urn:taro:sjmh.00060 Moses Austin Bryan Papers Manuscript Collection: MC060 Melissa Calderwood Albert and Ethel Herzstein Library
San Jacinto Museum of History, La Porte, Texas
20020713 Finding aid encoded by Lisa A. Struthers. 20100930 Finding aid written in English. Collection Summary Albert and Ethel Herzstein Library,
San Jacinto Museum of History, La Porte, Texas
Bryan, Moses Austin, 1817-1895 Moses Austin Bryan papers 1814-1930 (Bulk: 1836-1889) Materials are in English and Spanish. MC060 49802680 2 boxes (.8 linear ft.) Correspondence, financial records, legal documents, printed materials, creative works, memorandum and notes, surveyor's field notes, and photographs record the life of Moses Austin Bryan (1817-1895). Creator Sketch

Moses Austin Bryan was the third son born to James and Emily Austin Bryan, the daughter of Moses Austin and sister of Stephen F. Austin, in Herculaneum, Missouri, on September 25, 1817. After the 1822 death of James Bryan, Emily Austin Bryan married James F. Perry. Emily Perry and her children moved to Potosi, Missouri, where Moses Austin Bryan attended school until the age of eleven. Employed in Perry and W. W. Hunter's store until December 1830, Bryan accompanied Hunter to Texas and worked in the San Felipe store of W. W. Hunter and Stephen F. Austin.

In 1832, at the age of fourteen, Bryan began service as Stephen F. Austin's secretary when he accompanied Austin to Saltillo, Mexico. Bryan and Austin boarded with one of the legislators, Don Jesus de la Grande, and it was there that Moses Austin Bryan learned to speak Spanish. In 1835 Bryan clerked in the Austin colony land office and in the fall again served as Austin's secretary during Austin's brief tenure as commander of the Texas army.

Bryan enlisted in the Texas army as a private shortly after the fall of the Alamo and participated in Houston's retreat. He served at the Battle of San Jacinto as third sergeant in Captain Moseley Baker's company, as an aide-de-camp on the staff of Thomas J. Rusk, and as an interpreter for the meeting between Sam Houston and Antonio López de Santa Anna. In 1839, President Mirabeau B. Lamar appointed Bryan as secretary of legation under Anson Jones, minister from the Republic of Texas to the United States. Bryan served as a member of the 1842 Somervell Expedition. During the Civil War, he enlisted in the Third Texas Regiment, rising to the rank of major. In 1873, Bryan helped organize the Texas Veterans Association and served as its secretary until 1886.

In 1840, Bryan married Adaline La Mothe of Rapides Parish, Louisiana; she died May 30, 1855. They had four sons and two daughters. Bryan married Cora Lewis, daughter of Ira Randolph Lewis, in 1856; they had four sons and one daughter. Moses Austin Bryan died in Brenham at the home of his son, Beauregard, on March 16, 1895, and was buried at Independence, Texas.

 Bibliography: BRYAN, MOSES AUSTIN. The Handbook of Texas Online. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/BB/fbrar.html Dixon, Sam Houston and Louis Wiltz Kemp. The Heroes of San Jacinto. Houston: Anson Jones Press, 1932. Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, financial records, legal documents, printed materials, creative works, memorandum and notes, surveyor's field notes, and photographs record the life of Moses Austin Bryan (1817-1895). The correspondence documents Bryan's travel to Washington, D.C. as secretary of legation (1839), communications with James F. Perry at Peach Point, Brazoria County, Texas, regarding personal financial matters (1832-1852), and service in the Somervell Expedition (1842). Communications from J. Hampton Kuykendall (13 letters) reveal Bryan's interest in published accounts of Texas history. General correspondence within the Austin-Bryan-Perry family illuminates family business in the 19th century. The financial and legal documents (1814-1903) outline Bryan's expenditures and payments of debt, and include estate and probate documents of Emily M. Bryan Perry. A bound journal illuminates Bryan's financial transactions from 1845-1881. Printed materials include several pamphlets from the Texas Veterans Association (1873-1899). Bryan's record of historical events in early Texas is outlined in a handwritten historical account of 1835-1836 and the typed Reminiscences (1889) which speaks of his service with Austin and involvement in the Texas army. The papers also include memorandum and notes and surveyor's field notes. The collection contains four photographs of Texas veterans.

