07/04/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DNUkfNSdX/
I didn't think I had any Georgia familial ties until a few years ago. Then I learned the brother of one of my ancestors had moved to Georgia from Amherst County, Virginia and was a Major in the 3rd Battalion during the Revolutionary War. Major Joseph Ryan was granted many large tracts of land in Wilkes and Washington counties. He came back to Amherst County for a bride, marrying Martha Rose, daughter of Patrick Rose. I'd never seen a marriage contract like theirs before, very detailed. When I first began looking into his life the information was that they had a few children and moved to Tennessee where the line became a little muddled. Nothing further to be found. But in looking through the Wilkes County records I learned Major Ryan died about 1803. His wife inherited everything and took as her second husband, Gilley Marrin Lewis, the administrator of Joseph Ryan's estate. They did move to Tennessee and have several children. Joseph and Martha never had children together so his line has ended, there can be no descendants to join the Sons or Daughters of the American Revolution. There would be no pension file to look up. Perhaps one day I could make a trip to find his burial place.
Washington in Wilkes County has long focused on the Civil War. Now, historians want to preserve the site of the 1779 Battle of Kettle Creek. Where exactly was the battlefield?
