52 Ancestors: #45 Maria Dent, Who Lost a Very Important Paper

Maria Bird, age 82, upon her oath declares that she was granted a pension under the Act of March 9,1878 as the widow of William Bird, who was a Private in Capt. Robert's Co. of Ky Militia, War of 1812. And that in June 1883, she lost her pension certificate in some way, she does not know just how, whether it has been misplaced or lost in some way.  She has made diligent search for the same and has been unable to find the same.  She asks that she be given a new certificate in lieu of the one lost. (War of 1812 Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, 11 Sept 1883)

At the time Maria appeared in court, she was living with her son Edward's family, which included eight children. (That might explain how something could be lost.)  I assume she was given a new certificate, since "certificate on file" was scribbled on the statement recorded by the notary public.

Maria Dent, my fourth great-grandmother, was born on November 7, 1801 in Stafford County, Virginia.
According to her obituary, she became an orphan at the age of three.  Her father was lost at sea; her mother died soon after. She came to Kentucky in 1811 with her uncle, James Smith.  The only information I have about her uncle is that he was listed as a bondsman on her marriage license.

Maria married William Bird on November 7, 1822 in Nicholas County, Kentucky on her 21st birthday. The couple soon settled in Decatur County, Indiana, where they raised nine children.  She lived there the rest of her life.  In January of 1888, Maria slipped on some ice and broke her leg.  She never recovered from the accident and died on the 27th of January.  She had outlived her husband and four of her children.

There was none more kind as a neighbor, more devoted as a wife, more loving as a mother, and more dearer as a grandmother than she.  In the days of her widowhood, her every aim and interest was centered in her children and her grandchildren.  Very few visits did she make to any of them that she did not leave some token of remembrance, or some deep kindness done by her dear old hands, to tell them that her presence had been there. (Excerpt from Maria's obituary in the Saturday Review, Greensburg, Indiana, 14 Feb 1888)

52 Ancestors: #31 William Bird, War of 1812 Veteran

William Bird, 1864 photograph by A. Wilkinson

My 4th great-grandfather served in the closing months of the War of 1812.  William Bird enlisted as a private in Captain Henley Robert's Company on September 10, 1814. He continued in service with his Kentucky regiment for six months.  He was honorably discharged on the ninth of March, 1815, in Walden, Upper Canada.

William Bird was born on November 18, 1891 in Nicholas County, Kentucky.  I know nothing of his parents, except that the family was of Scotch descent.

Sometime after he returned home from the war, William met a young Virginian who had moved to Kentucky with her uncle.  Her name was Maria Dent, and the two decided to marry.

William Bird's marriage bond

In order for William and Maria to marry, a bond was made for the sum of fifty pounds (the currency of Kentucky at the time.) A marriage bond was essentially a form of guarantee that there was no lawful cause to obstruct the marriage.  A bond also affirmed that the groom would not change his mind about the union.  If there were impediments discovered, or if the groom backed away from the marriage, the bondsman would forfeit the money he had pledged. Since Maria Dent was an orphan and only child, one of the bondsmen was Maria's uncle and guardian, James Smith.  The bond was issued on November 5, 1822; the couple was married two days later.  Incidentally, the day of their marriage was also Maria's 21st birthday.

Maria Dent Bird, 1864 photograph by A. Wilkinson

William and Maria left Kentucky and  settled on a farm in Decatur County, Indiana in March of 1823.  In later years, the farm was affectionately known in the Bird family as "the old homestead."  That farm was passed on to William's eldest son and my 3rd great-grandfather, James Harvey Bird.

William and Maria had four sons (James Harvey, Benjamin Franklin, William Henry, and Samuel Edward) and four daughters (Martha Ann, Harriet, Mary, and Minerva.)  A fifth son died in infancy.  All four of William's surviving sons participated in the Civil War.

In 1855, William Bird appeared before the Circuit Court of Decatur County, applying for bounty land that was owed to him from the war.  Previously he had received a land warrant for eighty acres of land.  He had legally disposed of that land and now wanted to receive the other eighty he was entitled to.  William's request was granted.

In politics, William was a decided Whig until the organization of the Republican party, which with he then became identified.  The last presidential vote he cast was for Grant and Colfax.  He was a consistent member of the Shiloh Methodist Episcopal Church for 22 years.

William Bird died at the age of 81 on February 14, 1869.  He and Maria are buried at the secluded Shiloh Cemetery in Decatur County, Indiana.  Unfortunately his tombstone was damaged when the cemetery was vandalized in 2008.  The Shiloh Cemetery Association now keeps the cemetery locked up to prevent further damage.

"[William Bird] was a Kentuckian by birth, and in many characteristics of his early life. Many years ago he was known as 'the wildest man in the county.'  But then the march of Christian civilization came along, and Mr. Bird fell in with it.  [He was] industrious and honest, and recognized among our most worthy and useful citizens.  Coming here poor, he raised a large and respectable family, and leaves them in circumstances of comfortable affluence."  (From his obituary in the Greensburg Standard, February 18, 1869.)

52 Ancestors: #19 James Harvey Bird, Civil War Soldier for Nine Days

Tintype of James Harvey Bird

On the evening of July 8, 1863, Governor of Indiana, Oliver Morton, received word that a Confederate force led by General John Hunt Morgan had crossed the Ohio River and was heading toward Corydon. The governor at once issued a call upon the citizens of Indiana to leave their various occupations and organize for defense. Within 48 hours, 65,000 men had offered their services.  My great-great-great grandfather, James Harvey Bird (known as Harvey), was one of those men.

General John Hunt Morgan

The 104th Indiana Regiment was organized on July 10, 1863 in Greensburg, Indiana to repel Morgan's Raid, and Harvey enlisted that very day.  The 104th began pursuit of Morgan immediately.

After Morgan escaped into Ohio, the regiment returned to Greensburg and was mustered out on July 18, 1863.  Harvey Bird's service in the Union Army totaled nine days. Morgan and his men were later captured and put in the Ohio State Penitentiary. In November of 1863, the general and some of his officers tunneled out of their cells and boarded a train to Cincinnati.  A year later, Morgan was killed in battle.

Harvey Bird in his later years

James Harvey Bird was born on July 12, 1824 in Decatur County, Indiana, where he lived his entire life.  His father was William Bird (a War of 1812 veteran), and his mother's name was Maria Dent. Harvey was a successful farmer and won many awards for his hogs at the Decatur County Fair.  He married Nancy Johnson sometime before 1850 and they had six children together.  Nancy died in 1859, the same year that their last child was born.

On March 14, 1865, Harvey married Sarah Ann Lane.  They had four children, including my great-great-grandmother, Mary Edna Bird. Sarah died from complications of childbirth in 1873, along with her infant son.  Harvey remained a widower for the rest of his life -- nearly 20 years.

James Harvey Bird died on October 12, 1892 in Decatur County from heart trouble, or as his obituary was worded, "from an affection of the heart."  He had been in poor health for 10 years. "He was a man of rugged character and good-heartedness and many are the friends who will miss his jovial presence." (Greensburg Standard, October 14, 1892)