 Arrangement

Organized into eight series; arrangement is alphabetical and chronological.

 Restrictions on Access

None.

 Terms Governing Use

Open for research by appointment.

 Publication Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to the San Jacinto Museum of History. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Library Director. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Jacinto Museum of History as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

 Acquisition

The Moses Austin Bryan Papers were donated to the San Jacinto Museum of History Association by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gervais Bell (great-grandson of Moses Austin Bryan) of Houston in 1986, in memory of Lewis Randolph Bryan, Jr., Mary Bryan Bell, and Cora Bryan McRae. The papers were collected from a variety of sources by Bell.

 Processing Information

Processed by Melissa Calderwood, 2002.

 Citation

[Identification of Item], Moses Austin Bryan Papers, MC060, San Jacinto Museum of History, Houston, Texas.

 Index Terms

Names: Abbotts, Lancelot--Photographs Austin, Stephen F. (Stephen Fuller), 1793-1836 Baker, W. R. (William Robinson), 1820-1890 Bee, Barnard E., 1787-1854 Borden, Gail, 1801-1874 Brown, John Henry, 1820-1895 Bryan, Moses Austin, 1817-1895--Archives Crosby, J. F. (Josiah Frazier), 1829-1887 Harris, John W. (John Woods), 1810-1887 Kuykendall, J. Hampton, ca. 1820-1882 Lamar, Mirabeau Buonaparte, 1798-1859 Martin, Wyly Perry, Emily Austin Bryan, 1795-1851--Estate Perry, James Franklin, 1790-1853 Robertson, J. B. (Jerome Bonaparte), 1815-1890 Shepard, Chauncey B., 1812-1892--Photographs Sherman, Sidney, 1805-1873 Smith, Morgan L. Austin family Bryan family Perry family Organizations: Texas Veterans Association) Subjects: San Jacinto, Battle of, Tex., 1836--Veterans Somervell Expedition, 1842 Places: Texas--History--Revolution, 1835-1836 Texas--History--Republic, 1836-1846 Titles: Address of Hon. S.B. Maxey, of Texas : by invitation of the Texas Veteran Association Gaceta del gobierno supremo del estado de Coahuila y Tejas Letter to the Hon. Henry Clay on the annexation of Texas to the United States Message of the Governor. Greer County. Executive Office, Austin, January 10, 1883 Proceedings of the Texas Veteran Association at the ... annual reunion Reminiscences of M. A. Bryan Inventory Correspondence: Received 901W. R. Baker 1866, 1872 902E. T. Barstow 1858, 05/10 903James Ross Brent 1882, 02/07 904John Henry Brown 1846, 1874 905Cora [Bryan] n.d. 906George H. Bryan 1840, 01/03 907Guy M. Bryan 1875-1882, n.d. 908Stephen A. Bryan 1863, 02/__ 909Robert F. Clement 1885, 08/31 9010J. F. Crosby 1879, 04/07 9011George L. Hammeken 1837, 08/22 9012John W. Harris 1841, 1866 9013C. Anson Jones 1877, 07/16 9014J. Hampton Kuykendall 1857-1858 9015Mirabeau B. Lamar 1838, 12/25 9016Mrs. M. A. Lewis 1877, 11/03 9017Wyly Martin 1835, 09/01 9018James F. Perry 1838-1845 9019Stephen F. Perry 1860, 09/05 9020Stephen S. Perry 1860, 08/__ 9021J. B. Robertson 1882, 03/31 Correspondence: Sent 9022Stephen F. Austin 1836, 12/19 9023Brazoria County citizens 1839, 07/16 9024John Henry Brown 1889, 07/__ 9025Adaline Bryan 1842 9026Guy M. Bryan 1844, 1872 9027William Joel Bryan 1839, 04/16 9028James F. Perry 1832-1852 9029C. B. Shepard 1883, 02/24 9030Sidney Sherman 1859, 07/02 9031Unknown [1842] Correspondence: Third Party, Bryan-Perry Family 9032Henry Austin to James F. Perry 1836, 12/26 9033G. Borden, Jr. to Stephen F. Perry 