1900 Census, Sevier County, Tennessee

Margaret M. (Maggie) Bryan age 37 was the daughter of my third great grandparents Peter Hubbard Bryan and Mary Ann (Polly Ann) Cate.  As such, Maggie was the sister of my second great grandfather William Allen (Will) Bryan.

Maggie's first husband was Stewart Erasmus Trotter age 38.  Maggie and Stewart were married on 18 Feb 1897.

Stewart's first wife was Molly Lane Love.  Molly was the mother of William P. Trotter age 8, Mamie Trotter age 8, and Addie Trotter age 5.

One mystery in this census entry and also in 1910 is that Maggie is reported to have borne one child and the child was still living.  I have found no records of who this child might have been.  It was apparently a child who was born before Maggie was married, and I have not found the child in either the 1900 or 1910 census.

William Braxton Bryan was the son of Franklin Bryan and Susannah.  The Franklin Bryan family settled first in Wear's Valley, and many of them moved to Sevierville.  They were from North Carolina, and they were apparently not related to my Bryan family.  William's wife was Rachel Louise McMahan.

Silas Amberson Bryan age 24 was the son of my second great grandparents William Allen (Will) Bryan and Malissa Emmaline Underwood.  As such, Uncle Silas was the brother of my great grandfather William Harley (Harley) Bryan.

Amanda Melzina (Mandy) Slaton age 27 was the daughter of Francis Marion (Frank) Slaton and Mary Anne Moore.  As such, Mandy was the niece of my second great grandmother Susan A. Slaton.

William Carlos (Carlos) Bryan age 3 and Francis Marion (Frank) Bryan were sons of Uncle Silas and Aunt Mandy.  Roscoe Moore Slaton age 5 was born out of wedlock, son of Mandy with a Mr. Fairchild.  She wanted to marry Mr. Fairchild, but her mother wouldn't let her.  She therefore got pregnant so she would have to get married, but her mother still wouldn't let her.  The only data about a Mr. Fairchild having been the Roscoe's father is oral family history.  No Mr. Fairchild has been identified in Jefferson County or Sevier County or any neighboring county.

The boarder William H. Moore was Mandy's first cousin, both of them having been grandchildren of John Chaney Moore and Amanda Melseany Miller.  Mandy was named for her grandmother.

Mary A. (Mollie) Roberts age 23 was the daughter of Thomas S. (Tom) Roberts and Nancy Elizabeth (Lizzie) Bryan.  Lizzie was the daughter of my third great grandparents Peter Hubbard Bryan and Mary Ann (Polly Ann) Cate.  As such, Lizzie was the sister of my second great grandfather William Allen (Will) Bryan.

Mollie's husband was James B. (Jimmie) Douglass, son of William C. Douglass and Sarah Evalin Bales age 55.

1900, Sevier County, Tennessee, page 119a

Peter H. Bryan age 81 and Mary Ann (Polly Ann) Cate age 71 were my third great grandparents.

Peter H. Bryan was the son of Thomas C. Bryan Sr. and Nancy Cate.

Polly Ann Cate was the daughter of Joshua Cate and Betsy Wilhite.

James P. Bryan age 43 and Adeline/Emaline (Ada) Bryan age 35 were children of Peter and Mary Ann who never married.  Clauda Lee Bryan age 16 was the daughter of Joshua C. Bryan and Rachel Adda (Adda) Mynatt.  Clauda was raised by her grandparents.

William Allen (Will) Bryan age 50 and Malissa Emmaline Underwood age 45 were my second great grandparents.

Will was the son of Peter H. Bryan and Mary Ann (Polly Ann) Cate.

Malissa was the daughter of William Ramey Underwood and Martha Langston.

Elmer Otto Bryan age 17 was born 15 Dec 1883 and married Maud Atchley.  He was known to my father as Uncle Elmer Bryan with emphasis on the surname to distinguish him from Uncle Elmer Cox.

Lola Helen Bryan age 13 was born 17 Sep 1885 and married John Amos Underwood.

Charles Milton (Mitt) Bryan age 10 was born 28 Jan 1889 and married Faye Louise Coy.  He was known to my father as Uncle Mitt.

Lena Vesta (Vestie) Bryan age 7 was born 14 Oct 1891 and married Perry Walker Cate.  She was known to my father as Aunt Vestie.

(Much of this census entry is taken from microfilm of census Soundex cards created by the W.P.A.  The actual census page shows water damage to the point that the information for this family is for the most part not readable.  The Soundex card says that Harley's entry begins on line 44.)

