John Neely Bryan (December 24, 1810 – September 8, 1877) was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

farmer, lawyer, and tradesman in the United States and founder of the city of

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, Texas.

Early life

Bryan was born to James and Elizabeth (Neely) Bryan in Fayetteville, Tennessee. There, he attended the Fayetteville Military Academy and, after studying law, was admitted to the Tennessee Bar. Around 1833, he left Tennessee and moved to

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, where he was an Indian trader. According to some sources, he and a business partner laid out Van Buren, Arkansas.

Exploring Dallas

Bryan visited the Dallas area in 1839, and in 1841, he established a permanent settlement, which eventually became the burgeoning city of Dallas.

Establishment of Dallas

Bryan was significant to early Dallas — he served as the postmaster, a store owner, a ferry operator (he operated a ferry where Commerce Street crosses the Trinity River today), and his home served as the courthouse. In 1844, he persuaded J. P. Dumas to survey and plot the site of Dallas and possibly help him with the work. Bryan was instrumental in the organizing of Dallas County in 1846 and the election by voters of Dallas as its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

in August 1850 (over the towns of Cedar Springs and Oak Cliff). When Dallas became the county seat, Bryan donated the land for the courthouse. In 1843, he married Margaret Beeman, a daughter of the Beeman family who settled in Dallas fro
Bird's Fort
The couple had five children. Another Beeman, John, arrived in Dallas in April 1842 and planted the first corn.

Gold rush

In 1849, Bryan went to California during the

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...

but returned within a year. In January 1853, he was a delegate to the Texas State Democratic convention. In 1855, Bryan shot a man who had insulted his wife and fled to the

Creek Nation The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a List of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large grou ...

. The man he shot made a full recovery, and Bryan certainly would've been informed, but still, Bryan did not return to Dallas for about six years. During that time, Bryan traveled to

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

and California, probably looking for gold. He returned to Dallas in time for a brief military expedition against the Comanche Indians in 1860.

Late life

Bryan joined Col. Nicholas H. Darnell's Eighteenth Texas Cavalry regiment in the winter of 1861 and served with the unit until late 1862, when he was discharged due to his old age and poor health. He returned to Dallas in 1862 and became actively involved in community affairs. In 1863, Bryan was a trustee for the Dallas Male and Female Academy. In 1866, during a Dallas flood, he was very prominent in aiding those affected. He also chaired a citizens' meeting that pushed the Houston and Texas Central Railway to complete the railway through the city and presided at a rally that sought to get full political rights for all ex- Confederates. In 1871 and 1872, Bryan became one of the directors of the Dallas Bridge Company, which built the first iron bridge across the Trinity River. He also stood on the platform at the welcoming ceremonies for the Houston and Texas Central Railway when the first train pulled into town in mid-July 1872. By 1874, Bryan's mind was impaired, though it is not known precisely how. "I am the son of John Neely Bryan, now before the court," Edward T. Bryan testified on February 1, 1877. "My father is insane." He was admitted to the Texas State Lunatic Asylum in February 1877 and died there on September 8, 1877.Frank X. Tolbert, "Tolbert's Texas: Does Dallas' Founder Lie in Lunatic's Grave," Dallas Morning News, July 23, 1970 He is believed to be buried in an unmarked grave in the southeast quadrant of the Austin State Hospital Cemetery. In 2006, Bryan's descendants placed a headstone in the cemetery that reads "PVT 18 Texas CAV CSA Dec 24 1810 Sep 8 1877 Founder of Dallas Texas." In 1954, the James Butler Bonham chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas erected a white granite marker honoring the Dallas founder in Pioneer Cemetery (Pioneer Plaza). A large marker bearing the name "Bryan" and displaying two "Citizen of the Republic of Texas" medallions honoring John Neely Bryan and his wife stands in Riverside Cemetery at Wichita Falls, Texas. It overlooks the graves of Margaret Beeman Bryan (1825-1919), her son John Neely Bryan, Jr. (1846-1926), and other family members. A Texas Historical Marker, "Beeman Memorial Cemetery," located east of downtown Dallas just off of Dolphin Road, states that John Neely Bryan is buried in the Beeman family plot of his wife, Margaret, and other Beeman family members. This cemetery is somewhat hard to locate, but is located just behind a large Jewish Cemetery (Shearith Israel) on Dolphin Road just south of Military Parkway. The Bryan Pergola, standing on the Grassy Knoll in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas, is named after John Neely Bryan (1810-1877), the recognized founder of the City of Dallas. Dallas Independent School District named John Neely Bryan Elementary after him.

Cultural references

The concrete pergola upon which Abraham Zapruder was standing during the John F. Kennedy assassination as he made the Zapruder film was initially placed in Dealey Plaza in honor of Bryan, and is named for him. Image:Grassy Knoll 2003.jpg, The Grassy Knoll and Bryan pergola in Dealey Plaza. Image:21-12-026-bryan.jpg, Historical Marker for Bryan

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bryan, John Neely People from Fayetteville, Tennessee Lawyers from Dallas People of the California Gold Rush People of Texas in the American Civil War History of Dallas American city founders 1810 births 1877 deaths Tennessee lawyers Texas postmasters Texas Democrats