This may be pure coincidence, but I have a JOHN SMITH who lived in Rowan Co. NC, wife Polly Bryan. I suspect her name may actually have been Mary Bryan. He died in 1812 and the Rowan history room said that he was from the Peter Schmidt family of Rowan Co. However, I have some doubts about that because the name of his children are not German sounding. The combination of your death date and Bryan as spouse made me wonder where your John Smith died. I have been searching for ten years to find the parents of my POLLY (MARY?) BRYAN, b. 1784. She married JOHN SMITH in Rowan Co., NC in 1804, but no one seems to know anything about her. John Smith was a German of the Schmidt line in Rowan Co., NC. And the names of the children of this marriage have often seemed odd to me, given the fact that John Smith was German (his father was PETER SCHMIDT Jr.). I have also been told that perhaps Polly Bryan might actually have been a Forbis, and that certainly would explain the name of her first child WILEY SMITH. At the early death of John Smith in 1812, Polly remarried another German--Jacob Weant, and they had more children. At least two of the ancestry charts on www.ancestry.com show the marriage of our John Smith and Polly Bryan (one shows her as Polly O"Brian, b. Ireland but moving to Rowan from New Bern, NC but no source given). I have written to several of the submitters but got no reply on my request for sources. Although I still don't know for sure, I think the names of the children of John and Polly Bryan might be correct (IGI shows their marriage 14 April 1804 and uses the name Bryan). However, maybe she is Irish, especially given the names of the children: Wiley Smith, b. 14 March 1805 (why this name? Was John disowned by his German family?) Margaret Smith (b. 31 Oct. 1806 - will marry Isaac Earnhart (MY LINE) Peter Smith b.30 Sept 1808 Elizabeth Smith, b. 3 Dec 1810 Drury Smith, b. 17 Oct 1812 (The name Drew Smith appears in one of the deeds of land sold from the estate of John Smith in McCubbins files in the Rowan Co. history room. I know it is connected because it mentions Isaac Earnhart) According to these charts on the internet, the children of Jacob Weant (25 Dec 1780-8 Nov. 1838) and the re-married (17 Dec. 1814 ) Polly Bryan Smith on are: Lucy M. Weant b. abt. 1819 Caroline Weant b. abt 1815 Nancy Catherine Weant b. abt.1817 John B. Weant b.abt.1824 Sarah Ann Agnes Weant b.7 Jan. 1826 Betty A. Pace - bapace2@juno.com From: Tdsherron@cs.com To: NCWAYNE-L@rootsweb.com Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2006 11:01:18 EDT Subject: John Smith and Patience of Jo. CO. NC I'm trying to get in touch with Steven Bramlett who says Patience last name was Bryan. John Smith died in Johnston Co. one will says, died in 1813 and probated in 1813, and one says the will was written in 1803 and probated in 1813, same person with wife and children listed. Although, in 1800 one of their daughters sold her part of land to a brother James Smith, and it is noted that it was land of her father the decd. John Smith. Does anyone else connect to this line? Thanks, Donna in Johnston Co NC ______________________________

snip I have been searching for ten years to find the parents of my POLLY (MARY?) BRYAN, b. 1784. She married JOHN SMITH in Rowan Co., NC in 1804, snip Betty, have you looked for a Bryan Marriage to Mary/Polly before Polly's marriage to John Smith? That could explain some of your questions about the naming pattern of her children. Deborah Byrd