Braiden, Bryant Family History (Chicago, 1913), pp. 227-229

Transcription and notes

Source identification

Foreword — author's methodology (verbatim, PDF p.12-13 = book p.v-vi, abridged for relevance)

"FOREWORD. … The history of this family discloses a long line of patriots, and many pioneers worthy of permanent record. The history of the first four generations is as complete as it could be made by a diligent research of the records in the Congressional Library of Washington and the public libraries of Chicago, of Boston, New York, and other cities. Much data of the early Bryants was obtained from records of the Holland Society of New York, and from tombstone inscriptions at Springfield, N. J., Connecticut Farms, N. J., Westfield, N. J., Mt. Freedom, N. J.; from church records of early New York City and New Jersey; from histories of Bergen, Morris, Hudson and Essex counties, N. J., and from marriage records of Essex county. Modern records have been obtained from family bibles and other family records. … We trust that some interested descendant may carry on the work. All persons having further data on the ancestors or descendants of David Bryant or his wife are requested to send a copy of the same to the undersigned for preservation. … However, traditions have not been used in the book except where so stated or verified by records. … (Mrs.) CLARA VAILE BRAIDEN, ROCHELLE, ILLINOIS. June, 1913"

The foreword establishes (a) the compiler's primary-source-discipline (b) church + tombstone + courthouse-records orientation (c) explicit reliance on contributor-supplied family Bible / family records for "modern" data — which is exactly what the Rachel × James Stout entry on pp. 228-229 represents (contributor = Warren B. Stout of South Orange NJ).

Structural context — where pp. 227-229 sit in the book

These pages are NOT part of David Bryant's main lineage chapters. They sit within a "NEW JERSEY BRYANTS" appendix-style section gathering unconnected/peripheral Bryant entries from NJ records. The running page header on p.228 reads "BRYANT GENEALOGY" (a generic running title), and on p.229 transitions to "VAN WINKLE ANCESTRY" (the start of a new chapter on a Bryant-Van Winkle marriage's wife-line). The Rachel × James Stout entry is one of several discrete contributor-supplied Bryant-family vignettes in this appendix, NOT a daughter-of-David integration into the main lineage.

Verbatim — book p.227 (PDF p.362) — end of preceding section + start of marriage list

(running header: NEW JERSEY BRYANTS | page 227 upper-right)

End of preceding "Tuttles, Morris County, Annals" section (bottom of an earlier table)

Adeline, m. Jos. Ballentine. Letitia, m. Alva Day. Helen, m. …… Wood; went to Oakland, Calif.

TUTTLES, MORRIS COUNTY, ANNALS (= subsection)

Mrs. Rachel Briant (1797-1807) d. Feb. 6, 1858; was member, one of 35, of Presbyterian Ch., Rockaway, N. J.

(NOTE: this is a different Rachel Briant — born 1797 or with church-membership tenure 1797-1807 — not the Rachel Bryant b. 1758 m. James Stout on pp. 228-229. Disambiguation needed.)

BRIANT–BRYANT MARRIAGES (subsection)

ESSEX COUNTY, N. J., MARRIAGE RECORDS. COURT HOUSE, NEWARK

Rev. Peter Bryant — Eliza Stites, both of Elizabeth*own, July 2, 1795. Sarah Bryant — Joseph Halsey, 3rd, Feb. 4, 1796. Betsy Briant — Stephen Townley, Jan. (or Feb.), 1806. Sarah Bryant — Uzal Crane, Aug. 3, 1806. John Briant — Betsy Parson, May 2, 1806. Aaron Briant — Betsy Sears, Jan. 5, 1807. John Searin — Betsy Briant, Feb. 16, 1807. Hannah Briant — John Parkhurst, Jan. (or Feb.), 1815. Elizabeth Briant — Darling Beach (both of Newark), Mar. 15, 1814. John Briant — Peggy Wade, Mar. 12, 1816. Thos. Briant — Mary F. Ross, July 28, 1816. (Rev. Thos. Pierson, Westfield) Gideon S. Briant of Chatham to Mary Garthwait of Connecticut Farms, N. J., Mar. 13, 1810. Isaac H. Briant of Newark, to Mary Smith of Connecticut Farms, June 3, 1818. Mary A. Briant of Springfield to Jonathan Cory of Westfield, Jan. 30, 1821. Jane Briant of Springfield to Amos Keeler of New York, Nov. 23, 1822. Betsy Bryant to Jerry Woodruff, Westfield, Jan. 20, 1822. John Briant to Clarissa Tucker, New Providence, N. J., Oct. 3, 1824. Mary Briant of Springfield to Apollos Stites of New Brunswick, N. J., Jan. 29, 1825. Mary Briant of Springfield to David Kissam of Springfield, Dec. 18, 1825.

