JOHN BYRD 

Known Places of Residence: Rockingham & Shenandoah Counties, Va. (until at least 1776)

Children:

JOHN M. (about 1787 - 1857) m. Susannah Bevins 1816

We have never been able to find any actual records of John Byrd’s birth, marriage, or death. Our best sources of information about him are his military records, and land records.

For proof of his parentage, see section 105 on Mounce Byrd. Since Mounce and Clara Byrd apparently lived all of their adult lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, we must assume John was born there. The date of his birth, and that of his wife Eleanor’s, have been calculated from ages given in his pension applications.

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There is no doubt that John’s wife was named Eleanor. This is listed in various pension applications and numerous land records, one of which refers to her as "Nellie" (obviously a nickname). However, her maiden name remains unknown. We have searched in vain for their marriage record.

The National Archives Pension Record (Claim number S 35807) for John Byrd gives us copies of two helpful records: *

First, on 30 March 1819, John Byrd of Bourbon County Kentucky, about age 60, declared (and had witnesses to support him) "that he enlisted in the service of the United States as a private soldier in the year of 1776 on the 9th day of March, that the company in which he enlisted was commanded by Capt. Jonathan Clark of the 8th Virginia Regiment commanded by Col. Mughlenburgh which regiment belonged to the Virginia line on the Continental establishment, that he continued to serve in said company & regiment for two year term of his enlistment and was discharged at the Valley Forge in the State of Pennsylvania. That he lost his discharge at a place called the defeated camp in an Indian defeat in the year 1786 and therefore cannot produce it. That he was in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown and some skirmishing and that from his reduced circumstances in life he stands in need of assistance from his country for support."

The second document records a declaration made in Fayette County, Indiana 27 March 1823, in which John Byrd, a resident of Fayette County, Indiana, aged about 63 years, refers to his earlier declaration in Kentucky and the granting of an $8.00 per month pension. This declaration gives a schedule of his estate, and states he has a wife aged fifty-seven and one child aged twenty years living with him to be supported. (This declaration is also recorded in Civil Order Book A, page 362 and page 369 in Fayette County, Indiana).

Our search of Fayette County Indiana court records produced further information in Civil Order Book B, page 221, dated the 27th October 1823. Here an affidavit of John Byrd, a Revolutionary Soldier and pensioner, accounts for his loss of $1000 since 1818 (apparently to establish his continued need for a pension). It is interesting that in this John states that he was security for Cornelius Claypool, Nathaniel Snelling, and Zachariah Jacobs for $75.00, who became insolvent. The affidavit does not give any indication who these men are, but from other information available to us it certainly appears that they were his three son-in-laws. He also refers to money he spent in moving from Kentucky to Indiana, and bedding and furniture worth $40.00 which he gave to his daughter when she married. (This could refer to daughter Sarah, married in Bourbon County Kentucky March 7, 1818.

As for John and Eleanor Byrd’s children, the two sons (John H. and Abraham) are clearly established in land records in Bourbon County, Kentucky:

The only information we have about John and Eleanor’s daughters comes from the Bourbon County Kentucky Marriage records. Here we find the record of son John M. Byrd’s marriage to Susannah Bevins, daughter of John Bevins, on 4 April 1816,* (See copy in the Appendix, page 9) as well as marriage records for three Byrd girls who certainly appear to be daughters of John and Eleanor. In Rebecca Byrd’s marriage record *, John Byrd signed the bond, although the relationship is not mentioned. For Mary Ann Byrd, a Noah Sapp signed the bond,* and we do not know who he is. However, her husband Cornelius Claypole is listed in John’s pension claim along with Zacheriah Jacobs and Nathaniel Snelling, leading one to believe they are all son-in-laws. Sarah Byrd’s record * shows John Byrd giving permission for his daughter to be married, and has John M. Byrd (who would be her brother) signing as a witness.

The fact that John Byrd lists a child, aged 20, living with him and Eleanor in Fayette County Indiana in 1823 makes one believe there is at least one more, younger, child. The 1820 census record of this family shows one male in the 16-18 age range and one female in the 16-26 age range. These could both be children, or one a hired hand. There is a William Bird in the 1840 Census of Fayette County, Connersville Township, Indiana in the 30-40 age range, with a wife and several young children. This could be a child of John & Eleanor’s, but there is certainly no confirmation.

According to the listing of Soldiers of the County of Kentucky by Collins23 (page 13) John Bird was in Captain Isaac Ruddle’s Company in 1779-80 at Ruddle’s and Martin’s Stations. These were near what is now Cynthiana in Harrison County Kentucky, just north of Bourbon County. From a study of the Ruddle family (see Section 105-1) we know this Isaac Ruddle was John Byrd’s uncle and originally from Shenandoah County, Virginia.

On page 110 of Ardery’s compiled court records,24 is an interesting quote: "Depositions taken February 8, 1819 - To be read in suit in chancery where Humphrey Marshall and others and formerly Thos. Weathers and wife are complts. and hrs. of Samuel Nesbit and others are deftds. Deposition of John Byrd states he came to Kentucky in fall of 1779, settled at Ruddle’s Station and remained in Station until June 1780; that in Feb. 1780 he went from said station in company with Isaac Ruddle and Wm. Marshall and came to a cabin and remained all night; that Ruddle had a warrant to lay on some land for the father of the deponant, and Ruddle said the cabin was Samuel Nesbit’s improvement, and after he returned to the station James Ruddle and others knew of the improvement."

