expected of North Carolina, who, it is hoped, will not follow the lead of her arrogant neighbors. Colonel William P. Roberts and Rufus Barringer write (18640 of the death of Bryan's son, Captain George P. Bryan of the 19th Regiment of Calvary. Page 13 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 - 6.26 - 11 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 John H. Bryan correspondence - continued Undated letters include one from the Bishop of Charleston relative to securing seats for a service at St. Patrick's church and from J. Q. Granby giving biographical information on Judge Frederick Nash. Letters (1840-1860) from organizations are notifications of honorary membership in various societies and invitations to attend or participate in political rallies, college commencements, etc. These include: mass meetings of Whigs in Nash and Edgecombe counties (1840) and Rutherfordton (1844); Scott-Graham meeting in Asheville and Newton Grove (1852); Fillmore meeting, Raleigh (1856); American Party, Johnston County (1856); Union mass meeting of Whigs and Americans, Randolph, Forsyth, Guilford, and Davidson counties at High Point (1856); Constitutional Union Party (Bell and Everett), Salisbury and Wilmington (Cape Fear District), 1860. Other invitations are to the Wake County Internal Improvement Association (1849); to a dinner at Moseley Hall (1858) celebrating completion of the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad; from the Senior Class of 1856 to preside in Phi Hall at the University during commencement; and election as a honorary member of the Adelphian Society (1850) and the Greenville Literary and Debating Society (1841). In the correspondence are letters (1828-1861) from John H. Bryan addressed to his family and other individuals. In letters to his son Charles Bryan are inquiries and advice (1853) relative to his co-partnership. He gives news (1853) of the family and events in Raleigh: William Bryan's appearance with Governor William A. Graham in a case before the United States Supreme Court; consecration of the Episcopal Church; and rejection (1855) of a new charter for the bank. An undated letter from Washington, D. C., describes a theatrical group, members of his "mess," and dinner with Henry Clay and Colonel Bankhead. In 1861 Bryan writes his son-in-law Kenelon Lewis at Rocky Mount of Raleigh's preparations at the beginning of the war and describes the town at the conclusion, when it is surrounded by Yankee troops. He also writes another son-in-law, E. G. Speight, in 1861, of the ladies who have gone to Petersburg, Virginia, to help in the hospital; he describes a flag made by his daughters, Isabel and Charlotte, which was captured at Hatteras. Bryan writes (April 4, 1818) his uncle and guardian John S. West, from Grove Hill, Warren County, noting progress of the works on the river, completion of a canal by the Roanoke Navigation Company, and of trade with Virginia. In writing (November 13, 1818) of his studies with Judge Blake Baker, he mentions Baker's interest in remodeling the State Supreme Court. In a letter (May 17, 1817) to his aunt, Mrs. West, he comments on styles at Shocco Springs and the "thoughts of degradation" Mr. Baker would sustain in becoming a member of the legislature. In letters to other individuals, Bryan writes from Waynesboro, in 1828, to William Gaston, Raleigh, relative to internal improvements in North Carolina and the movement for construction of a canal between the Neuse River and Beaufort. He writes (1852) to James Iredell concerning a law suit. Page 14 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 – 6.28 - 12 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 II. Mrs. John H. Bryan Correspondence (1821-1875) Mrs. Bryan's correspondence contains letters from her husband, children, sister, nieces and nephews, daughters-in-law, brother, and friends. John H. Bryan writes from Washington during his term in Congress (1824-1830) and from New York on a trip north for his health. In New York he writes (July 23, 1825) of sight-seeing expeditions, shopping and preparations for the Marquis de Lafayette's visit. He observes (July 9, 1825) he would prefer to raise a family in such a climate in a non-slaveholding state. From Washington, Bryan gives news of other North Carolinians (December 8, 1824). His social engagements are described in some detail: Mrs. Adams "first drawing room" (December 14, 1825); dinner at President John Quincy Adam's, French style; dinner at the British minister’s (January 10, 1826); and visits to the theater (January 21, 1829). He reports on Washington gossip (March 19, 1826) deploring the morals of the city. Political events are discussed: reaction to Jackson's victory (February 12, 1829) and Gales' and Seaton's sacrifice in support of Crawford and Duff Green's consequent election as printer; and Governor Hutchins G. Burton's nomination (January 7, 1829) to the governorship of Arkansas. Bryan reports (February 7, 1825) on his maiden speech in Congress. His interest in legislation for North Carolina is found (1828-1829) in sponsorship of a bill for the clearing of Ocracoke Inlet and a subsequent appropriation for dredging. After his term in Congress, Bryan returned to North Carolina to practice law. There are letters written from Raleigh before the family moved to the capital city in 1838. Hatters pertaining to the Episcopal Church are mentioned: the Bishop's meeting with the school committee and subscriptions collected (January 25, 1833); expectation of an interesting debate at the convention in Warrenton (January 16, 1833); and comments on Bishop Levi S. Ives' acceptance of the death of his son (January 12, 1834). Other letters report (July 9, 1833) determination of citizens of Wake and Johnston counties to provide a railroad to Waynesboro, express (January 1, 1836) satisfaction with the State House, adding that his lodgings are east of the new building near the Episcopal Church. John Bryan's letters to his wife are also written from various localities in the eastern counties and from his attendance at federal courts in the state and the State Supreme Court. He writes (October 6, 1839) of the railroad under construction at Waynesboro. In Washington he writes (April 26, 184l) of the rise in the Neuse River and (October 28, 1844) of the excitement generated by politics. From Tarboro he reports (October 18, 1844) taking quinine preparatory to going to the sickly regions of Edgecombe and Martin counties, Colonel Blount's sale of his property (April 21, 1846), and James Iredell's determination to move (March 11, 1839). Letters (1840) from New Bern contain local news; Page 15 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 – 6.28 - 13 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 Mrs. John H. Bryan correspondence - continued discharge of many bankrupts, the bishop (April 29, 1839) preaching to the Negroes, expectation of a speech by Morehead (April 2h, 1840), and visits to Bishop Ives and tea with Judge Gaston. At Oxford (1850) Bryan complains of the uncomfortable courthouse and describes crowds gathered for singing and dancing. Trips (September 1L, 1846) to Hillsboro include visits to the Graham, Bennehan, Cameron, and Nash families. In Smithfield (September 17, 1847) Bryan enjoys Methodist services and revivals. He writes (October 29, 1854) of seeing Judge Henry Potter in Wilmington and plans (April 28, 1857) for the local military company to visit Raleigh and Fayetteville. John Herritage Bryan, Jr. writes (February 24, 1841) of the murder of a master by a slave, of boarders at Dr. Mitchell's and Dr. Mitchell's interesting stories, of dancing classes and invention of the North Carolina College Cotillion; and Governor Swain's declaration that everyone in Chapel Hill, except the faculty, is obliged to take benefit of the Bankruptcy bill (August 30, 1841). He describes (August A, 1845) a visit to his brother Frank at west Point and interviews for a Job in New York. From New Bern (January 25, 1853) he writes of ice preventing mail delivery and impeding traffic on the river; and the possibility of the publication of two, and perhaps three, new newspapers-a weekly neutral paper the "News" and the "Atlantic," a Whig paper. Francis T. Bryan writes (September 29, 1851) from San Antonio, Texas, giving news of his orders to Join an excursion into Indian country to a line of forts going north, probably to Red River. Writing from Fort Brooke, Tampa Bay, Florida, he relates a day spent at a sugar plantation while making a survey for a canal. George Pettigrew Bryan writes (August 20, 1859) from the University of North Carolina describing a visit of University President David L. Swain; he states that the freshman class is unusually small but has sixteen representatives from other colleges. At the beginning of the Civil War, George, stationed