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Sperryville and more precisely in the Old Hollow area. If fact, it was the Bryan family who deeded an acre of land to “the Baptist Church at Thornton’s Gap” in 1818. Most of the Bryans were members of the church too, as can be found in the records. It was about this time that the Bryan family moved west as is evidenced by letters of dismission granted them by the church.
While living in Mercer County, Ky. in 1823, James and Elizabeth Bryan Baldwin sold 250 acres of land to James’ brothers, Allen and William Baldwin. This property was situated high up in the hollow on Favorite Mountain. It is this connection which brings us to the climax of this story.
As Thornton Gap Primitive Baptist Church meets on third Sundays at present. It is necessary to go up on Saturday before to turn on the heat or air conditioning, depending on the time of the year, and to vacuum and clean. On Feb. 19, I was attending to these duties when a white pick up truck pulled up beside the church yard.
A man and woman walked across the churchyard and introduced themselves as Jerry and Carol Bryan from Fresno, Calif. They had been in the area since Thursday staying in their “fifth wheel” at a camp ground in Culpeper.
They had been to the local libraries, clerk’s offices and even talked with Ray Pullen and Thomas Taylor. Their primary interest was to see the remains of the old Bryan home, perhaps the cemetery etc., but no one being home up Honeysuckle Lane they were resigned to disappointment.
Jerry explained that he descended from old William Bryan’s son, James. His ancestors made their way from Kentucky west to Iowa, and he was the first in California. Jerry is a Professor of Business at the University of California in Fresno.
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