Son of Robert and Rachel Suzanne (Allen) Bird. Married Harriet Bird (daughter of James Bird and Susannah Ferris) on October 9, 1836 in Putnam County, Illinois. Father of Elizabeth Jane (b. on June 8, 1837, married Warren Corby in 1856), Permelia Ann (who married a Mr. Robbins), Rachel Suzanne (or Susannah) (who married a Mr. Ford), Eliza Wilmoth (or Wilmuth) (who married a Mr. Bennett), Isabella (who married a Mr. Whitmore), Nancy Prudence (who married a Mr. Crissell), Robert Henry, Millard Fillmore, an unnamed infant, and William Milton.
Nancy, Robert, Millard and William were all born in Oregon after 1849. Elizabeth, Parmelia, Rachel, Eliza and Isabelle were born in Illinois. Two daughters died in infancy, one in Illinois and one in Oregon.
William came to the Oregon Territory with his father and mother on the Jordan Sawyer wagon train in 1847. William was my great-great-great-grandfather (his daugher, Eliza, was my great-great-grandmother), and is the reason my family and I live in Oregon. The irony is that we lived within a few miles of where William is buried, for many years, and did not know it until recently.
William was an old-line Whig when he first came to Oregon and later joined the ranks of the Republicans. He was a member of the Christian church.
From a book from the Sons and Daughters of Oregon Pioneers, published in 1994: The emigrant train named the "Gordon Sawyer" left Lacon, Marshall Co. IL, on 27 March 1847 for Oregon. They crossed the Missouri River near St. Joseph
MO.
The train was made up of related families and neighbors and included Robert and Rachel (Allen) Bird and their sons - John, William, Eljah - and their families. Also in the train were the families of James Moore, William Larkins, Fudge, Mark Sawyer, Jordan Sawyer, a Mr. Smith, William and Samuel Bland, the Sols, Allens, Robert Kinney, The Rev. Samuel Allen (Cumberland Presbyterian minister), Avery, Crawford, and Ward, which made up about 35 able-bodied men, besides women and children and 30 wagons.
Their journey was without mishap until they reached the
South Platte River when a cattle stampede occurred. William Bird had crossed the river and gone some distance when he heard someone calling him. He turned and saw Mrs. Fudge coming as fast as her one yoke of oxen could pull her light
wagon. As he told it later, it was rather amusing. Mrs. Fudge was a very large, fleshy woman, and as the road was rough, she was just rolling from one side of the wagon to the other. He called back to her through his cupped hands that she had the right of way. The stampede was not serious
but made for a little fun that night in camp.
Written by Laura L. Kirchem, on Aug. 10, 1924:
"On March 27, 1847, the emigrant train, known as the "Jordan Sawyer Train" left Lacon, Illinois, bound for the land of promise, called Oregon. On that memorable day, people who composed the train bid farewell to the relatives left behind, and started out on "The Long, Long Trail" which ended after eight weary months of travel by ox and team. They reached Oregon on Oct. 27,184(?). Some of those that came at that time were the Avery, Larkin, Allen, Moore, Bird, Fudge, Crawford and Ward families. There were many others whose names I have not obtained.
There was only one death during the long trip. It was the infant of William Larkin and wife. A trunk was used for a coffin. This is a remarkable record as so many imigrants died of choler, and in many instances several were buried in one grave.
Near Maupin (Oregon), on the Deschutes River, the hills were so steep that the wagons had to be let down with ropes and chains. William Bird had his arm broken while letting one of the wagons down the hill. A chain broke and a hook caught his arm.
It is said that the marks of the chains and ropes used by immigrants on the old Laurel Hill road, in the Cascade mountains, are plainly visible on the trees where they let their wagons down.
Before leaving Illinois, great grandfather William Bird and another man indorsed a note as security for the great Morman elder Joseph Smith, who at the time lived in Illinois. Great grandfather had to pay it (about $2000) and he never received a penny of it. Great grandfather sold his farm to Nathan Owen, then came west.
Lovingly dedicated to the memory of those gone before."
Nancy, Robert, Millard and William were all born in Oregon after 1849. Elizabeth, Parmelia, Rachel, Eliza and Isabelle were born in Illinois. Two daughters died in infancy, one in Illinois and one in Oregon.
William came to the Oregon Territory with his father and mother on the Jordan Sawyer wagon train in 1847. William was my great-great-great-grandfather (his daugher, Eliza, was my great-great-grandmother), and is the reason my family and I live in Oregon. The irony is that we lived within a few miles of where William is buried, for many years, and did not know it until recently.
William was an old-line Whig when he first came to Oregon and later joined the ranks of the Republicans. He was a member of the Christian church.
From a book from the Sons and Daughters of Oregon Pioneers, published in 1994: The emigrant train named the "Gordon Sawyer" left Lacon, Marshall Co. IL, on 27 March 1847 for Oregon. They crossed the Missouri River near St. Joseph
MO.