at Camp Clarke and New Bern, reports (August 12, 1861) on giving lessons in cavalry tactics to non- commissioned officers and privates, termination of his appointment at the camp of instruction, and the disturbance at Christmas from reports of the Union invasion. James P. Bryan reports (July 25, 1855) from Kinston the likelihood of William H. Washington's making a good deal of money from a railroad contract for building roads and grading bridges and describes a steam_ boat excursion to Beaufort for a meeting of the railroad stockholders. In another letter (July 13, 1857) he tells of Mr. Washington’s contemplated duel with Mr. Hubbard. Page 16 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 – 6.28 - 14 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 Mrs. John H. Bryan correspondence - continued William S. Bryan writes from Hickory Nut Gap (July 1L, 1849) describing his trip, fording rivers, climbing mountains, deer hunting, and examining silver mines near Lexington. At the beginning of the Civil War he declares (July 17, 1861), his good fortune in escaping any personal annoyance from the "armed rabble" which is in possession of Maryland, overthrowing its laws. Frederick S. Bryan reports (June 8, 1861) many students departed from the University, and the arrival (May 7, 1862) of several truckloads of refugees. He also writes (February 25, 1861) of going to Cedar Grove with Governor William A. Graham to hear candidates speak. Charles 5. Bryan declares (January 16, 1857) that Baltimore is fast becoming the "most rowdy city in the Union." He also writes (July 21., 1857) from Cape May, New Jersey, describing surf bathing and cementing that Atlantic City is a formidable rival to Cape May. Later, living in Greenfield, Missouri, he writes (December 1, 1858) of sleigh riding on the prairie, and observes the town is feeling the good effect of the overland mail to California. Elizabeth Bryan Lewis letters contain descriptions (March 15, 1849) of a stage coach trip to Chapel Hill and a visit with students to the society halls to see the curiosities on display. She also writes (January 9, 1853) of a visit with her sister Mary Speight in Alabama. Isabel (Mrs. A. P.) Bryan writes (1854-1856) from Philadelphia describing the life of a school girl. She observes (June 16, 1855) that Kenneth Rayner is making himself well known by his Speeches. After the war she writes from Raleigh of a "nice colored woman" asking to rent an outdoor room to be near headquarters where her husband is employed. From New Bern (February, 1869) she tells of social activities. Mary Bryan Speight letters describe (June 10, 1836) her trip north via Plymouth to Edenton on steamboat and give accounts of teachers and schoolmates. She writes news of Washington-resignation of cabinet ministers, procurement of new uniforms for the Marine Band, and President Tyler's speech (October 9, 1841) noting the influence of amusements on the national character. She writes from Baltimore (May 4, 1841) of being invited aboard the "Pennsylvania" and given a tour by the Midshipmen. From New Bern she describes (April 25, 1848) an illumination honoring the French Revolution and Easter services reminiscent of the Roman Catholic Church. At Buffalo Springs the following year (July, 131.9) she considers the crowds not very gay as there are not enough ladies for the cotillion doctor's instructions on drinking the waters are quoted. From New York she writes (May 17, 1853) of visits to Cavalry Church, Trinity Church, Page 17 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 – 6.28 - 15 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 Mrs. John H. Bryan correspondence - continued Greenwood Cemetery, and the Crystal Palace. Moving to Alabama, she writes (March, 1854) of excursions to Mobile, describing a boat trip with Governor Robert Winston aboard and, in 1858, tells of the presentation of a silver pitcher to Captain Cook (formerly of New Bern) for saving passengers from the sinking ship "Eliza Battle." Accounts of her life on a plantation are found in references (May 10, June h, 1854) to improvements, crops, visitors, and events at nearby towns. During the war period she reports (February 6, 1861) of the unfavorable reaction to Governor John Ellie's giving up coastal forts in North Carolina, sending supplies (March 2, 1862) to families of soldiers in Mobile, and organization of the "Sumter Guards." March 15, 1864, she writes from Richmond of her work in a military hospital and mentions the number of generals in church and her failure to recognize General Robert E. lee. Charlotte Bryan Grimes relates Christmas, 1862, rumors of a Yankee fleet, concluding the observers "mistook pine trees for vessels, suppose [they] had been partaking freely of egg not ...” Anne Pettigrew's letters describe social life at Buffalo Springs (August, 1849) - arrival of carriages, rolling of ten pins, and billiards after breakfast. Later letters are from the Pettigrew plantations in Washington County. Mary Bryan Pettigrew’s letters from Washington, D. C., relate to (January, 1850) a New Year's celebration at the White House and "several Secretaries"; seeing Daniel Webster in the Supreme Court Room, observing "what a magnificent head the man has"; and commenting (January 29, 1852) on the excitement over the fisheries trouble in the Bay of Fundy. She writes (February 22, 1849) news from the plantation "Bonarva" and from Hillsboro (September 23, 1865) tells of the Camerons and other residents still having some servants and of life appearing as usual. An undated letter mentions Johnston [Pettigrew's] trip to Cuba and New Orleans, gives a description of Charleston, and expresses shock at Bishop Ives' leaving the Episcopal Church. In other undated letters from Bonarva Plantation, she mentions Johnston's sudden determination to visit Europe and inquires if any of the family attended the University commencement and saw President Buchanan. From Cherry Hill, she reports news of James Petigru's death, observing that the State of South Carolina, despite opposition to his political opinion, showed the highest appreciation for him and observes that his codification of laws, Just completed, will be his noblest monument. From Petersburg, she writes of Burnside's fleet caught in a storm off Hatteras. Charles L. Pettigrew writes (November 8, 1849) from Scuppernong Washington County, of his pleasant time on a trip North and in Boston, describing West Point as the "most romantic and majestically beautiful place in America." Page 18 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 – 6.28 - 16 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 Mrs. John H. Bryan correspondence - continued Mrs. Bryan's brother, William B. Shephard commends (June 1, 1815) her Judgment of Pettigrew's as a very handsome place, describes a dance at Edenton, notes (October 23, 1821) the sickness in the neighboring country. From Washington, D. C. (March 15, 1831.), he remarks on the changes in the city, noting that society is characterized by small coteries with every man for himself. A sister, Anne Shephard Pettigrew writes from Bonarva Plantation and Lake Phelps in October, 1826 and 1828, of the installation of pipes at the lake for a water system, Mr. Pettigrew's construction of a vessel, and pictures life generally on the plantation. Mrs. Bryan's daughter-in-law Edmonia (Mrs. Frank) Bryan writes from near St. Louis (September 8, 1858) of her husband's poor opinion of the Mormons and their fortifications and describes her trip home by stern wheel steamer to Cairo and on the cars from Cairo to St. Louis. Another daughter-in-law, Mildred (Mrs. Charles) Bryan, writing from Cassville, Missouri, (December 16, 1868) observes the people there live so differently (no churches and the Campbellites preaching at the courthouse) and expresses distress at the idea of raising children in the backwoods. Letters (1821-1875) from friends include several allusions to conversations and visits with John H. Bryan before her marriage. Others contain references (April 8, 1822) to Episcopal conventions in Raleigh and Fayetteville, comments on the society of Elizabeth City, and an account of a fair and party at Charlotte. Relatives in New Bern complain of nothing new occurring there but anticipate that Hillsboro and Raleigh will be gay with weddings and parties in the Fall and Winter. John B. Lewis, a nephew in Mebane, writes (1875) of the plans of Majors Bingham and Lynch to build an academy in a style "far superior to the present state of things," and of student papers "The Record" and "The Bingham Cadet." Letters (1854-1870) from Mrs. John H. Bryan include two addressed to "Son." One states April 14, 1861 that her son Henry has brought his Negroes from Goldsboro, describes the country below Kinston as desolate, farms broken up, and Negroes going to