Rev. William Bryant - Rowan County, NC - Biographies
Submitted by KLipsc@aol.com


Rev. William H. Bryant

William H. Bryant, aka Rev. W.H. Bryant  was the son of Emily Harrison
and grandson of William of Norris of Raliegh, North Carolina.  WILLIAM 
H.1 BRYANT was born December 28, 1848 in Raleigh, North Carolina, and 
died October 31, 1914 in Salisbury, NC.  He married ELIZABETH BETTY 
MERONEY (Iredell County, NC or PA)

Rev W.H. Bryant, a graduate of Lincoln University, was called to the
pastorate of the Church Street Presbyteria Chruch. He soon took his place
in the affairs of the community, religious, educational and civic. He was
superintendent of the Salisbury Public Schools(Lincoln- Negro Schools) 
for twenty years. 

According to the "Carolina Watchman" Salisbury Jan 1, 1881, he attended
"Prohibitory Meetings" with the Rev J. Rumple and Rev. J.O. Crosby. He
was pastor of a Colored Presbyterian Church in Salisbury (Trinity
Presbyterian) and one of the first black teachers of Salisbury's Normal 
Colored School in 1880 under the direction of it's principal J.O. Crosby.
This school was erected in Dixonville on the site of  Lincoln School. 
This teacher's school helped to provide adequate teachers for their own 
schools and operated for more than twenty years (1902). Afterwhich, Zion 
Wesley Institute(1879), later known as Livingstone College (1887) began 
to take over the teacher training duties

According to Iredell records, he married over fifteen couples between the
periods of 1876- 1880. A few couple's surnames are: Templeton,
Frank(1/15/1880); Turner, Henry(4/21/1880); Steele, Sidney(8/12/1876);
Patterson,Lee(8/27/1880); Murdock, August(1/23/1879); Bryant, Samuel
(11/25/1880). 

His home was open to all. With his good wife he had seven children:
(1)Frank Edward2 Bryant ,Sr, born January 1886 in Salisbury, NC; died in 
East Orange, New Jersy- wife Addie Henderson; (2) Mattie Louise Bryant, 
born March 1889- husband Alonzo Holdbrook; (3) Fannie Bryant Mason, born 
September 27, 1884 in Salisbury, NC; died June 20, 1959 in Trinty, NC- 
Oakdale Cementary-Salisbury, NC- husband Rev Fisher R. Mason (aka Rev F.
R. Mason); (4)Emma J. Bryant- Johnson, born January 1877; (5)Bessie 
Bryant-Cheshire, born July 1892; (6)Joesph W. Bryant, born November 1897;
(7)    William H. Bryant , Jr, born September 1880.

Rev. W.H. Bryant was one of the most influential men of the community. He
lived to see all his children in possession of a college education. Two
of his sons finished in the field of medicine, one daughter married a 
minister; one daugther married a doctor in New York; Mrs. Fannie B. Mason
is doing a grand job with her husband in the field of religion.


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