CurtisSacramento - Ca.
1 Mar. 1986
Howell Boone
Rt. 1 Box 365A
Mocksville, N.C. 27028
Dear Mr. Boone:
In August of 1985 I wrote to you that another Bryan researcher
had sent me some interesting information about Mary (Bryan)
Curtis, said to be the daughter of Morgan and Martha (strode)
Bryan.
Virginia records are not plentiful out here and I was working
on another family in Rhode Island. However I finally got in
touch with a very helpful genealogist in Virginia and the infor-
mation he sent me confirms $hat Mary Bryan did marry Thomas
Curtis and that she died in Virginia. The Mary Forbush named
in Morgan Bryan's will as his granddaughter was Mary Curtis,
daughter of Mary Bryan and Thomas Curtis.
I am enclosing a zerox of the part of the letter that gives
the above information. I thought you would be interested -
also that you might want to put the letter in the Bryan file
in the Davie County Library.
Sincerely
Mrs. E.L. Meed
1937 Manchester Pd.
5ecmmento, CA 95915
1)jNis County Public Ubrary
Mocksvj%, NC
�l
Mrs. Harriett Mead
1937 Manchester Road
Sacramento, CA 95815
RUTH & SAM SPARACIO
1320 Mayflower Dr,
McLean, Virginia 22101
February 18, 1986
Very nice to hear from you again. Herewith the will as I took it down from
Dorman's book:
Will Book 1. pages 191-192.
Will of MARY CURTIS of Opeckon .. to my hoard. mother, Martha Bryan,
my riding horse and saddle .. to my well beloved daughter, Mary Curtiss,
all the rest of my stock .. if she should die, to -be equally divided between
my brethren Joseph, Samuel, Morgan, John, William, James and Thomas Bryan,
and my beloved sister, Ellinor Linvill .. my honrd father, Morgan Bryan
and my beloved brother, Joseph Bryan, my executors ., this 9th day of Janu-
ary 1741/42 ..
Witnesses Edward Hughes, Peter Van Bebber, Nicholas Boitter.
At a court held .. 25th February 1741/42 .. presented in court by
Morgan Bryan and Joseph Bryan .. proved by Edward Hughes and Nicholas
Boitter.
The Opeckon is a settlement in the Shenandoah Valley, at that time a part
of Orange County. It was mostly settled by immigrants of German descent.
We can also give you the husband of Mary Curtis .. Thomas Curtis. This
comes also from Will Book 1, pages 164-165. "Bond of Mary Curtis, Morgan
Bryan and Jas. Bryan unto Thomas Chew, Gent., justice .. for t 500 ..
23rd July 1741 .. Mary Curtis is the administratrix of Thomas Curtis,
deceased .. Witnesses Jonath. Gibson, Catlett Conway. 24th July 1741 .Q
acknowledged and admitted to record. d
Also in Will Book 1 is the inventory of the estate of Mary Curtiss ..
valuation t 120.1.6' .. appraisers Jno. Van Meter, Richard Beeson, Wm.,
Johnson. Morgan Morgan and Joseph Bryan executors .. �`+°
27th May 1742 .. returned by Morgan and Joseph Bryan. (pp. 212-213) J
In Will Book 2, pp. 125. The estate account of Mary Curtis. Morgan M®xgaR .p
Bryan, executor. Edward Hughs for writing Mary's will; Morgan Morgan
(coroner's charge); paid funeral expenses of Thomas Curtis; the petition C b�
of Morgan Bryan that petitioner is going out of the Colony prays your
worships will appoint a guardian to take the estate of Mary Curtis, daught lb
of Mary Curtis, decd, the child being by will of her mother left to my
wife (the child's grandmother). Returned 28th May 1748. O�
Quite a bit of information. As you can see from the estate account
Morgan Bryan was appointed her guardian through some means-
The
eans The Orange County Clerk's Office is very good about answering inquiries.
With the information here given they should have no trouble finding the
material you may want. Letters should be mailed to Ulysses P. Joyner, Jr., �cc4kskr.�,
Clerk, Orange County Circuit Court, P.O. Box 230, Orange eaoity, Va. Un-
fortunately, I do not know how much money you should send. They charge us
$1 for each page and of course postage if mailed. If you wish copies of .2-1960.
any of the above and they don't respond, write us. We will get it done and
charge you what they charge us plus postage. We finished abstracting the
material for our next two books today, so will be busy the next couple weeks
putting them together so it will be some time before we return, but will do