Joshua Merritt Bird (1820 - aft. 1870)

Born 1820 in Chaplin, Nelson County, Kentucky

Ancestors

Son of Francis Bird and Rhoda (Schermerhorn) Bird

Husband of Elizabeth (Cheatham) Bird — married Nov 1837 in Washington, Kentucky

Descendants

Died after 1870 after age 50 in Neosho, Newton, Missouri

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Anonymous Anonymous [send private message] and Anon B [send private message]

NOTE: Joshua is designated as "Generation 5" in the Bird DNA Study.^[1]

Biography

Joshua Bird was born about 1820 at Chaplin, Nelson Co., KY. He was the eldest son of Francis Bird and Rhoda Schamerhorn. He married Elizabeth Cheatham,^[2] fathered four children and migrated to Monroe, Iowa after the death of his father^[3] and died in Newton Co., Missouri sometime after 1870.^[4]

Research Notes

Joshua is listed in the 1830^[5] and 1840^[6]Nelson Co. Censuses and the 1850 Washington Co. Census.^[7] He is likewise listed in the 1847 tax rolls for Washington Co. with 120 acres and 3 horses.^[8]

His last appearance in the Kentucky records comes in 1853 when he is listed as "Merritt",^[9] a name that appears in no other records save the wedding register of his half-sister Jane. This provides a clue of a childhood familial name used to distinguish him from his grandfather, who lived until 1839.

There is an Armelia Bird who died of pneumonia at age 6 months in Washington Co., of the right age to have been Joshua's last child but with no documented link.^[10]

It is probable that William Merritt Cheatham was named after him, being the son of his wife's brother.

There is an Elizabeth Ward (age 76, born in Virginia) listed in Joshua's household in the 1860 census.^[3] She was the wife of William Hardin Chesser.

Triangulated DNA matches with descendants of John Owens Bird prove descent from Francis Bird and Rhoda Schamerhorn.^[1] Triangulated DNA matches with descendants of Benjamin Allison prove descent from Francis Bird and Jane Littleton.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Bird DNA Study.
2. ↑ "Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-993Y-HC1L?cc=1804888&wc=QD3Q-HMR%3A1589735613 : 17 May 2018), 005771981 > image 1029 of 1218; citing district clerk, court clerk, county clerk and register offices from various counties.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M821-TCN : 13 December 2017), Joshua Bird, 1860.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M46B-9JJ : 12 April 2016), Joshua Bird, Missouri, United States; citing p. 10, family 74, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 552,294.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHPG-4QB : 24 August 2017), Joshua Bird, Eastern District, Nelson, Kentucky, United States; citing 131, NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 40; FHL microfilm 7,819.
6. ↑ *United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHTG-5TW : 15 August 2017), Joshua Bird, Nelson, Kentucky, United States; citing p. 42, NARA microfilm publication M704, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 121; FHL microfilm 7,831.
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M65P-BWD : 12 April 2016), Joshua Bird, Washington county, part of, Washington, Kentucky, United States; citing family 766, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
8. ↑ *Washington County (Kentucky). Tax Assessor (Main Author), Manuscript/Manuscript on Film, Frankfort, Kentucky : Kentucky State Historical Society, 1952-1953, 6 microfilm reels ; 35 mm.
9. ↑ "Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKJS-DQJ8 : Sat Feb 24 05:43:16 UTC 2024), Entry for William A Hardin and Jane O Bird, 3 Oct 1852.
10. ↑ United States Census (Mortality Schedule), 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DRZL-5Y?cc=1420441&wc=MFL8-2PZ%3A1036255201%2C1036255302%2C1036283101 : 1 April 2016), Kentucky > Washington > Washington county > image 3 of 4; citing NARA microfilm publication T655 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).