JOHN BIRD & ROSEBURY BIRD, Company "K"

John Bird, 42, and his son, Rosebury Bird, 17, enrolled at Cameron, Marshall County, W. Va. and mustered in with the 1st Infantry 19 Feb 1864. At the time of enlistment, John was a farmer and Roseberry was working as a cooper. Because they still had time to serve after the 1st Infantry mustered out, they served in Company "D" 2nd Veteran Infantry, formed from the consolidation of the the 1st and 4th West Virginia Infantry regiments.

JOHN BIRD --- ELIZABETH ORUM (daughter of Peter) b. ca 1831 probably Marshall Co., W. Va. She died of smallpox in Marshall Co. in January 1873 at age 42. She m. JOHN BIRD b. 20 July 1823, Marshall Co., whose parents may have been Rosebury Bird and Esther Howard m. 23 Dec 1821 by Thomas Deakin. John died 27 Jan 1908, Cherryvale, Kan., buried by son Daniel in Liberty Cemetery. John m. 2nd on 8 Nov 1873 in Greene Co., Pa., Jane Dunn b. 1852 d. 10 July 1917. To this union two children were born -- Daniel b. 7 Apr 1888 d. 1908 four days before his father died; and Iotie b. 11 May 1890, lived in Cherryvale when her father died, m. 27 May 1911 in Independence, KS, by Justice of the Peace J. S. Way, to Walter A. Vogan age 22, Mannington, W. Va. (Montgomery Co., KS records have Leota Bird age 21.) JOHN BIRD enlisted as a private in Co. K, 1st Reg., W. Va. Volunteers on 18 Feb 1864 at Cameron, w. Va., for 3 years. He was transferred by consolidation on 31 Oct 1864 to Co. D, 2nd W. Va. Volunteers. He injured his right leg in the Battle of New Market, W. Va. in May 1864 and was admitted at Martinsburg, W. Va. to the Camp Hospital. He was mustered out 11 July 1865 at Clarksburg, W. Va. His pension certificate is 442102. John took his family west to Independence, KS in Montgomery Co. where he died. Children mentioned in his obituary were Hannah M. Brison, Mrs. Kate Jenkins, William, and James Milton all living in Wheeling, W. Va.; Rosebury, Joseph O., and Iota lived in Cherryvale; Charley in Independence, KS; and Peter Bird lived in Riverton, Wyoming. When John married his second wife Jane Dunn, he was 50 and she was 22. No children are known to have been born until 15 years later in 1888. A one room school house was built on the land owned by Peter Orum I and inherited by his daughter Elizabeth Bird. Elizabeth and John had at least ten children: Rosebury b. 1846; Hannah M. b. 1848; Charley b. 1850; William b. 1852; Kate b. 1854; Sara C. b. 1855; Peter b. 1856; John b. 1859; Joseph b. 1862, and James Milton b 1866.

ROSEBURY BIRD --- Son of John Bird & Elizabeth Orum - b. Mar 1846, Marshall Co., m. Teressa Hooth b. 1849 Pa. They lived in Marshall Co. until after his mother died and moved west to Kansas when his father John moved there. They lived in Drum Creek Township, Cherryvale, KS, and had at least 15 children. Laura Bird age 31 (b. 1880), Cherryvale, m. 8 Nov 1911 at Cherryvale, James Bulger age 40, by Rev. Bernard Droth, pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church. She is probably a dau of Rosebury. Lester Bird, Cherryvale, age 22, m. 25 May 1914 in Independence, KS, Edna Darling, age 16. Ceremony performed by Roy Osborn, Judge. Lester is probably the son of Rosebury not named in the birth certificate of male twins, children #14 & 15 b. 24 Feb 1892 (Book 1, pg. 62, #778 Montgomery Co., Independence, KS). Rosebury lived in Cherryvale in 1908. Children: Margaret b. 1868; Walter b. 1869; Alfred b. 1875; Ida E. b 1876; all born in Ohio Co., W. Va., which means they did not move to Kansas until after Ida was born. (12th child) male b. 26 June 1888, Book 1, pg. 8, #92; (13th cild) female b. 30 April 1890, Book 1, pg. 35, #435; (14th & 15th children) males b. 24 Feb 1892, Book 1, pg. 62, #778, all recorded Montgomery Co., Independence, KS.

John Bird Co. D.
2 Regt West Va. Vols.
Independence Kansas May 12th 1888
Hon. J. C. Black
Commissioner of Pensions
Washington D.C.

Sir
In answering your letter of March 21st 1888 - I have the honor to State that I lived at the following places since my discharge from the service of U.S. - I went back Home where I enlisted from, Union Township, Marshall County W. Virginia & my Post Office Address was while I lived there until in the Spring of the year 1878 was Shearard P.O. Marshall County Va.

In the Spring of the year 1878 - I went to Kansas - In the year 1878 Independence Ks was my Post Office - in the year 1879 my Post Office Address was Cheryvale Ks, since that time my Post Office Address has been and is now at the present time, Liberty P.O. Montgomery County, Kansas.

The history of the Origen of my disability is as follows: - That while I was a Member of above cited organization, in the Service of the U.S. and in the Line of my duty at New Market In the State of West Virginia, on or about May 1864 - I contracted in @ Battle of New Market, Shenandoa Valley, W.Va. - ruptured Leg, or bursted vains of right leg, caused running sore, under the following circumstances: while on scirmish line, we fell back across @ field, and jumping off of @ high fence, got hurt in right leg and right Ancle - I was treated in Hospitals as follows: Martinsburg, West Va. think it was some time in May 1864- I do not rememebr the dates, nor the Doctors names who treaded me - since my discharge, I was treaded by Doctor Shukhardt(?) of Wheeling Va - he healed my leg at the time appearantly, but soon after it broke out again, and I then sent & employed Doctor Collins of Marshall County W.Va. - and he told me it was of no use for me to try to get cured, advised me to use salve, but it never healed up intirely to this day -

As to the rate of my disability - I will state, that I always have done {when able at all} some light work about @ Farms, but I have not been able to do hard Work for all these years - some times I start to Work, when soon after my Leg gies out, & I have to stopp I will rate myself one half disabled from performing manual labor on an average since my discharge from the service of the U.S. - I further state, that since I been living in Kansas - I had Doctor Andrews & Doctor Coleman of Liberty Ks treading me for sore on right leg & ancle.

Yours very Respectfully
John Bird

Buried at Liberty Cemetery, Liberty, Montgomery Co., Kansas

Served in the 2nd Veteran Infantry at the end of the war.
(Submitted by John A. Jackson.)