Bryant, James , Sr ¹⁷

  General Notes:

"James was born in Elizabeth City. Was a shoemaker. Received land patents in Isle of Wight, VA in 1683 for transporting settlers to Virginia. Appears in Land Patent Records for Isle of Wight, VA. Moved to Bertie, NC in 1708. Appears in county records. Gave land and money to build a Friends Meeting Hall." Linda Harmon <lharmon@pcc.edu>

James Bryant Sr must have been born in the 1650's or 1660's, perhaps in Virginia.

On Apr 16, 1683, James was granted 315 acres in Isle of Wight County VA between Kingsale Swamp and the main Blackwater Swamp, adjacent to William Mayo, Richard Booth, Hodges Council, and Bridgman Joyner (Patent Bk 7). He had paid for the transport of seven people to VA.

On Oct 20, 1689, he was granted 762 acres in Isle of Wight County VA on the Blackwater River, for the transport of 16 people to the colony (Patent Bk 8).

On Oct 28, 1702, he was granted 100 acres in Isle of Wight County VA on the south side of the main Blackwater, for the transport of two people (Patent Bk 9).

In Mar 1708, Richard Braswell of Isle of Wight County VA sold to James Bryant, Sr. "of the same county" rights to "the within mentioned patent" for 4,000 pounds of tobacco (Chowan Deed Bk W1 #386). John Dew was a witness. Bryant signs with an "x." Dew and Braswell were both sons-in-law. This is apparently 320 acres on the Meherrin River which had been granted to Braswell in 1706 and which James lived on from 1708 until his death (see Bertie County Deed Bk F-136 below). This deed indicates that James moved from VA to NC in 1708.

In Jul 1714, James Bryant "of Albemarle County, planter," sold 320 acres joining the Meherrin River to John Dew (Chowan Deed Bk W1 #362).

In Jul 1717, John Dickinson assigned title to "this within mentioned deed" to John Dew, with James Bryant and William Bryant as witnesses (Chowan Deed Bk W1 #399). James signed with an "x" whose endsare weighted like an anchor.

In Nov 1717, James Bryant of Albemarle County NC sold 315 acres between Kingsale Swamp and Blackwater River to Thomas Davis of Isle of Wight County VA, for 22 barrels of tar (Isle of Wight Deed Bk 2-154,155). Bryant's mark was an anchor.

In Feb 1717/18, James and Elizabeth Bryant appointed their son Thomas Bryant to appear in Isle of Wight County VA to acknowledge the sale of 462 acres on the north side of Black Water River to William Beal, part of a patent of 762 acres granted Bryant on Oct 20, 1689. Also a sale to Thomas Davis of 315 acres, land patented to Bryant on Feb 22, 1683 (Isle of Wight Deed Bk 2-153).

In Feb 1718/19, James Bryant "of the lower parish of Isle of Wight County VA" sold to James Tullagh "of the same place" for £4500, 250 acres, part of a patent for 762 acres granted to said Bryant Oct20, 1689. James Bryant signed with an anchor (Isle of Wight Deed Bk 2-233). That Bryant was "of Isle of Wight" appears to be an error. That same month he had witnessed deeds in Chowan County NC (below).

(Another James Bryant began to appear in Isle of Wight records about this time, signing with a capital "I." This James had wife Joanna and left a will in Isle of Wight County dated 1761 and recorded in 1763.)

In Feb 1718/19, James Bryant, Sr, and William Bryant witnessed three deeds of John Council of Virginia to Thomas Britt, John Britt, and Alexander Shirer for land on the north side of the Meherrin River. James signed with a weighted "x" (Chowan Deed Bk B1 #1238-40).

In Aug 1720, James Bryant of NC sold to Matthew Jones of Isle of Wight County VA, 100 acres on the south side of the main Blackwater Swamp, as granted to Bryant Oct 28, 1702. John Dew, Robert Scott and Thomas Bryant were witnesses. James Bryant's mark was a weighted "x." Elizabeth Bryant relinquished dower (Isle of Wight Deed Bk 2-422).

In 1722, Bertie County was formed from Chowan County, and James Bryant's land now lay in Bertie County.

In Jul 1730, John Dew Sr. sold to James Bryant land on the Meherrin River in Bertie County (Deed Bk C-361).

James Bryant I died in 1731 in Bertie County, leaving a will. He mentioned his sons James II, William, and Thomas, and sons-in- law John Dew, Richard Braswell, and Matthew Telar. James Bryant II and John Dew were executors, and John Daniel and Aaron Drake were witnesses.

In May 1740, William Bryant and wife, now of Edgecombe County, sold to Thomas Uzell "the plantation whereon James Bryant formerly lived" which was "part of a patent granted to Richard Braswell," and also "100 acres bought from John Dew in Jul 1730" (Deed Bk F- 133). Another deed appears to record the same transaction for: "320 acres whereon James Bryant deceased formerly lived. Patent granted to Richard Braswell for 640 acres in Nov 1706, which patent being endorsed to James Bryant I in Mar 1708, and recorded in Chowan County... Being the same 300 acres of land given James Bryant II by his father James Bryant I deceased and also 100 acres I bought of John Dew, dated Jul 1730." The land was adjacent to William Bryant and John Dew (Deed Bk F-136). The patent of 1706 to Richard Braswell is not listed in Hofmann's book on early NC land patents and has apparently been lost.

Lewis W Griffin <lewgriffin@home.com>

  Noted events in his life were:

• Occupation: Shoemaker.

James married Elizabeth Bertie, daughter of Isaac Lefarre Leffew and Mandelaine Parantos, about 1682 in Isle Of Wight, Virginia.¹⁷ (Elizabeth Bertie was born about 1660 in Isle Of Wight, Virginia and died in 1698 in North Hampton County, North Carolina.)