still living - details excluded
Her will, dated 19 sep 1699, leaves her estate to her "five children, son-in-law John Muchemore to take care of Joseph Youring to bring him up in the faith of God and to such Larning as is conveneant for one of his degrees". The identity of this Joseph has not been established. One of the overseers of the will was Richard Gooss or Goss, her "kinsman". Might this word connote cousin or brother-in-law? Nothing has been learned about Eleanor's age,
either. The five children appear to be the three Urans and the two Muchemores, contrary to the speculations of Libbey (Geneal. Enc. of ME & NH) about Gertrude Toogood, wife of Edward Toogood, whose names appear on the back of a document relating to the estate of Eleanor. Aside from the fact that we have already identified five living children at the time of her death, Zachaeus Wilcome evidently dying shortly thereafter, the notation about Gertrude apparently contains the same names as the guardian's bond in the estate of Allen Lloyd, which was before the court in 1701. It seems likely that someone was jotting down notes on a handy piece of paper, and did not intend the two estates to appear related.
There are many references to Eleanor's activities on Star Island after the death of William Urin. She seems to have been quite enterprising. She is noted selling liquor at various times, perhaps in larger amounts than expected, and her will mentions a new boat that she then owned.
Probably the most interesting of these references is the following, 27 jun 1665, the New Hampshire Court meeting at Dover. "Upon a Complaint made by several masters of vinges [i.e., wines] on Star Iland against Widow Urin James Waymouth Roger Kelly John More & siprus [Onesiphorus] Clary [Harvey] for selling of beare & Liquors upon said Iland without Licence whereby theire men were hindered in following theire busines & was owned [i.e., admitted] by them all except John More who was not at Court to make his answer This Court sentence is That Widow Urin who having Libertie by the Comissoners there to sell in time of waying fish yet had exceeded ye time Limited that she have an admonition & pay Tho. Sevy 10 s & fies 2 s 6 d John More to pay fine ..." (etc. -- Thomas Seavy was the constable at that time, and widow Urin and Waymouth also had to pay him "for his panes to fetch them to this Court.") When James Waymouth, John More, and Richard Wilcom appear two years later charged with selling "by retaile" wine, beer, and cider without a license, Wilcom's wife answers for him in court, pleading "that it was but in waying time." The similarity of the charges, the parties involved, and the circumstances make us suspect that Wilcom's wife at that time was in fact Eleanor, the widow Urin. She did not go away empty-handed on this last occasion: The court also granted James Waymouth and Richard Wilcome license to open a "house of publick entertainment" during the time of weighing of fish, the license to be renewed annually.
In 1687, one William Button, evidently a Jersey trader, died at Isles of Shoals. The inventory notes debts owed to John Yousring and credits due from John Yousring and Ellenor Welcom (NH Probate Files, #117, not examined), thus providing yet another spelling. The document may have been prepared by someone with a French background, as the surname Diamond is here spelled "Disment", and a number of other names have an extra "s" at the end of the first syllable.
In 1668, her son Edward Urin sold his interest in William Urin's estate to James Blagdon. The same James Blagdon, with Richard Goss, signed the inventory of Eleanor Welcom's estate 12 oct 1699, and on 01 feb 1699/1700 was surety for the bond of John Muchemore, administrator for the estate. This suggests he may have retained an interest in the family's business. It is possible he was related in some way to one of Eleanor's families. Blagdon was born about 1638, according to Libbey's Geneal. Enc. of ME & NH, and his second wife was Joan, widow of William Diamond and Edward Carter (meaning, evidently, the Edward Cater who appears in NH probate and court records).
A number of researchers have tried to determine Eleanor's relationship to her "kinsman" Richard Goss. None of these has managed to advance even a reasonable explanation, and the detailed query that appeared in the Boston Evening Transcript 03 nov 1930 (#869) seems never to have been answered. There is one indirect relationship that might be considered, but it depends on Richard "Goss" or "Gooss" being the same person as Richard Joce of Portsmouth and Star Island. Without concluding that Goss and Joce are indeed the same name, it appears that Richard Joce was Eleanor's daughter-in-law's uncle. That is, Eleanor's son John Urin married first to Abigail Westbrook (her identity inferred from a statement about John Urin's relationship to John Westbrook), and Richard Joce was married to Jane Walford, sister of Abigail Westbrook's mother. Whether that was close enough to be considered "kinsman" at the time is uncertain, but we do know that the Joce and Uran families had lived on tiny Star Island for many years, and so it was not unreasonable for Richard to be asked as a disinterested friend of the family to assist in the settling of her estate. If this is the correct explanation, it fails to offer any clues about the origins of Eleanor.
