The Bryant Line

My research into the older Bryant ancestors is not yet complete, but at this time starts with a Benjamin Bryant that was likely born about 1725 in Virginia. Benjamin Bryant was married to Elizabeth Ross and they had a son Benjamin.

Benjamin Bryant (1749-1835) married Nancy Gragg (1755-1838). Nancy Gragg’s family tree on both sides is very well recorded and dates to the very earliest days of Virginia’s settlement, and to Ireland and Scotland before then. Benjamin Bryant and Nancy Gragg had six children: Benjamin, William, Daniel B., Susannah, Nancy, and Peachy. Interestingly, Benjamin, William, and Nancy each later emigrated to France and died there.

Daniel B. Bryant (1775-1829) married Elizabeth Sibba Newell (1780-1870) and they had a son, James Darrell Bryant. Daniel B. Bryant and Elizabeth Sibba Newell moved from Virginia and raised their family in White Co., Illinois.

James Darrell Bryant (1797-1895) married first to Mary Polly Reagan (1796-1869) and they had seven children: Sibba, William, James Alexander, Charles S., Patsey E., Elbert, and John M.

James Darrell Bryant lived a full 98 years, and after Mary Polly Reagan died when he was 72 years of age, he married Elmira Fitch (1853-????), a young girl who had just been widowed and left with an infant from her first husband. James Darrell Bryant’s infant step-son was named William W. Beechum. James Darrell and Elmira went on to have two more children of their own, Polly A., and Henry. James Darrell Bryant spent his whole life in White Co., Illinois.

John M. Bryant (1839-1885) married first to Frances Ann Moore (1839-????) and they had six children:
· Andrew (????-????) married Anna Frances Henry and had six children: Myrtle, Mary Frances (Mamie), Clella, Sabine, Louisa, and Benny. Interestingly, in the 1910 US Census taken in Mississippi Co., Missouri, Anna Frances Henry names herself as head of household and omits Benny and Mary Frances from the list of household members. Robert Henderson Gunter and Anna May Bryant are also listed in near-sequential order on the census, along with their five Missouri-born children.
· Charlie died in childhood
· Jeanette (????-????) married Cal Dillow (????-????) and they had several children: Ada, Lillie, and others
· Julia (????-????) married a Todd, and later a Purdue. Several children are believed to have been born.
· Matilda, or “Tillie” (1862-1947) married Edward Allen Cook (1858-1916), then moved to Coalgate, Oklahoma and had five, and possibly six children: Arvilla, Fred Warren, Houston Albert, Alida Lee, Walter Pleasant, and Elza McCurdy
· Sherman Maclin (1872-????) married Mary Marguerite Henry (1871-????) and they had eight children: Claude, Ernest, Hester, Inez, Leroy, Ralph Jewel, Robert Franklin, and John Everett. Ralph Jewel Bryant married Verna Marie Chamness and they had seven children: Mary Bernice, Anna Agnes, Nina Joyce., Ralph L., Wendell Ernest, Bennie, and Inez.

When Frances Ann Moore died, John M. Bryant remarried to Ura S. Truex (1853-1897) and they had four more children. The Truex line of ancestors is very well recorded and traces its roots through the earliest days of the colonies, then into France and Holland. Ura S. Truex later married George Darnell and George Edwards, with whom she had two Edwards children.

--Elbert Dodson (1879-1960) married Luvada Roland (1886-1981) and had nine children: E.J., John Kenneth, Edra, Andrew Sherman., Leona A., Lillian M., Arvel Clifton, Mary, and James. After passing through Mississippi Co., Missouri for some years, then Greenfield, Poinsett Co., Arkansas, the family eventually settled in Osceola, Arkansas.
--John (1882-1963) married Pinkie McFarland. They later divorced and John married Zula Prince. They had one child, who died in childhood. John and Zula also resided in Osceola, Arkansas.
--Anna May (1884-1969) married Robert Henderson Gunter (1883-1967) when both their families were living in Mississipi County, Missouri, and the couple started their family there with the first five children being born in Missouri. Robert and Anna May had six children: Charlotte (Lottie), Vergil C., Herbert (Bill), John Wylie, Martha Belle, and Ralph Alexander (Ralph was born in Greenfield, Poinsett County, Arkansas). About 1916 the family moved from Missouri to Greenfield, Poinsett County, Arkansas. In the 1930s the five youngest children and their parents moved to the Brushy Lake community in Owen Township, Poinsett County, Arkansas.
--Robert Spaulding (1886-????) married Inzie O. McGee and had four children: Alta R., Basil R., Ivan, and Iva. Robert and Inzie made their home in Castor, Missouri and were recorded there in the 1910 US Census. Robert also registered for the WWI draft in 1917 from Castor, Stoddard Co., Missouri. The family’s whereabouts since that time are unknown.

