Guy Bryan (abt. 1750 - abt. 1809)

Born about 1750 in Culpeper County Virginia

Descendants

Died about 1809 at about age 59 in Culpeper County Virginia [uncertain]

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Biography

The earliest known member of our line of the Bryan family is Guy Bryan, who was born about 1750 in Culpeper County Virginia. He was a brother of William Bryan (d. 1806) who married Letty Asher. They appear to have been sons of Josiah and Sarah Bryan, who were early settlers of Culpeper County. Josiah and Sarah were accepted into membership of the Poney Baptist Church on February 9, 1788, and on July 11, 1789 Guy Bryan and his wife Millie were received there by letter.

Culpeper County Deed Book Q at page 329 shows a deed whereby John Strother Sr. of Culpeper sold to Guy Bryan and his heirs a tract of land in Culpeper on the sough side of the Thornton River from a corner on Josiah Bryan to an Oak tree on Forked Mountain, containing 100 acres more or less. By a deed dated April 21, 1804 Josiah and Sarah Bryan sold to Guy Bryan a 60 acre tract of ground on Thornton Creek. This is near Sperryville in Culpeper County.

From 1782 through 1804, Guy Bryan appears on the Personal Tax Rolls of Culpeper County. In 1782 he is listed as "Guy Breon" and in the same list "Joseph Brion" appears. On the 1790 and 1800 Culpeper tax lists they appear as Josiah Bryan and Guy Bryan.

Guy married Mildred Asher, a daughter of John and Nellie Asher, who was born about 1750, and was a sister of Letty Asher. Their children were apparently born in Culpeper County, where Guy died around the year 1809. The appraisal of his estate appears in Culpeper County under date of May 6th of that year. This identifies property owned by him showing hogs, cattle, five horses, a wagon, a gun, a man’s saddle, six plows, three beds, farm equipment, furniture, and six slaves. The proceedings do not list his heirs, but they are known from a Culpeper County deed dated October 2, 1816, found in Book H-H at page 325 whereby "Mildred Bryan, widow, Francis Bryan, Mary Bryan, Clayton Swindler & wife Sally, Jeremiah Bryan, Kezia Bryan, Daniel Turner (husband of Milly Bryan) all of Culpeper & Jesse Bryan of Kentucky " sold to Thomas Jones "two tracts of land on Thornton's Gap, corner to Josiah Bryan." By this Guy's widow and his children all joined to convey their interests in the real estate Guy had owned. This included his daughter Keziah, who was then twenty one years old but still single.

After Guy’s death, his widow Mildred and the children moved with her brother Charles Asher and his family to Mercer County Kentucky. There she remarried on January 7, 1820 John Jones. Mildred died in Mercer County prior to 1826.

Sources

• Culpeper County records
• "A Bryan Book" Lindsay M. Brien (1935)