Bureau County IL Archives Biographies.....Bryant Family
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Virginia Perry vperry@midwest.net January 1999

Biography for The Bryant Family, Bureau County, Illinois

The Bryant Family.  The progenitor of the Bryant family was Stephen 
Bryant, who immigrated from the west of England to America in 1643.  He 
settled in Plymouth County, Mass., where his son, Stephen Bryant, Jr.  
was born February 2, 1657.  The latter's son, Ichabod Bryant, was born 
July 5, 1699, in Plymouth.  He was a farmer by occupation, and a man of 
great physical powers.  He died of apoplexy, away from home, aged sixty 
years.  His son, Philip Bryant, was born December, 1732, in Plymouth 
County, Mass.  He was a physician, and died February 7, 1817, in North 
Bridgewater, Mass.  He was married to Silence Howard, born 1738; she 
died June 1777.  She was the mother of eight children, viz.:  Oliver, 
who was a  soldier in the Revolutionary war; Ruth, Daniel, Bazaliel, 
Peter, Cyrus, Mrs. Anna Kingman, and Mrs. Silence Bryant and Charity 
Bryant.  Her grandfather, Ephraim Howard, was born in 1666. He died 
August 11, 1750, in Bridgewater, Mass.  Her father, Abiel Howard, M. D., 
died January 10, 1777, in Massachusetts, aged seventy-three years. Her 
mother, Silence (Washburn) Howard, was born 1713;  she died August 17, 
1775. Peter Bryant, son of Philip and Silence (Howard) Bryant, was born 
August 12, 1767, in North Bridgewater, now called Brockton, Mass.  Early 
in life he became imbued with a desire to fit himself for the medical 
profession.  He read medicine with his father, and also had a French 
surgeon named La  Preliet as his preceptor for two years.  For one year 
he was on board on one of Uncle Sam's me-of-war.  After that he followed 
his profession in Cummingham, Mass., to which place he came in 1792, and 
where he died in 1820 of consumption.  His professional career was one 
of activity and usefulness.  He was the preceptor of forty pupils, and 
the author of many articles to medical journals.  He was married to 
Sarah Snell, who was born December 4, 1768, at North Bridgewater, Mass.  
She died in Princeton, May 6, 1847.  Her parents, Ebenezer and South 
(Packard) Snell, were also natives of North Bridgewater.  The former was 
born October 1, 1738.  He was a farmer by occupation, and removed to 
Cummington in 1774, where he died August 2, 1813.  The latter was born 
September 30, 1737; she died March 8, 1813.  She was the mother of five 
children, viz.: Abigail, Samuel, Sarah, Ebanezer, and Thomas, who was a 
doctor of divinity, and was a minister in North Brookfield, Mass., for 
nearly sixty years.  Mrs. Sarah Bryant was the mother of seven children, 
viz.: Austin, William Cullen, Cyrus, Mrs. Sarah S. Shaw, Arthur, Mrs. 
Louisa C. Olds and John Howard Bryant.  The boys were all farmers, 
except William Cullen.  Of the above, John H. was married near 
Jacksonville, Ill., June 7, 1833, to Miss Harriet E. Wiswall ,born 
September 14, 1808, in Norton, Bristol Co., Mass.  She came to Illinois 
in the summer of 1820, accompanied by her parents, Elijah and Elizabeth 
(Verry) Wiswall, who were large farmers.  Mrs. Harriet E. Bryant is yet 
living, and is the mother of two children, viz.: Henry W., born April 
17, 1835, he died April 26, 1854, of typhoid fever; and Elijah W., born 
December 2, 1836.  He is working the old homestead, and was married here 
June 6, 1865, to Laura Smith, born March 27, 1846, daughter of Sidney 
and Laura (Doolittle) Smith, the former a native of Massachusetts, and 
the latter of Oneida County, N. Y.  Mrs. Laura Bryant is the mother of 
the following children: Frances E., born May 17, 1866; Kate, born March 
12,1869; John H., born November 19, 1870, he died March 1, 1872; William 
C., born November 8, 1871; Laura S., born March 18, 1875, and John 
Howard, Jr. born May 27, 1876. (See General History, where the life and 
public career of John H. Bryant are given in full.)

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