Bryan Boru O'Bannon

The most believable sites suggest that we do not know when this person came to Virginia, where he came from, what his wife's name is, or where they were married.

Some sites I do not trust claim:

He came from Ireland

His wife was Sarah (somtimes nee Grigsby)

They were married in Dublin

They came over with small children

His name was actually Bryan

He had the middle name "Boru"

His parents are William O'Bannon born 1648 Ireland and Nancy Neville born 1752 England?

Siblings are: William, born 1671, John born 1673 (Sarah Jones), Thomas born 1677, Sarah born 1679, Pressley Neville born 1681.

He was born in County Tipperary Ireland

He married Sarah Grisby

And other things

Bryant, "of the County of Westmoreland" bought land on 20 Dec 1720 in Hanover Parish, Richmond County. He received his first land grant in 1728 on Pignut Ridge, and then a later grant in 1741.

Bryant (later) also married Margaret JOHNSTON.

They had the following children:

M vii Aron JOHNSTON was born 1720 in Fauquier County, Virginia.

viii Francis JOHNSTON was born 1722 in Fauquier County, Virginia.

Karen I have much on the O'Bannon Family and will be most happy to share. Most of my information has been proven. E mail me at fdilley@yahoo.com

Bryan (O'Bannon) Obanon is the first known O'Bannon to come to America. The earliest known record is a land purchase (in Richmond County, Virginia, Deed, Bk. 8, pp 20 -23) a lease and release deed of John Sharpe and wife and Linchfield Sharp and wife to "Bryant Obaning" of Westmoreland in ye Colony of Virginia, Planter, three hundred acres (300) in Hanover Parish, of Richmond County, Virginia same lying above the falls of Rappahannock River, on the north side of it being a part of a tract of twelve hundred and fifty acres taken up and Patented June 5, 1704 by Thomas Knight of Northumberland. In the release it states that Bryan was of Washington Parish, Westmoreland County, Colony of Virginia. SOURCE: Mildred Ames, "The O'Bannon Genealogist," volume 1, No. , page 1. 202

Not sure it has ever been proven that he came from Ireland!

Will of Bryan Boru O'Banon

State of Virginia, Fauquier County Will Book 1, pp. 41-43 and 48-50

In the name of God, Amen, I, Bryan Obanon of the Parish of Hamilton and County of Fauquier, being Sick & Weak of body but of Perfect Sense and Memory, thanks be to Almighty God & calling to mind the Uncertainty of this Present Life & knowing that it is appointed for all men to die, Do make & Ordain this my Last Will & Testement in manner & form following, first of all, I Recommend my soul to Almighty God who gave it Nothing Doubting but to receive the same at the Resurrection of the Just my Body I recommend to the Earth to receive a Christian like Burial at the Discretion of my Executors hereafter mentioned. And as for my Worldy Estate, which it hath pleased Almighty God to Bless me withal, I give & dispose of as followeth:

I give and bequeath to my Son John Obanon the Plantation & land whereon he now lives Containing two Hundred & twelve Acres more or less to him & his Heirs forever. I further give to my Son John Obanon my Negro woman Judy & her future increase and after the Death of my Son & Sarah his Wife.

I give the said Negro (if living), with her said increase, to my Grand Daughter Sarah, daughter of the said John & and her Heirs forever And my Will is that the said Negro Judy shall, after my Decease, be Totally Exempted from laboring without Doors during her Natural life. I likewise give to my afore said Son John Obanon my Still & Young Unbroken Horse.

I give and bequeath to my son William Obanon the Plantation & lands whereon he now lives, containing two Hundred and twelve acres more or less, to him and his heirs forever.

I give and bequeath to my Son Saml. Obanon, my Plantations & lands in King George County, Containing three Hundred Acres more or less, to him & his Heirs forever. I further give to my Son Saml. Obanon One hundred Pounds & all my waring Apparel.

I give & bequeath to my Daughter Elizabeth Ambrose, Sixty Pounds Current Money, As also my Chair & (Houses?) there unto Belonging to her & her Heirs forever.

I give and Bequeath to my Daughter Ann Miller One hundred Pounds Current Money.

I give and bequeath to my grandson, Thos. Obanon, son of my son John Obanon the Plantation whereon I now live, to include two Hundred & twenty Acres on this side Broad run to him my said grandson & his Heirs forever.

I Give & Bequeath to my Grandson Wm Obanon son of my Son Wm Obanon the remaining part of the tract of land I now live on, lying chiefly on the North side of the said Broad run to him my said grandson and his Heirs forever.

I Give & Bequeath to my grandson Bryan Obanon son of my Son John Obanon One Negro Girl called Lucy to him & his Heirs forever.

