Ironmaster William BIRD (1706-1761) Esquire

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Ironmaster William BIRD (1706-1761) Esquire

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Ironmaster William BIRD (1706-1761) Esquire

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Ironmaster William BIRD (1706-1761) Esquire [i] was the son of Andrew BIRD (1673-1722) & Mary COVERT (1689-1723). William was born in 1706 in Hopewell, Millstone River, Raritan, Somerset County, East New Jersey Colony. William was christened in 1706 in the Hopewell Dutch Reformed Church, in Hopewell, Somerset County, East New Jersey Colony. ¹ William died on November 16, 1761 in his “Bird Reading Brown Manion” in Reading Township, in Berks County, Pennsylvania at age 55. William was buried after November 16, 1761 in the Saint Gabriel's Episcopal Church Cemetery, Douglassville, Morlatton Colony, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. [ii]

William married Brigitte HULING (1715-1790) the of daughter of Marcus Lars HULING (1684–1757) & Margaret JONASSON-JONES (1691–1775) on October 28, 1735, in the Morlatton Dutch Reformed Church, Morlatton Colony, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. Brigitte was born in 1710 in New Castle Colony, New Castle County, Delaware. She died in 1792 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania at age 82. She was buried in 1792, next to William, in the Saint Gabriel's Episcopal Church Cemetery, Douglassville, Morlatton Colony, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. [iii]

William & Brigitte had thirteen known children:

James BIRD (1736- 1748) was born on September 28, 1736, in Union Forge, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania.² He was christened on October 3, 1736 in the Morlatton Dutch Reformed Church, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, died in 1748 in Morlatton Colony, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania at age 12, and was buried in 1748 in Morlatton Dutch Reformed Church, Berks County, Pennsylvania Cemetery.

ii. Margaret BIRD (1738-1762) was born in 1738 in Union Forge, Amity Township, Berks County, PENNSYLVANIA and died before 1762.

iii. Colonel Mark BIRD (1739-1812) was born on January 2, 1738/39 in Union Forge, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. ³ He was christened on February 4, 1738/39 in the Morlatton Dutch Reformed Church, Morlatton Colony, Berks County, Pennsylvania. ⁴ Mark married Mary ROSS (d. June 10, 1790) on December 31, 1762 in Christ Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mark died in 1812, in Rutherford, Rutherford County, North Carolina, at age 73, He was buried in 1812, in the (what is now) Concord Baptist Church Cemetery, Bostic, Rutherford County, North Carolina.

iv William BIRD (1742-1745) was born in 1742 in Birdsboro, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, was christened in 1745 in Morlatton Dutch Reformed Church, Morlatton, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, died in 1745 in Birdsboro, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania at age 3, and was buried in 1745 in Morlatton Dutch Reformed Church Cemetery, Morlatton, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania.

v Rebecca BIRD (1744-1819) ⁵ was born on June 11, 1744 in Birdsboro, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, was christened on June 19, 1744 in Morlatton Dutch Reformed Church, Morlatton, Berks County, Pennsylvania, and died in Philadelphia, County, Pennsylvania. Rebecca first married Peter TURNER Jr., (1744–1776) on December 31, 1762, in the Christ Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rebecca next married Doctor Joseph REDMAN (1754–1818) ⁵ on March 22, 1778 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.⁵ Rebecca died on June 17, 1819 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.

vi William BIRD(1746-1748) was born in 1746 in Birdsboro, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania and was christened in 1748, in the Morlatton Dutch Reformed Church, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania He died in 1748, in Birdsboro, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania at age 2, and was buried in 1748 in Morlatton Dutch Reformed Church Cemetery, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania.

vii. Rachel BIRD (1749-1786) was born in 1749, in Birdsboro, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania and was christened in the Morlatton Dutch Reformed Church, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. Rachel married James WILSON Sr., (1742–1798) on November 5, 1771 in the Saint Gabriel's Episcopal Church, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. Their wedding reception was held at Rachel’s father's Bird Mansion in Birdsboro. James was a one of the sighers of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. Rachal died on April 14, 1786, in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, at age 37 and was buried in 1786 in Philadelphia Christ Church Yard. James died on August 21, 1798 in Horniblow Tavern, Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina. James was reburied on March 2, 1799 in the Episcopal Christ Church Yard, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.