the Yankees. She mentions (April 14, 1861) that the government wants to take St. Mary's School in Raleigh for a hospital. Another letter (June 20, 1862) refers to disturbances at Chapel Hill, students breaking windows and throwing rocks at teachers. She mentions Johnston [Pettigrew's] servant and horses being taken to Richmond. In an undated letter to her son Frank, she writes of Judges of the Supreme Court coming to witness drills at Lovejoy's Academy (Raleigh) and tells of a dinner party given by James Johnston of Hayes (Edenton) and describes Johnston as "a very charming old gentleman, the millionaire of that county and a near connexion of your grandma." Page 19 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6-1 – 6.26 - 17 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 Mrs. John H. Bryan correspondence - continued letters (1853-1870) from Mrs. Bryan to her daughters include one to Isabel (1854) stating a Benevolent Society has been formed in Raleigh and another mentioning (May 24, 1855) the electioneering of James West Bryan as a Know-Nothing Candidate. A letter to Bettie Bryan Lewis (January 3, 1870) reports unsuccessful efforts to sell her silver and diamonds. Letters (1853-1869) to daughter Mary Bryan Speight in Alabama contain news of family and local interest: sale (December 18, 1853) of her grandmother's plantation and hiring out of Negroes; description of Bishop Atkinson as a "mild, amiable and handsome man"; Mrs. Rayner's residence in Hertford considered as a political maneuver as "Mr. R. wishes to get to the Senate"; Germans passing through the city en route to the mines (June 13, 1854); visits from Mrs. John W. Ellis and from Brigadier General Richard C. Gatlin and his wife (November 27, 1861); citizens working at the North Carolina Hospital in Petersburg, Virginia; Burnside's headquarters in the John Stanly house; and William Pettigrew's removal of his slaves to Chatham County. An undated, unaddressed letter from Old Point Comfort, Virginia, records a fatiguing trip to Petersburg. III. Bryan Family Correspondence (1846-1865) Letters (1849-1862) to Elizabeth Bryan Lewis are from Mary Pettigrew writing November 15, 1849 from Washington, D. C., commenting on social etiquette and on the handsome furniture in the National Hotel. Mary Bryan Speight, in Alabama, describes (October 22, 1851) a trip from Montgomery to Selma via stage; reports (April 20, 1861) the Confederate flag flying in Gainesville and over-subscription of the Confederate loan in Alabama. Frederick Bryan, in Raleigh, writes (May 24, September 6, 1863) of events of local interest: election of city officials; his father's intention to attend Confederate Court; no impressment of horses by military authorities; and Kenneth Rayner's mill grinding sugar cane. Letters (1853-1893) to Isabel (Mrs. A. P.) Bryan are from John H. Bryan, Jr., (October 9, 1854) telling of an offer to Major Collins for his plantation made by Jones, McRae, and Meares, sons-in-law of James Iredell, Jr. Mary Speight writes (March 25, 1855) of seeing in the newspaper that Dr. Ives is soliciting alms in New York City. Henry R. Bryan writes from Chapel Hill (May 12, 1856) of the new accommodations at Colonel Guthrie's hotel and of visiting Otey's Retreat “Where it is said Bishop Otey used to go to study lessons and practice declamation." Letters (October 17 and December 18, 1856) from a Philadelphia Schoolmate contain news of events in the city - the United States Agricultural Fair, the Episcopal Convention, and the near completion of the Opera, House at the corner of Broad and locust streets. Francis T. writes from St. Augustine, Florida, of the or e groves lost and the difficulty of finding fruit or flowers. He writes (July 23, 1867) of fears of cholera in St. Louis. Charles Bryan’s letters from Cassville, Missouri in 1893, state that he subscribes to The News and Observer (Raleigh) and is glad to see an improvement in the state; comments on Dr. Cheshire's election as Bishop; and expresses admiration for Chicago, predicting it is destined to be a great city of America. Page 20 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 – 6.28 - 18 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 Bryan Family correspondence - continued Letters (1849-1856) to Charles Bryan include Anne Pettigrew’s (May 3, 1849) describing a grand wedding among the Negro population at Bonarva Plantation; from Raleigh (February 15, 1850) she tells of the arrival of Mrs. Gales (a new bride), Lenten services, and the circus in town. William Bryan in Baltimore (February 28, 1852) acknowledges receipt of the Union magazine and feels it "a great pity if the good folks of Old North Carolina" do not sustain it. John H. Bryan, Jr., in an undated letter, states he can get a good trade from Raleigh with specific advertisement in papers and his own willingness to attend collections. Mary Speight writes (1856) of a shopping and sightseeing trip to Mobile, which is fast developing into a city with railroad connection to the northwest. Letters (1855-1863) to Frederick Bryan from Bettie Bryan, Edenton, (January 30, 1855) tell of bachelor James Johnston's sending north for a sleigh, giving a dinner party at his beautiful house on the Sound, and that it (Hayes) is generally the first place strangers visit. Mary Speight writes (1862-1863) of the North Sumter Rifles encamped near Gainesville, the drilling of cadets from Tuscaloosa Military Academy, and of General Braxton Bragg’s retreat. Annie Pettigrew, at Magnolia Plantation (January 11, 1861) states that "Brother Johnston [Pettigrew] may be on the brink of eternity." George P. Bryan sends his respects (January 16, 1862) to the University faculty generally and to President Swain particularly and suggests he become acquainted with Dr. Hubbard and Dr. Phillips. Writing in 1862 from Fort Fisher and New Bern, he reports that the latest accounts of Yankees at Hatteras are 175 sail and 3,000 men. An undated letter to John Bryan, Jr., from Annie describes a daguerreotype of James Johnston Pettigrew done in caricature. Letters (1847-1863) to Mary Bryan Speight from Frederick, the youngest brother, describe a visit to his brother Henry's fisheries, an impressive new bridge across the Trent River, a steamboat at New Bern, and visiting a special court at Rocky Mount with Judge Romulus H. Saunders presiding. In letters from the Hillsboro Academy at the beginning of the Civil War, he reports rumors of Governor John Ellis' calling the legislature and a convention, a military ball at Greensboro attended by the Orange County Guards, and his conclusion that Lovejoy's boys in Raleigh will compose the principal part of the boys' company. Betty Lewis in Rocky Mount, in 1865, tells of the eastern country in terrible condition with murders and robberies. She mentions the establishment of two hospitals in Tarboro and of the Junior Reserves dying five a day. Letters (1853-1861) to Octavia Bryan Winder from Mary Speight (March 23, 1853) comment on spirit rappings, reaction to Bishop Ives' recantation, and inquire if Raleigh citizens are planning to visit the World’s Fair,with the observation "the City of Oaks might afford extraordinary specimens of the rare and curious." Anne Pettigrew at Lake Phelps, in May 1861 notes that her brother William is a member of the Home Guard, "a severe duty as this is one of the assailable points" and that the troops in Washington are in a starving condition. Page 21 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 - 6.28 - 19 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 Bryan Family correspondence - continued Letter (November 9, 1861) to Charlotte Bryan Grimes from her sister Betty Lewis remarks on Judge Asa Biggs' excitement at the militia of Martin County being ordered to Washington and his visit to Raleigh to have the order countermanded, and tells of the Union troops demanding the lamp of the lighthouse stored in Tarboro. Letters (1861-1862) to Annie an Sm from Mam an Speight outline the best route to North Carolina from Alabama. In reporting war news, she mentions the call to planters of Sumter to furnish Negro labor to fortify Bigby River, that the enemy at Corinth have a wholesome fear of Beauregard, and she adds that if Jefferson Davis favors evacuating Richmond she shall lose confidence in him. Undesignated correspondence (1859-1866) includes letters from members of the family to other unspecified members. Frederick Bryan, in the winter of 1859, describes his visits to the legislature, the gaiety in Raleigh, and the presence of "many strange ladies." He reports (May 1, 1861) from Hillsboro of the lack of tents for soldiers and the intention of the government to send troops there for drilling. He writes (July 5, 1863) "Old [Richmond] Pearson and Bart[holmew Figures Moore] ought to be kicked out of the Confederacy," and