Page 94 - The Ancestry of Francis Bryan (1770-1863)

John passed away in 1869 and the three younger children of John and Lydia, including Thomas, went back to North Carolina to live with their half-brother, Lewis William Bryan. Thomas lived with Lewis until he was 18 years old, which would have been 1877. This is the story as Thomas recalls it in his letter to a Mrs Wild. From personal Bryan family records.
Thomas gave an incorrect date for Francis' death. It was 1863, not 1848.
The W.L. Bryan that Thomas describes in the letter is William Lewis Bryan (1836-1928), son of Bartlett Battle Bryan, and a third great grandson of Morgan Bryan and Martha Strode. He describes Rebecca Bryan as an “aunt” when in reality she was a cousin. It is said that Rebecca was raised by Morgan Bryan and Martha Strode after the death of her mother. She could easily have been remembered by future descendants as one of their children, rather than as their grandchild.
So a descendant of Morgan and Martha is reporting a relationship between our two Bryan families in approximately 1877.
Knowing what I now know about the life of Thomas Bryan and Margaret Strode Bryan and their children, I can build a timeline of their lives. The timeline is built on facts with some plausible speculation as well.
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