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1652 |
London, England |
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MARY/MARIA HORSMONDEN |
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CHILDREN | MARY BIRD |
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PARENTS |
JOHN BIRD GRACE STEGGE |
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4 DEC 1704 | Westover, Charles City Co., VA |
| Note: Colonel William Byrd,' the first of his name and family in Virginia, son of John and Grace (S tegge or Stagg) Byrd, London, (of the family of Brexton, Cheshire, England), was born in 1652 , and came to Virginia, a youth, as the legatee of his uncle, Captain Thomas Stegge, merchant , landed proprietor and member of the Council. Colonel Byrd patented large tracts of land inc luding the site of the city of Richmond; was a man of enterpflse and influence; married Mary , daughter of Colonel Warham Horsemanden, of "Purley, in Essex, England;" member of the Virgi nia Council; Receiver General of the Colony by appointment from December 24, 1687 until his d eath December 4, 1704, when he was succeeded by his son William (the more distinguished of th e family), born at "Westover," the family seat, March 10th, 1674; died August 26, 1744, and w as buried there. The last was educated in England; "called to the bar in the Middle Temple, s tudied for some time in the Low Countries, visited the Court of France, and was chosen Fello w of the Royal Society, * * was thrice appointed public agent to the court and ministry of En gland, and being thirty-seven years a member, at last became President of the Council." His g enius is embalmed in our national literature as the author of the Westover Manuscripts, whic h contain with other papers, the "History of the Dividing Line between Virginia and North Car olina as run in 1728-29;" Colonel Byrd being one of the Commissioners on the part of Virginia . He was the founder of Richmond, Virginia which was laid off by Major William Mayo in April , 1737. He too, like his father, was much interested in the settlement of Virginia by the imm igration of European Protestants. Drafts of letters of his written during the period 1735-174 0, preserved at the hospitable seat, "Lower Brandon," James River (copies of which are in th e possession of the editor) establish his frequent earnest efforts to secure the emigration o f Swiss and German settlers, to whom he offered land, both in Virginia and North Carolina, o n favorable terms. He was deeply interested in the development of the mineral resources of Vi rginia, and planted an extensive vineyard in 1735. He married twice. First, Lucy, daughter o f Colonel Daniel Parke, Governor of the Leeward Islands; secondly, May 9, 1724, "Mrs. Maria T aylor, eldest daughter and coheiress of Thomas Taylor, of Kensington, England," born Novembe r 10th, 1698; died August 25, 1771. William, the eldest son by the second marriage, born Sept ember 6th, 1728; died January I, 1777. was a member of the Virginia Council; and in 1756 serv ed as Colonel of the Second Virginia regiment in the French and Indian war. He was married tw ice-first, April 10, 1748, to Elizabeth (born October 13, 1731; died July 4, 1760), daughte r of John Carter, of "Shirley," James River; secondly, January 29, 1761, to Mary, daughter o f Charles and Anne (daughter of Joseph Shippen) Willing, of Philadelphia, Pa., who survived h im. Charles Willing was the son of Thomas and Anne Willing, of Bristol, England. | ||
BIRD
