Re: William Byrd I, Thomas Byrd, Andrew Byrd
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In reply to:
Re: William Byrd I, Thomas Byrd, Andrew Byrd
Susan Lovett 2/18/00
Here it is from The History of Gordon County, Family Sketches, Page 310.BYRD;The Byrd family, of distinguished English ancestry, came to this section of Georgia in the early decades of the nineteenth century, long before it received the name of Gordon County.The progenitors made their first settlement in America at Westover, Virginia, the estate which is now the site of Richmond, a truly lordly realm in the 1600's and 1700's when the William Byrds, father and son, the forebears of the Gordon County branch, were receivers of the royal revenues, members of the King's Council, and kept open house for all the country side.Thomas Byrd, 3d (b.Feb 12, 1801 - d. in Gordon C., Nov 12, 1866, son of Thomas Byrd 2d and Judith May Byrd and grandson of William Byrd (1652-1704), of Westover, Va., came to what is now known as Gordon Co., in 1824.He was one of twelve children:Judith (b. 1798), Phillip, Davis, Thomas 3d (b. 1801), Lucy, John, Fannie, Winnifred, William, Sallie, Daniel, Nathan.He married Miss Mattie Russell, Jan 7, 1824, and they established a home in Fairmount Valley.This home, supported by rich farming lands tilled by many slaves was noted for its hospitality.Mr. Byrd was interested in public affairs, representing his county in the legislature of 1851 to 1852 and serving as state senator 1857-1858.Children of Thomas Byrd, 3d and Mrs. Mattie Russell Byrd are:(1) Susie, b. 1826; m. first, Mr. Lewis, secondly, Mr. Ledbetter.(2) Martha Caroline, b. Sep 13, 1828; (3) Adeline, b. 1830, m. first, Mr Jones (child, Isa); second, Oliver C. Wylie (four children) (4) Thomas 4th, b. 1833; m. Miss Agnes Ballew (children: Alice, Roscoe, Foy), (5) Mary Maria, b. Jan 24, 1835, m. William Tate of Pickens Ccounty, Mayor of the Confederate forces who erected breastworks on the Resaca battlefield.(6), Rebecca Alice;(7) Phillip May; (8) James Russell.On page 622, there is a note on the Byrds:The Pitts history tells of the Byrd family, however additional information is furnished.Research reveals that the family is descended from Thomas Byrd, a brother of William Byrd 1 of Westover.Thomas Byrd settled in Surry Co., VA an elderly man; he had a son Thomas, who in turn had a son, William.William had a son, Thomas who d. in 1839, bur.in Roswell, Ga.(that's all I copied)Sorry, Go to the library and read the book.It's in almost every library.I have a lot on the William Byrds of Westover.In a nut shell without my papers in front of me I can tell you that the father of William Byrd 1st was John Byrd.William Byrd 1st had two sons, William and Thomas.William 2nd is the famous William Byrd who wrote "The Dividing Line"and "Secret Diaries of William Byrd".He m. first, Lucy Parks, whose father was Governor of the Leeward Islands, and secondly, Maria Taylor.Only two of his children by Lucy lived to adults, and they were both girls.He had about five children by Maria, among whom was a son (William I think).I have the material here somewhere and if you are interested will look it up and have it handy.
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