My great grandfather William Harley (Harley) Bryan age 24 was the son of William Allen (Will) Bryan and Malissa Emmaline Underwood.  My great grandmother Nancy Virginia (Nannie) Harrison age 24 was the daughter of Joseph Harrison and Susan A. Slaton.  Harley and Nannie were married on 24 Oct 1897 in Jefferson County.  Harley and Nannie were born 12 Feb 1876 and 14 Apr 1876, respectively.

Harley and Nannie were living next door to Harley's parents.  Well, the house was next door, but both houses were on the same property.

Emmert Oral Bryan age 1 was my grandfather.  He was born 1 Nov 1898.  He married first my grandmother Ruby Priscilla Cox and married second my step grandmother Ella Kate (Kate) Nottingham.

Ira Cate age 66 was the son of Rev. Elijah Cate and Susannah Underwood.  Elijah was the son of my of my fifth great grandparents John Cate Sr. and Mary.  As such, Elijah was the brother of my fourth great grandfather Joshua Cate.  Susannah was the daughter of my fifth great grandparents John Underwood and Mary Kirby.  As such, Susannah was the sister of my fourth great grandmother Nancy Underwood.

Suzanna Luzetta (Luzetta) Underwood age 51 was the daughter of my third great grandparents William Ramey Underwood and Martha Langston.  As such Luzetta was the sister of my second great grandgrandmother Malissa Emmaline Underwood.

Luzetta Underwood was the grandniece of Ira Cate's mother Susannah Underwood.  The net effect is that Luzetta Underwood and Ira Cate were first cousins once removed who married.

Ira Cate and Luzetta Underwood were married 18 Mar 1872 in Sevier County.  So they had really been married about 38 years rather than 32 years.  Luzetta was Ira's third wife.  Ira had children with all three wives, but all the children in this census entry were Luzetta's children.

Thomas Allen (Allen) Bryan age 42 was the son of William Enyard Bryan and Amanda Keener.  Ida Bell Cate age 22 was the daughter of Elisha Porter (Porter) Cate Jr. and Mary Jane Drinnen.

William Enyard Bryan age 84 was the son of my fourth great grandparents Thomas C. Bryan Sr. and Nancy Cate.  As such, William was the brother of my third great grandfather Peter H. Bryan.

William Enyard Bryan was clearly named for his maternal grandparents William P. Cate and Mary Enyard.  William was the first son, and Peter H. Bryan was the second son.  Peter H. Bryan was clearly named for his paternal grandfather Peter Bryan.  It therefore seems very likely that Peter H. Bryan was named for both of his paternal grandparents, and that his full name was probably Peter Hubbard Bryan.

Elisha Porter Cate Jr. was the son of Elisha Cate and Mary Elizabeth Newman.  Elisha Cate was the son of John Cate Jr. and Mary Ann Koontz, and the grandson of my fifth great grandparents John Cate Sr. and Mary.  Mary Elizabeth Newman was the daughter of Joseph Newman and Catherine (Caty) Cate, and the granddaughter of my fifth great grandparents William P. Cate and Mary Enyard.

John Greenwood/Greenberry Bryan age 47 was the son of my third great grandparents Peter Hubbard Bryan and Mary Ann (Polly Ann) Cate.  As such, John was the brother of my second great grandfather William Allen (Allen) Bryan.

John's wife was Sarah Elizabeth (Sallie) McMahan age 39.  I do not know who her parents were.  This census entry lists 7 of Sallie's 8 children.  Her oldest daughter Ollie Frances (Frances) Bryan was married in 1898.

Rufus White Underwood was the son of John (Monkey John) Underwood and Ellen Henry, and the grandson of my fourth great grandparents Enoch Underwood and Nancy Underwood (first cousins who married).

However, of more interest in this census entry is John Amos (Amos) Underwood age 18.  Amos Underwood married first Clauda Lee Bryan and after Clauda died he married second Lola Helen Bryan.  Clauda and Lola were first cousins.  Clauda was the daughter of my second great grandparents William Allen (Will) Bryan and Malissa Emmaline Underwood.  Lola was the daughter of Will's brother Joshua C. Bryan and Joshua's wife Rachel Adda (Adda) Mynatt.

The story is a bit more complicated than that.  I'm not quite sure what happened to Joshua C. Bryan and Adda Mynatt, but Clauda was raised by her grandparents Peter H. Bryan and Mary Ann (Polly Ann) Cate.  Buried next to Peter H. Bryan and Mary Ann (Polly Ann) Cate in the Bryan-Drinnen-Cate cemetery is an infant of J.A. and C.L. Underwood 27 April 1923.  Given all the circumstances described above, the infant was clearly the child of Amos Underwood and Clauda Lee Bryan.  Only trouble is, Clauda died in 1919, Amos Underwood married Lola Bryan in 1921, and the infant died in 1923.  So it would seem that either the tombstone is wrong about the infant's date, or else the tombstone is wrong about the infant's mother and the infant was the child of Lola.

