Person:William Byrd (9)
William Byrd, I
b.1652 London, England
d.4 DEC 1704 Westover, Charles City County, VA
Parents and Siblings
(edit)
m. 1651
  1. William Byrd
  2. Thomas Byrd
  3. Sarah Byrd
  4. Elizabeth Byrd
  5. Mary Byrd
  6. William Byrd, I1652 - 1704
Spouse and Children
(edit)
m. 1672
  1. Col. William Byrd, II1673/74 - 1744
  2. Susan ByrdEst 1675-1685 -
  3. Ursula Byrd1681 - 1698
  4. Mary Elizabeth Byrd1682 -
Add another spouse & children
Facts and Events
Name William Byrd, I
Gender Male
Birth[1] 1652 London, England
Marriage 1672 Charles City County, Virginiato Mary Horsemanden
Burial? DEC 1704 Westover Church, Charles City County, VA
Death[1] 4 DEC 1704 Westover, Charles City County, VA

William Byrd was one of the Early Settlers of Colonial Virginia

Image:Early Virginia Settler Banner.jpg


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

William Byrd I (1652 – 4 December 1704) was a native of Shadwell, London, England. His father, John Bird (c. 1620-1677) was a London goldsmith with ancestral roots in Cheshire, England.

On he invitation of his maternal uncle, Thomas Stegge, Jr., in March 1669, William Evelyn Bird immigrated to Virginia. After arrival, he changed his surname spelling to Byrd. On October 27, 1673, he was granted on the James River. Byrd became a well-connected fur trader in the Richmond, Virginia area. Byrd's land became (after his death) the site of modern day Richmond, Virginia. About 1673, he married Maria Horsmanden, a native of Lenham, England. They would become the parents of two sons, including William Byrd II, and three daughters.

Their daughter, Ursula married Robert Beverley, Jr., Major Robert Beverley's son. They had five children including William Beverley (1696–1756). Colonel William Beverley married Richard Bland's daughter, Elizabeth Bland. They had four children. Their son, Robert married Maria Carter on February 3, 1763. Her parents were Landon Carter and Maria Byrd.

The Beverleys were descendants of Pocahontas.

In 1676, Byrd was a sympathizer of Nathaniel Bacon in Bacon's Rebellion, but probably took no active part in the rebellion. He later allied himself with the Governor and became a prominent citizen.

Also in 1676, Byrd established the James River Fort on the south bank of the James River in what is now known as the Manchester District of Richmond. He was active in Virginia politics, serving many years on the council of the Virginia House of Burgesses.

Byrd died on 4 Dec 1704, at his plantation home of Westover, in Charles City County, Virginia. He is buried near the original site of the Westover Church.

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at William Byrd I. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
References
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 William Byrd I, in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. (Online: Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.).
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