Colonel
William
Byrd
Sr.
aka Bird
Born in Shadwell, London, England
Ancestors 
Son of John Bird
and Grace (Stegge) Bird
Brother of
Thomas (Bird) Byrd and Mary (Bird) Guy
Husband of
Maria (Horsmanden) Byrd
— married
1673 in Charles City, Charles, Virginia
Descendants 
Father of
William Evelyn Byrd Jr., Susan (Byrd) Brayne, Ursula Ann (Byrd) Beverley, Mary (Byrd) Duke and Maurice Warham Byrd
Died
at about age 52
in Westover, Charles City County, Virginia
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Contents |
Biography
William Byrd Sr. is a Qualifying Ancestor of the Jamestowne Society
William Byrd Sr. was a Virginia colonist.
William Byrd Sr. is Notable.
William Bird / Byrd[1] was a son of John Bird and Grace Stegge.[2][3][4]
He was a beneficiary of the will of his uncle Thomas Stegge Esq of Henrico County, Virginia, the will made on 31 Mar 1669 and proved on 15 May 1671.[2][3]
He was noted in the will of his sister Elizabeth Byrd, the will dated 24 Nov 1678.[5] and in the will of his mother Grace Byrd in 1679.[4]
Extract From ??
WILLIAM BYRD I, the progenitor of the Byrd family in America, arrived in Virginia in about 1670. William's brother Thomas Byrd arrived later in Virginia about 1692 and lived in Henrico where he died in 1710. William had inherited large land holdings from his uncle, Captain Thomas Stegge II. His inheritance included a large track of land surrounding the present site of Richmond, VA.
After marrying Mary Horsmanden in 1673, their first-born child, William Byrd II (known as the founder of Richmond) was born On March 28, 1674, at the little stone house on The Falls in Henrico County. They later built what was called "Belvidere", a place that proved to be very lonely for Mrs. Byrd as her husband was away on business much of the time. In 1688 he purchased "Westover" a tract of about 1,200 acres in a more settled area in Charles City County. He built a commodious frame dwelling, later replaced by his son with an elegant brick mansion famous in Virgina history. He resided at Westover and continued to trade with England, the West Indies, and the Indians. His land acquisitions increased and he became one of the great land holders of Virginia. When he died it is estimated that he possessed at least 26,000 acres of land throughout Virginia.
He became rich and cultivated in Virginia and was the most remarkable early trader on the Trading Path. His most important business was Indian trading. His traders with their pack-horses went 400 miles to the southwest to trade skins and furs with the Cherokees and Catawbas.
William Byrd was appointed in 1680 as member of the Council on which he served for 24 years and Auditor of the Colony for 6 years. He inherited a wealth of information, Indian scouts, traders, and suppliers through his good fortune. As a young man, he traveled "far into the wilderness over trails which penetrated 400 miles as far as the haunts of the Catawbas and Cherokees" and as near as the banks of the Meherrin. He had a vast knowledge of the wilderness and amassed a considerable fortune in the fur trade. In 1687 Colonel Byrd was commissioned Deputy-Auditor and Receiver-General of Virginia. For several years he held high rank in the Virginia Council, preceded only by Ralph Wormeley & Richard Lee. When Lee resigned in 1699, Byrd was second in position, becoming President of the Council in 1701 when Wormeley died. He was interested in botany and other sciences and corresponded with Leonard Plukenett, Sup. of the Royal Gardens of Queen Mary.
William Byrd died on 4 December 1704 and was buried beside his wife in the "old" Westover Parish Cemetery on the grounds of Westover Plantation 1/4 mile from the mansion. About 1730 the construction of today's Westover Parish Church was completed at its present site on Herring Creek about 1 1/2 mile north of Westover mansion.
Family links: Parents: John Byrd (1620 - 1677) Grace Elizabeth Stegge Byrd (1625 - 1690)
Spouse: Maria Horsmanden Byrd (1652 - 1699)
Children: William Byrd (1674 - 1744)* Susan Byrd Brayne (1676 - 1710)* Ursula Byrd Beverly (1681 - 1698)* Mary Byrd Rogers (1683 - 1763)* Maurice Warham Byrd (1685 - 1689)*
Sibling: William Evelyn Byrd (1652 - 1704) Thomas Byrd (1654 - 1710)*
Inscription:
"Hic recunduntur cineres Gulielmi Byrd Armegeri, et regii huij Provinciae Questoris qui hanc Vitam Cum Eternitate Commutatavit 4to Die Decembris 1704 posstquam vixisset 52 annos"
Note: From William and Mary Quarterly lV. 144 . 1704 is established as the date of his death by both the reports of the governor to England and by the Title-book.
Burial: Westover Plantation Charles City Charles City County Virginia, USA
Created by: RF Record added: Aug 30, 2009 Find A Grave Memorial# 41319759
Origin
William was born in 1652 at Henrico County, Virginia Colony , son of John Byrd of Shadwell, London, England.[6][7] and Grace Stegge.[citation needed]
Immigration
William immigrated in 1670 to Virginia to take possession of lands he inherited from his uncle, Thomas Stegge.[8]
Marriage
William married c. 1673 to Mary (Horsemanden) Filmer, a young widow[8] of Samuel Filmer (third son of Tory author Robert Filmer.[7]
Children
Children of William Byrd:[citation needed]
- Thomas Bird 1652-1704 •
- William Byrd II 1652-1704 •
- John Byrd 1654-1709 •
- Andrew Thomas Bird 1658-1723 •
- Sarah Byrd 1659-1678 •
- Grace Byrd 1660-1678 •
- James Thomas Byrd 1660-1726 •
- Jane Byrd 1661-Deceased •
- Elizabeth Bird 1672-Deceased •
- Elizabeth Bird 1673-1711 •
- William Byrd 1652-1704 •
According to Luthern, children of William and Mary were William Byrd III and three daughters:[8][7]
- William Byrd II b March 28, 1674
- Ursula Byrd; m Robert Beverley, Jr.