speaks of Moore's refusal to take Confederate money. George Bryan writes (March 4, 1861) of becoming acquainted with Colonel Charles C. Tew and other officers, describing the "great passion" of the students at the military academy for drilling, with a somewhat detailed account of their appearance in uniform on the parade ground. Bettie Lewis writes from Brussels (July 20, 1857) describing sightseeing trips there and in Paris. A May 13, 1866, letter reports New Bern is thriving since occupation by the Union troops and that a visitor from Tarboro stated that servants there were going off nights to attend school. Charlotte Bryan writes (February 20, 1859) of the adjournment of the legislature and the completely deserted appearance of Raleigh. Henry Bryan, near Raleigh (July 23, 1863), expresses annoyance at the plight of the refugee. He also reports his fears for the safety of Charleston, South Carolina. Isabel Bryan (August 12, 1863) states that the funeral of James Johnston Pettigrew was well conducted by Colonel Peter Mallett and gives a detailed description. Mary Pettigrew writes from Bonarva Plantation describing a church window in memory of Reverend Charles Pettigrew, first Bishop (elect) of the Diocese of North Carolina. Page 22 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 - 6.28 - 20 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 IV. Miscellaneous Correspondence (1786-1871) This correspondence includes letters addressed to others than members of Bryan's family and to undesignated individuals. Letters to James Jasper in Hyde County from Richard Blackledge (August 20, 1786), Benjamin Blount (June 12, 1788), Nathan Bryan (August 18, 1796), and Richard Dobbs Speight (June 13, 1793) concern delivery of lumber, sailing dates, settlement of notes, and elections. Correspondence of James Bryan, Sr., (May 16, 1801, June 8 and 19, 1803) contain letters from commercial agents in Philadelphia and ship's master James Wilson concerning Bryan's mercantile interests in St. Thomas and Antigua, British west Indies, and a comment relative to vessels held in port on the declaration of war with France. John S. West writes (January 15, 1833) to his wife describing accomomodations in his travels and (September 11, 1816) fears of floods at New Bern and loss of vessels on the coast. Other correspondents are: William Gaston (March, 1816) to William Blackledge explaining the method of issuing land grants and the necessity of surveys; Nathaniel Macon (January 10, 1825) to Otway Burns speculating on the next President; Edward B. Dudley (March 12, 1843), Wilmington, to Bartholomew F. Moore, relative to a suit against the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad; B[artholomew] F[igures] Moore (April 8, 1849), Raleigh,to John F. Clark, relative to a suit involving the Literary Fund; Rufus Barringer (November 1, 1852), Cadiz, Spain, to Bettie and Octavia Bryan, describing travel in Europe; John A. Gilmer (January 20, 1845), Greensboro, to Governor William A. Graham, asking him to engage some member of the Supreme Court bar, noting "Gov. Iredell submits cheerfully to the drudgery of looking into cases [and is] happy when accounts and calculations are concerned"; J. T. Wheat (December 22, 1849), New Orleans, to David L. Swain, accepting a call to the Chapel Hill church; Kenneth Rayner (May 3, 1853) to Messrs. Cherry and Biggs, recommending Charles S. Bryan; H. A. Gilliam (May 28, 1855), Plymouth, to B[artholomew] F[igures] Moore, regarding a suit seeking restitution for corn lost on the Roanoke River from the un-seaworthiness of the vessel and raising question of the jurisdiction of the Admiralty Court and the question of tidal flow; and Henry Bryan (August, 1871) to Reverend Dr. Mason, observing the report of the rector of the Raleigh parish at the convention of 1871 ignored the death of his father, John H. Bryan, in May, 1870, in the list of communicants who died during the year. Page 23 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 - 6.28 - 21 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS (1716-1875) I. Land grants, surveys, etc. (1782-1829) Land grants, surveys, plats, and maps include a land grant to Samuel Nelson of 100 acres on the Tar River, Pitt County, 1782; a survey of Henry Fleetwood's patent on the Pamlico River; a plat of the Tennessee land of William Shephard on the Obion River, Weakly County; and a map of Little Sodus Bay showing the plan for removing obstructions at Pultneyville Bay with a sketch of the breakwater, by T. W. Maurice, 1829. II. Agreements (1800-1868) Include a contract between seamen and Master Jacob Cook of the Schooner John for a voyage from New Bern to the Port of Kingston, Jamaica, May, 1800; between George E. Badger of Raleigh and John H. Bryan for the sale of Badger's house to Bryan in 1837; between Frederick Elliott and the North Carolina Railroad for sills for a culvert, 1855; and between John Bryan and Francis Shaw, Wake County, for the lease of Bryan's plantation Millbrook on Walnut Creek, 1868. III. Deeds (1775-1829) Miscellaneous deeds (1811-1820) convey property in Craven, Duplin, Johnston, and Wayne counties, including slaves and furniture as well as land. One deed from Elizabeth Henry, Craven County, June 1, 1820, provides for the manumission of a slave. Deeds (1775-1829) for the Bryan family and relatives in the Blount and Shephard families include: Wilson Blount to Jacob Blount of a half acre lot in New Bern (1775); George Bryan to John Gray Blount of 200 acres on Swift Creek in Craven County (1775); Wilson Blount to William Shephard of several tracts in the western district of Tennessee on the south fork of the Obion River from a 24,000 acre grant to John Gray and Thomas Blount; Mary Shephard to Abner Green for rental of a lot on Middle Street and the wharf at the end of the street with the warehouse adjoining, belonging to the heirs of William Shephard; Frederick L. Blount to John H. Bryan of a lot on Broad Street, extending back to William Gaston's lot. Deeds to John and James Bryan include land tracts in Onslow County, on the main road between Wilmington and New Bern, the lease of part of a lot in New Bern, and land on the north side of the Neuse River and west side of Bay River Swamp. IV. Wills (1716-1863) Bryan family wills (1746-1863) William Bryan, Craven County, December 12, 1746, devises one-third of his slaves, plantation, and movable estate to his wife Ann; a plantation of 128 acres to his son William; 100 acres on Swift Creek to his son Lewis; and land on Goose Creek to his son Jesse. Page 24 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 - 6.28 - 22 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 Wills continued Bryan family wills continued Hardy Bryan, Craven County, February 28, 1760, names his sons Thomas, William, Hardy, Nathan, Lewis, and Isaac and his daughter as heirs to his property consisting of lots on the Neuse and Trent rivers in New Bern. James and Ann Bryan, parents of John Herritage Bryan, in separate wills dated October 25, 1767, name as their heirs, sons William, John, and Jesse; daughters Elizabeth Dawson and Mary; and grandson Joseph Stockley. John Herritage Bryan's will, March 24, 1863, bequeaths his house and lots 267 and 268 in Raleigh (purchased from George Badger) to his wife Mary, and lists his sons Francis, John, William, James, Charles, Henry, George, and Frederick, specifying that William and Henry are to have his law library. Daughters named are Mary, Elizabeth, Octavia, Isabel, Charlotte,and Annie. Edward Bryan's undated will leaves his plantation Paradise to his wife Ann; to his sons John, Edward, and William lots in New Bern and land on the New Germany tract, and to his daughter Penelopy a lot in New Bern. He instructs that his children are to have seven years schooling, between the years seven and seventeen, including such sciences as his Executor thinks proper. Blount family wills (1716-1753) James Blount's will, dated Chowan Precinct, February 17, 1716, lists as his heirs: wife Elizabeth, son John Yelverton, daughters Elizabeth Yelverton and Ann, and grandsons Joseph and James Yelverton. John Blount, Chowan Precinct, January 27, 1725/26, enumerates in his will wife Elizabeth, sons John, Thomas, James, Charles, and Joseph, and daughters Mary Jacocks, Eliza Pagett, Sarah Lovick, Martha Moseley, and Hester Worley. John Blount, Chowan County, December 8, 1753, lists his wife Sarah, sons Frederick, James, and Wilson, daughters Elizabeth, Martha, and Mary. He bequeaths to his brother Charles his best broadcloth suit, “a Beaver Hatt and Wigg." William Herritage will (March 8, 1769) designates his heirs: sons Heneage [Herritage], Springfield Plantation; John Herritage, Plantation Harrow, Dobbs County, land on the Neuse River, Atkins Banks “Whereon the Town of Kingston now stands"; William Martin, Plantation, Fort