From: Lyle Bryson
To: Bill Bryson
Subject: Bryson Family - Nova Scotia
Date: Tue, 12 Jul 2005

I noticed from your web site that your family originated in County Antrim, Ireland. My ancestors also came from that area of Ireland, Ballymena. Four brothers, Adam, James, Robert and William and their sister Ann (Mrs. Edward Hogan) came to Nova Scotia in 1825 and settled in the Truro and Middle Musquodobit areas of the province. Do you think there is any relationship?

Best Regards, Lyle Bryson

Hi Lyle,

Thanks for getting in touch with me.

Ballymena is about twenty five miles from Carrickfergus. I expect
pretty well all Brysons in Antrim at the time of your ancestors
migrating to Canada were somewhat related. I know a story of four
brothers coming from the English/Scotts border area in the 1600s and settling in, I think it was Ballyclaire, 15 miles from Ballymena, and about ten miles from Carrickfergus.

It's late Saturday evening here, so I think I'll leave it at that for
now, but will pick up on this again later.

Kindest regards,
Bill

Hello Bill:

Thank you for your response. I am a bit of a neophyte when it comes to genealogy. However my mother was quite interested in the subject and had prepared family histories on both sides of our family (Bryson and Logan) as well as Hollingsworth and Whidden (Mother and Father's maternal grandparents).

I became interested in the subject a few years ago when I received a letter from a Mr. Federico Pienado, from Uruguay (living and working in California) who indicated that he thought we might be related. I thought it was another 'Nigerian Scam' and was ready to throw the letter away, however he had provided some information on his family which made me curious enough to check it out at the Nova Scotia Archives in Halifax. Sure enough we are distant relatives, his great, great ,great grandfather and my great, great grandfather were brothers. (2 of the four brothers who came to Nova Scotia from Ballymena, Ireland in 1825). My wife and I have been to California to visit Mr. Pienado and his family. We expect a return visit next summer.

There is an interesting book by Mrs. Jennie Reid "Musquodobit Pioneers-A
Record of Seventy Families, Their Homesteads and Genealogies 1780-1980". The four Bryson brothers and their families are included in Mrs. Reid's work. This book is available on line at the following address:
http://www.rootsweb.com/nshalifa/MusquodoboitPioneers.html

Best Regards, Lyle

Hi Lyle,

Interesting story you tell. I will see if I can get "Musquodobit Pioneers-A Record of Seventy Families, Their Homesteads and Genealogies 1780-1980" through interlibrary loan. I was unable to access http://www.rootsweb.com/nshalifa/MusquodoboitPioneers.html

Interesting also is the Bryson/Logan combination. One of my key sources of information in Belfast has been a Dr. John Logan, whose great grandmother was Margaret Bryson, sister of my gr. great grandfather in Carrickfergus – actually, at that time the family were tenant farmers on the Dobbs estate about five miles north of Carrickfergus. The house they lived in is now the derelict stone cottage. This house, and Margaret Bryson are pictured on the family website.

More later.
Bill