Page down to read the history of the Bryant line,
or select one of the following names to go directly to that person.
| Next Page | Index of surnames | The Bryant Bibliography | Other sites of interest | Home Page |
John Bryant, Sr.
John was a house carpenter and resided in Scituate, MA. His farm was on the "second Herring Brook, ten rods east of the mill." He was active in public affairs. In 1643, he was on the list of Scituate men, ages 16 to 60, able to bear arms and, in 1644, on the list of those who took the oath of fidelity. He became a freeman in June 1654. John was constable at Scituate in 1662, surveyor of roads in 1673 (meaning he had the responsibility for the upkeep of the roads around Scituate), and for two years, 1677 and 1678, was simultaneously a selectman and a deputy at Scituate. In 1677, he was given the special responsibility to see that the court order against liquor was enforced at Scituate. He was a grand juror at Plymouth Court in 1653 and 1660 and served on the court jury for 15 years between 1659-1681. We are fortunate to have a few examples of the sort of trials at which he was a juror. In 1666, Mrs. Mary Totman went to the woods and dug up a root of a plant, brought it home, cleaned, cooked, and ate it, and then died from its poison. The jury decided she had mistaken the root for a similar one she was accustomed to preparing, and her death was accidental. In 1674, an Indian had told a group of colonists living in Scituate that he would "give" them a large tract of the Indian land adjoining Scituate. When the colonists later went back to the Indian to "accept" the land, the rest of the Indian tribe found out about the deal, threw the generous Indian to the ground and prevented him from dealing further with the colonists. The white men then brought the tribe to court and the jury awarded the land to the colonists (the jurors who decided the case were white colonists!). The colony did buy some of its land from the Indians, though, as in 1666 we find John Bryant's name on a tax list which was drawn up to show how much each resident of Scituate had to contribute towards the purchase of indian lands on the west edge of the settlement. Although John Bryant served the town for many years as a juror, often he used the courts for his own affairs as the Plymouth Colony records show. In 1659, there began an eight-year court feud between John Bryant and William Randall, each bringing the other into court on various charges. Most of his other suits charged men with the unlawful taking of timber from his land. The colony government decided along the way that the colony might as well benefit from John's talent at court, and in 1663, 1664, 1671, and 1672 appointed him to committees to assist others in settling their land disputes. It is interesting to note that John made his court debut 5 March 1639, when he was charged with drinking inordinately at John Emerson's house. He was released for admonition, but James Till was whipped "for alluring" John to drink. Another colonial report says that John Bryant once entered church after the Sabbath meeting had begun. The preacher was the Rev. William Wetherell, father of John Bryant's second wife, Elizabeth. Rev. Wetherell spoke out at the close of the prayer, "Neighbor Bryant, it is to your reproach that you have disturbed the service by entering late, living as you do within a mile of this place, and especially so since here is Goody Barstow, who has milked 7 cows, made a cheese, and walked 5 miles to the house of God in good season." John, Sr. and his first wife Mary (Lewis) Bryant had six children, all born in Scituate, MA:
John, Sr. and his second wife Elizabeth (Wetherell) Bryant had two children, both born in Scituate, MA:
John, Sr. and his third wife Mary (Hiland) Bryant had eleven children, all born in Scituate, MA:
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Next Page | Line of Descent | Pedigree Chart | Index of surnames | The Bryant Bibliography | Other sites of interest | Home Page |
Thomas Bryant
Thomas Bryant was an "able, useful, and distinguished man and magistrate." He succeeded to his father's farm, where he built a house in 1698. From 1713-1736, he was licensed to sell liquore in Scituate as a retailer. He also was a shipwright. He was a selectman in 1734, a justice of the peace, and a representative to the colony legislature in 1725, 1730, 1733, and 1734. He had the title "esquire." In September 1748, Thomas was a justice of the general session of the Plymouth Court. Thomas' first wife, Mary (Ewell) Bryant, died in childbirth and this tragedy is inscribed on her slate gravestone which was still standing in 1967 in the parish burying-ground of the South Scituate church. It reads: "Here lyes ye body of Mrs. Mary Briant, wife to Thomas Briant, who died and in her arms doth lye the corps of tow lovely babes born to har." Thomas, like his father before him, made use of the courts several times to settle differences mostly over money owed him. He left a large estate estimated at over 10,000 pounds. At the first meeting of the Plymouth Court of Common Pleas following the death of Thomas Bryant, four of his sons, Peleg, Benjamin, Seth, and Thomas, Jr., began a series of court cases in which they sued people who had outstanding debts with their father's estate. The Rev. Lemuel Bryant, the fifth son of Thomas, was not a part of these legal actions. The four sons also were sued by some of these people in return. The sons sued one another several times over throughout the years. It does seem that the father's large estate caused all kinds of trouble among his sons. Thomas and his first wife Mary (Ewell) Bryant had nine children, all born in Scituate, MA:
|
| Next Page | Prior Page | Line of Descent | Pedigree Chart | Index of surnames | The Bryant Bibliography | Other sites of interest | Home Page |
Peleg Bryant
Peleg carried the title "Gentleman" as well as the title "Captain." In 1754, he was collector of liquor taxes for Plymouth County. In 1759, he was colony coroner. Peleg and his wife Mary (Jenkins) Bryant had nine children, all born in Scituate, MA:
|
| Next Page | Prior Page | Line of Descent | Pedigree Chart | Index of surnames | The Bryant Bibliography | Other sites of interest | Home Page |
Anna Bryant
See the entry on Joshua Lincoln, Jr. for details of this family. |
| Joshua Lincoln, Jr. | Prior Page | Line of Descent | Pedigree Chart | Index of surnames | The Bryant Bibliography | Other sites of interest | Home Page |
The Bryant Family BibliographyBryant, Albert S., Bryant Family Genealogy, typewritten papers found at the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) Library in Boston, MA. Bryant, Robert C., John Bryant of Scituate, typewritten papers found at the NEHGS Library. Deane, Samuel, "Family Sketches," History of Scituate, 1831. Savage, James, Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1986, Vol. I, p. 283. Sherman, Jeanette Johnson, Johnson-Mitchell Ancestry with Allied Families, 1967, book found in the Free Library, Belfast, ME and the Appleton Public Library, Appleton, ME. New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 48. |
This page is maintained by
James D. True
jimsancestry@hotmail.com
© Edward K. & Mildred True, and James D. True
Last update November 7, 1999
If you are related to this family, I would love to hear from you. If you maintain your own genealogy or family history site related to this family, please let me know and I will provide a link to your site in exchange for your providing a link to this site.
| Line of Descent | Index of surnames | Home Page |