I give to my grandson Bryan Obanon son of my son Wm Obanon one Negro Girl called Cate to him & his Heirs forever.

I give & bequeath to Each my Grand Children both Male & Female being twenty seven in Number the sum of ten pounds Current Each to be paid by my Executors at the day of Marriage or as they come of age.

I give & Bequeath to Aaron Johnston & Francis Johnston Children of Margaret Johnston my Plantation & lands in Frederick County Containing two hundred and Fifty Seven Acres to be Equally Divided between them And if either of them die before they come of Age or Marry, then I give the part of him or her so dying to the Survivor and their Heirs forever And my Will further is that the Rents & Profits of the said lands be yearly laid out for the Education & Maintenance of the said Children And further I direct & appoint my son in-law, Jacob Hite my Grand Daughter Elizabeth Hite to have the Care & Managemt. of the said Children until they come of Age and in case they should die without issue then, I give the aforementioned Land to my Grand Son, Bryan Obanon son of my Son John Obanon & his heirs forever. I likewise give to the said Aaron Johnston one Negro girl Named Hannah with her future increase to him & his Heirs forever & in case he should die without issue then the said Negroe to go & descend According to the aforementioned land.

I give to the aforementioned Francis Johnston Five Hundred Pounds of Tobacco to be yearly paid to Margaret Johnston Mother of the aforesaid Francis, for the support & Maintenance of the said Francis during the space of four years.

It is my Will & Desire that my Negroes & all of my Personal Estate (Except those Negroes formerly given to my Children && those herein bequeathed & after Appraised) my be sold & the money arising thereby to be Equall Divided among my Sons & grandsons.

I hereby Nominate and Appoint my loving sons John & William Obanon & my son in law Jacob Hite, my hole & Sole Executors of this my last Will & Testament And I do hereby Revoke Disannul & make Void all former Wills by me made. In Witness whereof I have here unto set my Hand & Affixed my Seale this fourth day of September, 1760.

Signed Sealed & Acknowledged Bryan X Obanon L.S.

in Presence of his sign Elias Edmonds, Samuel Earle, Jas. Rogers

At a Court held for Fauquier County the 25th of Feb. 1762, This Will was proved by the Oaths of Elias Edmonds, Saml. Earle & Jas. Rogers Witnesses thereto & Ordered to be recorded & on the Motion of John Obanon & Jacob Hite Exors. therein Named who made Oath & Acknowledged Bond as the Law directs Certificate is granted them for Obtaining a Probate thereof in due form & liberty is reserved to the other Executors to Join in the Probate when he shall think fit.

more....

Glenda is correct that Bryant (not Bryan) O'Bannon from Ireland had no middle name. ALL known records in all of Virginia refer to him simply as "Bryant."

Somewhere down the line someone started a myth that Bryant O'Bannon was "descended" from Brian Boru (Brian Boroimhe in Gaelic), First and Last High King of Ireland, 940-1014, famous for ridding Ireland of the Norsemen, Vikings and Danes. Brian and his son were both killed in that final battle in 1014, and it is debatable if any heirs were left to continue the line, although the O'Briens claim descent.

The first known appellation of the name "Brian Boru" to any descendent of our Bryant O'Bannon was in 1878 when Laurens Wilbrandt O'Bannon (1822-1882), of Barnwell, SC, named a son Brian Boru O'Bannon. Laurens was a great, great, great grandson of, and five generations down, from Bryant. The line runs:

(Bryant(1), Samuel(2), Thomas(3), John Ambrose(4), John Lewis(5), Laurens Wilbrandt(6).

About this same time, two Texas descendants came up with statements that "tradition had it" Bryant was descended from Brian Boru. One descendent was Jennings Alexander O'Banion (1815-1891), of San Marcos. The other was Dick O'Bannon (1875-1953), of Sherman.

From training as a history major during my college days, I make it my practise to stick with known documents, not myths. So does my colleague, Patrick O'Bannon, who has a PhD in history.

pobanno@rcn.com

Brien Boru O'Bannon is apparently the first notable O'Bannon to enter the American colonies, and one would be hard pressed to come up with a more distinctly Irish name than his. His most renowned descendant is Marine hero Presley Neville O'Bannon.

Brien was born in County Tipperary about 1683. He arrived in Harper's Ferry, then in Virginia, in 1702. It was said that he "fled to America", though none of his descendants have yet discovered a reason. The Penal Laws were taking their awful effect in Ireland then, however, and many would be leaving the island in the coming century.

Once freed from the constraints of persecution in Ireland, Brien flourished. In 1760, two years before he died in Fauquier County, in Virginia's piedmont, he made out a will in which he left more than 1,200 acres of land to his sons and grandsons. (Daughters and granddaughters were expected to marry into their fortune in those days.) He also left a number of slaves to his family members.