This March 11, 1924 photo shows Anna May Bryant Gunter with her husband, Robert Henderson Gunter and their six children: back row, l-r: Herbert "Bill", Vergil, and Charlotte "Lottie". Front row, l-r: John Wylie, Martha, and Ralph. The photo was likely taken at the Gunter family's original homestead near Greenfield, Arkansas.

This photo of the Robert Henderson and Anna May (Bryant) Gunter family was taken at the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary. Back row, l-r: John Wylie, Herbert "Bill", Ralph, and Vergil. Front row, l-r: Martha, Robert H. and Anna Gunter, and Charlotte "Lottie."

This undated Christmas photo shows Anna and Robert at their Brushy Lake home. Granddaughter Nedine Wilkins is believed to have taken the photo.

The Henry Line

Mary Ann McClain’s second marriage was to Patrick Henry (1831-1880) and they had five additional children: Gus, Robert, Instavay, Mary Marguerite, and Anna Frances. Patrick Henry’s parents were Robert Henry (1805-1860) and Elizabeth Parshall (1813-1860), and they raised Patrick in Cocke Co., Tennessee. Robert Henry’s parents were Robert (1761-1840) and Lucy (1772-1840) Henry. Robert and Lucy were each born in Virginia, but lived as adults in Cocke Co., Tennessee. The elder Robert Henry’s parents were James and Elizabeth Henry, origins of which are unknown.

--Gus married Alice Hines and they had James, Cecile, Ulis, and Gladys
--Robert (1866-????) married Kate Miller, and they had Eugene, William (Bill), and Essel
--Instavay (1868-????) may have died early
--Mary Marguerite (1871-????) married Sherman Maclin Bryant (1872-????), and they had Claude, Ralph, John, Leroy, Ernest, Hester, Inez, and Robert
--Anna Frances (1873-????) married Andrew Bryant and they had Bennie, Clella, Mary Frances (Mamie), Myrtle, and Sabine.

Note: Sherman Maclin Bryant and Andrew Bryant were brothers and married the Henry sisters, Mary Marguerite and Anna Frances.

The McClain Line

The earliest known records for the McClain line are for David and Martha McClain, husband and wife, and each was born in Kentucky in 1803. The couple settled in Jennings, Indiana and had four children: James, Mary Ann, John, and Louisa.

--James McClain (1830-????) married Elizabeth _____ and they had six children: Alice, Ida, John, Levi, Marion, and Victoria.
--Mary Ann McClain (1832-????) married first to Lorenzo Moreland, then to Patrick Henry. Please refer to the Moreland and Henry Lines found on this website for more information on Mary Ann’s children.
--John McClain (1834-192?) married Lucinda ____ (1838-????) of Ohio. They moved to Knoxville Twp, Marion County, Iowa and raised sons Richard and William J. and daughters Mettie, Mary E., and Adie.
--Louisa McClain (1843-192?) could have married Aaron Mason Cutshall, moved to Colorado, and had several children, but this needs clarification.

Martha McClain, wife of David, passed away in the 1850s and David then remarried about 1859 to a Pennsylvania-born widow with several young children, Permelia Saunders Murphin (1815-1886). Permelia’s parents were Jeduthan (1780-1832) and Pheobe Saunders (1781-1870) of New Jersey. Permelia’s first husband was John Murphin (1802-1858), an immigrant from Liverpool, England. David McClain and Permelia Saunders McClain are not known to have had additional children together, but did raise several fathered by the deceased John Murphin.

The Moreland Line

The Moreland line begins with a James Bazil Moreland who was likely born about 1735 in either Virginia or North Carolina. His wife’s name is not known, but James Bazil Moreland raised seven children while living in Rowan, North Carolina: Hazel, Sarah, Sally, James, George, Evan, and Bazil.

