SUBURBAN NEWS, Wednesday, September 28, 1994

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Reader Requests Help In Grandfather Search

Dear Editor:

      I have an unusual request to make. I would appreciate your helping me to find my maternal grandfather by publishing this letter.

      Since my teen years, I have been actively doing research on my family genealogy and have made great strides but have been unable to find out what became of my grandfather. No known living relative has been able to help me in my quest. What little information I have gathered has been on my own.

      His name is George Willard Bryant, born in the year 1900 in Plymouth, Pennsylvania, the son of Harry and Cora E. Strait Bryant. He had an older brother, Frank, and a sister, Mrs. Maude Elizabeth Davis. She lived in Detroit, Michigan. Nothing is known of them either.

      According to his marriage record, he was a chauffeur and lived on North Main Street in the Sterling Hotel Annex prior to his marriage. He married Letha Blanche Gordon on March 4, 1924 in Wilkes-Barre. Quite by accident, I discovered that Letha had filed for a divorce in 1929. He was last seen in Kingston.

      It has been rumored that he was killed in a truck logging accident in Virginia or West Virginia around 1930.  I have made a search of death records in these states between the years of 1920-1946 and in Pennsylvania between 1930-1950 and 1960-1970 but without success.

      1 would like to find information on where and when he died and where he is buried.

      I am enclosing a copy of his photograph in hoping that someone might recognize him. If anyone has any information about him I would be grateful if they would contact me.

      He may not be anyone special in the public’s eye but lie is special to me because he was my grandfather.

             Sincerely Yours,

             Marshall Colin Price

             R.R. Box  2, Box 224

             Overbrook Avenue

             Dallas, PA 18612

             717) 675-9802

Newspaper article, about 1995:

Search for family roots can be rigorous, rewarding

By MICHAEL TWICHELL

Post Correspondent

          HARVEYS LAKE—Long lost relatives are not just plot twists in your favorite soap opera. Many People try to find missing uncles, great-uncles, or great-great grandfathers to form a complete record of their family history, or genealogy.

      Back Mountain native Marshall Colin Price has been tracing his roots for 26 years, since age fifteen, when he first became curious about his family history. “It was interesting to listen to older relatives retelling old family stories,” he said.

      Price has researched his family quite extensively. “On my mother’s side of the family I’ve traced a few lines back as far as the 1400’s and 1500’s. Unfortunately on my fathers’ side, I’ve only gone back to the first ancestors who came to America four generations ago,” he said.

      World travel has also been part of his quest. “I had the opportunity to visit the village in Wales where my father’s ancestors were from, and also the church where they were married,” he said.

      Price has also found a few famous roots along the way. “I am a direct descendant of the Mather family, which Cotton Mather was a part of. They came from England and were theologians during the Salem Witch Trials. Another ancestor, Robert Treat, was a former governor of Connecticut in the late 1600’s,” he said.

      The most challenging search Price has encountered is not someone from centuries past, but his maternal grandfather, whom he has been searching for since he first became involved in genealogy. No known living relative has been able to help in his search.

      “His name is George Willard Bryant, born in 1900 in Plymouth, PA. His parents were Harry and Cora E. Strait Bryant. He had two older brothers, Frank and Ray, and a sister, Mrs. Maude Elizabeth Davis. Little is known of them either,” said Price.

      According to a marriage record obtained by Price, George Bryant was a chauffeur and lived on North Main Street in Wilkes-Barre in the Sterling Hotel Annex prior to his marriage. “He married Letha Blanch Gordon on March 4, 1924. I discovered by accident that Letha filed for divorce in 1929, which was unusual for women to do at the time,” said Price.

      Bryant was last seen in Kingston, and Price says, “It has been rumored that he was killed in a truck logging accident in Virginia or West Virginia around 1930. I’ve searched the death records of those states between 1920-60, and in Pennsylvania between 1930-70, but without success.”

      Now staying with relatives after a short teaching stint in France, Price is eager to resume his research. “I have to get current with all the genealogical organizations I’ve been involved with,” he said.

      One of those organizations is based right here in northeastern Pennsylvania. The Northeast Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, founded in 1992 with just six members, has grown to include not only members from northeast PA, but throughout the U.S. and internationally. According to society vice-president Dean Sawyer, “The rapid growth is just an indication of the widespread interest of people worldwide in genealogy and their family history.”

      “We are a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people trace their family history. There are some organizations that charge for these services, but we’re not in it for money,” said Sawyer.

      According to society president Mary Lou Swingle, of Shavertown, beginning research is fairly simple. “Basically, you start with your parents and grandparents, and go back as far as you can,” she said. The Society also provides new members with a Starter Kit, which includes various sources to research and charts to record your findings.

      Some local sources suggested by the society include the Luzerne County Courthouse and the Osterhout Library. “There’s also a branch of the National Family History Library, which is run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Clarks Summit,” said Swingle. The Church of Latter-Day Saints keeps very extensive genealogical records, with their main library branch based in Utah.

      An important source that is often overlooked at first is any living relatives that you have contact with. “Some people go right to researching courthouse files, when an older relative might have the information they need,” said Sawyer. Some relatives may also have a family Bible or journals.

      The society also has its own library in Swingle’s home, where members can borrow materials they need for a two week period. “Information is also exchanged over the Internet for our members who have computers, and at our monthly meetings,” said Sawyer.

      Information is also exchanged via queries placed in the society’s quarterly newsletter, published in March. June, September, and December.

      Researching can become complicated, but according to member Carol King of Dallas, “if it were easy it wouldn’t be any fun. Mrs. Swingle adds, “Once you get started it’s hard to put it down.”

      The society holds its’ meetings the fourth Tuesday of every month, at the Veterans Administration Hospital, East End Blvd., Wilkes‑Barre. Meetings are not held in July, when a field trip is taken, or in August and December. Annual membership fee is $12, and a lifetime membership is also available for $100.

      To obtain more information about membership, contact Mary Lou Swingle at 696-2764, or Dean Sawyer at 288-7609.

      Anyone with information in regard to George Willard Bryant, contact Marshall Colin Price at 639-2614 or P.O. Box 457. Dallas, PA, 18612.

Copyright (c) 1998-2003.

Last updated June 1, 2003.

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