From the father of William Bryan who landed in circa

up the Kentucky government system.
79. Capt. John Bryan (Jonathan (Capt.) 5 , Joseph Sr. 4 , John 3 , William (Capt.) 2 ,
John Sr. (Capt.) 1 ) was born in 1735 in Bertie Precinct, North Carolina and died on 12 Mar 1782 in
Rowan County, North Carolina at age 47.
Noted events in his life were:
• Information: 1729, Bertie Precinct, North Carolina. This man was a Militia Captain
during the Revolution. He and his troops fought the battle at Guilford Courthouse
March 15, 1781 , a most horrid and wholly gruesome affair; he should be viewed
historically as a Revolutionary Hero, but for whatever reasons, that is not the case.
• He died on 12 Mar 1782 in Rowan County, North Carolina. Capt. John Bryan was shot
and killed by Colonel David Fanning March 12, 1782. Fanning was a Tory, and heavily
involved in several North and South Carolina Battles. Fanning ordered Bryan's home to
be burned, after the fire was set and Bryan resisted, Fanning and one of his men shot
and killed Bryan. David Fanning was born 1754 in Rowan County North Carolina. Both
men were involved at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse March 15, 1781.
Source: North Carolina Revolutionary Soldiers, Pages 128 & 129
Bryan, John, Capt. N. C. Militia; killed at his home by Tories Mch. 12, 1782.
• Postscript: 24 Jun 1790, Long Beach, King's County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Historically the event that took place March 12, 1782 should not have happened, for
Cornwallis had surrendered to George Washington on October 19, 1781 at Yorktown
but it took a while for the news to travel, and another personal family tragedy involving
war was recorded in the history books.
After Fanning killed John Bryan, David Fanning went to Chatham County where he
married Sarah Carr April 25, 1782, and thence fled to Canada where he died March
14, 1825 Digby County in Nova Scotia. He recorded in his journal about the murder of
Capt. John Bryan. That record follows, verbatim as David Fanning wrote it:
. . . . "About the 7 th March 1782 Capt. Walker and Currie, of the Loyal Militia fell
in, with a party of Rebels, and came to an engagement, and fired for some time, 'till the
rebels had fired all their ammunition; and then, wished to come to terms of peace
between each party; and no plundering, killing or murdering should be committed by
either party or side; which was concluded upon by each Colonel, for such certain
limited bounds; which was to be agreed upon by each Col.; and if they could not agree,
each party was to remain neutral until matters was made known, respecting the term
which they had to agree upon. Soon after my men came to me and informed what
they had done; we received the rebel Col. Balfour's answer; 'there was a resting place
for a Tory's foot upon the Earth.' He also immediately sent out his party, and on the
10 th , I saw the same company coming to a certain house where we were fiddling
and dancing. We immediately prepared ourselves in readiness to receive them, , their
number being 27 and our number only seven; We immediately mounted our horses, and
went some little distance from the house, and commenced a fire, for some considerable
time; night coming on they retreated and left the ground. Some time before, while, we
were treating with each other, I had ordered and collected twenty-five men to have a
certain dress made which was linen frocks, died black, with red cuffs, red elbows, and
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