Martha Jane Bryan, age 11 born in Ohio, is listed on the 1850 census for Washington, Hancock County, Ohio, in the household of James and Mary Bryan, along with family members Daniel, James, Sarah, Mary, Electra, and Cornelia Bryan. On April 9, 1857 in Hancock county, she married school teacher, James A. Vail, and in the early spring of 1862, they and their two children, Mary and Harvey, and Martha's sister Electa Bryan, traveled on the steamboat 'Emilie' up the Missouri River to Fort Benton, Montana. The Vails took over management of the government farm at Sun River, Montana, the project established to educate the Indians in the industry of farming. After about a year of fruitless effort and little support, the Vail family decided to leave Sun River for the mining camp of Bannack, Montana, in the then Idaho Territory, and join with recently married Electa and her new husband, Henry Plummer. In September of 1863, James purchased the residence in which they were all living from Henry, who was the then elected sheriff of Bannack. Earlier that same month Electa had returned to the States and Henry planned to not long thereafter join her. But on the cold night of January 10, 1864, the Vail home was surrounded by members of the Bannack Vigilantes, and Sheriff Plummer was removed to face the hangman's noose. He was made to pay the ultimate price for his villainous deeds as the purported head of the road agents that for the past year had been terrorizing the area gold camps, thieving and murdering at will. Not long after, the Vails, completely blind to the brother-in-law's true nature, left Montana Territory, and in 1870, the family were residents of Clay County, Dakota Territory, where James engaged in farming. By 1880, they returned to Hancock County, Ohio, and James is working as a school teacher. Martha Vail is working as the Matron of the Orphan Home at Findlay, Hancock County, in 1900, daughter Susie is the Assistant Matron, and the census shows Martha as 60 years old, born December 1839 in Ohio, married for 25 years, although James isn't listed with his wife and daughter. The widowed Martha is living with her daughter Susie Blaghler in Jefferson, Adams County, Indiana, and on December 1st, 1916, she died at Wabash Township, Jay County, Indiana. From the census records, James A. and Martha J. Vail had children: Mary E., Harvey A., Rena, and Susie.

Contributor: RunninonMT (49509864)
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Martha's sister, Electa B. (Bryan) Plumer-Maxwell wrote a set of diaries from which a book was written "Strength of Stone" the Pioneer journal of Electa Bryan Plumer by Diane Elliott. I have a copy and have read it. The book is well written about the family as I have done extensive research on my Bryan family.

Contributor: Christopher (49219015) •