His son Hazel (1760-1826) married Hannah Willis (1767-1861), daughter of Thomas Willis (1734-1794), of Burlington County, New Jersey, and Ann (1736-1790) Willis. Hannah and her parents also lived in Rowan, North Carolina. Hazel Moreland and Hannah Willis had eight children: Melinda, Nancy, Hazel, Vincent, Willis, James, Gardner, and Rachael. The son James Moreland (1798-1822) married (wife unknown), moved to Gallatin Co., Illinois, and had a son, Lorenzo Moreland.

Lorenzo Moreland (1815-1864) married Mary Ann McClain (1832-????), originally of Jennings, Indiana, and started a family in Phillips Co., Arkansas (Helena area, on the Mississippi River) before returning to Illinois. Lorenzo Moreland stated carpentry as his profession in the 1850 US Census in Phillips County, Arkansas. Lorenzo Moreland and Mary Ann McClain had Caroline, Willis, Mary E., and Martha E., (all born in Arkansas) and James A., Sarah W., Robert F., Sally, and Mahala (all born in Illinois).

The Lorenzo Moreland and Mary Ann McClain children in more detail:
· Caroline (1847-????)
· Willis (1848-????)
· Mary E. (1849-????)
· Martha (1852-1918) Married first briefly to ____ Johnson, then to Wylie Gunter and had a son, Robert Henderson Gunter. Martha later married Aaron “Bud” Brazier and had a daughter, Janet, who died young. More information on the decendents of Robert Henderson Gunter may be found in the Gunter Line posting on this website.
· James Alexander (1855-1931) married Isabelle Stanley (1857-1890) and had five children: James Amos (b. 1877), Lucy Josephine (1881-1960), Mary (b. 1878), Annie Robinson (1883-1976), and Laura (1888-1978)
· Sarah West (1857-????) married Alfred Graff
· Robert (1859-????)
· Sally (1860-????) married John Cutrell and they had a daughter Flora. John passed away and Sally remarried to George Williams
· Mahala (1862-1940) married James H. Rose (1859-1912) and they had six children: Mary A., Jermair, Clarance, Sola, James, and Maude

The Sparrow Line

Capt. Edward Sparrow
1718-1746

Sparrow originated as a surname from the nickname applied to some person because of a trait of character or disposition. The name is often found in the old registers which show many quaint spellings and variations. In 1273 John Sparuwe was in County Oxford, Laurence Sparwe in County Cambridge, and Hugh Sparewe in the same locality. In 1379 we more nearly approach the modern spelling when we find Rogerus Sparowe and Adam Sparowe in County York. In 1529-30 Robert Sparrow was granted a license to wed in London. (See Bardsley Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames. Also Americana 1933, page 357).

Through the line of Sparrow as traced hereafter, the families of this record have a connection with that courageous, God fearing band of Pilgrims (originally known as Separatists) whose names surround the story of the passage and landing of the gallant little Mayflower. A line of honor in its own right, the relationship that thus follows is one lending additional distinction to a proud family history. (Americana 1928, page 111, also page 113.)

Arms – Argent, three roses gules (the color red on a coat of arms), a chief of the last
Crest – A yew tree proper

Edward Sparrow (1), first of the name in New England, was born at Ipswich, England a descendent of Robert. Edward was a seaman and made voyages between England and the American colonies. He was a Captain and was lost at sea. (SE Mass Vol 2, Page 1068). [Note: The above information on Edward (1) was collected about 1970 by a dedicated amateur genealogist, but does differ from several accounts available today on the Internet.]

Edward (1) Sparrow and Jerusha Bradford, both of Plymouth, were married at Plymouth, Mass. on April 16, 1741. She was born December 20, 1722 in Kingston, Mass., the daughter of William and Elizabeth Finney Bradford.

Edward (1) Sparrow and wife Jerusha Bradford Sparrow had one child, Edward, who was born April 2, 1746 in Wareham, Mass. He will be referred to as Edward (2).

