DAVIDSON COUNTY, TN - COURT - Henry M. Bryan Record of Heirs ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: John Dorroh jodorroh@usa.net ==================================================================== Contributor's Note: This particular court case paper was in the loose court papers in the Davidson County archives. It is important to Bryan researchers because it ties together all the children of Samuel Bryan (died Davidson County 1832), many of whom were not mentioned in his will. DAVIDSON COUNTY CHANCERY COURT DOCKET # 753 September 11, 1851 "That heretofore, to wit, about the __ day of 185__ Henry M. Bryan, then a citizen and resident of Davidson County, Tennessee, departed this life in said county intestate, leaving him surviving as his legal heirs and distributes, the following brothers and sisters: John M. Bryan Davidson County Elizabeth Pinckerton " Margery Ann, wife of Samuel W. Thompson nonresident of the state Rebecca, wife of Joel P. Wiles nonresident of the state And the following children and heirs of deceased brothers and sisters: Children and heirs of W. P. Bryan, decd. Wm. S. Bryan of Davidson County Washington Bryan, a nonresident of the state George Woodruff and Judy his wife, nonresident Oscar McGavock and America his wife, nonresident Jno. Roland and Elizabeth his wife Williamson Harbert Bryan, a minor and nonresident Phineas E. Bryan " Mary J. Bryan " Henry C. Bryan " JOD comment: The family of William Park Bryan is very correct, as based on the family Bible. There were two other daughters who died young before this case. Children and heirs of James Bryan, decd. James R. Bryan nonresident Samuel Bryan Maury County Erastus C. Smith and Louisa his wife do Nancy Jane Bryan minor Maury County Amanda Bryan " " Sarah Bryan " " Virginia Bryan " " Phineas E. Bryan " " Francis M. Bryan adult JOD comment: The list of the children of James Bryan seems to have an error in it. Phineas E. Bryan is listed as a child. He is not on the 1850 census and not listed as an heir in the papers of Martha McGill who supplied Robert Casey with a lot of this information. And there is another daughter not listed, Tennessee Bryan, who married in Maury County. I think that the court scribe just miscopied this list and picked up Phineas Bryan from the list of James' brother Samuel's children immediately following. Children and heirs of Samuel Bryan, decd. Alexander Tate and Sarah J. his wife Maury County Holiday Church and Nancy M. his wife " Thomas S. Bryan minor " James R. Bryan " " William D. Bryan " " Phineas E. Bryan " " Children and heirs of Peggy Campbell, decd. Jno. P. Wiles and Eliza his wife Davidson County Coston Sawyers and Caroline his wife " Robert Boyd and Rebecca his wife " Sarah Campbell " William Campbell " William McClennand a grandson and nonresident JOD comment: Robert Casey and I never had any idea that Peggy, aka Margaret Bryan Campbell, was a daughter of Samuel. We do have a family group sheet for this family, and there seems to be on error. This paper fails to list Margaret Ann Campbell, a daughter, who married her first cousin William Shelby Bryan, son of William Park Bryan, listed above. Both of them would be due a share from their parent that is a sibling of Henry Morrow Bryan, the deceased subject of this court case. I think that this is just an error. Children and heirs of Jane Pinckerton, decd. James Spence minor for whom Wm. Cummings of Dav. is guardian Allen Pickard and Margaret his wife Tipton County Cager Stark and Anna his wife nonresident Samuel Pinckerton Davidson County David C. Pinckerton nonresident Joseph Pinckerton Davidson Christopher Brooks and Mary J. his wife " James Pinckerton nonresident Children and heirs of Sarah Webb, decd. Sarah Webb Davidson County Andrew C. Webb Williamson Children and heir of Nancy Pickard, decd. Nancy Pickard minor nonresident Children and heirs of Polly Orten, decd. Harrison Stark and Jane his wife nonresidents Thomas Branning and Nancy his wife " Thomas Lakin and Mary his wife " Willis Branning and Sarah his wife " Rebecca C. Orton " James M. Orton " Henry Orten " Eliza J. Orten, minor for whom Saml. Pinckerton is guardian JOD comment: This list has the biggest mistake: the failure to list two of the children: Margaret Orton Pickard Aultom and William Orton. Both were certainly alive at this time. The only thing I can figure out is that Greene County was so far away from Davidson that whoever was compiling this list of heirs just forgot those two. They can still be proven by the estate settlement of Joseph Orton in Greene County in 1866. This omission does not really worry me. Your orators now show your honor that the said Henry M. Bryan died seized and possessed of two tracts of land, lying in Davidson County, of little value, which do not admit of division among so many heirs…….."