Verbatim — book p.228 (PDF p.363) — continuation of marriages + William Bryant Sr. will + Rachel × James Stout entry

(running header: BRYANT GENEALOGY | page 228 upper-left)

BRIANT–BRYANT MARRIAGES (continued from p.227)

Mrs. Polly Briant of Westfield to Ithamar Bonnel of Springfield, June 4, 1825. Hannah S. Briant to John H. Baker, both of Springfield, Nov. 13, 1826. Samuel Briant to Sarah Marsh, both of Westfield, Apr. 20, 1828. Nancy D. Briant to Ephriam D. Cramer, both of Randolph Twp., Morris Co., N. J., Feb. 12, 1834.

(2026-05-20 transcription corrections vs prior PNG-based version: "Bissel" → Bonnel; "Ephraim D. Crumer" → Ephriam D. Cramer.)

William Bryant Sr. of Hopewell — will summary (Apr. 7, 1786)

The will of William Bryant, Sr., Hopewell, Hunterdon Co., N. J., includes the following names: – Son William. – Son Benjamin. – Son John. – Daughter Sarah. – Daughter Rebecca. – Daughter May, – Daughter Ann, unmarried at this date. – Daughter Elizabeth. – Grandson William Forster. – Grandson Ralph Hunt, the son of my dau. Elizabeth. – Granddaughter Mary, dau. of my son John. – Granddaughter Charity, dau. of my dau. Elizabeth. April 7, 1786. Three Sons, Executors.

(2026-05-20 transcription correction vs prior PNG-based version: the brace groups May + Ann + Elizabeth all as "unmarried at this date" — not just Ann.)

Rachel Bryant × James Stout entry (THE KEY ENTRY — opens on p.228, continues on p.229)

RACHEL BRYANT b. Aug. 15, 1758; m. Mar. 1, 1783, JAMES STOUT, lived at Chester, Morris Co., N. J.; died after 1815 (date uncertain—data concerning her and ancestry desired).

Children: – Mary, b. Sept. 28, 1783; d. Feb. 8, 1856; m. Robert Woodruff. – Thomas Bryant, Sr., b. Oct. 14, 1785; d. July 14, 1861; m. Deborah Terry. – Hannah, b. Sept. 18, 1787; d. 1828 or 1829; m. Luther Norris. – Eliza, b. Sept. 29, 1789; d. July 11, 1864; m. JOHN COOPER. – Sarah, b. Dec. 5, 1791. – Charles T., b. Mar. 1, 1793; d. Aug. 17, 1849; m. Margaret McCord. – John, b. Jan. 26, 1795.

(2026-05-20 transcription corrections vs prior PNG-based version: Mary's death year "1858" → 1856; "Thomas Briant Sr." → Thomas Bryant Sr.; Sarah's birth "Sept. 5, 1791" → Dec. 5, 1791 [verified from zoom-scale-3 re-read of the PDF].)

Verbatim — book p.229 (PDF p.364) — CONTINUATION of Rachel × James Stout entry + contributor attribution + further William Bryant Sr. context

(running header: VAN WINKLE ANCESTRY | page 229 upper-right — but the first ~half of the page completes the preceding p.228 content before the new chapter starts)

Rachel × James Stout — 3 MORE CHILDREN (missed in original PNG-capture)

James, b. Feb. 2, 1796. Rachel, b. Dec. 20, 1798; d. ……; m. Nicholas Quimby. Jane, b. Feb. 1, 1801; d. Aug. 29, 1852; m. Jacob Emmons.

Contributor attribution + Rachel-parentage caveat (CRITICAL — book ITSELF flags Rachel's parents as unknown)

Warren Bryant Stout's ancestor is Thomas Bryant, Sr. Data of the above parentage of Rachel wanted. A dau. of Charles T. Stout, m. Geo. J. Warren Keifer, Springfield, Ohio, who was speaker of the house for many years. Still a member of Congress.

The above contributed by Warren B. Stout, South Orange, N. J.

This explicit caveat invalidates any inference that the William Bryant Sr. of Hopewell will (p.228) is the source of Rachel's Bryant lineage. The Bryant Genealogy itself reports that Rachel's Bryant parentage was unknown to the 1913 compiler and to her descendant-contributor Warren B. Stout.

