Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

Bird, of Wootton-under-Edge, County
Gloucester, was born about 1570. He
married Mary Foster, daughter of Humphrey
Foster, of County Gloucester. They
were the parents of Mary, Anne, Susan,
Anthony, Gyles, Richard, and William.
The Birds of Cheshire trace to Randoll
Bird, of Yowley, Cheshire, who married
Anne Merbury, daughter of Thomas Merbury,
of Merbury. Their son, Richard
Bird, of Yowley, married the daughter of
a Davenport, and had a son, Richard Bird,
of Yowley, who married the daughter of a
Hocknell, of Duddon. Their son, John
Bird, of Yowley, married Anne Delves,
daughter of John Delves, of Delves Hall,
and had John, Thomas, and Richard.
John Bird, son of John and Anne
(Delves) Bird, lived at Yowley. His brother,
Thomas Bird, established a branch
of the family at Crew, Cheshire, and his
youngest brother, Richard Bird, was also
of Cheshire. All of these sons of John and
Anne (Delves) Bird were living about
1500.
Another family of Birds in Cheshire
was represented in 1580 in the city of
Chester by William Bird, alderman and
justice of the peace. Of him it is recorded
"In the which servyce (he) demeaned
hym selfe in sutche wise that bothe of her
Majesties Counscell in England and Irelande
reported hym to bee a verey good
subjecte, a wyse man and a readye further
(er) of her Majesties services." He
was the son of another William Bird, who
was Mayor of Chester in 1557, whose wife
was Jane Norley, daughter of Raffe Nor-
ley, of Eccleston, Cheshire. William (2)
Bird married three times and had children
as follows : John, born about 1640 ; Rich-
ard, Jane, Alice, Thomas, and Ellen.
The Birds of Yorkshire descend from
George Burd (or Bird), of New Castle,
merchant, and at one time Mayor of New
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
Castle. He married Ellinor Harbottle,
daughter of Sir Ralph Harbottle, and had
a son, Anthony. Anthony Bird married
Elizabeth Hilton, daughter and co-heir of
Hugh Hilton, of Slingsby. Their children
were : George, Mark, Hugh, Henry, Isabel,
Anne, Alice, Eleanor, Elizabeth, and
were all born before 1600.
(The Family in America).
(I) Thomas Bird died about 1660. He
was of Hartford, Connecticut, in 1644. He
married and had children: i. Joseph. 2.
James, of whom further. 3. Hannah, mar-
ried John North. 4. Hannah, married a
Scott.
(II) James Bird, son of Thomas Bird,
died in 1708. He married Lydia Steele.
Children: i. Thomas, of whom further.
2. Hannah, married Nathaniel Morgan. 3.
Rebecca, married Samuel Lamb. 4. Lydia,
married Peletiah Morgan. 5. Mehitable,
married Simon Newell. 6. Elizabeth, married
Ebenezer Alvord. 7. Daughter.
(III) Thomas (2) Bird, son of James
and Lydia (Steele) Bird, died in 1725. He
lived in that part of Farmington, Connecticut,
afterwards called Northington,
now Avon. He was a member of the
church in 1691. He married, July 3, 1693,
Mary Woodford. Children: i. Mary. 2.
John, born in 1695. 3. Joseph, of whom
further. 4. Jonathan, born December 28,
1699. 5. Jonathan. 6. Jonathan. 7. Jonathan.
8. Jonathan.
(IV) Joseph Bird, son of Thomas (2)
and Mary (Woodford) Bird, was born
December 27, 1696, died in 1754. He
lived in Avon, removed to Litchfield, Con-
necticut, in 1718-19, and to Salisbury,
Connecticut, in 1748. He was chosen nine
times to the General Court or State Legis-
lature, and at his death he was Justice
of the Quorum. He married (first), in
1 72 1, Dorcas Norton, daughter of John