Edward (1) and his wife, Jerusha, were living in Plymouth, Mass. in 1744 as they sold the following to Mrs. Elizabeth Bradford, Jerusha’s widowed mother, and the deed was dated June 20, 1744—

“sold Northerly front lowe room in ye dwelling house where I now dwell in Plymouth together with the chamber over said room and the bed chamber as now partitioned off adjoining to ye South East end of said chamber, also the garrett cover over the said chambers, and the entry and stairway at ye North end of said house and a privilege in ye cellar under the said house, and also a piece of land adjoining to ye northerly end of said house. Said land is 19 feet front and 26 feet deep and is bounded as followeth—Northerly by land belonging to ye heirs of John Watson Esq., deceased, Easterly by the Training Green, Southerly by the said house and Westerly by my own land.”

After Mrs. Elizabeth Bradford died her daughter, Sarah Bradford Holmes, a widow, administrator of her mother’s estate, sold to a William Bradford of said Plymouth, Cordwainer, the above described property which Mrs. Bradford bought of Edward (1) Bradford and Jerusha. This second transaction was dated August 21, 1779.

Edward (1) Sparrow was lost at sea apparently some time before December 27, 1746, as the Mayflower Descendent Book 18, Page 119 has the publishment of marriage of Jerusha Sparrow and Josiah Carver, Jr. dated December 27, 1746. They were married January 22, 1747 at Plymouth, Mass.

Jerusha Bradford Sparrow Carver died April 23, 1820 and is buried in Middleboro, Mass. Josiah Carver died April 5, 1799, aged 74 years, and is also buried in Middleboro, Mass. Jerusha was 98 years old when she died.

The house occupied by William R. Drew stands on land which was a part of the homestead lot of John Howland of the Mayflower. It afterwards passed into the hands of Edward Gray, who sold it in 1670 to Rev. John Cotton, who in turn sold it in 1680 to James Cole. It was afterwards owned by Ephraim Cole, the son of James, whose daughter Mary, the wife of Peleg Durfee, sold it in 1743 to Edward (1) Sparrow.

The administrators of Edward (1) Sparrow sold it in 1747 to Ezra Allen, who built the house now standing, and after his death it was sold by his heirs to the late Barnabas Hedge in 1785. This pedigree refers, however, only to the lot on which the house stands with the garden in the immediate rear. The westerly part of the lot covers a part of the homestead of John Howland, and a part of that of Stephen Hopkins. This part, after possession by Ephraim Cole, was sold by his daughter Mary in 1743 to James Hovey, who sold it in 1747 to Josiah Carver. Josiah Carver sold it in 1757 to Elias Trask, who sold it in 1763 to Samuel Lanman, by whom it was again sold to Ezra Allen, the owner of the other part and the grantor to Barnabas Hedge. Mr. Hedge enlarged the house by the addition of a third storey, and occupied it after his marriage until his death in 1840. In 1854 it passed into the possession of Zaben Olney and is now the property of its present occupant. (From Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth, Page 167—Davis).

Edward (2) Sparrow, who was called Colonel Edward later in life, married Rhoda Bump. She was born in Wareham, Mass. February 22, 1748. They were married February 7, 1765.

In the Revolutionary War Edward (2) was a Captain, and a Nathan Warren was one of the men who served as a Sergeant in Sparrow’s Company from July 23, 1777 to October 27, 1780.

Edward (2) also served in the Middleboro, Mass. Militia, 4th Regiment of Infantry as:
Major—from July 1, 1781 to July 17, 1787
Lt. Colonel—from July 17, 1787 to Oct 29, 1793
Colonel—from October 29, 1793 to April 1, 1796

Children of Col. Edward (2) and Rhoda:
1. Jerusha (3) born January 13, 1766. Married first to Joseph Lovell, secondly to Joseph Tinkham. Jerusha died August 6, 1843 at the age of 78.
2. Edward (3) born January 10, 1768. Married Bethsheba Peter (or Porter). Both Edward and Bethsheba died at Middleboro, Mass. She died March 27, 1853, age 79, and he died November 18, 1853, age 85. They had two still born babies, both sons. One died April 1799, and one died December 7, 1804. A son, Edward H. (4).
Edward H. (4) married Cordelia Bartlett. A daughter Cordelia died April 20, 1847, aged 2. Edward H. (4) died January 13, 1861, aged 48.
3. Philip (3) born April 9, 1770. Married Deborah _____. They had a daughter, Philura, who died in Vermont. Philip died February 1827, aged 57, in Harmony, Ohio. Deborah died in Vermont.
4. Susannah (3) born January 19, 1772.
5. Josiah (3) born March 21, 1775. He married three times, first to Minerva Miller.