1850, 10/16 9034Cora Bryan to Jane Martin n.d. 9035Guy M. Bryan to Beauregard Bryan 1894, 01/12 9036James Perry Bryan to sister [Mary Armintha Bryan] 1857, 03/10 9037Stephen A. Bryan to mother [Cora Bryan] 1862, 12/25 9038William Joel Bryan to Adaline Bryan 1842, 10/26 9039P. J. Fisk to James F. Perry 1841, 08/22 9040George L. Hammeken to James F. Perry 1842 9041K. K. Koontz to James F. Perry 1841, 02/15 9042James F. Perry to Guy M. Bryan 1853, 05/23 9043Stephen S. Perry to [ ] Bryan n.d. Correspondence: Third Party, General 9044Barnard Bee 1839, 01/14 9043Eliza Chester 1839, 01/20 9046John W. Harris 1841-1842 9047I. C. Hill 1883, 04/02 9048E. Samuel Howell 1836, 03/28 9049Jacob Lewis 1837, 09/04 9050L. H. McNeel 1838-1839 9051J. W. Morse 1844, 08/25 9052John Parker 1844, 05/11 9053R. R. Royall 1835, 01/14 9054Morgan L. Smith 1839, 01/16 9055D. B. [unk.] 1849, 08/10 Financial 90156Bill of Sale 1844, 04/05 17.1A.F1Financial Transactions 1845-1881 9057Promissory Note 182[5], 10/03 9058Receipts, Statements of Account 1814-1868 9059Receipt 1867, 05/27 Legal 911Agreements 1842-1866 912Deeds 1844, 1871 913Estate and Probate 1851, 1905-1908 914Fraternal 1878, 07/29 915Interrogatories 1845, 04/04 916Summons 1858, 05/31 Printed Materials 917Broadside, To the Voters of the Senatorial District Composed of the Counties of Harrisburg, Liberty and Galveston 1839, 08/__ 918Certificate, Texas Veterans Association n.d. 919Circulars 1836, 1851, 1859 9110Clippings, Newspaper 1895, 1930 9111Ephemera n.d. 9112Gaceta del Gobierno Supremo del Estado de Coahuila y Tejas (Gazette of the Supreme Government of the State of Coahuila and Texas) [Spanish] 1833, 12/09 9113Invitation, Texas Veterans Association 1899, 04/20-04/21 9114Lithograph, Portrait of Moses Austin Bryan n.d. Printed Materials: Pamphlets: General 9115Letter to the Hon. Henry Clay 1837 9116Message of the Governor 1883, 01/10 Printed Materials: Pamphlets: Texas Veterans Association 9117Proceedings of the Convention of Texas Veterans... 1873, 05/13-05/15 9118Proceedings of the First Annual Meeting of the Texas Veterans Association 1874, 05/20-05/21 9119Proceedings of the First Annual Meeting of the Texas Veterans Association 1874, 05/20-05/21 9120Proceedings, Constitution, By-Laws and Addresses of the Texas Veterans 1883, 04/20-04/21 9121Address of the Hon. S. B. Maxey... 1884, 04/21 9122Proceedings, Constitution, By-Laws and Addresses of the Texas Veterans 1885, 04/20-04/21 9123Annual Address to the Texas Veterans Association 1886, 04/20-04/21 9124Proceedings, Constitution, By-Laws and Addresses... 1886, 04/20-04/21 9125Proceedings, Constitution and By-Laws of the Annual Reunion... 1887, 04/20-04/21 9126Proceedings, Constitution and By-Laws of the Annual Reunion... 1887, 04/20-04/21 9127Proceedings, Constitution and By-Laws of the Annual Reunion... 1889, 04/20-04/22 9128Proceedings of the Texas Veterans Association at the Annual Reunion 1892, 04/20-04/21 9129Proceedings of the Texas Veterans Association... 1895, 04/20-04/22 9130Proceedings of the Texas Veterans Association... 1899, 04/20-04/21 Creative Works 9131Reminiscences of M. A. Bryan 1835-36 historical account written by Moses Austin Bryan 1889, n.d. Memorandum / Notes 9132Various notes 1847-1848, 1853 Surveyors Notes 9133Surveying Field Notes n.d. Photographic Materials 9134Photographs: Lancelot Abbotts, Chauncey B. Shepard, Texas Veterans Association Reunion at Brenham, Unidentified group (possibly Texas Veterans Association) 1889, 1891, n.d.