Rockport
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
The Grand Genealogy Journey 2010 (Virtual Edition) Starts Anew
Believe it or don’t, but it’s been three years since the Big Train Trip. I’m really ready to go again, but circumstances currently won’t allow that. So we started to lay out our virtual genealogical dream trip traveling via Amtrak and other conveyances. We ran into a set of difficulties soon after the beginning of the trip. As a result, …
June 30, 2010 Wednesday at 2:34 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
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
Great Service from Seattle!
All I can say is WOW! A few days ago, actually on June 4, 2008, at about 10 p.m., to be precise about it, I ordered a death certificate from the Washington State Department of Health in Seattle. It was the death certificate of one Velma B. Dervin, who died in Seattle in 1993. I wanted to confirm that this …
June 7, 2008 Saturday at 9:18 pm
Carnival of Genealogy: Gulf Coast Summer 1962
Right: Craig and The World’s Smartest Sister at the beach in Rockport, Texas, August 1962. As far as I recall, my first time at a beach was in the summer of 1962. Later that year, at age 8, I did my first major writing project. It’s presented here just as it was written 46 years ago, including photographs (the notes …
May 31, 2008 Saturday at 1:51 am
Where Was Your Family in 1908?
Lisa, who has the energy to write several interesting blogs, posed the question, “Where was your family in 1908?” on, appropriately enough, her 100 Years in America blog. A century ago, neither of my paternal grandparents had been born yet, although one, my grandmother Jessie Beatrice Bowie, was just a year away. Her parents, my great-grandparents, Hattie Bryant and Elias …
January 9, 2008 Wednesday at 3:26 am
Carnival Carousel: Art, Science, and Serendipity
This comes from the GeneaBlogie archives. It’s an edited version of three posts that ran over the Fourth of July Weekend, 2005. It’s a bit lengthy, but I’ve put it on the Carousel because I wanted to share one of my favorite stories. [My parents are recovering from jet lag on their Independence Weekend trip to visit me in Tysons …
April 15, 2007 Sunday at 2:08 pm