Barnwell, Craven County; Richard Caswell (son-in-law) land in Dobbs County near Bear Creek, lot in New Bern and piece of land "whereon my two sons are situate." He lists his daughters Susanna, Elizabeth, Anna (wife of George Lovick) and Sarah (wife of Richard Caswell). Caswell is instructed to assure the guardianship of his daughter Elizabeth Herritage Page 25 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 - 6.28 - 23 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 Wills continued William Herritage will continued and son William Martin and to pay Susanna £40 proclamation money annually. Miscellaneous wills (1783-1836) are apparently copies drawn for Bryan's clients in the counties where he practiced law. These include Beaufort, Chatham, Craven, Duplin, Edgecombe, Greene, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Pitt, and Wayne. V. Accounts (1801-1852) Earliest accounts are James Bryan's mercantile records for sales of cargo in the West Indies; commissions and payments of ships' captains; and for labor, pilotage, stevedore's wages, and lighterage on the Schooner Fair American. John Bryan's accounts (1819-1852) include records on hiring Negroes of James Bryan (minor) by John H. Bryan on the death of their guardian, John S. West: settlement of accounts with the executor of John S. West; Mrs. West's pew rent, Christ Church, New Bern, for 1820-1821; and her release to James H. Bryan of "debts, dues, demands, actions and rights." Other accounts include Bryan's payment of city taxes, postage, subscriptions, house rent, rent collections, school bills and tuition to Lovejoy's Academy (Raleigh), Newbern Academy, and the Lancastrian School, and installments on stock in the Rockfish Manufacturing Company and the North Carolina Railroad. VI. Speeches (1815-1875) Manuscript copies of speeches by John H. Bryan are entitled: John H. Bryan's Oration, February 27, 1815; "Oration" delivered on the 4th of July, 1821, before the New Bern Guards; an account for the Star (Raleigh) of an address to a public dinner of the citizens of Carteret County. There is also a manuscript of the Inaugural Address as President of the Philanthropic Society of North Carolina, delivered November 11, 1859. Printed speeches include: "An Oration Delivered at Chapel Hill ... June, 1830 . . . to the Annual Appointment of The Two Literary Societies" by John H. Bryan; Speech by the Hon. William B. Shephard Upon His Resolutions on the Slavery Question, Senate, North Carolina General Assembly, November 27, 1850; and a speech by the Hon. Charles S. Bryan [son of John H. Bryan], Barry County, to the House of Representatives 28th General Assembly, Missouri, 1875. Page 26 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 - 6.28 - 24 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 VII. Broadsides, Circulars, and Petitions (1824-1844) Printed broadsides and handbills by Bryan and other political candidates are: N. R. Bryan to the Freemen of Craven County, 1803; Richard Dobbs Spaight report (1824) to his constituents on his term in Congress; John H. Bryan's response (1825) to a handbill of Hon. Mr. Spaight; announcement of William Henderson; Smithfield, July, 1825, to the Freemen of Carteret, Craven, Jones, Greene, Lenoir, Wayne, and Johnston counties, of his candidacy to Congress; and remarks of Mr. Bryan in the House of Representatives, United States Congress, February, 1827, relative to a bill altering several acts imposing duties on imports; to the Freemen of the 12th Congressional District, February 28, 1827, by Samuel P. Carson outlining his record in Congress; to the Freemen of the Counties of Carteret, Craven, James, Lenoir, Greene, Wayne, and Johnston, John H. Bryan, February 12, 1829; to the Freemen of the Ninth Congressional District, Caswell, Guilford, Rockingham, Stokes, General View of the Internal condition of the United States, A. H. Sheppherd, February 20, 1829; meeting of the Tippecanoe Club of Craven County, October 14, l840; Secure Vote of the State for Clay [1844], Whig Central Committee, George E. Badger, Chairman. There is a photostatic copy of a broadside entitled "Some Account of some of the Bloody Deeds of General Jackson ..." by Thomas Hart Benton. Non-political broadsides and petitions include: Memorial Petition to Congress from Sundry Officers of the Maryland Line [November 30, 1826]; Offer to Act as Agents for those who own Military land Warrants on the Virginia State and Continental Establishment or United States Revolutionary Bounty warrants, June 1, 1830; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, September 25, 1848 - letter indicating it is unlawful to sell liquor within two miles; merchants to sell to students only with consent of the faculty in writing; accounts in the name of the bursar, etc; By-Laws of the Heron Mining Company; Obituary of the State Captain George Pettigrew Bryan, Raleigh, August 22, 1864; and In Memoriam, Sacred to the Memory of Mrs. Mary Pettigrew Brown, March 22, 1827, Relict late Dr. Brown, Accomack County, Virginia, daughter of E[benezer] Pettigrew. VIII- Newspaper Clippings (1823-1903) Contain items on the Shephards of Lincolnshire, England, and the possibility of American heirs to a family fortune; General Pettigrew's Brigade at Gettysburg, a communication from his aide decamp in Egg Daily Confederate, 1864; Mr. Petigru's address to the South Carolina College commencement from the Tri-Weekly Courier (Charleston), December 13, 1854; fourth extra supplement to the Canal Gazette (Chesapeake and Ohio Canal) Baltimore, February, 1826; a page from the National Gazette and Library Register containing an official account of the state of the American Navy; and the People's Pulpit, Brooklyn Tabernacle, Vol. IV, No. 1. Page 27 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 - 6.28 - 25 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 IX. Court Papers (1800-1860) These papers consist of complaints, petitions, etc. to the county courts of Beaufort, Craven, Duplin, Edgecombe, Greene, Halifax, Jones, Lenoir, Onslow, Orange, Randolph, and Wayne counties; depositions, exhibitions, statements, memorandums, certificates, trial dockets; answers to bills of complaints, court orders; bankruptcy proceedings. There are papers concerning cases in the United States Court of American Protests (1827-1829), the United States District Court, the Admiralty Court, the State Supreme Court, and from Henry County, Alabama. Manuscript instructions are entitled "responsibility of the Jailor to the sheriff," "a letter to the Jury," and "instruction to the Jury." A printed sheet lists Commissioners of Affidavits for the State of North Carolina, 1858. Opinions and rough copies of briefs and other notes cover the period of Bryan's law practice. A miscellaneous group of items (1768-1859) includes: a directory of the residences of the members of the legislature of 1825; a certificate for William Hubbard to study medicine and to his moral character by Reuben Knox, M.D., Kinston, November 23, 1826; a statement of the salary, emoluments of the collector, Ocracoke, and the duties secured for 1823, 1824, and 1825; regulations relative to the admission of cadets into the United States Military Academy, July 1, 1841; an issue of the North Carolina University Magazine, December, 1859; a legislative bill relative to the draining of lake Mattamuskeet; an account of expenses at the Deaf and Dumb Institute at Raleigh; a catalogue of the law books of John H. Bryan, 1828 and June 2, 1832; a list of the British and American navies as they existed, October 1, 1813; an undated list of lots in Waynesborough with valuation and tax; a message from the President of the United States, January, 1836; and a return by the Chairman of the Board of Superintendents to the Literary Board, Gaston County, for 1853. These papers also include a number of papers pertaining to the Fourth Collection District for Johnston and Wayne counties: a list of bonds to secure duties on licenses for stills and boilers, August 1, 1812; an account of licenses for stills and boilers employed in distilling spirituous liquors from domestic materials; and an abstract of duties on stamped vellum, parchment, and paper. There are invitations to balls, parties, and other functions at the University of North Carolina and to various political events. A printed program is for a concert for the benefit of sick and wounded soldiers by the ladies of Raleigh, September, 1861. Other items are a photocopy of Rev. George Mickeljohn's sermon preached before Governor William Tryon, September 25, 1768; a Survey of the Swash in Pamlico Sound and a letter from the Secretary of War submitting the report and plan; and a Report of the General Committee to the Internal Improvements Convention, Raleigh, December 21, 1838. Page 28 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 - 6.28 - 26 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 X. George Pettigrew Bryan Scrapbook (1856-1860) The scrapbook contains letters and miscellaneous papers bound in a notebook. Correspondence consists of letters from the family and former and present students at Lovejoy's Academy in Raleigh and the University of North Carolina. Letters from his father contain admonitions in reply to requests for money; instructions for preparation of a speech at commencement "practice your gestures frequently"; gratification at learning of the number of students interested in the "state of their souls"; caution against assuming personal liability for the University Magazine; and the request that he become acquainted with Mr. Everett, a former friend in Congress, should he come to Chapel Hill. Mrs. Bryan writes news of the family and friends and of local events: visits of the family to White Sulphur Springs and Shocco Springs; a letter from Frank at Fort Kearney, Nebraska Territory, telling of an exciting buffalo chase and capturing a calf for the Smithsonian Institution, his assignment to "that horrid place Utah," and an appointment to survey the boundary line between Virginia and Tennessee; Bettie's prospective marriage and trip abroad; Octavia settled in Brooklyn; arrival of Johnston Pettigrew from Virginia Springs; John's return from the low country soliciting business for his mercantile firm; departure of the Rayner family for their plantation; failure of promising crop from freshets and the impassibility of roads around Raleigh; and painting of the house on the outside with color selected by Mr. Percival, the architect. John H. Bryan writes in 1860 enclosing cards to be posted in the post office and stating his willingness to serve the faulty and societies in the purchase of books, instruments, pictures, etc. in Boston. Henry R. Bryan's letter expresses regret at the loss of the Chapel Hill bell and belfry by fire, gives advice relative to joining a society, reports on cold and snow ten inches deep, and announces the possibility of sister Isabel coming up for commencement and his own plans for going to Europe With sister Bettie after her marriage. Annie S. Bryan relates local gossip - Mrs. Dallas Haywood's party to which she invited all the gentlemen in town and only a few ladies, to insure the success of her own daughters. Charlotte E. Bryan writes at one time declaring Raleigh dull as a great many of the people have left for Kittrell's Springs and mentioning that Governor Manly's Spring has water like Kittrell's. She states the girls prefer attending the legislature to visiting a sister in Alabama Page 29 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 - 6.28 - 27 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 George Pettigrew Bryan Scrapbook continued Charlotte E. Bryan continued but later on its convocation concludes the General Assembly is a "rather poor set." Mary Bryan Speight, in Alabama, writes of a hunting party killing sixteen deer; cements that the Know-Nothing Party was certain of Fillmore's election but does not seem disappointed at his defeat; acknowledges receipt of a pamphlet containing a memoir of Dr. Mitchell with tributes of respect and proceedings of meetings following his death; and expresses an interest in the University Magazine, inquiring which pieces he writes. Fred Bryan's letters are concerned with local events in Raleigh. He reports on a parade held every Friday; the Fair with trotting races and some awards presented; arrival of the Portsmouth Rifle Company to celebrate the anniversary of the surrender of Commands; Mr. Hubbard's lecture in the hall of the House; Captain Harrison's election as mayor by a majority 81 votes and the election of ward commissioners; Hr. Lovejoy's school enrollment; and a distressing hunting accident resulting in the death of Henry Rayner. E[lizabeth] H. Bryan reports of their father's attendance as a delegate to the Whig Convention in Baltimore and of invitations from Mrs. John Devereux and Mrs. Iredell. Letters from individuals include: George S. Lovejoy, writing from West Point, informs him that an appointment from a district would not entitle him to entry as his brother graduated there and his only chance would be to apply to the president of the United States, who has twenty appointments, and suggests he apply to the Secretary of War but cautions him not to mention his political affiliations. Several letters concern activities of society: William B. Lynch, Mebanesville, instructs him to collect a box containing a lamp or lantern for the chapter, reminding Bryan the date of the convention is approaching, and inquires if he has mailed tickets to the Chapters; Richard C. Badger commends him on his management of the convention; Henry J. Brown in Raleigh informs him of completion of desk and chairs for the Society. John Sartain, Philadelphia, writes relative to a daguerreotype of Judge Nash and explains methods for the students to acquire portrait prints. Frederick Nash, Jr., Hillsboro, requests copies of the University Magazine with the sketch of his grandfather. Henry King Burgwyn, writing from the Virginia Military Institute describes drills and the routine of the Institute and compliments Bryan on the magazine. Thomas Atkinson, Tarboro, acknowledges his acquaintance with the Christian Association - an amalgamation of different religious bodies - stating he declined to fraternize and recommending that students not unite in religious exercises. Page 30 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 - 6.28 - 28 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 George Pettigrew Bryan Scrapbook continued Miscellaneous items include copies of essays, poems, etc., relating to such to ics as the organization of a military company at the Academy (Lovejoy’s), October 1, 1857; description of a vacation at Rocky Mount; morning and evening prayers at the University; and a poem to the memory of Henry King Burgwyn. There is a bill for two ebony canes "sticks presented by the Sop. Class of 1857-58 to Messrs. Peter E. Spruill & Rich. H. Battle, their tutors." XI. Bryan Grimes Papers (1884-1894) John Bryan's daughter Charlotte married Bryan Grimes of Grimesland, Pitt County. A typescript of the Bryan Grimes family record traces the genealogy of the family and contains brief biographical sketches of John H. Bryan, James Graham, Bryan Grimes, William Maule, Dr. Patrick Maule, and descriptions of family residences, Mulberry Hill and Elmwood. The Blounts, Bryans, Grists, Herritages, Maules, John Martin Franck, John Davis, John Oliver, John Porter, Jr., Daniel Shine, David Shepard, Jeremiah Vail, and William Whitfield are also included in the genealogy. A pamphlet entitled Extracts of Letters of Major-General Bryan Grimes to His Wife ... Compiled from Original Manuscripts, by Pulaski Cowper. (Raleigh: Alfred Williams & Company, Publishers, Booksellers, 1884), contains, in addition to the letters, an account of the last fight at Appomattox, general orders, reports, etc. Other items are an invitation to a ball at the University of North Carolina (1899), for which Junius Daniels Grimes was manager, and a report from the Raleigh Male Academy for the third quarter session, 1893-1894. Arrangement of Papers: There are five volumes of mounted papers (P.C. 6.1 - 6.5) containing correspondence and miscellaneous items. These probably were the first papers in the collection acquired by the North Carolina Historical Commission. The loose papers are boxed, with correspondence (P.C. 6.6 - 6.15) arranged chronologically. A scrapbook (P.C. 6.16) was apparently kept by George Pettigrew Bryan as the papers (letters and miscellaneous items relate to him. Miscellaneous items are arranged and boxes (P.C. 6.17 - 6.26) with similar types of papers, as nearly as possible, grouped together. P.C. 6.1 Volume I, Papers (1773-1825) 6.2 volume II, Papers (1825-1829) 6.3 Volume III, Papers (1830-1840) 6.4 Volume IV, Papers (184l-1843) Page 31 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 - 6.28 - 28 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 Arrangement of Papers (cont'd) P.C. 6.5 Volume V, Papers (1854-1906; undated) 6.6 Correspondence (1783-1825) 6.7 Correspondence (1826-1828) 6.8 Correspondence (1829-1833) 6.9 Correspondence (1834-1840) 6.10 Correspondence (1841-1843) 6.11 Correspondence (1844-1848) 6.12 Correspondence (1849-1854) 6.13 Correspondence (1855-1861) 6.14 Correspondence (1862-1907) 6.15 Correspondence (Undated) 6.16 George Pettigrew Bryan Scrapbook (1856-1860) 6.17 Miscellaneous Estate Papers Inventories, division of slaves, surveys, land courses, land grants, and plats 6.18 Family Records History, obituary notices, estate papers, Bryan Grimes papers 6.19 Bills of Sale, promissory notes, wills, deeds, bonds, agreements 6.20 Accounts, bills