viii. Jonathan BIRD (1750-1762) was born in 1750 in Birdsboro, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania and died before 1762.

ix Mary BIRD (1753-1813) was born on December 23, 1753, in Birdsboro, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania and was christened on January 20, 1754 in the Morlatton Dutch Reformed Church, Morlatton, Berks County, Pennsylvania. Mary married Colonel George ROSS Jr., (1730-1779) ⁶ on April 3, 1773, in the Christ Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. George signed the Declaration of Independence for the Colony of Pennsylvania, on August 2, 1775, at the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. George was born on May 10, 1730 in New Castle, New Castle County, Delaware. George died on July 14, 1779 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Mary died on January 24, 1813, in Rutherford, Rutherford County, North Carolina at age 59. [iv]

x John BIRD (1755-1762) was born in 1755 in Birdsboro, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, was christened in the Morlatton Dutch Reformed Church, Morlatton, Berks County, Pennsylvania and died before 1762.

xi Colonial William BIRD (1757-1812) was born on May 18, 1757 in Birdsboro, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. William married Julianna WOOD (1757–1779) on August 25, 1778 in Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania. William next married Catharine DALTON (1763-1822) in 1781, in the “Dalton mansion” Cameron Run, Alexandria, Fairfax County, Virginia. William died on December 15, 1812 in Aviary Plantation, Sparta, Warren County, GA. at age 55. William was buried on December 18, 1812 in Aviary Plantation Cemetery, Sparta, Warren County, Georgia.

xii. Lieutenant James BIRD (1759-1781) was born in 1759 in Birdsboro, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, died on August 21, 1781 in Birdsboro, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania at age 22, and was buried after August 21, 1781 in St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church Cemetery, Morlatton, Douglassville, Berks County, Pennsylvania. James married Margaret CORN (1747–1779 in Birdsboro, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania.

xiii. George BIRD (1760-1762) was born in 1760 and died in 1762 in Birdsboro, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania and is burred in the St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church Cemetery, Morlatton, Douglassville, Berks County, Pennsylvania.

Sources

[i] Esq. An abbreviation for esquire, which is a title used by attorneys in the United States. The term esquire has a different meaning in English Law. It is used to signify a title of dignity, which ranks above gentleman and directly below knight.

[ii] A Brief Bird Family History (Terry L. Linton © 1982) (published Linton Unlimited © 1982) (printed in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, USA.) (William Bird (1706-1761), A Brief Historical Sketch (Terry L. Linton © 1983) (published Linton Unlimited © 1982) (printed in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, USA.) (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Church Records, 1709-60 (Provo, UT. U.S.A: The Generations Network, Inc., 1999). (Edmund West, comp, Family Data Collection - Individual Records (Provo, UT, U.S.A: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000) (Godfrey Memorial Library, comp, American Genealogical-Biographical Index (Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1999). (Edmund West, comp, Family Data Collection - Births (Provo, UT., U.S.A: The Generations Network, Inc., 2001).

[iii] A Brief Bird Family History (Terry L. Linton © 1982) (published Linton Unlimited © 1982) (printed in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, USA.) (William Bird (1706-1761), A Brief Historical Sketch (Terry L. Linton © 1983) (published Linton Unlimited © 1982) (printed in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, USA.) (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Church Records, 1709-60 (Provo, UT. U.S.A: The Generations Network, Inc., 1999). (Reverent Van Vlecq, "Dutch Reformed Church at Six Mile Run, Somerset county, New Jersey," database; Dutch Reformed Church at Six Mile Run, New Jersey This congregation, often referred to in records as 6 Myl Run, was not located in Bucks county, but rather Somerset county, New Jersey. Again, it is included here because of its association with the Rev. Van Vlecq, who established the church on November 15, 1710, with the following council: Elders: Adrien BENNET & Charlie FONTEYN Deacons: Baerent DE WIT & Abraham BENNET)

[iv] Robert G. Ferris, Editor, Signers of the Declaration (United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Washington, DC., 1973), pages 122-23.