Re: MR. BIRD OF 1649
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In reply to:
MR. BIRD OF 1649
bull shit 11/08/01
I cannot answer all of your questions about Mr. Bird of 1649, but I can say that he is not likely to be the ancestor of William Byrd I, II or III of Westover,Virginia.William Byrd I's father was John Bird (who remained in London).
William Bird/Byrd the "Customer Owtward" for QE the First was of an earlier generation also; although he might have had some descendants that went to America, their names and identities are not known (AFAIK).He IS possibly related to the Elizabethan composer William Byrd (although the exact relationship has not been established).If so, then William the Mercer (Customer Outward), William the composer, and William the Virginian are all related.Their family originated in Cheshire (Broxton and Malpas) in the late 1100's.
It sounds like Mr. Lunsford brought your Mr. Bird as an indentured servant; is that what you meant?The Byrds of Westover came over on their own, and were quite wealthy.
I've done a lot of digging in the Visitations of various counties, and examination of extant wills of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods.You'd be surprised how many Birds/Byrds there are from this period!
I have a sneaking suspicion that the Birds of New England and the Byrds of Virginia were in fact related, since there are several other families that intermarried with both "branches".(For example, the Scott family.)There was even a Mary Bird in Jamestown very early on (1629), but she is not in all likelihood a close relative of William of Westover.
If you ever feel frustrated about the size of the "flock" in colonial America, just check out how many "John Clarkes" there are from the same period!Oy!!!
HTH,
Steve Bird
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Re: MR. BIRD OF 1649
11/11/01