Bryars, Green Berry

LDS: D: 19 Jul 1873; shows a total of 13 children with Maria beingnumber 4.
Lazarus John Genealogy shows 19 Jul as death.

Green Berry Bryars, the son of Lazarus John Bryars and third wife, MarySmith, was born in Baldwin County, Mississippi Territory July 11. 1817.
Green married Elizabeth A. McGill on February 9, 1839 in Baldwin County.They established their home close to Perdido and had a large family.
The longest running family feud in Alabama was the Bryars-Hadley Feud.Green B. Bryars and James Hadley had the original dispute that began theargument that led to murder and more than a century of bad feelingsbetween the two families as well as years of court proceedings and civiltrials and even more killing in later years.
On Saturday, July 17, 1873, James Hadley, James M. Hadley, Jr., and JesseHadley along with Howell Pitcher and Thomas Stewart came to the Bryars''home and in a conversation between Green Bryars and James Hadleyreference was made to a sheep that Hadley had accused Bryars of marking.Bryars took exception to this and insisted on Hadley retracting thecharge and admitting the claim to be false. Hadley denied that Bryars hadstolen the sheep, but insisted that Bryars had made a mistake in markingthe sheep.
James M. Hadley, Jr., tried to make peace between the two. Theycompromised with plans to meet on Monday to go down to the fork two orthree miles from the house and drive out the sheep to separate Hadley''sfrom Bryars''. James Hadley, Sr. said he would send the boys, but Bryars''insisted he come, too. Hadley consented to come and they parted onseemingly good terms.
After they left, Green B. Bryars told ______ Weakley, "James Hadley seemslike he wants to compromise and make friends; but he can''t make friendswith me on any consideration, until he acknowledges that he told a lie onme. He thinks he is coming here Monday to get them sheep, but he can''t doit: he either has to acknowledge he told a lie or fight."
Word must have gotten around about the trouble between Hadley and Bryars.There certainly seemed to be a lot of talk about it. On Sunday, LarryBryars, Green''s son, told a friend, "I don''t know that you''ll ever see meany more. The Hadley''s are coming Monday to get them sheep; but old Jimwill have to take back what he said, and admit he told a lie, or therewill be a fight or a fuss."
On Sunday, Joseph Bryars, another son, told his brother-in-law, _____King, that he would not be able to come to his house, "because theHadley''s were coming to the house on Monday morning, and there would behell."
From Jay Byrd:
There are two conflicting accounts of what happened on Monday morning._____ Renfroe gave testimony in the trial of the Hadley''s that HowellPitcher, an employ in the timber business, came by the work camp aroundsunrise on Monday morning. Pitcher said, "he was going to fight a duelwith old man Bryars that morning." He told Renfroe he would be back athis work around noon and left camp with a gun in the direction of theBryars property.
In the Hadley''s testimony, three witnesses testified that James Hadley,James M. Hadley, Jr., and Jesse Hadley along with Howell Pitcher andThomas Stewart were prepared with provisions for two days and one nightin camp; that two would drive home some sheep and three others would getsome cattle. They further testified that when the Hadley party arrived atthe field where Bryars was plowing that Bryars advanced on them holding apine root about two and a half feet long and two inches in diameter. Theystated that Bryars jumped up on the fence and called to the house, "Comeon, boys," or, "Come with your guns, boys," then attacked James Hadley,Sr. with the stick. The witnesses said that Hadley was backing his muleout of the way when shots were fired from the house and Hadley and JamesHadley, Jr. were wounded and the clothing of the other three were torn bythe shot. The testimony attempted to show that the Bryars'' had startedthe fight and also to dispute the testimony of Green B. Bryars'' wife,Elizabeth, by stating that some of her statements of details during theinvestigation were different from those made by her at the trial.
In Elizabeth''s testimony, all five of the defendants came to the fence onthe road leading from the house about 8:00 on Monday morning where Greenwas plowing, about a hundred yards away. All were mounted, except one,and all armed with guns. The Hadley''s were first on the outside of thefence and Green was standing by his plow inside the lot. Larry had beento the house for water and had just returned to help his father plow asthe Hadley''s rode up and was standing near his father on the outside ofthe fence. Wiley J., another son came from the house to within 30 stepsof the group when his father left his plow and climbed over the fence.Green walked a few steps in the direction of his house and called, "Boys,come here." John, Joseph, Betty, and mother, Elisabeth Bryars were at thehouse and reacted to the summons. When Green called his sons, theHadley''s dismounted and James Hadley, who was about five steps fromGreen, leveled his shotgun and shot him in the back with both barrels.James M. Hadley, Jr. also shot Green with one barrel of his shotgun andthen turned on Larry and shot him. Wiley began running toward the housewhen the others opened fire. Wiley was shot in the back of his thigh andhead. Green, Larry and Wiley were dressed in working clothes, inshirtsleeves and were not armed at all except for a small stick thatGreen had in his hand, about two feet long and an inch and a half indiameter. When the shooting began, Joseph Bryars began running from thehouse followed closely by John B. Bryars. When they were about fiftyyards from the shooting, the Hadley''s opened fire again and shot Josephin the head. John was carrying two guns and even though he was wounded inthe arm he returned fire. When he reached for his other gun, Johnreceived a wound in his foot. After John was down, the Hadley''s mountedand rode back to the house of James Hadley, Sr. and then they ran to hidein the woods.
Within ten minutes of the Hadley''s appearance, Green B., Larry and JosephBryars were killed and John B. and Wiley J. Bryars were wounded.