While there is no proof that the John Byrd referred to above is the same John Byrd we are tracing, we are convinced that he is. It is interesting to note that Ruddle’s station was captured by the British and Indians on 22 June 1780, with all persons residing at the station either being killed or taken prisoner. Since John was not among them, he must have left just in time.

In 1794, John’s father Mounce Byrd, and his Uncle, Isaac Ruddle, were jointly granted 3000 acreas of land, in two different tracts, in the area then known as Fayette County, Virginia. The 1000 acre tract was in what is now Fayette County, Kentucky, while the 2000 acres was in present day Bourbon and Harrison Counties, Kentucky. See Appendix, page 5, for more about the naming of the counties. When we visited Bourbon County, Kentucky in 1980, we found numerous land records involving various portions of the 2000 acres which were located on the South Fork of the Licking. Abraham Byrd and John Byrd obviously settled in this area, as did Isaac Ruddle, and they frequently bought and sold parts of their land. William Byrd is found selling parts of his land too, but he is always listed as being "of Shenandoah County, Virginia." He apparently never actually moved to Kentucky. Near the area still identified as Ruddle’s Mills, we found a path leading to the spot where Stoner Creek and Hinkston’s Creek meet to form the South Fork of the Licking River. From the water ways mentioned in the land deeds, we know that this was part of the land settled by our John Byrd, along with his wife Eleanor and their children. Dates on these land records range from 16 November 1790 through 13 May 1821.

On 27 October and again on 2 September 1789, a John Byrd in Bourbon County is recorded as signing petitions to the Virginia Assembly25 One might presume these are our John Byrd.

On page 1 of his history of Bourbon County, Everman states:"The Bourbon County wilderness of the eighteenth century was a frontier barrier protecting Virginia civilization from hostile Indians. By the close of the 1790’s it became an outpost for American Civilization. 26 Our Byrd and Ruddle families were a part of this.

Kentucky became a state in 1792, and on the 24th of June that year the first General Assembly passed the first of the many laws regarding an organization of a defense system for the state. The need for such an organization was felt to be urgent on an exposed frontier faced with Indian attacks. "The Kentucky Geneologist"27 lists an exerpt from Bourbon County court records stating that John Byrd was recommended Captain July, 1790, and that the commission was issued 25 October 1790. in the Bourbon County Militia. In the "Corn Stalk" Militia of Kentucky 1792-1811 28 John Byrd is listed as Captain, 13th Regiment, August 9, 1792. Again, we can only presume that these are the same John Byrd, and there is certainly no evidence to the contrary.

From the Revolutionary War Pension records and other sources, it is obvious that John Byrd grew up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, spent most of his adult life in Bourbon County Kentucky, and then moved to Fayette County, Indiana, where he died. Of course the early census records do not give much information, but supporting evidence is found. The 1791 and 1800 tax lists for Bourbon County Kentucky contain a John Byrd. The 1810 and 1820 Census for Bourbon County list a John Bird with the appropriate age ranges for himself and his family. We know John was dead by the time the 1830 census was taken.

In the Roster of Soldiers & Patriots of the American Revolution Buried in Indiana 29 John Byrd is listed, using information from his Pension Claim, and stating that his death was in Connersville Indiana in 1829 or 1830, that he was married in 1780 to Elinor, and had two children. This same information is then listed in a "Bicentennial Souvenier Book of Fayette County Indiana30 which further states that he is presumed buried in Mt. Zion Cemetery, Jackson Township, Fayette County, Indiana. The information taken from his pension claim regarding his military service is accurate, but much of the additional statements are in error. We have no idea where the date for John and Eleanor's marriage came from - our search for this information has been to no avail in both Kentucky and Virginia records. And obviously we know he had more than the two children that happened to be mentioned at the time of his pension claim. We do know that he died sometime after the 27th of October 1823 when he filed court records quoted earlier about his pension, and before 8th March 1830, when Deed Book X, page 313, Fayette County Indiana records "Eleanor Byrd, widow and relict of John Byrd, deceased, of Fayette County and State of Indiana" relinquishing her right of dower on land she and John had sold to Jesse Claypole in Bourbon County Kentucky 20 June 1795.*

There are no cemetery or other records to substantiate the claim in the Fayette County booklet that presumes where John is buried. We talked to the D.A.R. historians who prepared this information, and they state their presumption was based on the fact that there is a Rebecca Byrd (1834-1871) buried in that cemetery, and this is the only Byrd grave recorded in Fayette County. We have no idea who this Rebecca Byrd is.

No record of Eleanor, John’s widow, is found after the March 1830 land record mentioned above. A search of 1830 and 1840 Census records was unsuccessful. Perhaps she is living with a child either in Indiana or back in Kentucky, but we have not found her with the children we have been able to trace.