Last update: 29-Dec-2025 by Don Braffitt
These notes cover the family of Benjamin Bird Sr. of Dorchester, MD and Burke County, NC.
For an online genealogy database which includes these Bird descendants and related families, go to https://willbraffitt.org/roots/.
There is updated research on the Bird families as of 2025 beyond the earlier research by Catherine Bird Rudnick and Bob Erwin. The details on that earlier research are available in the 2023 archive.
There were two separate Bird families that made Rock Creek, MD their home:
The two men were not related. Both were Irish but DNA tests among their descendants show no affinity.
Francis was an immigrant from County Fermanagh in Ireland. His wife was a third generation Irish-American descended from the O'Reillys of County Meath. DNA research suggests Francis and the Bird family of Somerset County, MD had common ancestors within a few generations back in Ireland. This family spent about 100 years in Fermanagh and about 300 years in neighboring County Monaghan prior to that, when the family name was originally Mac an Eanaigh.
Benjamin's Irish origins are undocumented but likely somewhere in the north of Ireland. He was a third generation descendant of the New Castle, Delaware Bird family and his baptism is listed in the Records of Holy Trinity Old Swedes Church in Wilmington. The North Carolina Bird family descends from him.
The two Bird lines have intermixed at least once. The daughter of Francis Bird/Jane Littleton married an Allison at Rock Creek in the 1750s, and her grandson Thomas Allison married the unrelated Casanddra Bird descended from the New Castle Bird family.
Details from the DNA project are available here.
Tom Byrd researched the Bird/Byrd families who moved to NC prior to 1800. He summarized his research in a 1989 letter.
The first land record in NC that has been located for the family of Benjamin Bird is a 1778 Wilkes County, NC deed for land along the south side of the Yadkin River which references Benjamin Bird. Benjamin is mentioned in the 17-Aug-1779 Wilkes County marriage bond between Thomas Allison and Casandrew Bird. A 1780 Wilkes, NC deed also references Benjamin Bird's land on the south side of the Yadkin River. Benjamin is listed in the Wilkes County, NC tax list for 1784. Jonathan Bird is listed in 1785, and Thomas Bird is listed in both years. Thomas Bird married Elizabeth Heatley in Wilkes County in 1784.
A Thomas Bird is also listed in the tax list for Greenbrier County, VA (now in WV) for 1783-1786 where Richard Bird would later marry Elizabeth Westlake around 1794.
Sometime between 1784 and 1787, the family probably moved to Burke County, NC to an area along the Catawaba River which is near present day Old Fort in McDowell County, NC. Benjamin received a total of 225 acres in 4 separate Burke County land grants between 1787 and 1813. Benjamin appears in the 1790-1820 Burke County federal censuses.
Benjamin Bird Jr. is not found in the Burke County census after 1790. According to Miss Mary Greenlee who did some of the research in "Data on the BIRD Family", Ben Jr. had sons Joseph and Charles and went to Oregon. A 1793 deed lists Benjamin Bird, his siblings (Elizabeth and Alexander), and his father Benjamin Bird. These two Benjamins are possibly Benjamin Bird Sr. and his father.
In 1795, Jonathan married Angelica Banning in Washington County, VA.
There are several references to Benjamin Bird and his family in the Journal of Bishop James Asbury (volume 3, page 469, Oct-1814):
Wednesday, 19: Rode to Bolings. "Behold! Richard Bird came one hundred miles to hasten us to camp meeting away in the bleak hills of Haywood, I was forced by misery to return to my room and bed at Boling's but John held a meeting and preached." Sabbath, 23: "Ordained two others, Thomas Bird and Samuel Edney, after preaching. In our tents we contrived a hearth and had a fire." Monday, 24: "We visited the house of Richard Bird." Tuesday, 25: "I preached in the home of the father, Benjamin Bird. There was such feeling manifested. We collected liberally on the mite subscription to help the suffering ministry. I had for twenty years past wished to visit the cove; it is done and I have seen my old tried friends, dear Richard and Jona Bird, and William Fulwood, who sheltered and protected me when, during the War of Independence, I was compelled to retire to the swamps and thickets for safety."
There are several references to Benjamin, Jonathan, Richard, and Thomas Bird and Thomas Allison in the Burke County Court Minutes for 1820-1825. In 1810, Jonathan purchased 100 acres of land (recorded 1820). In 1820, Benjamin sold Thomas 135 acres of land. In 1822, Thomas Bird sold 52 acres to John Moffit Jun. Also in 1822, Richard was appointed County Trustee.
An 1823 insanity verdict was returned against Benjamin Bird Sen. who "has so far left his reason that he is incapable of transacting any business." Richard was appointed Guardian. In 1824, the last will and testament of Benjamin was presented by Richard Bird, proved by an oath of James Banning, with Richard and Jonathan executors. In that same year, Richard was again appointed County Trustee. In Feb-1824, Thomas Bird and Thomas Allison sold land to Richard Bird.
Descendants of Benjamin and Elizabeth Bird are numerous in the 1850 McDowell County census. Descendants also migrated to western NC around Macon County, into northern GA around Union County, and south to Cherokee, Milton, Fulton, and DeKalb Counties, all in GA. Some descendants migrated to TN and TX. Thomas Bird, son of Benjamin and Elizabeth Bird, migrated to Cherokee County, NC where he married Mrs. Agnes Elizabeth "Jane" (Worsham) Moss in 1846. After he died in Murray County, GA, she submitted an affidavit for his Revolutionary War pension application.
For the latest charts and references on the family of Benjamin Bird and Elizabeth Allison, see
