Bryant
My Families in the 1940 Census, Part II
Once the indexing was completed I set about trying to find my families by name in the 1940 census. I concentrated on what I consider to be my four main lines: Manson, Gines, Bowie, and Bryant. My results were somewhat underwhelming. Gines family: I’ve already mentioned that I found my maternal grandmother and some of her children but that their …
September 8, 2012 Saturday at 5:42 pm
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study
I had constructed a scenario in my head whereby Monroe Bryant of Rockport, Texas, petty criminal and draft delinquent, had gone to Louisiana and acquired another man’s draft registration card. I based this scenario on the fact that in the same batch of FBI reports that I had received concerning my great uncle Monroe Bryant of Rockport, there was another …
August 8, 2012 Wednesday at 7:59 pm
A Second Monroe Bryant Potentially Opens A Nasty Door
Second of three parts When last we met we learned from Monroe Bryant how not to volunteer for military service. Around the same time that Monroe Bryant had stolen money from the Navy recruiting office in Corpus Christi, Texas, the FBI (then known as the Bureau of Investigation) conducted a sweep of so-called “draft delinquents” in San Antonio. Among the …
July 29, 2012 Sunday at 9:00 pm
Monroe Bryant, 1901-1953, Would-be Soldier
First of two three parts I’ve written in the past about my great-uncle, Monroe Bryant, born in Rockport, Texas, in 1901. Monroe was an alcoholic drifter, who traveled around the United States, taking odd jobs here and there, occasionally returning to Rockport with tales of his adventures. One day, my father asked, almost rhetorically, “I wonder whatever happened to Monroe?” …
July 28, 2012 Saturday at 3:36 pm
Uncle Sam Dead on Fourth of July
My father’s uncle Sam, being Sam Byrant, died on July 1, 1951 in Rockport, Texas. He was buried at Prairie View Cemetery on July 5, 1951. Sam Bryant was the son of Guy Bryant (1861-1918) and Maria Martin (1864-1931). He was one of eight children they had together. Maria had been married once before at age 15, and had an …
July 3, 2009 Friday at 1:55 am
Names, Places & Most Wanted Faces
I started this with a note on Facebook and it was suggested that it would make a good meme for bloggers. The idea is to publicize your surnames and locales to see if anyone elseknows something about them. For me on Facebook, I got several research-helpful replies. So how much better to take it to a wider audience. List the …
February 26, 2009 Thursday at 8:29 pm
Nana’s 100th Anniversary
JESSIE BEATRICE BOWIE 1909-1973 Jessie Beatrice Bowie was my paternal grandmother. She was born in San Antonio, Texas, on January 11, 1909. She was the daughter of Elias Bowie, Sr.(1874-1970) and Hattie Bryant (1888-1944). Hattie had been born on the Texas Gulf Coast. After a brief marriage at age 15 and another relationship, she headed for San Antonio with her …
January 10, 2009 Saturday at 5:35 pm
Elias Bowie (1910-2005)
Elias Bowie (Jr.) was my father’s uncle. He was the the brother of my grandmother, Jessie Beatrice Bowie (1909-1973). Their mother was Hattie Bryant (1888-1944). Hattie had been born on the Texas Gulf Coast. After a marriage at age 15 and another relationship, she headed for San Antonio with her infant son Herman Walker (1906-2002). In San Antonio, Hattie found …
December 4, 2008 Thursday at 9:40 pm
A Surprise Using FamilySearch’s Record Search
I have been enamored of FamilySearch Labs’ Record Search since it first came online. I like the interface and the presentation of information. I just wish there were more records available. To help toward that goal, I’ve spent a fair amount of time on transcribing records on FamilySearch Indexing. Recently, I was running names through the Texas Death Certificate database. …
July 13, 2008 Sunday at 3:37 am
Juneteenth
At the time of this order, my BRYANT family lived in Nueces and Refugio Counties, Texas, and my SANFORD families were both slaves and slaveholders in Milam County, Texas.
June 19, 2008 Thursday at 6:58 pm
