Friday's Photo: A New Photo of Terrell Bryan AND More About His Time at the Texas Confederate Home

One of the recent photos at Erath County Photos, History, and Memories on Facebook is a photo of Civil War veterans posing on the north side of the courthouse in Stephenville during the year 1911. It was published in a 1984 calendar. 

I remembered the photo as I have the calendar and knew that my Erath County Civil War ancestor could not be in the photo. In 1911, Terrell Bryan lived in the Texas Confederate Home. 

A few of the men attending Terrell Bryan's funeral in 1920.

As I looked at all of the veterans in the photo, I wondered if any of those men had attended Terrell Bryan's funeral so pulled up my post, Masons Attended Terrell Bryan's Funeral in Stephenville, Erath County, Texas, to compare.  Only a few looked old enough to be veterans. None appeared to be in the calendar photo. However, one of the veterans in the calendar picture caught my eye. He could possibly be my great-grandfather, Terrell Bryan. I needed to review my research!

Bryan family, please weigh in.
Is this Terrell Bryan?

According to the Texas Confederate Home Roster, Terrell Bryan came to Texas in 1876 and resided in Stephenville. He was admitted into the home on May 4, 1910 and discharged, at his own request, in August 1912. He was re-admitted on October 31, 1916 and died on May 26, 1917. In case of death R. E. Bryan would be contacted and he wanted to be buried in Stephenville, Texas. 

Some of these dates conflict with other records. In an earlier statement, written by Terrell Bryan, he came to Texas in 1877. AND, his death date is May 16, 1920. So, was he really in the Texas Confederate Home in 1911?

A revisit to my Bryan family web pages to find a letter Terrell wrote while staying at the Texas Confederate Home led me to some forgotten, but very interesting newspaper transcriptions telling a different story. 

Terrell Bryan was admitted to the Texas Confederate Home in 1910, but in March of 1911, he returned to Stephenville were he remained for three months. And, in September of 1911, he visited Stephenville for a few days.  It is very possible the man in the front row is Terrell Bryan. 

Update (July 2017):  An Erath County history expert stated this man looks like Terrell, but he has been identified as J. A. Butin in the photo (possibly John A. Buntin). However, there is no source for the identification. 

Visit Moments in Time, my Facebook page, to see the full photo shared from Erath County Photos, History, and Memories. 

Diana

© 2016

Sources

Davis, K. H., Devereaux, L. E., & Ericson, C. R. (2003). Texas Confederate Home roster: With added data from Confederate Home ledgers. Nacogdoches, TX: Ericson Books.

Erath County Photos, History, and Memories. (n.d.) In Facebook [Group].  Retrieved 17 Mar. 2016  from https://www.facebook.com/photo.php? fbid=10207399997411637&set=gm.509090979275972&type=3&theater.

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Diana Bryan Quinn

Quinn, Diana B. (2002). Letter - Terrell Bryan to Thomas Martin in Bienville Parish. Bryan Davis Hairston Criswell Giddens Quinn Driscoll Murray Staubach Glynn. Rootsweb., Web. 18 Mar. 2016. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bryanquinn/Bryan-WillsdeedsobitTX-TerrellBryantoThomMartin.htm.

Young, Dan. (1983). Town and Country Bank Presents A Calendar of Erath County History 1984. Erath County, TX: Vanderbilt Street Press.