Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1907-03-23
DEaTH COUES TO
another PIONEER
Joshua Bryant, for Many Years a
Resident of Washington,
Died Monday.


home of his son, Monroe Bryant, west
of town, of senile decay. having COM
pleted the Saith year of his life on
March 9th. The funeral services
were held Tuesday, and the remains
brought to Pullman, beipg shipped
from this point to Walla Walla. where
they were laid away to rest beside
those of his wife, who had died in
1881.
The interesting life story of this
hardy pioneer is we'll told in the fol-
lowing, prepared by VIM. L. LaFol-'
lette, and read at the funeral of the
deceased last Tuesday.
We meet here today to pay the last
tribute of respect, and show our
regard and appreciation of our depart
ed friend, Grandpa Bryant, and to ex-
tend our sympathy and coincidence to
the bereaved relatives. those near
and dear to him.
Joshua Bryant, was born in the
State of Kentucky. on the 9th day of
March, 1923, and lived there until
his 14th year, when he moved with
his parents to southern Missouri and
lived for four years in the Ozark
mountains in that state, when again
the family moved, this time to the
state of Iowa. where he lived until he
reached the age of manhood. He was
united in marriage in the year 1849
to Miss Angeline Hunter, and to this
union was born eight children. six
while they were residents of Iowa,
and two after they had moved to
Washington. Of these, four are
dead, one child, daughter, dying
before they left Iowa, and three since
they have lived in this state.
He had the great misfortune to
lose his life partner in 1881, at Walla
Walla.
Grandpa Bryant lived fourteen
years above mans allotted time of
three score and ten, dying in his 85th
year, having passed his Saith on March
9th. He was pioneer. coming to
this country over the lonely emigrant
trails from the east nearly half
century ago. and settleing in the beau
tiful Walla Walla valley, on Mill
Creek. about miles northeast of
Walla Walla. He lived there for
nearly thirty years, lost and buried
his life companion there, and there
raised his family, and at last when
they had all grown up and left the
home nest. it got too lonesome for
him there and he disposed of the old
homestead. and followed his children
the most of them then living in Whit
man county, and for the last twenty
years he has lived in this vicinity.
Grandpa Bryant was an active man of
affairs in his former home in Iowa,
and it has often given me pleasure to
hear him recount and describe some of
the great political meetings he used to
attend in those far off early days, in
Iowa, and in which he took an active
part. After he came to the Walla
Walla valley, and it was found by his
neighbors that his ability and fund of
information was much above the aver
age, they elected him justice of the
peace, and for many years Squire
Bryant's opinions were considered Sec
ond to none in the WallaWalla country.
He was great reader, and had in a
large degree the happy faculty of
being able to impart to others what he
had read. and l myself have spent
many pleasant hours listening to his
"reminiscences. 1t is almost thirty
years since l first met him at his
own home in ala Walla county,
and from him x { my first ideas and
information about the leading men in
politics and government in the Pacific
Northwest at that time.
Grandpa Bryant has lived almost
as long space of time as would cor
respond to two-thirds of our national
existence. He saw this country
increase in population from some
fifteen millions of people to ninety
millions and from an insignificant ma
tion to probably the greatest power
on the earth.
The advancement in art, science.
, manufacturing. education and human
achievement of every description has
made more progress during the span
of his life than in a thousand years
before. Think of it friends, he saw
practically, the first steamboat, the
first steam railroads, the telegraph.
the telephone, the electric railroad,
the wireless telegraph, the greatest
engineering feats of all kinds the
world has ever seen. The piercing of
great mountain chains, also tunneling
under great rivers. so that commerce