John Neely Bryan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
December 24, 1810
lawyer
tradesman
John Neely Bryan | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Neely Bryan December 24, 1810 |
| Died | September 8, 1877 (aged 66) |
| Occupations | farmer lawyer tradesman |
| Known for | Founder of Dallas, Texas, United States |
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John Neely Bryan (December 24, 1810 – September 8, 1877) was a Presbyterian farmer, lawyer, and tradesman in the United States and founder of the city of Dallas, Texas.
Bryan was born to James and Elizabeth (Neely) Bryan in Fayetteville, Tennessee. There, he attended the Fayetteville Military Academy and, after studying law, was admitted to the Tennessee Bar. Around 1833, he left Tennessee and moved to Arkansas, where he was an Indian trader. According to some sources, he and a business partner laid out Van Buren, Arkansas.[1]
Exploring Dallas
Bryan visited the Dallas area in 1839, and in 1841, he established a permanent settlement, which eventually became the burgeoning city of Dallas.[2]
Establishment of Dallas
Bryan was significant to early Dallas — he served as the postmaster, a store owner, a ferry operator (he operated a ferry where Commerce Street crosses the Trinity River today), and his home served as the courthouse. In 1844, he persuaded J. P. Dumas to survey and plot the site of Dallas and possibly[original research?] help him with the work. Bryan was instrumental in the organizing of Dallas County in 1846 and the election by voters of Dallas as its county seat in August 1850 (over the towns of Cedar Springs and Oak Cliff). When Dallas became the county seat, Bryan donated the land for the courthouse. In 1843, he married Margaret Beeman, a daughter of the Beeman family who settled in Dallas from Bird's Fort. The couple had five children.[1] Another Beeman, John, arrived in Dallas in April 1842 and planted the first corn.[2]
Gold rush
In 1849, Bryan went to California during the gold rush but returned within a year. In January 1853, he was a delegate to the Texas State Democratic convention. In 1855, Bryan shot a man who had insulted his wife and fled to the Creek Nation. The man he shot made a full recovery, and Bryan certainly would've been informed, but still, Bryan did not return to Dallas for about six years. During that time, Bryan traveled to Colorado and California, probably looking for gold. He returned to Dallas in time for a brief military expedition against the Comanche Indians in 1860.
