# Jonathan Bryan

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{{Short description|American patriot}}{{about|the American patriot|the American capitalist|Jonathan Bryan (capitalist)}}{{Infobox person
| name               = Jonathan Bryan
| image              = 
| caption            = 
| birth_name         = 
| birth_date         = September 7, 1708
| birth_place        = [Pocotaligo, South Carolina](/source/Pocotaligo%2C_South_Carolina)
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1788|3|9|1708|9|7}}
| death_place        = [Savannah, Georgia](/source/Savannah%2C_Georgia), U.S.
| resting_place      = [Laurel Grove Cemetery](/source/Laurel_Grove_Cemetery), Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
| occupation         = 
| spouse             = Mary Williamson (–1781; her death)
| children           =
}}

'''Jonathan Bryan''' (September 7, 1708 – March 9, 1788) was an American patriot originally from [South Carolina](/source/South_Carolina) but who moved [Savannah, Georgia](/source/Savannah%2C_Georgia), where he assisted [James Edward Oglethorpe](/source/James_Edward_Oglethorpe) in the foundation of Georgia's first colony. He also held several political offices in Georgia, and was a large landowner.

Georgia's [Bryan County](/source/Bryan_County%2C_Georgia) was named for him, while Savannah's [Bryan Street](/source/Bryan_Street) was named in his and his brothers' honor.

== Life and career ==
Bryan was born on September 7, 1708, in [Pocotaligo, South Carolina](/source/Pocotaligo%2C_South_Carolina). His brothers were middle son Hugh and the oldest Joseph Jr.<ref>"The Carolina Connection: Jonathan Bryan, His Brothers, and the Founding of Georgia, 1733-1752", ''Georgia Historical Quarterly'', volume 68, no. 2 (summer 1984), p. 150</ref> The brothers' sister was Hannah, born in 1706. Bryan's father, Joseph Sr., was an Englishman from [Hereford](/source/Hereford).<ref name=images>{{Cite book |last=Wheeler |first=Frank T. |title=Images of America: Savannah River Plantations |publisher=[Arcadia Publishing](/source/Arcadia_Publishing) |year=1998 |isbn=0738500305}}</ref> His mother died three weeks after his birth.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Redding |first=Mrs. J. H. |title=Life and times of Jonathan Bryan, 1708-1788 | date = 1901 | publisher = Savannah Morning News Print}}</ref>

In 1779, during the [Revolutionary War](/source/American_Revolutionary_War), he and his son were captured and imprisoned on [Long Island](/source/Long_Island) for two years.<ref name=images/><ref name=":0" />

He served as a member of the [Provincial Congress](/source/Provincial_Congress) and of the Council of Safety. He was also acting vice-president and [commander-in-chief](/source/commander-in-chief) of Georgia in 1777.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jonathan Bryan papers |url=http://ghs.galileo.usg.edu/ghs/view?docId=ead/MS%200098-ead.xml;query=;brand=default |access-date=2022-04-26 |website=ghs.galileo.usg.edu}}</ref>

He was a supporter of [George Whitefield](/source/George_Whitefield), himself a supporter of slavery.<ref name=":0" /> Bryan's "treatment of [his] slaves with a respect ordinarily denied them may have contributed to the great success of his plantations."<ref>"Bryan's Plantation Empire", ''The William and Mary Quarterly'', volume 34, no. 2 (April 1988) p. 277</ref>

Bryan was the grandfather of [Joseph Bryan](/source/Joseph_Bryan).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Meldrim |first=Mrs. Peter W. |title=Some Early Epitaphs in Georgia |year=1924 |pages=34}}</ref>

=== Death ===
Bryan died on March 9, 1788, aged 79. He was buried in the [Brampton Plantation](/source/Brampton_Plantation) cemetery.<ref name=images/>

During the [Civil War](/source/American_Civil_War), [Union Army](/source/Union_Army) soldiers raided his grave, looking for valuables they believed were hidden by locals.<ref name=images/>

Bryan Street in Savannah was named in his and his brothers' honor.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cope |first=Tony |title=It's Not That Lincoln |publisher=The Abercorn Press |year=2016}}</ref> Bryan County, Georgia, was named solely for him.<ref>{{cite book | url=http://www.kenkrakow.com/gpn/b.pdf | title=Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins | publisher=Winship Press | author=Krakow, Kenneth K. | year=1975 | location=Macon, GA | pages=27 | isbn=0-915430-00-2}}</ref> A historical marker, erected by the [Georgia Historical Society](/source/Georgia_Historical_Society), stands in Savannah's [Franklin Square](/source/Franklin_Square_(Savannah%2C_Georgia)), in front of the [First African Baptist Church](/source/First_African_Baptist_Church_(Savannah%2C_Georgia)).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Jonathan Bryan 1708-1788 historical marker - Digital Library of Georgia |url=https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_ghm_jonathan-bryan-1708-1788 |access-date=2022-04-26 |website=dlg.usg.edu}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[John Postell Williamson](/source/John_Postell_Williamson)

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryan, Jonathan}}
Category:1708 births
Category:1788 deaths
Category:People from colonial South Carolina
Category:People from colonial Georgia (British America)
Category:Politicians from Savannah, Georgia
Category:United States military personnel of the American Revolution
Category:18th-century American landowners

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Jonathan Bryan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Bryan) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Bryan?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.