Daily Republican., 1885-08-17
FOURTH EDITION,
Deatn OF An Az ed Ciuizen.

|
The veteran James I. Bird, who ha
been seriously i'll for the past thrs
| weeks, died last Saturday night at hi
| residence northwest corner of Seventh
| and West streets. He was In dying
condition all day Saturday, and 1t wa
J not thought he could live the da.
through, but his vitality WAS so grea
that even after he ceased to recogniz
| those who surrounded his bed, he stil
| continued to breathe, and for severn
hours his feeble respirations were tn
only means his friends had of knowing
that the vital spark had not fed.
The deceased WAS born on . farm IL
st. Georges Hundred April 1st, 1895
and consequently hail turned into BIZ
ninetieth year. His ancestors vert
Welsh. and tho farm on which he WA
born was taken up. by his grea'grand-
father in 1850, under letters patent from
the King.
The grandfather Of the deceased Wal
William David Bird, 3 farmer and
hotel keeper at Mt. Pleasant, who
served as a Revolutionary soldier in the
Delaware line. Among the battles ht
participated in were those of Brandy
wine and Cooch's bridge, and at one
time General Washington had his head
quarters at w. ID. Birds house for .
week.
The parents of James T. Bird wers
Thomas and Mary Bird, the latter 4
daughter Of James Thomas, farmer
Of St. Georges and also an eItensiv,
woolen manu- facturer in those days
Thomas Bird WAS man far above
ordinary intelligence, and very liberia
and progressive. He was q ruling elder
In st. Georges Preebytian church.
When the deceased was 18 years O
age he engaged in farming on his OWL
account, and some thirty or forty years
ago, he, with several other men bough
large tracts of ground in Kent County
this State, which they improved ant
divided up into farms that are now
among the most fertile in that section
He removed to this city ct least AZ
years ago. and for some years lived ou
Front street beyond what is now tn.
base ball grounds. He afterwards re
moved to the house now occupied By
Mr.. Ii. q. Banning in the western par
OF the city, and after residing there fol
some time sold him the property, 2;
years ago.
In 1921 he married Elizabeth, daugh'
ter of Thomas Clark. She died in l840
and in 184l he married to Susan, daugh.
ter of Levi Clark, and she died few
months ago, since which time he has
been falling very fast.
He was the father Of eleven children,
eight of whom are still living, viz
Thomas. q farmer OF Red Lion Hun
dred and President of the Board Of Trus-
tees of the Poor of New Castle County ;
James g., o physician of Washington,
ID. c.; Henry b., q farmer in Prince
George County, Md. ; Susan g., wife OF
DIR. Il. =. johnson, OF this city Mary,
wife OF General l.. q. Bootes, also OF
this city Charles, n colonel in the
United States Army, now stationed in
Montana VIM. H., land agent at Salt
Lake City, Utah Territory, and Levi G.
Bird Esg., leading lawyer at the
Delaware bar, the last nam sd being an
only child by his last wife.
In politics he was an ardent WhiR
until the dissolution of that party. He
voted for John Bell for President IN
1860, and ever since with the Republi-
can party. During the war OF the Re-
oelliou he was strong Union man, and
four ofhis sons served in that conflict.
He was man Of strong religious con-
victions, and was the Oldest living mem
ber and the senior ruling elder Of Han
over Presbyterian church. The funeral
will only be attended by bis male
friends, and the tnterment will be pri
ate.