John H. Bryant, Contractor and Builder, Bloomington, Illinois

The following biography is listed in the Portrait and Biographical Album of McLean County, Illinois, published in Chicago in 1887 by Chapman Brothers: 

JOHN H. BRYANT, contractor and builder, having his office at the intersection of Northeast and Douglas streets, Bloomington, may be properly numbered among the pioneer settlers of Illinois, as he came here in 1837 with his parents, being then a young child. He was born in East Cambridge, Mass., Dec. 3, 1833, his parents being Eben and Martha (Brown) Bryant, natives of Wakefield and Charlestown, Mass. Eben Bryant was a farmer by occupation, and emigrated from the Bay State to Illinois in 1837, settling in Pike County, upon 160 acres of wild land, which he improved and cultivated and occupied until his death; which occurred in 1866. The mother survived him twelve years, dying at the old homestead in 1878. They were the parents of five children, four now living, as follows: Eben F., of Pike County; John H., our subject; Harriet and Joseph B., of Kansas City. The father of our subject was a strong Abolitionist, and both parents were members of the Baptist Church. 

John H. Bryant was reared on his father's farm, and received a practical education. He remained at home until nineteen years old, and then served three years at the carpenter's trade, in Griggsville. He soon afterward commenced as a contractor, which he followed in that locality until 1859, and then came to Bloomington. Here he first established himself on West Mulberry street, removing to his present quarters in 1884. He now gives employment to from five to twenty men, and among the important structures which he has had in charge are the City Hall, Turner Hall, the German Methodist Episcopal Church and the Eagle Block, besides some of the finest residence in the city. 

Our subject was married in 1855, to Miss Nancy English, a native of New Salem, Ill., and the daughter of Robert and Martha (Hooper) English, of Ohio. Mr. English was a farmer who, after coming to Illinois, settled first at New Salem, whence he removed to McLean County in 1863. His declining years were spent in Normal Township, where his death occurred in about 1865. 

Mr. and Mrs. Bryant became the parents of five children as follows: George A. is in California; Alice, now Mrs. Gilbert Eldridge, is the mother of two children--Clare and Pansy; Frank married Miss Mary Ellen Ingersol, and they have one daughter, a babe, Ethel Frances; Arthur is doing business with his father; Charles the youngest, is at home. 

The family residence is located at No. 806 West Oliver street, and is the resort of the best people of Bloomington. Mrs. Bryant is a member in good standing of the Baptist Church. Mr. Bryant is one of the largest contractors in the city of Bloomington, and both as a business man and a citizen, is one of the important factors in its business and industrial interests. 

The following is listed in The History of McLean County, Illinois published in Chicago in 1879 by Wm. Le Baron, Jr. & Co. (same book also contains biographies on Hiram Baker and George Champion of Normal): 

J.H. BRYANT, a contractor; Bloomington; one of the oldest and best known contractors and builders of the city of Bloomington, is J.H. Bryant, who is a native of Cambridge, Mass.; in 1837, he came West, but did not locate in Bloomington until 1859, where he has been contracting and building for twenty years; during the busy season he employs about twelve men, frequently having several buildings in course of construction at the same time; he has contracted for and built many of the prominent public and private buildings of Bloomington; prominent among the former is the City Hall, built in 1878; he is a man who has filled any and all contracts which he has taken, and has thus established an enviable reputation as a contractor and builder. 

I also found 4 Eben Bryants listed in the Vital Records of Wakefield, Massachusetts up to 1850. I believe the youngest born on June 30, 1806 is probably John Henry's father. This Eben's parents are listed as Ebenezer and Hannah Bryant. 

[When I started researching my family history, I had the names of my grandmother's grandparents, Robert Francis Bryant and Mary Ellen Ingersoll.  They both came from Bloomington, Illinois and moved to Los Angeles with their family and extended families in the 1910s.  In the early 2000s, my workplace in Downtown Los Angeles was a short walk to the Central branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.  The history and genealogy department was located on the bottom basement floor.  I frequently raced down the escalators on my lunch breaks to research.  I looked up my known family surnames in all the central Illinois county biographical books.  Finding John Henry Bryant's biography unlocked a Bryant family tree going back several generations to the 1640s and several founding families of the town of Reading, Massachusetts.]

Originally published on my personal MyFamily.com website on August 26, 2000. Edited for clarity. Comments are in brackets.

Categories: Biographies, Brown Family, Bryant Family, English Family, Ingersoll Family