and receipts 6.21 Broadsides, newspaper clippings, Revolutionary W r items, reports, recipes, licenses, maps, miscellaneous 6.22 Speeches (MSS and printed), catalogs, book lists, memo books 6.23 Court Records United States District,"United States Court of America: Protests,” Admiralty, County Courts (petitions and bills of complaint), Alabama, Henry County Court, Baltimore, Court of Appeals 6.24 Court Records Trial dockets, certificates, statements, memorandums, declarations, depositions, exhibitions, bankruptcy proceedings, court orders, answers to bills, power of attorney, answers to briefs, commissions, list of affidavits 6.25 Court Papers Case notes, briefs (1820-1850) 6.26 Court Papers Case notes, briefs, (Undated) 6.27 Typescript of some correspondence collection Finding Aids: Main Entry Card Geographic Cards New Bern, North Carolina Raleigh, North Carolina Page 32 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 - 6.26 - 30 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 Finding Aids (cont'd) Autograph Cards Ashe, Thomas Samuel (1857) Badger, George Edmund 3 (1825-1835) Barringer, Rufus 2 (1852-1864) Bates, Edward (1861) Battle, Kemp Plummer 2 (1859-1906) Battle, Richard H. 2 (1895-1896) Biggs, Asa 4 (1841-1849) Blackledge, Richard (1786) Blackledge, William (1822) Boyden, Nathaniel 2 (1846-1848) Bryan, Nathan (1796) Burgwyn, Henry King 1859 Burns, Otway 2 (1827-1843) Burton, Hutchins Gordon (1829) Cameron, Duncan 2 (1835-1836) Carr, Elias (1896) Daniel, Beverly (1829) Davis, George 2 (1857-1859) Decatur, Stephen 2 (1825, n.d.) Deems, Charles Force 5 (1855) Devereux, Thomas Pollock 2 (1832-1837) Donnell, John R. 2 (1838) Dudley, Edward 2 (1841-1843) Ellis, John S.(1825) Ellis, John Willis (1855) Fisher, Charles Frederick (1859) Freeman, E. B. (n.d.) Gales, Heston Raleigh 2 (1832 n.d.) Gaston, William 11 (1816-18335 Gilmer, John A (1845-1856) Gram, William Alexander 10 (1843-1863) Grimes, Bryan (1877) Hawks, Francis Lister 3 (1818-1856) Haynes, Charles Eaton 2 (1829-1830) Henderson, Archibald (1825) Henry, Louis Dickens A (1826-1841) Hill, William 2 (1822-1836) Hines, Richard (1827) Holden, William Woods (1842) Hubbard, Fordyce (1864) Iredell, James 2 (1852, n.d.) Ives, Levi Silliman 3 (1835-1851) Jarnigan, Spencer (1844) Jones, George Washinton (1853) Jones, Joseph Seawell (n.d.) London, Henry Armand (1858) Page 33 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 – 6.28 - 33 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 Finding Aids (cont'd) Autograph Cards (cont'd) McRee, Griffith J. (1857) Macon, Nathaniel 5 (1824-1825) Manly, Charles 2 (1830-1856) Manly, Matthias Evans (181.7) Mason, John Young 6 (1816-1849) Mebane, Giles 2 (1851) Medici, Cosimo (1785) Mendenhall, George c. 6 (1836-1857) Miller, Henry Watkins 2 (1855-1861) Moore, Bartholomew Figures 3 (1839-1855) Mordecai, George W. 2 (1823-1827) Nash, Frederick (n.d.) Patterson, George (1871) Petigru, James Louis 6 (1859-1863) Pettigrew, Ebenezer 27 (1825-1847) Pettigrew, James Johnston 3 (1857-1860) Phillips, Samuel Field 2 (1859, n.d.) Polk, William (n.d.) Potter, Henry 5 (1815-1848) Ransom, Matthew Whitaker 1. (1819-1851) Rayner, Kenneth 2 (1853, n.d.) Rodman, William Blount. (1848) Ruffin, Thomas 3 (1825-1858) Rush, Richard 2 (1827-1828) Sartain, John 1. (1859-1860) Shepherd, Charles 11 (1832-1813) Shephard, William Biddle 45 (1816-1851) Spaight, Richard Dobbs 6 (1796-1831) Sprague, William B. 2 (1826-1842) Stanly, Edward 5 (1837-1848) Stanly, John 3 (1824-1835) Stone, David H. 2 (1841) Strange, Robert (1826) Swain, David Lowry (1833) Taney, Roger Brooke (1831?) Weddell, Hugh 6 (1814-1856) Washington, William Henry 11 (1841-1856) Whitfield, Nathan B. (1828) Wiley, Calvin Henderson (1844) Woodbury, Levi (1835) Woodfin, Nicholas Washington (1846) Worth, Jonathan 2 (1855-1860) Date Cards 1800-1809 1810-1819 1820-1829 1830-1839 1840-1869 1850-1859 1860-1865 Page 34 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 - 6.28 - 32 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 Finding Aids (cont'd) Subject Cards AGRICULTURE: North Carolina State Fair, 1859 ALABAMA, MOBILE: Description of, December 10, 1831 BADGER, GEORGE: References to, 1837; 1840-1841 BAKER, BLAKE: References to, 1816-1818 BRYAN, DAVID H., JOHNSTON COUNTY: Marriage agreement deed, 1831 BULLS, SALLY, JOHNSTON COUNTY: Marriage agreement deed, 1831 BURNS, OTWAY: Deeds, 1824-1825 CHAPEL HILL: Activities in, 1830-1860 CHARLTON, THOMAS J., CHOWAN COUNTY: Marriage agreement deed, 1827 COMMERCE AND BUSINESS: Cotton gins, manufacture of, 184l COMMERCE AND BUSINESS: Rockfish Manufacturing Company, 1839, 1842, 1851, 1861 COMMERCE AND BUSINESS: Shipping, 1795-1805 COURTS: Changes in, recommended, November 27, 1824 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, WASHINGTON: Activities in, 1825-1840 EDUCATION - PRIVATE SCHOOLS: Bingham Academy, March 15, 1875 EDUCATION - PRIVATE SCHOOLS: Hillsboro Academy, 1855-1860 EDUCATION - TRAINING SCHOOLS: Deaf and Dumb Institute, Raleigh EDUCATION - UNIVERSITIES: University of North Carolina, 1815-1825; 184O-1862 ELIZABETH CITY: Description of, March 31, 1846 ETHNIC GROUPS: Negroes, status of, June 17, 1854 GASTON, WILLIAM: References to, 1825, 1827, 1844, 1850 IMMIGRATION AND EMIGRATION: References to, 1833, 1843, 1851, 1858 INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS: References to, 1828, 1850-1855 INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS: Mattamuskeet Lake, bill for draining of INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS: Pamlico Sound, deepening of INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS: Report of General Committee, 1838 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: Panama Congress, 1825 IVES, BISHOP LEVI SILLIMAN: References to, 1853 LABOR: References to, 1854 LAND: Plantations, references to LEARY, SALLY, CHOWAN COUNTY: Marriage agreement deed, 1827 LOUISIANA, NEW ORLEANS: Descriptions of MINES AND MINING: Heron Mining Company, Wake County, 1855 MITCHELL, ELISHA: References to, 1822-1823, 184l MONEY AND BANKING: Bank of New Bern, 1828-1830 MONEY AND BANKING: Bankruptcy law, lBhl-l8h2 NEW BERN: Activities in, 1830-1850 NEW YORK, NEW YORK: Descriptions of, July, 1825, May 17, 1857 PETTIGREW, EBENEZER: References to, 1830-1850 PETTIGREW, JAMES JOHNSTON: References to, 1853, 1860, 1861 POLITICS: AMERICAN (KNOW-NOTHING) PARTY, References to, 1855 POTTER, HENRY: Reference to, March 28, 1850 Page 35 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan JOHN HERRITAGE BRYAN COLLECTION P.C. 6.1 - 6.26 - 33 Raleigh and New Bern, North Carolina 1716-1907 Finding Aids (cont'd) Subject Cards (cont'd) RAVENCROFT, BISHOP JOHN STARK: Reference to, May 27, 1824 RAYNER, KENNETH: References to, 1853, 1855, 1863 RELIGION: Methodists, comments on, September 19, 1844 SAWYER, LEMUEL: Reference to, September 2A, 1827 SLAVERY: Abolition sentiment, August 2, 1833 SOCIAL LIFE: Resorts, activities at, 1817, 1836, 1819, July 24, 1857 SWAIN, DAVID LOWRY: References to, August 20, 1859 TARIFF: References to, 1827-1828 TRANSPORTATION: Neuse River Navigation Company, August 26, 1853 TRANSPORTATION: Ocracoke Inlet, dredging of, 1828-1829 TRANSPORTATION: Railroads, 1855; October 18, 1862 TRANSPORTATION: Stage roads, December, 1844, May, 1845 TRANSPORTATION: Stage travel, August 18, 183h; 1849, 1858 U. S. CONGRESS: Descriptions of, 1825-1830, 1950 WEBSTER, DANIEL: Description of, January 29, 1852 Finding Aid completed by Beth G. Crabtree, May, 1967. Page 36 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan WORK SHEET NUMBER: P.C. 6 (Addition) NAME OF COLLECTION: John Herritage Bryan DATES: 1791 - 1875 ACQUISITION INFORMATION: Gift of Mrs. Bonneau Ansley, Atlanta, Georgia: accessioned June 25, 1980. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: 10 volumes and 2 items HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION: Volumes owned by John Heritage Bryan and Henry Ravenscroft Bryan; (bookplate of John H. Bryan; signature of Henry R. Bryan) (In P.C. 6.22) Volumes include: Croke's reports, 1791, 1792, 1793 Revisal of 1905 of North Carolina History of Lawyers by William Forsyth, 1875 An Historical Treatise on the Practice of the Court of Chancery, by D. T. Blake, 1818 A Treatise on Maritime Contracts, by Robert Joseph Pothier, 1821 Decimi Junii Juvenalis et Auli Persii Flacci, 1852 The Clerk and Magistrates' Assistant, 1819 A Treatise of Pleading on the Equity Side of the High Court of Chancery, by George Cooper, 1813 Page 37 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan P.C. 369.1 COLLECTION: Kedar Bryan Papers, 1865. 2 items. See: Barbara T. Cain, Ellen Z. McGrew, and Charles E. Morris, ed., Guide to Private Manuscript Collections in the North Carolina State Archives (Third Revised Edition), Raleigh, Division of Archives and History, 1981, page 172. Page 38 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan P.C. 1455 COLLECTION: Richard Dobbs Spaight Bryan Collection, 1752-1932. 