Mounce Byrd Sr (abt. 1735 - 1793)

Born about 1735 in Craney Island, Rockingham County, Virginia Colony

Ancestors

Son of Andrew Bird III and Magdalene (Jones) Bird

Husband of Clara Clarissa (Ruddell) Byrd — married 1755 in Shenandoah Co., VA

Descendants

Died 15 Apr 1793 at about age 58 in Smith Creek, Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Barb Davis [send private message]

Moses Byrd Sr is the descendant of a New Netherland settler.

Moses Byrd Sr has Swedish ancestors

Moses Byrd Sr is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A010338.

Moses Byrd Sr is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor.
NSSAR Ancestor #: 114959
Rank: Militia Soldier

Mounce Bird/Byrd, son of Andrew III Bird & Magdelene Jones, was born a1735 at Craney Island, just south of New Market, VA. While the Bird/Byrd family is Dutch, he is named for his Swedish maternal grandfather Mans Jones of Morlatten, PA. Moses is the anglicized spelling.

Andrew V Bird deposed in 1819 that his uncle was Moses Bird. This is the only known original document that proves his father is Andrew III Bird.

The John Ruddell family came from PA a1745 to Smith Creek, were neighbors of the Andrew Bird family, bought & sold large tracts of land, often to/from each other, witnessed each others documents, attended church together, & 5 children intermarried:

Mary Bird ba1724 m1753 Stephen Ruddle ba1725
Ingabo Bird ba1724 m1754 Cornelius Ruddle ba1717
Mounce Bird ba1735 ma1755 Clarrisa Ruddle ba1735
Madeline Bird ba1739 ma1760 George Ruddle ba1737
Amos Bird ba1738 ma1765 Elizabeth Ruddle ba1741

About 1755, Mounce Bird married Clarissa Ruddell. Her father, John Ruddell named them in his will. Their children:

Abraham Bird (a1756–1820)
Magdalene Byrd Hawkins Taylor (1757–1813)
Mary Margaret Byrd Newman (1758–1813)
Sarah Byrd Moore (1758–1833)
John Byrd (1759–1829)
Cpt William Byrd (1760–1822)
Rebecca Bird Kingree (1763–1784)
Ingabo Byrd Gore (1766–1842)
Mounce Byrd Jr (1772–1827)

Mounce built a stone house sometime between 1764 & 1777 that is still located at 8438 Smith Creek Rd, New Market, VA 22844, GPS: 38.69432, -78.64131. In the 1783 census, there were 18 whites, and 1 black person living there. However, in 1785, there were only 7. His wife's family, the Ruddells lived next door on the west side of Smith Creek. The house has been restored and is historical landmark.

He developed "Pine Forge" across the street, but buidlings no longer exist. However, roads named Upper & Lower Forge Lane are still there. He retired and sold the forge in 1790 to his youngest son Mounce Jr & wife Hannah's family. Her father, Dirk Pennybacker owned several forges and ironworks.

Mounce Bird & brother-in-law Isaac Ruddle were awarded 3,250 acres war bounty land in Kentucky (= rank of a regular Army Captain from Virginia), which was claimed by Mounce's older sons Abraham & John. However no record of military service has been found other than DAR record A010338 that Mounce was a member of Cpt Jacob Holeman's Company of Dunmore County Militia.

However, Isaac Ruddle, DAR A099549, a veteran of the Illinois Campaign, was a Captain, & a POW in Canada until the war's end. Isaac's parents both died during the war, and he returned home to find his oldest brother inherited everything. If Isaac sold almost all of it to Mounce, no record has been found.

Mounce Sr & Clara were most likely buried near her parents at the old "North River" Beckford Parish Episcopal Chapel. From at least 1764-1780, Clara's father John Ruddell was laypreacher at the old log chapel built a1745 was on the main indian/wagon trail at the time, now SR11, about a mile north of their house. However, when the intersection at Caverns Rd was widened in the early 1920s, the unmarked "indian" graves were paved over. GPS:38.707579,-78.64825.

Their names are NOT among those of the earlier Byrd Cemetery at Craney Island where his father is buried, nor the later Forge Cemetery where a footstone "MB" was discovered for his youngest son Mounce Jr.

Sources

• Paternal relationship is confirmed through Y-DNA test results on Family Tree DNA. Myles Nieman Byrd, FTDNA kit # 975329, & his 8C2R, Charles Robert Byrd, FTDNA kit # 65604, match at a Genetic Distance of 1 on 37 markers, confirming their MRCA Andrew Bird Jr. The probability in the last 9 generations (Charles’ 7GGF) is 88%, & 11 generations is 94% (Myles’ 9GGF). Click here to see the relationship.

• Miller, Don C. Collection of Pine Forge Ledger, 1785-1799, SC 0175, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va. https://aspace.lib.jmu.edu/repositories/4/resources/312

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/151693383/mounce-moses-byrd: accessed 03 August 2022), memorial page for Mounce Moses Byrd Sr. (1735–15 Apr 1793), Find a Grave Memorial ID 151693383, ; Maintained by Gene Brierly (contributor 47132860)Burial Details Unknown, who reports a unknown.

• "Pennsylvania Cemetery Records, ca. 1700-ca. 1950", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:8Y36-N2PZ : 16 September 2021), Mounce Byrd, .

• "Pennsylvania Cemetery Records, ca. 1700-ca. 1950", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:8Y36-NL3Z : 16 September 2021), Mounce Byrd in entry for Clara Ruddell, .

• 1772 Shenandoah VA Deed Book A: Mounce and Clara Bird to George Ruddell 7 May 1772 West side of the N. River of Shenandoah pattened to Abraham Collet who deeded land to Mounce Bird and recorded in the county of Frederick.

• 1786 Shenandoah County VA Deed Book E, pp 435-436: Mounce Byrd granting his son Abraham Byrd power of attorney

"Having procured 3000 acres of land on the Kentuckey in different tracts, 1750 acres laying on the waters of Licking, part of a tract of 2000 acres of which Isaac Ruddle is to have 250 acres. Also 1250 acres surveyed by Green Clay ....the said lands should be divided between my three sons Abraham, John, and William."

• Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.;