S.R. Durand: "Alexander Bryan and his son, Richard, were great merchants in New England. They bought and sold lands in almost every town from New London to New York. They furnished goods to pay the Indians for nearly all the townships in this region. Their vessels traded not only in American ports, but in England, Holland, and Spain. Their bills passed in exchange in all ports of the country, and particularly in England. It is doubtful if there was another merchant, out of Boston on the American coast, who did as large a business as Alexander Bryan from 1639 to 1670. Richard Bryan married first Mary, daughter of William and Margaret Pantry. After her death, he married second on July 15, 1679 (Vital Statistics, Milford, CT) Mary, baptized May 21, 1648 (1st Congregational Society of New Haven), daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth (widow) Heaton Wilmot, granddaughter of Benjamin and Ann Wilmot of New Haven, Connecticut." (pp 5, Durand Geneaology) "Richard Bryan was born in Aylesbury, England, in 1632. He came to America with his father Alexander Bryan (see below), who settled first in New Haven, Connecticut, and in 1639 was a founder of Milford. Like his father, Richard Bryan became a great merchant in New England. On December 13, 1655, when Richard was 23, the town granted him "...leave to build another warehouse, thirty by eighteen feet, near his father's." On March 17, 1657, Charles Deal requested and received permission from the town to purchase Poquehaug or Milford Island (now Charles Island) from Richard Bryan, who had acquired the island from George Hubbard, to whom it had originally been allotted. In 1660, Richard Bryan and his father purchased of the Indians nearly all of "The Neck" in Milford for 25 pounds. He and his father became the wealthiest merchants in Connecticut; he owned lands in Milford, Stratford, Fairfield, New Haven, Providence, and in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, and a large estate in England. Richard was a soldier in King Philip's War in 1675. On November 13, 1684, he purchased Eaton's Neck, east of Oyster Bay in Huntington, Long Island; his sons Alexander, Ebenezer, and John removed and settled there. He owned several ships, which over the years he sent to trade in American and European ports. Richard Bryan was married first in 1649 to Mary Pantry, the daughter of William and Margaret Pantry, who had come from England to Cambridge in Massachusetts in 1634, before settling in Hartford, Connecticut. Richard and Mary (Pantry) Bryan had ten children between 1650 and 1671. Mary died in the 1670's. As recorded in the Vital Statistics of Milford, on July 15, 1679 Richard Bryan married Mercy Wilmot as his second wife. She had been born February 16, 1646, and was baptized May 21, 1648 in the First Congregational Society in New Haven. Richard and Mercy Bryan had three children: our ancestress Elizabeth Bryan, born April 19, 1680, and baptized April 25, 1680; Joseph, born January 15, 1682, who died young; and another boy named Joseph, baptized November 29, 1685. Mercy (Wilmot) Bryan apparently died shortly after 1685. On July 17, 1689, Richard Bryan was married for the third time, to Elizabeth (Powell) Hollingsworth, the widow of Richard Hollingsworth and daughter of Michael and Abigail Powell of Dedham, Massachusetts. A few weeks later, on August 6, 1689, an agreement was made between the third wife and Richard Bryan's "first children," regarding how his estate was to be distributed. Another agreement was made concerning the distribution of his estate between his "first children" and his youngest children, Elizabeth and Joseph Bryan. Richard Bryan apparently died soon after his third marriage. The court ordered that in the settlement of his estate, 50 pounds were to be paid for the education of his son Joseph, aged 5, and 20 pounds for the education of his daughter Elizabeth, who was 10 years old. They were also to receive their share of the estate divided between them and the first children when they arrived at legal age (the son at 21 and the daughter at 18). The court also included that "if the widow Elizabeth Bryan be with child, said child to have a share with the others in the estate." In the New Haven County Court Records, Volume 2, pages 560 and 568 inclusive, receipts from Elizabeth Bryan, widow of Richard, and from all the first children (who are named therein), and from John Durand for his wife Elizabeth (Bryan) Durand were recorded for their full shares of the estate of Richard Bryan, deceased. The dates of the receipts are from March 13, 1695, to December 4, 1700. The County Court Records for February, 1707 show that at that time Joseph Bryan, son of Richard, had come of age, and his guardian demanded that "the share of the estate due Joseph should be paid over to the latter."

 I corresponded with Bob Bryan of St. Helens, Oregon beginning in July of 1999.  He is descended from Richard, son of Richard Bryan and Mary Pantry.  His data was inherited from Maude Bryan, a first cousin of his paternal grandfather; she had evidence of eight children of Richard and Mary (Pantry) Bryan, as follows: Richard, Alexander, twins Mary and Hannah, Sarah, Samuel, John, and Abigail.  Of these, the only birthdate listed was of the youngest Richard Bryan.

Facts about this person:

Record Change August 23, 1999