James Bryan was a mining entrepreneur whose efforts in concert with others brought economic development to Missouri. Bryan was a mining executive of his time. Bryan operated "Bryan's Mines" on Hazel Run, north of Big River, in SW 1/4 of Sec. 33, T. 37N. 5E. in 1806; this location is also known as "Hazel Run Lead Digging."

Bryan also attained significance when the United States Supreme Court recognized details of a land transfer from Moses Austin

Moses Austin

Moses Austin played a large part in the development of the American lead industry and is the father of Stephen F. Austin, a leading American settler of Texas. He was the first to be allowed to gather Anglo Americans for settlement in Spanish Texas...

 to Bryan in Bryan v. Kennett

Bryan v. Kennett

Bryan v. Kennett, , concerns ownership of some land in the U.S. State of Missouri, where possession must be shown in excess of 30 years prior to February 27, 1874, and after April 10, 1803, as dated from the treaty by which the United States acquired the Louisiana Purchase.The incomplete title...

, the Court's ratification of the Louisiana Purchase. Bryan also donated land to the public so public buildings could then be constructed in Missouri. Bryan was also a significant land owner in Arkansas too and was recognized in a book published by the Arkansas History Commission. James also owned a plantation in Missouri.

The city of Bryan, Texas

Bryan, Texas

Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley . It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south...

 is named for him.

Family and Legacy Impact on Development of Texas

Paternally, James Bryan began a family which had a unique and dramatic impact on the early anglo development of Texas. James was the first husband of Emily Margaret Brown Austin, brother-in-law of Stephen F. Austin

Stephen F. Austin

Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...

, son-in-law of Moses Austin, and father to several early anglo settlers of Texas including William Joel Bryan

William Joel Bryan

William Joel Bryan was a Texas soldier and land owner.Bryan was born at Hazel Run in Sainte Genevieve County, Missouri to James Bryan and Emily Austin Perry. He attended school at Potosi, Missouri until 1830. In 1831, William Joel Bryan's mother and stepfather James Franklin Perry followed...

, Moses Austin Bryan

Moses Austin Bryan

Moses Austin Bryan was an early settler of Texas. Moses served as Secretary for his uncle, Stephen F. Austin.-Family:...

. and Guy Morrison Bryan. The Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas deems James Bryan historically significant in that they maintain writings as well as communications that pertain to him under the heading "Bryan, James" such as: "Austin Papers, 1676, 1765-1889" and *Bryan (James) Papers, 1799-1822. Moses Austin send Bryan a memorandum at or about 1819 and this is found in the collection at the University of Texas.

Family and Life Cycle

James was born October 18 in Haycock Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Bucks County, Pennsylvania

- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...

. He died on July 16, in Hazel Run, Missouri. Emily and James married on August 31, 1813, at Durham Hall, in Mine au Breton, Washington County, Missouri. The two lived with Emily’s parents at their home called Durham Hall, in Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

, from 1813 to 1814. In 1815, they moved to Hazel Run, Missouri, and also later to Herculaneum

Herculaneum

Herculaneum was an ancient Roman town destroyed by volcanic pyroclastic flows in AD 79, located in the territory of the current commune of Ercolano, in the Italian region of Campania in the shadow of Mt...

, Missouri. Emily and James Bryan had five children:

• Stephen Austin Bryan was born on July 17, 1814 in Durham Hall, Missouri. He died on August 12, 1814 in Durham Hall, Missouri.
• William Joel Bryan
  William Joel Bryan
  William Joel Bryan was a Texas soldier and land owner.Bryan was born at Hazel Run in Sainte Genevieve County, Missouri to James Bryan and Emily Austin Perry. He attended school at Potosi, Missouri until 1830. In 1831, William Joel Bryan's mother and stepfather James Franklin Perry followed...
  
   was born on December 14, 1815 in Hazel Run, Saint Genevieve, Missouri. He died on March 13, 1903.
• Moses Austin Bryan
  Moses Austin Bryan
  Moses Austin Bryan was an early settler of Texas. Moses served as Secretary for his uncle, Stephen F. Austin.-Family:...
  
   was born on September 25, 1817 in Herculaneum, Jefferson County, Missouri. He died on March 16, 1895 in Brenham, Texas.
• Guy Morrison Bryan was born on January 12, 1821 in Herculaneum, Jefferson County, Missouri. He died on June 4, 1901 in Austin, Travis County, Texas.
• Mary Elizabeth Bryan was born on July 5, 1822 in Herculaneum, Jefferson County, Missouri. She died on August 4, 1833.

Moses Austin died at Bryan's home in 1821. James Bryan is buried in Hazel Run, Missouri.

Descendants of James Bryan meet each year in Jones Creek, Texas

Jones Creek, Texas

Jones Creek is a village in Brazoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,130 at the 2000 census.The Father of Texas, Stephen F. Austin, first settled in Jones Creek. His original grave resides in the Gulf Prairie Cemetery located on Gulf Prairie Road in Jones Creek. Emily Austin...

at the Austin-Bryan-Perry reunion in recognition of the achievement of these three families.

There are some historical unknowns about James Bryan including whether he had a middle name, and the names of his parents and where their parents were from. Accordingly the Bryan name association with Texas begins with James Bryan.