- daughter
- daughter
Property and Positions
William was elected to the House of Burgesses in 1677.[7] He was made president of the Council in the year before his death.[8] By the time of his death in 1704, he was one of the most powerful and richest men in the Virginia Colony.[8]
Death and Legacy
William died on 4 Dec 1704, at his home, Westover Plantation, at Charles City County, Virginia Colony.[7] He was buried near the original site of the Westover Church.[7] On January 24, 1709/10, his son William had his, "father's grave opened to see him but but he was so wasted there was not anything to be distinguished."[9]
Research Notes
William was fortunate to acquire some wealth from his uncle Thomas Stegg, brother of William's mother, Grace Stegg. In 1673 he married Mary Horsmander, daughter of Col. Warham Horsmander, and brought her to America in 1674 where they had their first child that year. They settled with other English colonists near the falls of the James River in Virginia. Stanard's Emigrants places them in Henrico and Charles City counties. In 1691, the Byrds moved to Westover VA where he was councilor, burgess and receiver general. As a prosperous planter, merchant, Indian trader and "solid citizen", they were on the way to establishing the Byrds with "First Family of Virginia" status. Pedigrees were traced in London in 1702. In 1763 ancestry traced to Byrds of Brexton, Cheshire, as shown in "Writings of Col. William Byrd."[10]
Name
Death
- Death:
- Date: 04 DEC 1704
- Place: Charles City, VA, USA[18]
William was born in 1652. He passed away in 1704.
Sources
- ↑ Byrd, William I - A1311; born 1652, died 1704/5, Charles City Co.: 1677, 1679-82 (Burgess); 1683-1704 (Councillor).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Will of Thomas Stegge of County of Henrico in Virginia. 15 May 1671. PROB 11/336/79. National Archives.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 H F Waters (1907) Genealogical Gleanings in England. Reprinted 1969, p102-103 [1].
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Will of Grace Byrd, Widow of Edmonton, Middlesex. 11 Nov 1679. PROB 11/361/220. National Archives.
- ↑ Will of Elizabeth Byrd, late of Edmonton, Middlesex, 1678/1679 [2].
- ↑ Stanard, W.G., (1911) Some Emigrants to Virginia ... Richmond, VA: Bell Book & Stationery Co., HathiTrust.org (Page 79).
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Wikipedia contributors, (6 June 2016) William Byrd, I accessed 22 August 2016.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Luthern, Allison, (May 2012) "Abstract: the truth of it is, she has her reasons for procreating so fast, Maria Taylor Byrd's Challenges to Patriarchy in Eighteenth-Century Virginia." MA Appalachian State University, Colonial Williamsburg, history.org.
- ↑ The Secret Diary of William Byrd of Westover 1709-1712, edited by Louis B. Wright and Marion Tinling, page 133.
- ↑ from Jouett Taylor Prisley family history and genealogy:
- ↑ Source: #S46
- ↑ Source: #S22 Page: Volume: 83; SAR Membership Number: 16409 Object: @M3004@
- ↑ Source: #S25
- ↑ Source: #S23 Page: Place: Virginia; Year: 1653; Page Number: 254
- ↑ Source: #S147 Page: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Indexes to Naturalization Records of the U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, Southern Division (Tacoma), 1890-1953 (M1237); Microfilm Serial: M1237; Microfilm Roll: 2 Object: @M3005@
- ↑ Source: #S35 Page: Source number: 20509.000; Source type: Electronic Database; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: WAY
- ↑ Source: #S22 Page: Volume: 83; SAR Membership Number: 16409 Object: @M3006@
- ↑ Source: #S25
- Byrd, Lucille C.: History of Byrd (Bird) Family 1652-1953, Old Edgefield District SC Archives
- Hunter, Jane of St. Anthony ID, correspondence including her research and references
- Browning, Charles H., (1883) Americans of Royal Descent, by Charles H. Browning, Philadelphia, PA: Porter & Coates, "Page 668" Note: 319 p.
See also:
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41319759/william-evelyn-byrd
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Byrd_I
- Byrd, Robert Earl, (1975) A Byrd family history / compiled by Robert Earl Byrd. [s.l. : M. Byrd.
- Byrd, William, (Jun, 1916) "Letters of William Byrd, First." The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. Virginia Historical Society JSTOR.org accessed 22 August 2016 (Vol. 24, No. 3 , pp. 225-237).
- England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
- https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-1-249436991-1-47423/william-evelyn-byrd-in-myheritage-family-trees?s=216760841
- https://www.myheritage.com/site-family-tree-1523413712/trotter?familyTreeID=1523413712&existingUser=1&wizardTotals=1119&showTutorial=0#!profile-1501230-info
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Captain Byrd and General Wood were in 1671 competitors in the Indian trade to the south. An interesting year for trade, 1673. Captain William Byrd was twenty that year , had reached his majority with sound head for business and promptitude in going after it. ( page 234 )
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1915333?seq=18#metadata_info_tab_contents
Also, I edited to resolve the database error of project box w/out project account (I believe US Southern Colonies is still dorman). If you think this profile needs co-management by a project, please contact the England Project (I think it would be a better fit than the Virginia Project, since it looks like Virginia records are sparse for him, but Virginia Project would be good too.)
Cheers, Liz