General Notes

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Bryant was born in Georgia (most likely Jefferson Co., GA where is Unlce
Manning Spradley was working as an overseer)  when his parents were
moving from Camden, South Carolina to Montgomery County, Alabama. Both of
Bryant's parents were pioneer South Carolina people. He grew up in
Montgomery, Butler and Crenshaw Counties, Alabama. He was a farmer and
learned to manage the farming for others. He was employed by Mr.
Willoughby Todd also a South Carolina native, to over see his farms. He
soon became attracted to Amelia Ann Todd one of the daughters, and they
were married when she was 16 years old. They had one son Augustave "Gus"
Davis Spradley.
Bryant was soon called into the service where he soon became a
Lieutenant. He was wounded in battle at Petersburg and was later captured
as a prisoner of war.
When the Civil War came on, he and his cousin James "Jim" John
Spradley got together and joined the Confederate Army. They joined as
privates, for Company A, Artillery, Battalion, Hilliard's Legion,
Alabama, Volunteers, on the llth of May 1863, in Montgomery County. They
were signed up by Capt. Glasgow for three years. They were both later
part of the 59th Alabama Inf., Co., "I".
The two made an agreement that if either one of them died during
their service and the other one knew about it that they would each see
that the other had a proper burial.
Bryant was told that Jim had died of a disease. Bryant ask for
permission to go and see about proper burial. His captain told him "No"
and ordered him back to duty.  Bryant said "well" I am going any way or
die in the  attempt because there is no one there to attend to my cousin,
to which his captain replied, "then take my horse".
Bryant and Jim were married to sisters, Penny Frances Todd and Amelia
Ann Todd.
Bryant's wife Amelia Ann died 11th June 1863 and after coming home
his father-in-law died in 1865. He was appointed administrator and
guardian of his son, and the estate and minor heirs of Willoughby and
Amelia Ann Todd.
One of those he was guardian to was Emmaline who was now 16 years
old. A young man was courting her and asked her to marry him. Being a
minor, she said it would be necessary for her to ask her guardian. To ask
him, she wrote a note and gave it to Gus to deliver to his father. When
Bryant read the note he answered by adding a note saying, "If you wish to
get married, you do not have to leave home, I propose to marry you." So
they were married 10th May, 1866
In 1872 Bryant felt a need to "Go West".  He sold out his property
and that of his guardianship and with his and 28 members of his wife's
family they moved to Texas. Two of those members were James Willoughby
Spradley, Sr. and Clayton Louis Pinkerton "Webb" Webster Spradley, sons
of James "Jim" John Spradley and Penelopy "Penny" Frances Todd. Penny was
sister of Emmaline. James Willoughby Spradley was the father of Walter B.
Spradley.
Their transportation was by boat, getting on at Selma, Alabama, down
the Alabams River to the Gulf, over to New Orleans where they changed
boats and to Galveston. By prearrangement they were met at Galveston by a
Mr. Blaylock from Milam County with ox teams and carts to transport their
belongings to Milam County. It was necessary for most of the adults to
walk most of the way. Daughter, Amelia Ann in later years reported that
she remembered her father setting her up on what she called the hogshead
where she could see and enjoy the trip.
Bryant selected to farm in the sandy loam land near Gardner on the
southern border of Milam County, similar to where he had been farming.
This land was $1.00 per acre and the black land in upper Milam County was
$.50 cents per acre but it was harder to work and not considered good
farming land. In 1884 he moved to Coryell County for one year. After
returning to Milam County in 1885, he bought land and a gin at Gardner
and ran i