William Bryant, Sr. — additional document references (after the will summary on p.228)

William Bryant, Sr. Hopewell, N. J. Feb. 10, 1742. Wife Sarah. Son Voluntino. Son William. Daughters, Sarah, Ann, Elizabeth, Allies (Alice?). Above daughters must have been married at this date, for next mentioned is given as Mary, single. William Bryant. Dec. 20, 1732. Daughter Joyce Terrill. Granddaughter Johannah Terrill. Granddaughter Hilyard Terrill.

(NOTE: this section gives deed or other-document references for William Bryant Sr. of Hopewell from 1742 and 1732 — predating his 1786 will. The 1742 document shows him still active, with daughters Sarah/Ann/Elizabeth presumed married by then, plus another daughter Mary still single. The 1732 reference names a different William Bryant with a daughter Joyce Terrill — possibly the elder William Bryant Sr.'s father.)

Page p.229 lower half — start of new chapter

THE WALING–VAN WINKLE ANCESTRY The coat of arms of Pier Walichs appears on a document dated July 8, 1455, the original copy being on file in the manuscript division of the Konenklijke Bibliotheek at The Hague, a copy being in the Raabhuis at Winkel. Arms: Or of gold, a chevron of red, accompanied with three leaves of holly sinister, with stems downward. …

(Not catalog-relevant; just demarcates the end of the Rachel × James Stout entry section.)

Significance for p.107

This published Bryant genealogy primary-source-identifies p.107's full parentage + vitals + 9 siblings:

Catalog corrections triggered:

• p.107 file canonical first name = Elizabeth (per Find A Grave + Bryant "Eliza" = nickname for Elizabeth) — rename + content overhaul still pending
• p.107 birth-year = 1789, NOT the prior "~1780-1790" estimate
• p.107 family-of-origin = Chester Morris Co. NJ (NOT Hunterdon as D.275's search was filtered for; F.130 1858/59 Roxbury Stout family was circumstantial corroboration — same county neighborhood)
• Rachel Bryant's parentage = OPEN QUESTION per Bryant Genealogy itself; do NOT assume William Bryant Sr. of Hopewell as the answer just because his will appears adjacent on the page

Disambiguation — other John Coopers in the book (NOT our Eliza's husband)

The full PDF reveals two distinct John Coopers in Braiden's book:

1. Book p.228 — Eliza Stout × John Cooper (= our p.109 John J. Cooper b. 1790, Chester Morris Co. NJ)
2. Book p.47 (PDF p.75) — John Cooper b. 11 Feb 1832, m. Lucy M. Harris — child of a different Cooper family, sibling to Charles White Cooper / Caroline Cooper (m. Edward Gallatin Vaile) / Henrietta Barclay Cooper / James Munroe Cooper / Elizabeth Cooper (m. John Nelson Day). This is the author's own Vaile-line ancestry (Caroline Cooper m. Edward Gallatin Vaile = the author's parent or grandparent; Clara Vaile Braiden was raised in this Cooper-Vaile household). Not connected to our Eliza × John Cooper line.

If the Ancestry "U.S., Family History Books" indexer attached a child "Hattie Cooper Scott" to "Eliza" in the panel-view excerpted by the original PNG-based catalog entry, that child is almost certainly indexer-confusion from the other Cooper family — NOT a Bryant-book-attested child of our Eliza × John Cooper.

