The author cites as sources for the descent of Sir Francis Bryan (in a genealogical kind of way – I think we know he wasn’t decent, and I believe he has Lady Joan to thank for his descent!), which I have seen here and on other sites: Gordon M. Ash, Esq. of Frederick, MD, genealogist to “The Society of Descendants of Knights of the Garter,” along with Carter R. Bryan "The Bryan Family," Armstrong's "Notable Southern Families," and J.W. Shearer's "The Shearer-Akers Family" (although he states that the latter misframes some of the facts.
According to this chapter on the Bryan pioneer family, William Smith Bryan is the grandson (not the son, as some sources allege) of Sir Francis Bryan, the issue of Francis Bryan and wife Ann [Smith-5430] daughter of Sir William Smith [Smith-3168] (not sure why there is a note that he was probably a fictitious person). It is fact that Sir Francis and Lady Joan had a son Francis. Did Sir Francis II marry Ann Smith? Well, they are the right age, and it would explain the middle name of smith for their son “William Smith Bryan” as being named for his grandfather.
The rest of the story is found in multiple source: William Smith Bryan married Catherine Morgan and, after a bid for the Irish throne, they were exiled to the Virginia colony in 1650. (A record of William Smith Bryan and his family arriving in 1650 is recorded by Filby, P. William, ed. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2012. Name: William Smith Bryan, Arrival Year: 1650, Arrival Place: Virginia, Family Members: family.) He brought with him his 11 sons and 3 daughters (Thomas, John, Francis, Morgan, David, Henry, Edward, Edmund, James, Richard, Margaret, Lydia, Catherine, and William) plus a slew of grandkids.
His son Francis III tried to retake the property in Ireland but, meeting with resistance and loathe to cross the Atlantic yet again, settled for some time in the far more accessible Denmark with his wife Sarah Brinker. They had two sons: William, born in Ireland; and Morgan, born in Denmark. Both sons came to America, with William settling in Roanoke, VA, and Morgan first in the current Reading, PA, before moving on to Winchester, VA, then following the death of his wife Martha Strode, settling in Wilkesboro, NC.
The sources cited by the author are Fayette County records, family bibles, gravestones, and two collections of family papers known as the Shane and Draper Collections.
As an FYI, I know some have taken umbrage with birthdates given as “June 1,” but that is essentially meant to suggest “circa” – they aren’t sure when during that particular year a child was born, as birth records were sporadic at best in a time of such high infant mortality rates, so they just use “June 1” as something of a mid-year point, as in sometime before or after. Technically, they should have used July 1 or 2, but whaddayagonnado?
|