Re: Silas Jenkins "Jink" Bird, 1844-1912, Putnam County, WV
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In reply to:
Silas Jenkins "Jink" Bird, 1844-1912, Putnam County, WV
Jerri Bell 3/01/11
Hi Jerri, Silas "Jink" Bird was my GG Grandfather. I also remember your Grandmother Pansie and had talked to her on the phone years ago and visited her not long before her death. She was a very sweet lady. Her father William was one of my G Grandmother Idella (Bird) Edwards Fannin's brothers.
Actually, Thomas Bird was born in Franklin County, VA and taught school there. He moved shortly before the War to Floyd County and then to Mercer County (W)VA where he taught at Jumping Branch. Later he moved to Trace Fork in Putnam County where he died and is buried. He married Emily Jane Oxley who was also born in Franklin Co. Her parents were Samuel Oxley and Sarah Hunt. He was born in Loudoun Co. and she was born in Prince George Co., VA. After Emily's death, Thomas married Mary Ann Elizabeth McBride, daughter of Stephen McBride and Emily Semones. Thomas and Emily had six sons, Silas being the second oldest and with Mary Ann he had one son.
Thomas' parents were William Simmons Bird and Hannah Michal. For years, it was believed that his mother was Hannah Thornton, but recently some new information from Marla Moore has dispelled this. I also did some more checking and agree that Hannah Thornton married William Bird s/o Samuel and moved to Tennessee. This would make Thomas a full brother of John Calvin Bird (my other GGG Grandfather). John settled on the head of Turkey Creek after moving from Mercer Co. at about the same time as Thomas. I've never seen any record of Thomas being in the Confederate Army and though it was unlikely, it is possible. There were a couple of Thomas Birds from that area who were in a couple of regiments, one infantry and one cavalry. Thomas was in his mid 40's at the beginning of the War and though many enlisted at that age not many lasted long due to infirmities and susceptibility to camp diseases. It was a young man's war. I will however do some checking and see if I can tie one of those I found to him or if I can find some other records that would show he served.
Silas also lived in Floyd Co. for a while working as a farm laborer and is shown living there in 1860, at the same time as Thomas but not together. In February of 1863 when he was 18 years old, he enlisted in Co. K, 10th Virginia Cavalry at Richmond. I've never found any evidence of his opposition to the Cause nor of Thomas forcing him to join. His being 18 made him liable for conscription whether he favored it or not. Thomas' brother John was said to have announced at the beginning of the War that although he supported Virginia in it's decision to secede, he knew that the North would win. It is said that the neighbors made life pretty hard for the old man and that was one of the things that influenced him to leave for Mercer Co. Since Mercer Co. was pro Confederate I don't know if that story holds much water. As it stands, two of John's sons died in the service of the Confederacy. But back to Silas. He served through the end of the War and returned to Mercer County. (By the way, his older brother Samuel also served in the same company in the 10th Virginia). He married Mary Jane Carpenter in 1867. She was the daughter of Samuel Carpenter of Mecklenburg Co., VA and Martha Woodall. Silas and Mary had 12 children, two of whom died at a young age. The children were: Emily J., 1868-1875, Samuel, 1870-1875, Martha, b. 1875, Idella, 1877-1955, Laura Belle, 1879-1962, Luther, 1882-1957, Mary, 1883-1962, Sarah, 1885-1971, William, 1889-1968, Asa, 1891-1964, John Jehu, 1894-1938 and Preston Ballard, 1897-1972.
Mary Jane died sometime between July 5, 1897 and September 4, 1899. The first date is the birthdate of Preston the youngest child. I've been told that she died of complications of childbirth but I have no way to prove it at this time. The second date is that of Silas' marriage to Lovie (Plumley) Roach Lawson. From a story I got from a family member, it wasn't long after Mary's death, so she probably died in 1899. Unfortunately I can't find any record of her death.
Silas died between July 11, 1912 (Will recorded) and October 9, 1912 (Will probated). For years no one could tell me where he was buried. All accounts say that he was buried in the Brown/Balls Gap Cemetery between Milton and Hamlin. It turns out that only one of his sons (John Jehu) is. By chance I found out from the daughter of Hazel McCallister Davis who was a daughter of Sarah B. Bird and a granddaughter of Jink where he was buried. I had talked to Hazel a few years before she died and she never told me about it. After getting a description of the cemetery location and seeing a photo of the grave, I was able to locate it in the Byrnside Cemetery on Turkey Creek. A couple of years ago I made a stainless steel temporary marker for it. I want to eventually get a regular V A stone made and set.
Silas did raise flue cured tobacco and at some point must have done some business with a company in Richmond in that field since I found a business card from Crenshaw's Planter's Warehouse in some effects that Grandma Idella had. If I remember right he was curing tobacco this way along with his younger brother Creed. As for a name change, I'm not aware of any although various records have both spellings for several family members. George Washington Bird, son of Samuel, did in fact change his name to Byrd due to some kind of squabble I am told. I'm not aware that Silas was ever a preacher though his daughter Idella did marry a Freewill Baptist preacher in her second marriage. Silas was renowned for his temper and general orneriness. If he was a preacher, he was probably not a sucessful one. As a child, I would hear someone describing someone throwing a tantrum as having a "Jink fit". As for his political affiliations, I don't know.
I'm sorry that this epistle is so long. I hope that you can get some use from the information and good luck with your research.
More Replies:
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Re: Silas Jenkins "Jink" Bird, 1844-1912, Putnam County, WV
Butch Willard 1/25/12
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Re: Silas Jenkins "Jink" Bird, 1844-1912, Putnam County, WV
dorsey sergent 4/07/11
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Re: Silas Jenkins "Jink" Bird, 1844-1912, Putnam County, WV
Robert Bird 4/12/11
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Re: Silas Jenkins "Jink" Bird, 1844-1912, Putnam County, WV
dorsey sergent 4/12/11
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Re: Silas Jenkins "Jink" Bird, 1844-1912, Putnam County, WV
Robert Bird 4/23/11
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Re: Silas Jenkins "Jink" Bird, 1844-1912, Putnam County, WV
dorsey sergent 4/27/11
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Re: Silas Jenkins "Jink" Bird, 1844-1912, Putnam County, WV
Robert Bird 4/29/11
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Re: Silas Jenkins "Jink" Bird, 1844-1912, Putnam County, WV
dorsey sergent 4/29/11
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Re: Silas Jenkins "Jink" Bird, 1844-1912, Putnam County, WV
Julie Byrd 5/20/11
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Re: Silas Jenkins "Jink" Bird, 1844-1912, Putnam County, WV
Robert Bird 8/29/11
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Re: Silas Jenkins "Jink" Bird, 1844-1912, Putnam County, WV
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Re: Silas Jenkins "Jink" Bird, 1844-1912, Putnam County, WV
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Re: Silas Jenkins "Jink" Bird, 1844-1912, Putnam County, WV
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Re: Silas Jenkins "Jink" Bird, 1844-1912, Putnam County, WV
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Re: Silas Jenkins "Jink" Bird, 1844-1912, Putnam County, WV
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Re: Silas Jenkins "Jink" Bird, 1844-1912, Putnam County, WV
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Re: Silas Jenkins "Jink" Bird, 1844-1912, Putnam County, WV