Open questions

1. ~~Locate the actual Bryant Genealogy book~~ CLOSED 2026-05-20: Braiden, Clara Vaile (Mrs.). Bryant Family History: Ancestry and Descendants of David Bryant (1756) of Springfield, N.J.; Washington Co., PA.; Knox Co., Ohio; and Wolf Lake, Noble Co., Ind. Privately printed, Chicago, Ill., 1913. Full 400-page PDF now on disk at (image held in the family archive). Allen County PL (Fort Wayne IN) copy, call number Oo 929.2 B4614b 80014.
2. Identify Rachel Bryant's parents — Bryant Genealogy itself explicitly flags this as unresolved ("Data of the above parentage of Rachel wanted"). Possibilities: (a) William Bryant Sr. of Hopewell will (1786) — Bryant book does NOT make this connection; would need an independent primary source; (b) another Bryant line entirely in Morris Co. or Hunterdon Co. NJ. Search strategies: (i) Hunterdon Co. deeds 1758-1783 for any Bryant fathering a Rachel; (ii) Morris Co. church records (Chester, Mendham, Roxbury Presbyterian) for Rachel Bryant b. 1758 baptism; (iii) Stout-Bryant marriage record 1 Mar 1783 in Morris/Hunterdon/Somerset Co. NJ; (iv) other published Bryant genealogies that might trace this specific Rachel.
3. Identify James Stout's parentage — Bryant Genealogy focuses on Bryant family; James Stout's own ancestry isn't in this source. Possibilities: connect to fam.X Stout family files; cross-reference with F.130 1858/59 Roxbury Joseph Stout family. The contributor Warren B. Stout of South Orange NJ (b. ~1855-1870 by inference) is a Stout descendant via Thomas Bryant Stout Sr. — his family records might preserve James Stout's parentage.
4. Identify Charles T. Stout's middle name — "T." middle initial; possible reading = Charles Terry Stout (= naming-honor for brother Thomas's wife Deborah Terry's family). The Speaker-of-the-House son-in-law connection (next item) might surface Charles T.'s full name in public records.
5. ~~Trace Gen. Joseph Warren Keifer's marriage~~ CLOSED 2026-05-20 (same-day verification): Eliza Stout Keifer (1834-1899) m. Gen. Joseph Warren Keifer in 1860 = primary-source-verified via Find A Grave-tier convergence in G.145 (Eliza's memorial) + G.146 (his memorial) + her newspaper obituary clip. Eliza's parents = Charles Stout 1793-1849 + Margaret McCord Stout 1794-1885 per Find A Grave = EXACT MATCH to Braiden 1913 verbatim "Charles T., b. Mar. 1, 1793; d. Aug. 17, 1849; m. Margaret McCord." Validates the entire Warren B. Stout 1913 contributor-attribution chain + extends Stout-family network at the niece/nephew generation. NEW catalog persons created: p.121 Charles T. Stout, p.122 Margaret McCord Stout, p.123 Eliza (Stout) Keifer, p.124 Gen. Joseph Warren Keifer. Braiden's "Geo. J. Warren Keifer" wording identified as typesetter-misread of "Gen. J. Warren Keifer" (= General + newspaper-byline name).
6. ~~Identify Warren B. Stout of South Orange NJ~~ CLOSED 2026-05-20 (same-day verification): Warren Bryant Stout (b. Aug 1872 NJ, single + Insurance Inspector + living with parents Newark Essex Co. NJ in 1900 per D.279). His middle name "Bryant" explicitly attested in Braiden 1913 p.229 = matronymic naming-honor for Rachel Bryant Stout. Father: William G. Stout (b. Mar 1847 NJ, Letter Carrier) = p.126 = the previously-unknown intermediate generation between Thomas Bryant Stout Sr (1785-1861) + Warren B. Relocated Newark → South Orange by 1913 (= same county). NEW catalog persons: p.125 Warren Bryant Stout + p.126 William G. Stout. Open follow-up: identify William G.'s father = the still-missing generation linking him back to Thomas Bryant Stout Sr.
7. Trace the 3 newly-discovered siblings of Eliza — James (1796), Rachel × Nicholas Quimby (1798), Jane × Jacob Emmons (1801-1852). Quimby + Emmons surnames are searchable in Morris Co. NJ records.
8. Tuttle's Annals Morris County Rachel Briant — the other Rachel Briant on p.227 (1797-1807 church-tenure; d. 6 Feb 1858; Rockaway Presbyterian member); not our Rachel (b. 1758); disambiguate.
9. William Bryant Sr. of Hopewell — 1742 + 1732 document chain — book p.229 gives additional pre-will document references (Feb 10, 1742 with wife Sarah + son Voluntino + son William + 4 daughters; Dec 20, 1732 with daughter Joyce Terrill + grandchildren). These would be deeds or earlier probate documents in Hunterdon Co. archives, NOT Burlington Co. (Camden Cooper line) — confirming our William Bryant Sr. is in fam.X Hunterdon Bryant family, not the Burlington Quaker Cooper-Bryant overlap zone.
10. Cross-reference siblings with NJ Marriage Records — verify Bryant's marriage attestations (= Stout × Woodruff 1803-ish; Thomas × Deborah Terry; Hannah × Luther Norris; Charles × Margaret McCord; Rachel × Nicholas Quimby; Jane × Jacob Emmons).

Cross-references

• p.107 Elizabeth (Stout) Cooper — central catalog person; this entry primary-source-identifies her parents
• G.142 — Elizabeth Stout Cooper Find A Grave (= corroborating death + spouse data)
• G.143 — John J. Cooper Find A Grave (= husband's vitals)
• D.153 — 1808 marriage register (= attested marriage event)
• D.278 — 1860 Morris census (= widow's later-life household)
• F.130 — 1858/59 Roxbury Joseph Stout family (circumstantial Roxbury-Chester Stout family-network corroboration)
• pr.59 — central project