Josiah and Minerva had a daughter, Rhoda, who married Newton Southworth. Newton and Rhoda had a daughter Sophia who married Joseph Kirtland, and they had a daughter Mary who was born in Belle Plain, Minn. Minerva died August 15, 1839, aged 60.

Josiah’s second wife was Abigail, widow of John Hayward. She died January 22, 1847, aged 64, and is buried in a grave on a hill.

Josiah’s third wife was Alice Cushman. Josiah is known to have lived in Rochester, NY at one time. He had a son, Josiah, Jr. who married a Priscilla Ellis.

Josiah (3) died June 25, 1851 in Middleboro, Mass., aged 76.
6. Elizabeth (3) born March 15, 1778 in Middleboro, Mass. and was married in Middleboro.
7. Rhoda (3) born November 21, 1780 in Middleboro, Mass.
8. William (3) born October 9, 1783 in Middleboro, Mass. The line continues with William (3).
9. Polly (3) born July 1, 1786 in Middleboro, Mass.
10. James (3) born July 6, 1789 in Middleboro, Mass.
11. Bradford (3) born April 13, 1793 in Middleboro, Mass. Bradford (3) married twice:
1st to ______ Tinkham
2nd to ______ Miller
Bradford (3) died February 19, 1874, age 80, in Colchester, Conn.

We will follow through on William (3) Sparrow, son of Edward (2) and Rhoda Bump Sparrow.

William (3) married Sarah Washburn (see the Washburn Line) June 5, 1811 in Hartford, Maine.

“Hartford Town Records: Oxford, ss. I hereby certify that the Institution of marriage was solemnized between William Sparrow and Sally (Washburn) Sparrow, both of Harford, in said County, at the dwelling house of Mr. Ebenezer Washburn in said Hartford on the 5th day of June, A.D. 1811, by me, Isaac Sturtevant, Justice of the Peace.”

Sarah (aka “Sally”) was born July 5, 1791 in Kingston, Mass., a daughter of Ebenezer and Lucy (Chase) Washburn.

Children of William (3) and Sarah (Washburn) Sparrow, all born in Hartford, Maine:
1. William (4) born January 7, 1812. Died August 27, 1814 at Hartford, Maine, aged 2.
2. Rhoda (4) born August 17, 1813. She married in Hartford, Maine on November 28, 1831 to Thomas Thorn, Jr. of Canton, Maine. They had a son, George Emerson, born August 19, 1833, who married Mary Thomas, born in Hartford, Maine March 16, 1838. Also a second son, William S. Thorn.
3. Jehiel (4) born November 1, 1815. Died April 17, 1827 at Hartford, Maine.
4. Clarinda (4) born February 20, 1819. Married March 10, 1850 at Hartford, Maine to Jacob Pratt of Yarmouth.
5. Christiana (4) born February 11, 1821. Died February 17, 1839 in Hartford, Maine, aged 18.
6. William Bradford (4) born September 13, 1826. Married May 23, 1852 in Hartford, Maine. (The line will be carried from this William (4)).
7. Edward (4) born October 24, 1830. Married in Plympton, Mass. to Adelia Miller, daughter of Alden and Fanny Miller. Died November 21, 1858, aged 20 years, 11 months.
William W., Jehiel, and Christiana Sparrow are buried at Sparrow Cemetary in Hartford, Maine.
The line continues with William Bradford (4) Sparrow, who married Lydia Jane Sampson. She was born April 10, 1827 and was educated in the schools of Hartford, Maine and Hebron Academy. Lydia Jane Sampson married May 23, 1852 to William Bradford Sparrow. He attended schools of Hartford, Maine.

