A Guide to the Guy Morrison Bryan Papers,1795-1901
Descriptive Summary | ||
| Creator: | Bryan, Guy Morrison | |
| Title: | Guy Morrison Bryan Papers | |
| Dates: | 1795-1901 | |
| Abstract: | Correspondence, autobiographical narrative, military orders, scrapbooks, speeches, historical literary productions, and legal papers arranged chronologically by subject document the career of Guy Morrison Bryan (1821-1901) as a soldier and legislator. | |
| OCLC No.: | 21349182 | |
| Extent: | 3 ft., 2 in. | |
| Language: | Materials are written in English. | |
| Repository: | Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin | |
Biographical Note
Guy Morrison Bryan, a nephew of Stephen F. Austin, was a Confederate officer and legislator. He was born in 1821 in Heraculaneum, Missouri, to James Bryan and Emily Bryan, daughter of Moses Austin and sister of Stephen F. Austin. After her husband’s death, Emily Bryan married her father’s business partner, Stephen Perry, and the family moved to Texas in 1831. Guy Morrison Bryan couriered the William B. Travis Alamo letter to Brazoria in 1836. Following the battle of San Jacinto, Bryan joined the army as an orderly for Alexander Somervell. After fighting in the Mexican War under John C. Hays, Bryan was elected to the state legislature in 1847, serving six years in the House (1847-1853) and four years in the Senate (1853-1857). From 1857 until 1859, Bryan represented the Western District of Texas in the United States Congress. He married Laura Jack, the daughter of Texas attorney William H. Jack, in 1858.
As a leader in the movement for secession, Bryan was one of the delegates to the 1860 Democratic National Convention in Charleston, South Carolina. He helped lead the southern delegates to split from the convention and joined in the call for a Secession Convention. Bryan was active in the government of the Confederacy, until he requested active duty in the military in 1863. As a member of the Confederate government, Bryan also assisted in the organization of the Texas Cotton Bureau. Following the Civil War, Bryan again served in the Texas House of Representatives several times during the 1870s and 1880s. He was a charter member and president (1892-1901) of the Texas Veteran’s Association. Furthermore, Bryan was a charter member of the Texas State Historical Association. Guy Morrison Bryan died at his home in Austin, Texas in 1901.
Source: Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. “Bryan, Guy Morrison,” http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/BB/fbram.html (Accessed April 20, 2010).
Scope and Contents
Correspondence, autobiographical narrative, military orders, scrapbooks, speeches, historical literary productions, and legal papers arranged chronologically by subject comprise the Guy Morrison Bryan papers (1795-1901). The papers document the career of Guy Morrison Bryan (1821-1901) as a soldier and legislator. Along with general correspondence and the correspondence of Laura Bryan, Guy Morrison’s wife, the papers contain correspondence from Rutherford B. Hays, Elisabet Ney, Moses Austin Bryan, and Hally Ballinger. Bryan’s correspondence with Rutherford B. Hayes and with Moses Austin Bryan is also available as a typed transcript. Bryan’s papers relate to his service as a Texas representative, state senator, and United States Congressman. Furthermore, they document his involvement, as both soldier and politician, with the Texas Revolution, Mexican War, and Civil War. Bryan’s papers include his historical research and writing, which mainly concerned Stephen F. Austin and Texas history. In addition, the papers relate to his work with the Texas Veteran’s Association and the Texas State Historical Association.
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research use.
Index Terms | ||
| Subjects (Persons) | ||
| Austin, Stephen F. (Stephen Fuller), 1793-1836. | ||
| Ballinger, William Pitt, 1825-1888. | ||
| Brown, Reuben R. | ||
| Bryan, Guy Morrison, 1821-1901--Archives. | ||
| Bryan, Laura Jack, 1839-1872. | ||
| Bryan, Moses Austin, 1817-1895. | ||
| Hayes, Rutherford Burchard, 1822-1893. | ||
| Jack, Laura Harrison. | ||
| Perry, James Franklin, 1790-1853. | ||
| Subjects (Organizations) | ||
| Kenyon College. | ||
| Texas Cotton Bureau. | ||
| Texas State Historical Association. | ||
| Texas Veteran Association. | ||
| Subjects | ||
| Austin's Colony. | ||
| Land titles--Virginia--Wythe County. | ||
| Lively (Sloop) | ||
| Ranches--Texas. | ||
| Runaway Scrape. | ||
| Places | ||
| Galveston (Tex.)--History--Sources. | ||
| Texas--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Sources. | ||
| Texas--History--Revolution, 1835-1836--Sources. | ||
| Texas--Politics and government--1846-1865. | ||
| Texas--Politics and government--1865-1950. | ||
| United States--History--War with Mexico, 1845-1848--Sources. | ||
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Guy Morrison Bryan Papers, April 2010, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Processing Information
Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s "History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light" project, 2009-2011.
Alternate Format Available
Bryan’s correspondence with Rutherford B. Hayes and with Moses Austin Bryan is also available as a typed transcript
Detailed Description of the Papers