36 items. See: Barbara T. Cain, Ellen Z. McGrew, and Charles E. Harris, ed. Guide to Private Manuscript Collections in the North Carolina State Archives (Third Revised Edition), Raleigh, Division of Archives and History, 1981, page 377. Page 39 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan Work Sheet NUMBER: P.C. 1460.1 NAME OF COLLECTION: BRYAN, RICHARD DOBBS SPAIGHT, Collection ACQUISITION: loaned by Mr. Richard D. s. Bryan, Chemical Bank, 20 Pine Street, New York City; accessioned 30 September 1970. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: 30 items; letters, commissions, diploma, broadsides, and miscellaneous. HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION: See following pages. Page 40 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan Letters, 1825-1932 and updated. 10 items. 1825 Dec 25 James W. Bryan, Newborn, to John H. Bryan, Washington. This letter reports family and private business matters, and it appears to be answered by John H. Bryan's letter of January 8, 1826, to James West Bryan, in the John Heritage Bryan Papers, P.C. 6.7, in the Archives. 1831 Dec 21 John Cobb, Harmony Grove, to James H. Bryan. 1839 Jul 11 Mrs. James W. Bryan, Newborn, to James H. Bryan, c/o Dr. James A. Washington, New York. 1873 Nov 28 Mary A. Bulkley,on board the SS Trimountain, to “my dearest Mother." Attached to this letter is the note, "Copy by Aunt Annie." 1873 Nov 28 "Sarah Adams Bulkley, Lost on the Ville Du Havre, in mid-Ocean. November 22, 1373." This is a printed copy of Mrs. Bulkley's letter noted above. 1882 Dec 27 J. E. McWhorter, USS Juanita, Fayal, Azores, to “Aunt Mamie," Mrs. L. A. Bulkley, Rye, N. Y. Reporting the progress or the cruise; mentioned the Captain's [George Dewey] illness; entertainment for the ship by rival political notions ashore. 1891 Oct 28 Edwin G. Weed, Bishop of Florida, St. Augustine, to Mrs. Charles T. Bryan, c/o Mrs. George G. McWhorter, Augusta, Ga. Enclosing baptismal certificate for Gray McWhorter Bryan, born August 14, 1891. 1904 May 30 "Aunt Josey," n.p., to Annie [Mrs. Charles F. Bryan?] Sending genealogical information. 1932 Nov 5 "Father," Asheville, to "My dear Son." Forwarding a copy of Spaight genealogy. n. d. "Your loving Aunt, M. D. N.," to Gray McWhorter Bryan. A ca. 1900 birthday message. Page 41 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan Commissions, Diplomas, and Broadsides, 1824-1865. 7 items 1834 James B. Shepard's A. B. diploma, U. N. C. 1838 James B. Shepard's Certificate of Admission to bar, N. C. Supreme Court, signed by Thomas Ruffin, J. T. Daniel, and William Gaston. 1840 James B. Shepard's Commission as U. S. Attorney, signed by Martin Van Buren and John Forsyth, Secretary of State. 1856 John R. D. Shepard's A. B. diploma, U. N. C. 1856 John R. D. Shepard's Certificate of membership in Philanthropic Society, U. N. C. 1865 Richard S. Donnell’s Pardon, signed by Andrew Johnson. 1865 Certified copy or above pardon. Miscellaneous Records, 1766-1899 and updated. 13 items 1766 "A Senna Preached at the Ordination of John Wyeth", Printed. 1776 Plat of Lands of Samuel Davis and others. Mutilated. 1842 "Commencement Day: A Vision ..." Ms. poem. 1860 James W. Bryan's will. 1861 John R. Donnell's will. 1865 certified copy. 1880 "Sketch of the Life of Richard Dobbs Spaight of North Carolina," by John H. Wheeler. Printed. 1899 "Genealogical Record of the Martin Family," by Annie Robertson Martin, 1899. Printed. n. d. American Express Company note. n. d. Typescript of genealogical notes on Washington family. n. d. Photograph or portrait of Thomas Speight of Dunratty. 2 copies. n. d. Land Grant 1868 Baptismal record of Anne Adams McWhorter. Page 42 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan Collection: HENRY EDWARD COWEN BRYANT, Papers P.C. 1516.1 "Red Buck" Bryant Charlotte 1933-1967 Physical Description: 3 notebooks of newspaper articles, 1 pamphlet, typescript draft, miscellaneous clippings, letter. Acquisition: Received October 21, 1966, from Josh L. Horne, [chairman executive board, Department of Archives and History], 1018 E. Livingston St., Orlando, Fla., 32803. Description: Henry Edward Cowen "Red Back" Bryant, born Mecklenburg County, 1873, son of Henry and Julia Parke Bryant; graduated, University of North Carolina, 1895, and began working as e newspaperman for Joseph Pearson Caldwell, editor and co-owner with engineer Daniel Augustus Tompkins of the Charlotte Observer; married Eva G. Sumner, 1900. A newspaperman for 72 of his 94 years, Bryant died November 3, 1967, having worked in Raleigh, Washington, New York, and Boston before returning to the Charlotte Observer. In 1933 "Red Buck" Bryant published a pamphlet on the life of Joseph Pearson Caldwell. About 1940 he wrote a fuller account of Editor Caldwell in a series of 46 articles for R. F. Beasley's Farm and Home Weekly, Charlotte. Among the papers is a fragmented copy of Bryant's pamphlet, Joseph Pearson Caldwell, 1853-1911, a Sketch, (Statesville: Brady Printing Company, 1933), pp. 70, with the following pages missing: 25-43, 49-58, 6164, 67-70; edited for re-writing. of the 46 newspaper articles written for Beasley's Weekly, nos. 9-17 are missing. These articles have a more detailed treatment of Caldwell and the Charlotte Observer, with accounts of politics and elections, particularly the 1896-1910 period. Bryant wrote of Congressmen Thomas Settle and Romulus z. Linney, U. S. Senators Matt H. Ransom and Furnifold Simmons; Ambassador Walter Hines Page; Governor Daniel L. Russell; Newspapermen John Charles McNeill, Isaac Erwin Avery, and Adelaide Williams, city editor of the Charlotte Observer, later Mrs. Joseph Caldwell. Page 43 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan Collection: HENRY EDWARD COWEN BRYANT, Papers P.C. 1516.1 - 2 "Red Buck" Bryant Charlotte 1933-1967 One folder contains typescript drafts of a reworking of the Caldwell story - with many repetitions - which Mr. Bryant was writing in 1966. a few months before his death. In another series of articles published in the Beasley Weekly, Bryant describes the white supremacy campaign of 1898. Miscellaneous items include a 1959 letter of congratulations on Bryant's autobiographical "A Long Happy Journey" [not in this collection or State Library] and newspaper clippings from his column "Red Buck's Reminiscences" in the Charlotte Observer, 1966, n.d. Finding Aids: Main Entry Card Date Cards 1894-1899 1900-1909 Geographic Card Charlotte Subject Cards BAILEY, JOSIAH CALDWELL, JOSEPH P. CHARLOTTE COON, CHARLES L. AVERY, ISAAC ERWIN LINNEY, ROMULUS Z. LITERARY AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY MCNEILL, JOHN CHARLES NEWSPAPERS-Charlotte Observer PAGE, WALTER HINES POLITICS, 1896-1910 RANSOM, MATT W. RUSSELL, DANIEL L. SETTLE, THOMAS SIMMONS, FURNIFOLD SMITH, C. ALPHONSO TOMPKINS, DANIEL AUGUSTUS WATSON, CYRUS B. WOMEN-City Editor Page 44 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan Collection: HENRY EDWARD COWEN BRYANT, Papers P.C. 1516.1 - 3 "Red Buck" Bryant Charlotte 1933-1967 See Also: Adams, Agatha Boyd, John Charles McNeill. A Biographical Sketch (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 1949) Avery, I. Erwin, Idle Comments (Charlotte: Stone Publishing Co., 1905) Bryant. H. E. C., Tar Heel Tales (Charlotte: Stone & Barringer, Co., 1910) Bryant, H. E. C., Joseph Pearson Caldwell, 1853-1911, a Sketch (Statesville: Brady Printing Co., 1933) Winston, George Tayloe, A Builder of the New South. Being the Story of the Life Work of Daniel Augustus Tompkins (New York: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1920) Finding Aid completed 23 January 1973 by Ellen Z. McGrew. Page 45 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan Work Sheet P.C. Mf. 94.1N NAME OF COLLECTION: BRYANT, JAMES D., Receipt Book Murfreesboro DATES: 1832-1840 PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: 1 reel, 35 mm. negative microfilm. ACQUISITION INFORMATION: Filmed by the Department, November 1947. Original loaned for copying by Mr. James A. Surace, Franklin, Virginia; loaned per Mr. F. Roy Johnson, Murfreesboro. HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION: Receipt book of Bryant, Constable of Murfreesboro, Hertford County, 1832-1840. Page 46 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK ** Family, Private Collections, Bryan ###### # # ##### ####### # # ##### ####### # # # # ## ## # # # ## # # # # # ## ## # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ###### # # # # #### ##### # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ## ### # # # # # # ###### # # ##### ####### # # ### ##### ####### # # 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 47 of 47 ** PAGE BREAK **