Recently, we noticed that a number of genealogies published on the internet have made a leap of logic and assert that Eleanor's maiden name was Goss. Since the will of Christopher Joce (claimed by some as Goss) is very detailed, we might have expected some mention of Eleanor in it if she were indeed a Goss. Also, it would seem that Richard Goss would then have to be her nephew, and so it seems unlikely she would have called him simply "my kinsman". On the other hand, it is pointed out that Christopher Joce was selling liquor on Star Island as early as 1652 and had difficulties with his license similar to those experienced later by Eleanor.
[4] Since she had 2 children after her marriage to Richard Wilcomb, it is unlikely she was born any earlier than 1625. Wilcomb was b. cir 1641, so it appears he was much younger than Eleanor.
[5] Will dated 19 sep 1699, inventory filed 12 oct 1699.
She is mentioned in her husband's will in 1811, but has not been established that she is the mother of his children — for example, she might be his second wife.
Possible remarriage: Elizabeth A. Bryant to Menard Bell, 30 oct 1855. Unable to locate this couple on census. However, there is a Manard Bell with wife Elizabeth N. born in IN in the 1880 Census, Greenwood Co., KS, with son James b. IN 1856; this Elizabeth was b. 1840 VA, so would have to be from another of the several Bryant families in the area, if this is the same one that married in 1855.
Elizabeth's age on the 1850 census helps us to estimate the birthdate of her husband. If we have guessed right, he would be Josiah Bryant's next younger brother.
Her children indicate in the 1880 census that their mother had been born in West Virginia. William Bryant was married before 1815, apparently (based on the age of his daughter Sarah). His marriage would not have been among the missing records of Sullivan Co., IN, because the county was not formed until 1815. The fact that Sarah was born in Kentucky suggests that William must have returned to the Bryant family home in Kentucky after accompanying his brother Josiah Jr. to Indiana in the fall of 1811. The accounts left by the Turman family and the family of Josiah Bryant mention numerous journeys through the wilderness between Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia. A large extended family frequently visited the Turmans' at their "fort" in Sullivan Co., IN. It is certainly possible that Elizabeth was a Turman relative who met William while he was in Indiana, or who was suggested to him by the Turman's as a wife.
The Bryant family history says that Josiah Bryant Jr. grew up near Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, and slept in the cave with his dogs while on hunting expeditions. From this, we would infer that the family home was within a few days' journey of the cave, whose many branches and entrances are in present-day Hart, Edmonson, and Barren counties. One genealogist believes she has found Josiah Bryant Sr. in the 1810 census of Green Co. (p. 14). That entry suggests Josiah Sr. was born 1765 or later, and that William (probably still living at home) was no more than 16 years old. However, if Elizabeth's age has been reported correctly, that would make William much too young. Nevertheless, it seems most probable that Elizabeth herself would be married around age 20 or earlier.
The transcription of the Center Chapel Cemetery in Vernon Tp., Van Buren Co., IA retains the order in which the stones were recorded. The grave of Elizabeth Bryant, "wife of William", is next to the graves of two young sons of J. and E. Baird. Although the rest of the family of John and Elizabeth Bryant Baird is buried elsewhere, this juxtaposition, and the fact that the inscription has about the right birthdate, strongly suggests we have finally found the resting place of our Elizabeth. Since it now appears that most of the family ended up in Iowa, the search for the missing Bryant children (notably William T. born about 1822) must now turn to Iowa.
The death date on the tombstone cannot be read completely now, because the stone has been broken and reset in concrete. The year of death is missing! The transcription published in the 1970's (?) says February 29, 1857, which is obviously incorrect. The surviving stone clearly says February 29, so the year was most likely 1856.
Correspondence of Betty Gross, a Bryant descendant, includes at least one mention of a surname attributed to Elizabeth, "Mayfose". Not only does this suggestion lack documentation, we have no evidence that such a surname has ever existed. Also, it is remarkably similar to "Mayfield", the maiden name suggested in the same correspondence for the second wife of Christopher Myers Bryant, and similarly, without any supporting documentation.
It seems more plausible that Elizabeth would have been the daughter of the original Christopher Myers, thus explaining the existence of Christopher Myers Bryant and his nephew Christopher Myers Baird. There was a Christopher Myers who died in 1797 is what is now Brooke Co., WV, and his will does name a daughter Elizabeth. Unfortunately, there seems to be no further mention of Elizabeth or the other daughters of this family, so we have no facts that would allow her to meet William Bryant.
[4327] From published cemetery inscription, which, however, is evidently not correct.
[4328] Her tombstone is now broken and set in concrete. It clearly shows the day as the 29th of February, but the year is not legible now. The published transcript says 29 feb 1857, but only 1856 seems plausible.
[4329] Cemetery is in Vernon Tp., section 17, and was associated with a Methodist Episcopal Church.