Information about the Bird Family

Kelly:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

I assume the Birds were RC since the Michael you located in the 1901 census was RC. 

The 1855 Griffiths Valuation head of household listing for Templeport parish shows an Ellen Bird and a Peter Bird in Curraghvah townland. http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths/cavan/templeport.htm   Curraghvah is the same townland for Michael Bird in the 1901 census. So I think it is fairly clear that your John Bird was from that townland. I would surmise that Peter Bird was a brother to John and the Michael Bird in the 1901 census may have been a son of Peter. 

Templeport RC records start in 1836 http://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0852   but I did not see the marriage on Roots Ireland so likely Anne Reilly came from a nearby parish e.g.Kildallen or Glangevlin where records do not start until 1867 and therefore are not available. Also the marriage likely occured before 1864 when civil registration of RC marriages started.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Roger McDonnell

Thank you.

Hi Kelly,

I happened to come across your post. My grandmother was a Bird family member and grew up in Curraghvah, Glangevlin. She immigrated to Boston around 1900 and joined her three sisters there. These sisters had no children. Her youngest brother, Michael, remained on the homestead. He had one son, Francis Bird, who passed away a few years ago, My grandmother's other two or three brothers immigrated to Scotland. I believe my grandmother's parents were Michael Bird and he married Anna McGovern. My grandmother had an uncle, Peter Bird, who lived in NY and was my gradmother's sponsor. He visited her a few times. This Peter Bird had no children that the family is aware. My grandmother had five children who lived in the Boston area. They each had five to eight children. My mother, at 94, is the only surviving member among her siblings. When my mother finally met her cousin, Francis Bird, about 20 years ago, the family resemblance was remarkable!

I hope this info helps! Feel free to contact me if you have  more questions:)

Marie Pendergast

Merry Christmas or Merry Christmas Eve,

I am Marie's sister.  We are twin daughters of Bridget (aka Marie) McGovern Bird Brown Tanous.  I visited the old home with Francis several times.  He told me his grandfather helped to build it with his father, I think.  There were two other homes within the vicinity -- Francis' uncles.  Here is what I documented from our talks and walks.

Annie (McGovern) Bird    Michael Bird

House is in Curraghvah, Glangevlin,  County Cavan .

NAME  DOB  DOD  # of children SPOUSE  DOB  DOD

Annie (Mag Shamhrain) McGovern DoD 1927-1930  Michael Bird  DoD 1928-1930

 -- Mary Bird  Came to US

 -- Bridget Bird  Came to US  ??? McMullin

 -- Katherine Bird  Came to US  Theodore Oldiges

 -- Anna Bird  DoB July 10, 1888  Came to US;  5 children  DoD  February 1, 1971  Thomas Henry Brown  1891DoD  May 14, 1948  (Children:  James (6 children), Katherine (7 children), John (6 children), Bridget (6 children; 10 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchilren), Michael (5 children) 

 -- Patrick Bird  Stayed in Ireland; Never married

 -- Peter Bird   Came to US;  No children  Alice McDonough  He remarried after her death ?? This may be the uncle, but there was alson a son Peter Bird, with no children.

 -- James Bird  Died in Ireland as an infant

 -- John Bird  Moved to Scotland;   3 children  Annie Brennan

 -- Michael Bird 1 child, (Francis)  Teresa McGuire

Hi,

In the research I've done I do have a Peter Bird (who is brother of John Bird (my 3X great grandfather)) born 1844 in Ireland and died April 2, 1919 in Bethlehem, PA. From the research I've done it looked like Peter Bird lived in Bethlehem and worked for Bethlehem Steel Company like the rest of my ancestors. However, in today's terms Bethlehem is an hour drive from New York City so not sure if this would be the same Peter.  Also I also have that Peter Bird was not married and did not have any children. 

I have in John Bird's obituary that he had a surviving brother Michael in Ireland in 1906. I have not found any information about this brother. Is this the Michael you think is related?

Also have other siblings of John Bird: Thomas Bird  DOB 1840, and Catherine Bird 1845-1923 both born in Ireland. Catherine never married and I don't believe Thomas had any surviving children but I could be wrong. 

Do you know when Michael Bird might've been born? Seems like the majority of the siblings were born in the 1840's however my relation was born ~15 years earlier so thinking there might've been a second wife. 

-Kelly

Kelly,

I just found my way onto irelandxo.com, and only recently discovered the Templeport/Cavan roots of my Bird ancestors. My great-grandfather Thomas Bird was one of 5 children of Patrick Bird and Bridget Carey Bird who all apear to have left Ireland in about 1870 and settled in Bethlehem, PA. According to what I can find, these immigrant children were John (born 1826, died 10 Oct 1906 according to Pennsylvania death certificate), Thomas (1840, died between 1892-1899), Peter (17 Nov 1844, died 2 Apr 1919 in Bethlehem, PA), Bernard (1843, died 24 May 1909 in Allentown, PA), and Catherine (1845, died 4 Mar 1923 in Bethlehem, PA). I suspect that Patrick's marriage to Bridget Carey was a second marriage for him, given the 14 year age gap between John and my great-grandfather Thomas. All of the male members of the family seem to have worked in the mill at Bethlehem Steel after moving to the US. Most of them appear to have been buried in St. Michael's Cemetery in Bethlehem. My great-grandfather Thomas did indeed have several children, 3 by his first wife Mary Dolan, and then after she died in Bethlehem in 1877 he had 5 more by his second wife, Cecelia Cullen. My grandfather (John Joseph Bird) was the firstborn of Thomas' family with Cecelia Cullen. He was trained as a machine tool maker and moved to Cincinnati just before the start of World War 1.

I am sorry, but I cannot give you any information about Michael.

Steve Bird

Hi Steve,

That's great information about Thomas that I haven't learned yet! Thanks!

My question is I've seen other people have Bernard Bird as a brother but the documentation I've seen hasn't matched with this family. His death certificate that I've seen says his father was Bernard Bird. Maybe it's a cousin or someone.. I don't know.  Just wondering what documents have you found linking him to this family. 

Thanks,

Kelly 

Hi Kelly, this is an old post but if you're still active my immigrant Bird left County Caven in 1700s but left family behind. If you want to discuss contact me at media088@icloud.com