The train was made up of related families and neighbors and included Robert and Rachel (Allen) Bird and their sons - John, William, Eljah - and their families. Also in the train were the families of James Moore, William Larkins, Fudge, Mark Sawyer, Jordan Sawyer, a Mr. Smith, William and Samuel Bland, the Sols, Allens, Robert Kinney, The Rev. Samuel Allen (Cumberland Presbyterian minister), Avery, Crawford, and Ward, which made up about 35 able-bodied men, besides women and children and 30 wagons.
Their journey was without mishap until they reached the
South Platte River when a cattle stampede occurred. William Bird had crossed the river and gone some distance when he heard someone calling him. He turned and saw Mrs. Fudge coming as fast as her one yoke of oxen could pull her light
wagon. As he told it later, it was rather amusing. Mrs. Fudge was a very large, fleshy woman, and as the road was rough, she was just rolling from one side of the wagon to the other. He called back to her through his cupped hands that she had the right of way. The stampede was not serious
but made for a little fun that night in camp.
Written by Laura L. Kirchem, on Aug. 10, 1924:
"On March 27, 1847, the emigrant train, known as the "Jordan Sawyer Train" left Lacon, Illinois, bound for the land of promise, called Oregon. On that memorable day, people who composed the train bid farewell to the relatives left behind, and started out on "The Long, Long Trail" which ended after eight weary months of travel by ox and team. They reached Oregon on Oct. 27,184(?). Some of those that came at that time were the Avery, Larkin, Allen, Moore, Bird, Fudge, Crawford and Ward families. There were many others whose names I have not obtained.
There was only one death during the long trip. It was the infant of William Larkin and wife. A trunk was used for a coffin. This is a remarkable record as so many imigrants died of choler, and in many instances several were buried in one grave.
Near Maupin (Oregon), on the Deschutes River, the hills were so steep that the wagons had to be let down with ropes and chains. William Bird had his arm broken while letting one of the wagons down the hill. A chain broke and a hook caught his arm.
It is said that the marks of the chains and ropes used by immigrants on the old Laurel Hill road, in the Cascade mountains, are plainly visible on the trees where they let their wagons down.
Before leaving Illinois, great grandfather William Bird and another man indorsed a note as security for the great Morman elder Joseph Smith, who at the time lived in Illinois. Great grandfather had to pay it (about $2000) and he never received a penny of it. Great grandfather sold his farm to Nathan Owen, then came west.
Lovingly dedicated to the memory of those gone before."
Son of Robert and Rachel Suzanne (Allen) Bird. Married Harriet Bird (daughter of James Bird and Susannah Ferris) on October 9, 1836 in Putnam County, Illinois. Father of Elizabeth Jane (b. on June 8, 1837, married Warren Corby in 1856), Permelia Ann (who married a Mr. Robbins), Rachel Suzanne (or Susannah) (who married a Mr. Ford), Eliza Wilmoth (or Wilmuth) (who married a Mr. Bennett), Isabella (who married a Mr. Whitmore), Nancy Prudence (who married a Mr. Crissell), Robert Henry, Millard Fillmore, an unnamed infant, and William Milton.
Nancy, Robert, Millard and William were all born in Oregon after 1849. Elizabeth, Parmelia, Rachel, Eliza and Isabelle were born in Illinois. Two daughters died in infancy, one in Illinois and one in Oregon.
William came to the Oregon Territory with his father and mother on the Jordan Sawyer wagon train in 1847. William was my great-great-great-grandfather (his daugher, Eliza, was my great-great-grandmother), and is the reason my family and I live in Oregon. The irony is that we lived within a few miles of where William is buried, for many years, and did not know it until recently.
William was an old-line Whig when he first came to Oregon and later joined the ranks of the Republicans. He was a member of the Christian church.
From a book from the Sons and Daughters of Oregon Pioneers, published in 1994: The emigrant train named the "Gordon Sawyer" left Lacon, Marshall Co. IL, on 27 March 1847 for Oregon. They crossed the Missouri River near St. Joseph
MO.
The train was made up of related families and neighbors and included Robert and Rachel (Allen) Bird and their sons - John, William, Eljah - and their families. Also in the train were the families of James Moore, William Larkins, Fudge, Mark Sawyer, Jordan Sawyer, a Mr. Smith, William and Samuel Bland, the Sols, Allens, Robert Kinney, The Rev. Samuel Allen (Cumberland Presbyterian minister), Avery, Crawford, and Ward, which made up about 35 able-bodied men, besides women and children and 30 wagons.
Their journey was without mishap until they reached the
South Platte River when a cattle stampede occurred. William Bird had crossed the river and gone some distance when he heard someone calling him. He turned and saw Mrs. Fudge coming as fast as her one yoke of oxen could pull her light
wagon. As he told it later, it was rather amusing. Mrs. Fudge was a very large, fleshy woman, and as the road was rough, she was just rolling from one side of the wagon to the other. He called back to her through his cupped hands that she had the right of way. The stampede was not serious
but made for a little fun that night in camp.