Rufus Underwood's wife was Sarah A. Pollard.  Her three living children are listed in this census entry.  The child who died was named Horace Pearly Underwood.

Nathan Silas Henry age 10 married Girty Hazel (Hazel) Huffaker on 17 Dec 1914.  Hazel was the second wife of Elmer Otto Bryan.

Elmer Otto Bryan was the son of my second great grandparents William Allen (Will) Bryan and Malissa Emmaline Underwood.  As such, Uncle Elmer was the brother of my great grandfather William Harley (Harley) Bryan.

Uncle Elmer was famous in the family because he married for the second time when he was about 90 years old.  He married Hazel Huffaker in about 1972.  At the time, Hazel was the widow of Nathan Henry.

Nathan Silas Henry was the son of Oliver A. (Andy) Henry and Elizabeth J. (Lizzie) Talbert.  I'm not really a Henry researcher, but there were a lot of Bryan-Henry marriages, so I dabble a little bit in Henry family history.  Oliver A. Henry was apparently not connected to the famous Hugh Henry family.  Rather, Oliver appears to have been the son of Samuel Henry and Martha W. Douglass, and the grandson of Benjamin Henry and Elizabeth Hammel.

This census entry was badly water damaged and was very hard to read.  I have not yet checked with the Soundex to see if it might provide any better information about the spellings of the names, etc.  Nevertheless, I do believe that the transcription above is substantially correct.  One oddity is the son named Edith.  Edith was also listed as a son in the 1910 census, so the information about him in this census entry is probably correct.

Allie M. Cate age 3 later married Lydia Bethel (Bethel) Solomon

Lydia Bethel (Bethel) Solomon was the daughter of John Wesley Solomon and Rhoda Rebecca (Becky) Harrison.  Becky Harrison was the daughter of my second great grandparents Joseph Harrison and Susan A. Slaton.  So Bethel Solomon was the first cousin of my grandfather Emmert Oral Bryan.

Allie M. Cate was the son of William Lawrence Cate and Elizabeth (Betty) Byous.  I'm a little suspicious of the spelling of Elizabeth's surname, but "Byous" is the best I can do right now.  Allie was the third great grandson of my fifth great grandparents John Cate Sr. and Mary, but his line is very different than mine.  I am descended from John Cate Sr.'s son Joshua Cate, whereas Allie was descended from John Cate Sr.'s son James T. Cate.

William Lawrence Cate was the son of Elijah Cate and Nancy E. Petty.

Peter Walker (Walker) Cate age 14 married Lena Vesta (Vestie) Bryan.

Lena Vesta (Vestie) Bryan (known as Aunt Vestie to my father) was the daughter of my second great grandparents William Allen Bryan and Malissa Emmaline Underwood.  As such, Aunt Vestie was the sister of my great grandfather William Harley (Harley) Bryan.

Peter Walker (Walker) Cate was the son of Allen Perry (Perry) Cate and Harriet Rebecca (Hattie) Cate.  Perry was the son of Allen Fitzgerald Cate and Priscilla Catherine (Catherine) Perry. Hattie was the daughter of Henry Clay (Harry) Cate and Mary Jane Johnson.

The Cate ancestry in this line was a little tricky.  Perry Cate was the second great grandson of my fifth great grandparents John Cate Sr. and Mary, and Perry also was the second great grandson of my fifth great grandparents William P. Cate and Mary Enyard.  Hattie and Perry were first cousins who married, and Hattie also had John Cate Sr., Mary, William P. Cate, and Mary Enyard as second great grandparents.

Girty Hazel (Hazel) Huffaker age 3 married first Nathan Henry and married second Elmer Otto Bryan.  Elmer married first Maude I. Atchley, and they had been married for 54 years at the time of Maude's death.  Hazel and Elmer were married when she was about 76 years old and when he was about 90 years old.  Elmer was famous in the family for having married at such an age.

Elmer was known in the family as Uncle Elmer Bryan to distinguish him from Uncle Elmer Cox.  Uncle Elmer Bryan was the son of my second great grandparents William Allen (Will) Bryan and Malissa Emmaline Underwood.  As such, Uncle Elmer Bryan was the brother of my great grandfather William Harley (Harley) Bryan.

Hazel Huffaker was the daughter of James E. Huffaker age 32 and Nancy Malinda Johnson age 30.

Lavesta B. Huffaker age 11 was actually Lavesta B. Bales, daughter of Nancy Malinda Johnson and her first husband E. A. Bales.

Maud I. Atchley married Elmer Otto Bryan.  Uncle Elmer was the son of my second great grandparents William Allen Bryan and Malissa Emmaline Underwood.  As such, he was the brother of my great grandfather William Harley (Harley) Bryan.