Bryant/Henderson: Davidson County

BRYANT/HENDRSON

I am seeking information on HUGH BRYANT, the father of my great-great grandmother, ALFRETA BRYANT (29 Feb 1864-1955). She was born in Georgia (maybe Campbell County....now part of Fulton County).Her mother was MARTHA ELIZABETH HENDERSON (born c. 1846, probably in MACON Co, GA), the daughter of SAM HENDERSON (born about 1814, Macon Co, GA) & wife MARY STUART (born c.1820, prob Macon Co, GA).

The HENDERSON children were:
Sarah (born c.1837)
Malissa J. (born c.1841)
James f. (born c.1844)
Martha Elizabeth (born c. 1846)
Mary Frances (born c. 1848)
Charles (born c. 1853)
William (born c. 1856)
Noah (born c. 1857)

Samuel Henderson and his family appear in both the 1850 and 1860 Campbell County, GA census records.

The family legend is that HUGH BRYANT lived on a farm in North Georgia (Campbell County?) with his mother.He married “LIZZIE HENDERSON” and they had at least three children:
CHARLES BRYANT (born c. 1863, GA - died 23 June 1931, Nashville)
ALFRETA BRYANT(born 29 Feb 1864, GA- died 12 May 1955, Dickson, TN)
ELIZABETH (“LIZZIE” or maybe “LOU”) BRYANT (b May 1870, Nashville, TN- d. unknown).

In the Spring of 1864, a HENDERSON family relative (likely a brother of SAMUEL HENDERSON) got permission to pass through the lines of the Union Army in North Georgia and evacuate some members of the family ahead of Sherman’s Army and take them to Nashville, TN, including ALFRETA and her Mother MARY ELIZABETH HENDERSON.Likely other members of the family left at this time also or just after the Battle of Atlanta in July 1864 when Sherman ordered the forced removal of all civilians from Atlanta. The Conderate Army did not cooperate with this evacuation and the family was only able to return to TN by avoiding their lines.At about this same time, the Confederate Army burned the farm of SAMUEL HENDERSON in order to clear their lines of fire against the expected approach of the Union Army.

HUGH BRYANT is said to have been in the Confederate Army and to have later either left the Army or at the end of hostilities joined his family in Nashville.According to the family story he died however as a young man of the results of his service (wounds?...disease?) in Nashville, TN.MARY ELIZABETH HENDERSON is not known to have remarried but lived for many years in Nashvbille, TN thereafter and was buried in MT OLIVET Cemetery, Nashville, TN after she died.

Alfreta Bryant is known to have grown up in the home of her HENDERSON family relatives in Nashville, TN.She was nicknamed “Mink” because she was an active child.She was educated by a neighborhood woman who was a retired teacher who taught the local children out of her home.She learned to read from newspaper clippings because they had no books.

The 1870 TN census for Nashville listsMARY (STUART) HENDERSON, married, age 53, a native of Georgia keeping house with the following persons in her household:
Lizzie, age 20
Susan, age 12
Charlie, age 15
Noah, age 19
Mink, age 7
Lizzie, age 1 month, a native of TN

Any information you might have would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Chris Kennedy