Children of William Bradford (4) Sparrow and Lydia Jane (Sampson) Sparrow:
1. Emerson Bradford (5) born September 17, 1853 in Hartford, Maine. Died May 5, 1875 age 22.
2. Adaline Wood (5) born June 22, 1856 in Hartford, Maine. Married Milton French of Turner, Maine on June 29, 1882. He was educated in Hartford schools and Hebron Academy. Milton was an engineer with the Turner, Maine dairying association and was a son of Horace and Zoa (Turner) French. Their three daughters are: Zoe Gertrude, Maude Belle, and Grace Wilmar.
3. Alice Gertrude (5) born September 29, 1862 in Hartford, Maine. Alice attended Hartford schools and married Fred Myrick Nevens of New Gloucester, Maine, son of Alfred I. Nevens, and Sarah Webb Nevens. Fred was a farmer. They had one child, William, who was born and died on September 19, 1899.
4. George Edward (5) born March 29, 1865 at Hartford, Maine. George Edward attended Hartford schools and Hebron Academy and married Mabel Bailey of Bridgton, Maine. (the line is carried forward from this George Edward (5))

After the death of William Bradford Sparrow, wife Jerusha sold their farm in Hartford, Maine and bought another farm in New Gloucester, Maine. George Edward (5) married Mabel Bailey, daughter of Alonzo and Martha (Burnham) Bailey.

Children of George Edward (5) and Mabel (Bailey) Sparrow:
1. Emma Louise (6) born April 14, 1887 at New Gloucester, Maine. Emma married Horace Huntington of Gardiner, Maine and had two sons, George and Keith.
2. Gertrude Eva (6) born August 18, 1890 at New Gloucester, Maine. Gertrude married John Troop of Pittston, Maine and had seven children: Donald, Phyllis, Verna, Harold, Joan, Mabel, and John, Jr.
3. Elsie Mae (6) born September 8, 1892 at New Gloucester, Maine. Elsie died at age 10 of acute appendicitis and is buried in the New Gloucester Cemetery.
4. Alice Mabel (6) born May 5, 1895 at New Gloucester, Maine. Alice married Charles Leavitt of Randolph, Maine and had five children: Richard, Charles, Patricia, Robert, and Dorothy.
5. William Emerson (6) born February 13, 1897 at New Gloucester, Maine. William married Mina Webber of Pittston, Maine and had one child, son William Bradford.
6. Mildred Adaline (6) born January 28, 1899 at New Gloucester, Maine. Mildred married Alexander Litsis in Washington, D.C. and had three children: Leon, David, and Mary.
7. Frank Leslie (6) born may 19, 1901 at New Gloucester, Maine. Frank Leslie never married.
8. George Augustus (6) born September 18, 1902 at New Gloucester, Maine. George married Alice Clough of Pittston, Maine and had one child, daughter Ruth.

The George Edward and Mabel Sparrow family moved from New Gloucester to Pittston, Maine about 1903. George had purchased a farm on the North Whitefield Road (now Route 126) in North Pittston, Maine. A large herd of dairy cows were driven down the highways to their new home, taking a very long summer’s day to complete.

9. Theodore Roosevelt (6) born July 16, 1905 in Pittston, Maine. Ted married Marion Marley of Smyrna, Maine and had two children: Theodore, Jr. and Priscilla. (The line is carried forward from this Theodore Roosevelt (6)).
10. Hazel Easter (6) born April 11, 1909 in Pittston, Maine. Hazel married J. Weldon Russell of Millinocket, Maine and had two daughters: Carol and Constance.

George Edward (5) operated a large dairy for several decades and delivered fresh milk to customers in Pittston and Randolph. The farm also owned a heavy truck in the 1920s and 1930s which was used to haul gravel for the city of Gardiner. George Edward was a State Representative to the Maine Legislature from Pittston during the 1923-24 session. George Edward and Mabel Sparrow were active Grange members and were active in community affairs.

George Edward Sparrow died April 27, 1949. Mabel (Bailey) Sparrow died May 16, 1942. Both are buried at Putnam Cemetery on Route 126 in Pittston, Maine.

The line continues with Theodore Roosevelt Sparrow (6). Theodore Roosevelt Sparrow married Marion Lillian Marley on November 30, 1931 in Houlton, Maine. They had two children: Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. (7) was born June 7, 1932, and daughter Priscilla Ann was born March 19, 1935.

Marion was a new elementary school teacher from the Smyrna, Maine area and had arranged for room and board with Theodore’s oldest sister, Emma, and her husband when she was assigned to teach at a small school in the Pittston area. Marion enjoyed a 37-year career as a teacher at area Pittston and Gardiner schools, not counting a seven year hiatus to rear her two children. Theodore helped his father on the dairy farm and sawmill, worked at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, and operated an automotive garage. Theodore was especially fond of woodworking and built many lamps, mirrors, games, bowls, serving trays, and “lazy Susans” over the years.

