James Battle Bryant was born 1861 in Enfield, Halifax County, NC the youngest of 6 known children (4 boys/2 girls) born to farmer Stephen Nicols Bryant and his wife, Nancy Smith.

James' lineage has not been confirmed by this researcher, but he is believed to be the grandson of James Smith Bryant and and Nancy Nichols; and may be a descendant of the BRYAN family of Virginia that first came to North Carolina in the late 1600s to early 1700's and settled in Halifax County and Edgecombe County where they prospered. Early records for this family spell the name BRYAN and the SMITH name is found with this family. There are records of many Bryan's in Halifax, including a James Smith Bryan (1746-1785.

His father, Stephen Bryant, was about 33 years old when he left his family and farm to enlist on July 15, 1862 with Company K of the NC 1st Regiment. He was wounded at the Battle of Culp's Hill at Gettsyburg, PA on the morning of July 3, 1863. Stephen was captured and taken prisoner by the Union forces, and removed to the Union hospital at George Bushman's farm where he died on July 17, 1863. It is reported his body was sent to Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh, NC, and there is indeed a marker for him in the Confederate Cemetery at Oakwood. [Memorial #19427790.] However, it should be noted that the Confederate Cemetery at Oakwood was not established until 1867 when Henry Mordecai donated 2-1/2 acres of land to inter 1,500 soldiers of the Confederacy. Most of the bodies buried there were relocated from other gravesites, most notably the Rock Quarry Road Cemetery.

James was only 2 years old when his father died, and his young mother, then only 33 years old, never remarried. She remained on the family farm in Enfield, raising her children.

On January 15, 1885, 23-year old James married 14-year old Lydia Davenport, eldest daughter of John R. Davenport of Halifax County. The couple took up farming in Goose Nest, a small community in Martin County, just north of Oak City. By 1910, the couple had removed to Edgecombe County and were farming in Conetoe.

James and Lydia would become parents to 14 known children (8 boys/ 6 girls):

Alene Bryant (ca. 1886)
Joseph Oscar Bryant (1888-1954)
Crawford Branch Bryant (1890-1940)
Arthur Bryant (1891-1948)
Lougett Bryant (ca. 1893)
Kate Bryant (ca. 1895)
James "Jimmie" Bryant (ca. 1897)
Eula Bryant (ca. 1899)
Forest Fisher Bryant (1901-1994)
Perry Bryant (ca. 1903)
Don Roy Bryant (ca. 1905)
Gus Bryant (ca. 1908)
Lydia Bryant (ca. 1911)
Christine Bryant (ca. 1915)

James Battle Bryant died in 1934 at age 72. His wife of 48 years survived him another 19 years, passing in 1953 at the age of 83.