MANUSCRIPTS

I am fortunate to have three firsthand accounts of the mid-1800s. One is written by my mother's father's mother, and another is written by my mother's mother's father. The third is by my mother's grand-mother's aunt. The two women were both in their 20s when the Civil War began. Corbin Braxton Bryan was a boy of eight or nine.

OUR FAMILY HISTORY

Mary Eleonore Townsend, nee Orr, 1840-1922, wrote her memoirs in the year before her death. The narrative traces the history of her family on both sides and culminates in her recollections of the Civil War. She says little about the post-war years. She married Colonel William Fisk Townsend and had one son, James Morton Townsend, who married Elizabeth Bryan and lived on Shore Street in Petersburg, Virginia. An additional sketch of her life can be found in the Letters section as Mary Ellen's Story.

NOTES ON J.R. BRYAN'S LIFE

When John Randolph Bryan died, his son, Corbin Braxton Bryan, wrote out his recollections of his father's life. The elder Bryan had married Elizabeth Coulter and settled at Eagle Point in Gloucester, Virgina. The narrative includes Braxton Bryan's secondhand recollections of his father's youth and picks up with the younger Bryan's account of his boyhood at Eagle Point, the outbreak of the Civil War, and the resulting move to Carysbrook, where they remained through the end of the war.

SISTER SALLY'S RECOLLECTIONS

Mrs. T.J.B.T. Worthington recalls the 1850s and 60s, including the smallpox epidemic of 1855 and the outbreak of the Civil War. Nee Sarah Jane Scott, she was the younger sister of William Walter Scott. This manuscript was transcribed by Sally's niece's husband, Corbin Braxton Bryan, who has himself provided a memoir of the 1860s(below). His daughter, Elizabeth Bryan, married Mary Eleonore Orr's son, Morton Townsend.

LETTERS, RECORDS, ETC.

In 1881, my great grandfather met my great grandmother at Ingleside, the home described in Sister Sally's Recollections. When Mary Scott returned to Lenoir, she was secretly engaged to Brax Bryan. I have his letter to her father and a collection of letters that Mary and Brax wrote to each other during their engagement, up to their marriage in 1882. I have transcribed some of these and other documents and records.

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Travel Logs: 2007 Scotland 2004 Spain 1996 Ireland 1992 Maui 1990 Portugal 1989 England 1983 France 1980 Big Bend 1979 Cozumel CONTACT PAGE: Send a Message Links: Yahoo.com CNN.com Amazon.com MapQuest.com Wikipedia English Facebook.com Hotmail.com In Austin: KXAN Weather The Art of JU Salvant Master Gohring's Tai Chi Personal Tai Chi The Fragrant Garden Shari Elkins Hikes w Dogs Austin360 Movies	HISTORY \| DOGS \| HOME \| FOOD \| GARDEN MANUSCRIPTS I am fortunate to have three firsthand accounts of the mid-1800s. One is written by my mother's father's mother, and another is written by my mother's mother's father. The third is by my mother's grand-mother's aunt. The two women were both in their 20s when the Civil War began. Corbin Braxton Bryan was a boy of eight or nine. OUR FAMILY HISTORY Mary Eleonore Townsend, nee Orr, 1840-1922, wrote her memoirs in the year before her death. The narrative traces the history of her family on both sides and culminates in her recollections of the Civil War. She says little about the post-war years. She married Colonel William Fisk Townsend and had one son, James Morton Townsend, who married Elizabeth Bryan and lived on Shore Street in Petersburg, Virginia. An additional sketch of her life can be found in the Letters section as Mary Ellen's Story. NOTES ON J.R. BRYAN'S LIFE When John Randolph Bryan died, his son, Corbin Braxton Bryan, wrote out his recollections of his father's life. The elder Bryan had married Elizabeth Coulter and settled at Eagle Point in Gloucester, Virgina. The narrative includes Braxton Bryan's secondhand recollections of his father's youth and picks up with the younger Bryan's account of his boyhood at Eagle Point, the outbreak of the Civil War, and the resulting move to Carysbrook, where they remained through the end of the war. SISTER SALLY'S RECOLLECTIONS Mrs. T.J.B.T. Worthington recalls the 1850s and 60s, including the smallpox epidemic of 1855 and the outbreak of the Civil War. Nee Sarah Jane Scott, she was the younger sister of William Walter Scott. This manuscript was transcribed by Sally's niece's husband, Corbin Braxton Bryan, who has himself provided a memoir of the 1860s(below). His daughter, Elizabeth Bryan, married Mary Eleonore Orr's son, Morton Townsend. LETTERS, RECORDS, ETC. In 1881, my great grandfather met my great grandmother at Ingleside, the home described in Sister Sally's Recollections. When Mary Scott returned to Lenoir, she was secretly engaged to Brax Bryan. I have his letter to her father and a collection of letters that Mary and Brax wrote to each other during their engagement, up to their marriage in 1882. I have transcribed some of these and other documents and records. History \| Dogs \| Home \| Food \| Garden	MANUSCRIPTS: Our Family History By Mary Eleonore Orr Notes on JR Bryan's Life By Corbin Braxton Bryan Sister Sally's Recollections By Mrs. TJBT Worthington Transcribed by CB Bryan Letters, Records, etc. Various sources and documents