Theodore Roosevelt Sparrow, Jr. (7) graduated from Gardiner High School in 1950 and attended University of Maine, Orono campus for two years before transferring to the University of Hawaii on scholarship. Following graduation from the University of Hawaii he had a twenty-year career with an agribusiness corporation in Hawaii, during which time he married Genevieve Brown of Randolph, Maine and raised four children: Ronald, Lani, Thomas, and Jani. Theodore Roosevelt Sparrow (7) married Genevieve Brown in January 1953 in Hawaii.

Priscilla Ann Sparrow graduated from Gardiner schools and attended Tufts University in Boston, attaining a certificate in dental hygiene. Priscilla worked as a hygienist in Auburn and Lewiston for a few years before meeting Jack Henderson Gunter, of Fisher, Arkansas, during the summer of 1958 at Old Orchard Beach. Jack was serving in the Air Force at the time and was stationed at Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine from 1955-58. Priscilla Ann Sparrow married Jack Henderson Gunter in Gardiner on February 14, 1959. The couple moved to a rural area east of Fisher, Arkansas and raised four children on a rice farm: Jill Ann, John Robert, Joy Alicia, and Jay Russell.

The Gunter Line

The Gunter line begins with John Gunter (1830-1863), recorded as having been born in North Carolina. John Gunter’s mother was named Esther (1809-18??), also born in North Carolina. John married Elzira (1828-18??) (surname unknown, but possibly Henderson?), of Tennessee as he and his parents made their way through Tennessee and Kentucky, settling initially in Pope County in rural southeastern Illinois. Written records remain elusive as to the identity of John’s father, Esther’s husband.

[My theory--which is only the author's theory--is that a Wiley Gunter (1774-1837) of Jones and/or New Hanover County, NC is John Gunter's grandfather. The ancestry of this Wiley Gunter is very well recorded back to 11th century England and continues into northwestern Normanic France in the Middle Ages.

Wiley Gunter married Rezin Simmons (1772-1800) of Jones County, NC in January 1800. Most records for Rezin Simmons state she passed away in December 1800 at age 28. Perhaps Rezin passed away during childbirth?

If a male child was born of Wiley and Rezin who grew up and married an Esther ____, then there is a chance Rezin was John Gunter's paternal grandmother.]

The 1860 US Census taken at Township 10, Range 4, Williamson Co., Illinois shows the following:
John Gunter, 30 (head of household); Elzira, 32 (wife); Esther, 50 (John’s mother). John and Elzira had five children: James (b. 1848), John (b. 1851), Eliza (b. 1853), George (b. 1855), and Wylie (b. 1859).

Eliza Gunter eventually married Ushell (or Hershell) D. Cutrell and raised her family in Illinois. James Gunter had a wife named Deborah and two daughters, Emily J. and Mary, and farmed near Shawneetown, Illinois in the 1870s. No verifiable records are known for John or George. Due to the total absence of records it is plausible that George may have died in adolescence.

Wylie Gunter was raised in Williamson Co., Illinois and married Martha Moreland (1852-1918) about 1879. This is reported to have been Martha’s second marriage, following a brief marriage to a man named Johnson. Martha Moreland was born in Phillips Co., Arkansas, but moved to Illinois with her family as a child. Wylie Gunter and Martha Moreland had one child, Robert Henderson Gunter, born Jan 11, 1883 in Shawneetown, Illinois.

Wylie is believed to have died fairly early in adulthood, probably in his thirties, after which time Martha married a third time to Aaron Stout “Bud” Brazier (1859-1936). Interestingly, Aaron Brazier and his first wife, Sarah (1862-188?), while living in Illinois, were close neighbors of Wylie and Martha Gunter and even entered their 1880 US Census records sequentially. Apparently, when each couple lost a spouse near the same time the surviving spouses married each other. Aaron and Martha Brazier had one child, Janet, who died in childhood.

