Emily Austin Perry

Emily Austin Bryan Perry (June 22, 1795 – 1851) was the sister of Stephen F. Austin and an early settler of Texas. She was an heir to Austin's estate when he died in 1836. She achieved significant political, economic and social status as a woman in Texas at a time when women were often not treated equal to men. Education Perry was born in Austinville, Virginia. She attended Mrs. Beck's Boarding School in Lexington, Kentucky from October 1804 until December 1808, then two years at the Hermitage Academy located on the Hudson River to further her education. First marriage and children Perry married James Bryan (1788–1822) in Potosi, also known as "Mine á Breton" or "Mine au Breton." The two lived with Emily’s parents at their home called Durham Hall, in Missouri, from 1813–1814. In 1815, they moved to Hazel Run, Missouri, and also later to Herculaneum, Missouri. Emily and James Bryan had five children: Stephen Austin Bryan was born on July 17, 1814, in Durham Hall, Missouri. He died on August 12, 1814, in Durham Hall, Missouri. William Joel Bryan was born on December 14, 1815, in Hazel Run, Saint Genevieve, Missouri. He died on March 13, 1903. Moses Austin Bryan was born on September 25, 1817, in Herculaneum, Jefferson County, Missouri. He died on March 16, 1895, in Brenham, Texas. Guy Morrison Bryan was born on January 12, 1821, in Herculaneum, Jefferson County, Missouri. He died on June 4, 1901, in Austin, Travis County, Texas. Mary Elizabeth Bryan was born on July 5, 1822, in Herculaneum, Jefferson County, Missouri. She died on August 4, 1833. James Bryan (Emily’s first husband) died on July 16, 1822, in Potosi, Missouri. Perry supported her family by taking in boarders and teaching at a school in Hazel Run, Missouri.