Mary (?) Ryburn
Notes compiled by Diana Powell Jan. 2007
The correct identity of Mary, wife of William Ryburn, remains an ongoing puzzle to Ryburn researchers. Her given name appears in records as Mary, but her surname appears to have been either Beattie or Brandon (or possibly one represents a first marriage). Records that purport to have come from a Ryburn family Bible report her name as Mary BEATTIE (1) (2). The location of the Bible has not been determined making it impossible to evaluate this information. Conversely, William's great grandson, Dr. J. B. Hutton, authored a manuscript that claimed Mary's maiden name was BRANDON (3).
It should also be noted that William's daughter, Mary (Ryburn) Buchanan, named her second daughter Mary BRANDON Buchanan. And William's great granddaughter Sophia (Teeter) Withers (through William's daughter Martha) named her daughter Mary BRANDON Withers. Also, there are uncited reports that William's daughter Sarah (Ryburn) Buchanan named a daughter Mary BRANDON Buchanan (4).
In addition, a book titled The "Hagy Families in America", published in 1851 by King Albert Hagey (King Printing Co., Bristol TN-VA) also states that Mary's name was Brandon. However, a closer look at this source shows that the information was provided in association with the lineage of Addie Vene Hutton, who was the niece of Dr. J. B. Hutton, author of the manuscript mentioned above. Therefore, the Hagy book cannot be used to provide additional support for the Brandon theory.
On the other hand, William's daughter, Ann (Ryburn) Campbell, is reported to have named a son William BEATTIE Campbell (5). Also, William's great grandson, James Campbell Crenshaw, named his son BEATTIE Crenshaw.
There are also other clues that may nor may not be of importance. For instance, the Orr family followed a migration pattern from Pennsylvania to Washington County that was similar to the one believed to have been followed by William and his brother, John Ryburn. The surname of Arthur Orr's wife Ann is not known, but may have been Ryburn as that name appears with some frequency among Arthur and Ann's descendants. One might suggest that she could have been the sister of William and John Ryburn. Arthur and Ann (poss Ryburn) Orr had a daughter Ann who married Isaac McQuown. They named their first son John Ryburn McQuown. They also named a son James BRANDON McQuown (6).
In a letter to the author dated March 2, 1998 Jacki Stock, a descendant of Beattie Ryburn and Jane Ryburn (daughter of William), stated, "On an 8 generation pedigree chart started many years ago, I have Jane Ryburn's parents listed as William Ryburn and Mary Brandon (Beattie)". Jacki later attempted to identify the source of this information, but was not able to do so. She was also not sure if Brandon or Beattie had been intended as Mary's maiden name.
Source Information:
(1) Hortenstine Memorial Marker and Genealogy located at Hortenstine Cemetery, Washington County, Virginia. Photograph in Ryburn family file at the Historical Society of Washington County, Abingdon, Virginia. Name reported as Mary BEATTIE
(2) Philip Ropp, "Withers-Bayless and Allied families", manuscript, call #28051, Library of Virginia, Richmond. The collection consists of 169 pages and includes information on allied families of Campbell, McChesney and McConnell. Selected pages may also be found in the Ryburn family file at the Historical Society of Washington County Virginia Library in Abingdon. Mr. Ropp cites Henry Hortenstine of Abingdon who he credited with copying the dates from the Bible of William Ryburn "in the possession of a Ryburn descendant". Mr. Ropp's manuscript lists Mary's maiden name as BEATTIE in type but "BRANDON?" had been added in script.
(3) Hutton Family Data, authored by Dr. J. B. Hutton, (1866-1940), located 2002 in Hutton files, Historical Society of Washington County, Abingdon, Virginia. J. B. Hutton was Mary's great grandson. He reported her name as Mary BRANDON.
(4) Supposed to be from Blakemore, but I can't find this in his work on the Buchanan family
(5) John Wayne Smith, "The Promised Land", notebook, possibly available at the Historical Society of Washington County Library (referenced in an email by Betty Mealy 12 Feb. 2005). Mr. Smith is a 3rd great grandson of James and Ann Campbell.
(6) Research of Bob and Donna Ford