Whether it was a sign of the times, or a purposefully cultivated multi-generational family association, the Gunter and Bryant families appear to have lived parallel lives in the 1800s and early 1900s. Aaron and Martha Brazier and her son from Wylie, Robert Henderson Gunter, moved from Illinois to Mississippi Co., Missouri in the late 1890s, together with several members of the Bryant family. The 1900 US Census taken in Mississippi County, Missouri shows Aaron and Martha Brazier in the same household with Robert Henderson Gunter, apparently just months before his marriage to Anna May Bryant, whom he must have known since childhood.

Robert Henderson Gunter (1883-1967) married Anna May Bryant (1884-1969), a daughter of John M. Bryant (1835-1885) and Ura S. Truex (1853-1897), about 1900 and started a family. Robert and Anna May continued to live in Mississippi Co., Missouri for several years and their first five children were born in Missouri. They then moved to Greenfield, Poinsett County, Arkansas in 1916, along with Anna’s brothers and other family and friends. Aaron and Martha Moreland Gunter Brazier also made the move to Greenfield and were buried in the Houston Cemetery east of Old Military Road north of the Greenfield community north of Harrisburg.

Robert Henderson Gunter and Anna May Bryant had six children:
1. Charlotte Elizabeth (1903-1976) “Lottie” married Louie Jackson Scott and they had Iva Belle, Louie Joseph, Margrette, and Robert D.
2. Vergil C. (1907-196?) Vergil married Elvia Jean Blalock and they had Donald Ray, Bobby (died young), Eddie Joe, Shirley Joann, and Vergie Sybil
3. Herbert A. (Bill) (1910-1957) Bill married Laverta Blalock and they had Billie and Michael
4. John Wylie (1912-1976) John Wylie married Gladys Olive Wixson and they had Sylvia Jean, Jack Henderson, Martha Nedine, and Wylene Ann
5. Martha Belle (1915-living) Martha married Ned Darter and they had no children
6. Ralph Alexander (1917-1996) Ralph married Mary Faye Imboden and they had no children

This photo is dated March 1924 and was probably taken at the Robert and Anna Gunter homestead near Greenfield, Arkansas. All six children are present: back row, l-r: Vergil, Herbert (Bill), and Charlotte (Lottie); front row, l-r: Wylie, Martha, and Ralph.

This photo was taken at Robert H. and Anna Gunter's 50th wedding anniversary celebration at the Fisher United Methodist Church, which had just been completed. Back row: Sons Wylie, Bill, Ralph, and Vergil; front row: daughter Martha, Robert H. and Anna Gunter, and daughter Lottie.

This 1955 Christmas photo of R.H. and Anna Gunter was taken by daughter Martha in their living room at their Brushy Lake community home.

Note: An interesting fact is that the Gunter brothers, Vergil and Bill, married Blalock sisters, Elvia and Laverta.

About 1930 Robert and Anna May Gunter moved their family from the Greenfield community to the Brushy Lake community in Owen Township, Poinsett Co., Arkansas. Robert was a noted fisherman and their four sons initially established a joint farming enterprise. This was later divided into two farms, one comprised of Vergil and Wylie, and the other with Bill and Ralph. Vergil and Wylie eventually farmed independently, as did Ralph after Bill’s death in 1957.

This photo was taken in the late 1960s of the remaining four Gunter children and their spouses. From left: Wylie and Gladys Gunter, Ralph and Mary Faye Gunter, Ned and Martha Darter, and Louie "Shorty" and Charlotte "Lottie" Scott.

The caption tells the story, although the editor made one error: the infant is Tommy's daughter, Chris--not a son.

These three photos were taken in May 1947 of John Wylie Gunter operating his new D4 Caterpillar dozer on his farm east of Brushy Lake community. The author believes this is the field now situated along highway 214 and adjacent to Priscilla Lane.

John Wylie Gunter and Gladys Olive Wixson's only son, Jack Henderson Gunter (1934-2003), married Priscilla Ann Sparrow (1935-living), of Pittston, Maine on February 14th, 1959. Jack Henderson Gunter had enlisted in the Air Force and following basic training in San Antonio was stationed at Loring Air Force Base at Limestone, Maine for the duration of his service. Jack worked initially as a route draftsman before becoming a surgical assistant at the base hospital. Jack and Priscilla settled in Owen Township, Poinsett County, Arkansas and raised four children on their rice farm: Jill Ann, John Robert, Joy Alicia, and Jay Russell.