Written by Laura L. Kirchem, on Aug. 10, 1924:
"On March 27, 1847, the emigrant train, known as the "Jordan Sawyer Train" left Lacon, Illinois, bound for the land of promise, called Oregon. On that memorable day, people who composed the train bid farewell to the relatives left behind, and started out on "The Long, Long Trail" which ended after eight weary months of travel by ox and team. They reached Oregon on Oct. 27,184(?). Some of those that came at that time were the Avery, Larkin, Allen, Moore, Bird, Fudge, Crawford and Ward families. There were many others whose names I have not obtained.
There was only one death during the long trip. It was the infant of William Larkin and wife. A trunk was used for a coffin. This is a remarkable record as so many imigrants died of choler, and in many instances several were buried in one grave.
Near Maupin (Oregon), on the Deschutes River, the hills were so steep that the wagons had to be let down with ropes and chains. William Bird had his arm broken while letting one of the wagons down the hill. A chain broke and a hook caught his arm.
It is said that the marks of the chains and ropes used by immigrants on the old Laurel Hill road, in the Cascade mountains, are plainly visible on the trees where they let their wagons down.
Before leaving Illinois, great grandfather William Bird and another man indorsed a note as security for the great Morman elder Joseph Smith, who at the time lived in Illinois. Great grandfather had to pay it (about $2000) and he never received a penny of it. Great grandfather sold his farm to Nathan Owen, then came west.
Lovingly dedicated to the memory of those gone before."
Nancy, Robert, Millard and William were all born in Oregon after 1849. Elizabeth, Parmelia, Rachel, Eliza and Isabelle were born in Illinois. Two daughters died in infancy, one in Illinois and one in Oregon.
William came to the Oregon Territory with his father and mother on the Jordan Sawyer wagon train in 1847. William was my great-great-great-grandfather (his daugher, Eliza, was my great-great-grandmother), and is the reason my family and I live in Oregon. The irony is that we lived within a few miles of where William is buried, for many years, and did not know it until recently.
William was an old-line Whig when he first came to Oregon and later joined the ranks of the Republicans. He was a member of the Christian church.
From a book from the Sons and Daughters of Oregon Pioneers, published in 1994: The emigrant train named the "Gordon Sawyer" left Lacon, Marshall Co. IL, on 27 March 1847 for Oregon. They crossed the Missouri River near St. Joseph
MO.
The train was made up of related families and neighbors and included Robert and Rachel (Allen) Bird and their sons - John, William, Eljah - and their families. Also in the train were the families of James Moore, William Larkins, Fudge, Mark Sawyer, Jordan Sawyer, a Mr. Smith, William and Samuel Bland, the Sols, Allens, Robert Kinney, The Rev. Samuel Allen (Cumberland Presbyterian minister), Avery, Crawford, and Ward, which made up about 35 able-bodied men, besides women and children and 30 wagons.
Their journey was without mishap until they reached the
South Platte River when a cattle stampede occurred. William Bird had crossed the river and gone some distance when he heard someone calling him. He turned and saw Mrs. Fudge coming as fast as her one yoke of oxen could pull her light
wagon. As he told it later, it was rather amusing. Mrs. Fudge was a very large, fleshy woman, and as the road was rough, she was just rolling from one side of the wagon to the other. He called back to her through his cupped hands that she had the right of way. The stampede was not serious
but made for a little fun that night in camp.
Written by Laura L. Kirchem, on Aug. 10, 1924:
"On March 27, 1847, the emigrant train, known as the "Jordan Sawyer Train" left Lacon, Illinois, bound for the land of promise, called Oregon. On that memorable day, people who composed the train bid farewell to the relatives left behind, and started out on "The Long, Long Trail" which ended after eight weary months of travel by ox and team. They reached Oregon on Oct. 27,184(?). Some of those that came at that time were the Avery, Larkin, Allen, Moore, Bird, Fudge, Crawford and Ward families. There were many others whose names I have not obtained.
There was only one death during the long trip. It was the infant of William Larkin and wife. A trunk was used for a coffin. This is a remarkable record as so many imigrants died of choler, and in many instances several were buried in one grave.
Near Maupin (Oregon), on the Deschutes River, the hills were so steep that the wagons had to be let down with ropes and chains. William Bird had his arm broken while letting one of the wagons down the hill. A chain broke and a hook caught his arm.
It is said that the marks of the chains and ropes used by immigrants on the old Laurel Hill road, in the Cascade mountains, are plainly visible on the trees where they let their wagons down.
Before leaving Illinois, great grandfather William Bird and another man indorsed a note as security for the great Morman elder Joseph Smith, who at the time lived in Illinois. Great grandfather had to pay it (about $2000) and he never received a penny of it. Great grandfather sold his farm to Nathan Owen, then came west.
Lovingly dedicated to the memory of those gone before."
Family Members
Spouse
Siblings
Children
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Elizabeth Jane Bird Corby
1837–1934
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Permelia Ann Bird Robbins
1838–1932
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Rachel Susannah Bird Ford
1840–1922
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Eliza Wilmuth Bird Bennett
1844–1908
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Isabella Bird Whitmore
1846–1867
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Nancy Prudence Bird Crisell
1849–1914
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Robert Henry Bird
1851–1875
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Millard Fillmore Bird
1854–1917
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William Milton "Will" Bird
1860–1942
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