The Bryant Family
The Bryant family was one of the first to settle in the Pacolet area. It is believed that the first of the Bryant family came to the Pacolet vicinity about 1770.
The early Bryant home was still standing until recently in Central Pacolet. It was said to be the oldest structure in Pacolet. At one time, the house was used as the Post Office for the area and the vicinity around it was called Bryantsville. The early Bryant family was related by marriage to the Tollesons that started Tolleson’s Tavern. The family thrived and expanded and there are many Bryant descendents in the Pacolet area today. There is still a Bryant Family Cemetery in Central Pacolet just off Spruce Street.
One of the family, Reuben Bryant, was involved in bringing the rail road to Pacolet and helping start the town of Pacolet Station.
The Civil War and Reconstruction were not kind to the Bryant family. James Richardson and two of his sons, Roland and George, served in the Confederate army. James and Roland were in Company E of the 13th Regiment of the South Carolina Infantry. Roland was killed at the battle of Gettysburg and James died of sickness in Richmond. George survived the War and lived to return home to Pacolet.
James left his surviving widow and a houseful of children at his farm in Pacolet. Not long after the War the family, led by the George, decided to leave the Pacolet area and go west for a better life. This migration happened in 1867. Many other local Pacolet families joined the group. One of George’s sisters, Missouri Texana (Annie) Bryant, remembered this trip. At the time of the trip, she was 12 years old. She told it to her daughter when she was an old lady. The daughter, Beulah O’Neil Foster, wrote the story her Mom told her and it was called “Little Tex” - after Texana. The story can be read on this website at “Little Tex”. The story is very interesting in that it tells about conditions in Pacolet before the trip as well as the details of the trip. The story goes on to tell Annie’s life story along with many of her relatives. The story shows how fragile and difficult life could be back in that time. People, particularly children would die of many diseases easily cured today.
Some of the Bryant family members remaining in Pacolet after the War had a hard time. The Pacolet area and several of the surrounding counties were a hot bed of Ku Klux Klan activity during reconstruction. At one time in 1871, the Klan took over and controlled the town of Union, less than 20 miles away. As a result of the Klan’s violent actions, the Federal Government declared Military Law in Upstate South Carolina and sent soldiers to occupy it and to try to suppress the Klan. A Congressional Investigation Committee held hearings to obtain information about what had gone on. Both Reuben and his brother, William, were required to testify before this committee.
William Bryant was called to testify about his knowledge of a Ku Klux Klan incident. However, the Congressional Committee got side tracked by the detail of a month long trip that William had taken, alone, to North Carolina with his 19 year old single sister-in- law. At least one half of the Committee questions relate to this trip with the young woman. You can read his testimony at:
William Bryant’s Appearance before the U.S. Congress Joint Select Committee in 1871.
Reuben Bryant was also required to testify before the Committee about Klan activity. However, since his testimony did not involve traveling for a month with a 19 year old girl, the transcript of his testimony is much shorter. However, there was a much darker tone to Reuben’s testimony. It is hard to imagine such a thing happening today in the peaceful Pacolet Community. However, it was not always so peaceful. As you can see from Reuben’s testimony, at one time, the Ku Klux Klan was a force to be reckoned with in the Pacolet area and the rest of Upstate of South Carolina. You can read his chilling testimony at:
Reuben Bryant’s Appearance before the U.S. Congress Joint Select Committee in 1871.
These records are used courtesy of the Pacolet Museum. The transcripts originally are from the Piedmont Historical Society and were submitted to them by Glenna Kinard.
Over the years, the Pacolet branch of the Bryant family and those who went to Missouri lost contact. Before the telephone and modern travel it was very difficult to keep in touch. However, in the 1950’s some of the Missouri Bryants decided to renew the family connection. The story of what happened is told in articles in the Spartanburg Herald that can be read at Bryant Family Reconnects.
Very recently, Marilyn Saenz, the granddaughter of Maggie Bryant, who made the trip back to Pacolet in the 1950’s decided to find out more about her Bryant family in Pacolet. Marilyn grew up in Missouri and now lives in Nevada. As part of her search, she contacted the Pacolet Memories website. She has furnished us the Herald newspaper clippings about the reconnection of her Bryant family. If you think that you might be related to Marilyn, send us an email at this website and we will forward it to her.
This web site has been started as a public service to share the story of Pacolet.
