Gird Family Information
Compiled and edited by Teddie Anne Stueber
June 10th, 1999
Don't miss the wonderful new site just uploaded by
Teddie Anne called The
Swedish Hindorff Families of America
West Point History: a page from their Military History Volumes about
Henry Hatton GIRD III.
303 (Born N.Y.)................HENRY HATTON GIRD...............(Ap'd
N.Y.)...18
Military History. --Cadet at the Military Academy, Nov. 14, 1818, to
July 1, 1822, when he was graduated and promoted in the Army to
Bvr. SECOND LIEUT., 4TH ARTILLERY, JULY 1, 1822.
Served: at the Military Academy, 1822-27, as Asst. Instructor of Infantry
Tactics, Sep 28, 1822, to June 9, 1824, --and ad Adjutant, June 9,
(TRANSFERRED TO 2D ARTILLERY, SEP., 14, 1827)
1824, to Apr. 20, 1827 ; in garrison at Ft. Pike, La., 1828-29
; and on Engineer duty, Apr. 1 to Nov. 30, 1829.
RESIGNED, Nov. 30, 1829.
CIVIL HISTORY. --Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy, College
of Louisiana, 1829-1843; and President of same College, 1831-42.
Farmer, Illinois, 1844. Employed in U.S. Branch Mint, at New Orleans,
La., 1845.
DIED, JUNE 1, 1845, at NEW ORLEANS, LA: AGED 44.
Note: All of Henry's children who were born after 1829-1844 were probably
born in Louisiana. Henry was assigned from West Point to Ft. Jackson in
1827; then to Ft. Pike, Louisiana in 1828-1829 and then became the Professor
of Mathematics and Philosophy at the College of Louisiana from 1829-1831.
He was made President of Mathematics, which he served until 1844. So, children
3-6 were probably born in Louisiana, either at Ft. Pike or in New Orleans.
....................................................................................................................................................................................................
PART ONE
According to Henry Harrison GIRD, he accompanied his father and his brother,
Edward to Illinois where they bought land and engaged in farming and stockraising.
Henry Harrison married Martha Stites LEWIS on February 15, 1849. Martha
had been born on her parent's farm (now the site of Trenton, Clinton County,
Illinois) on September 26, 1826 - Edward Gird later married Martha's younger
sister, Lucy Dew Lewis. Henry Harrison's father, Henry Hatton Gird
III did not live long after Henry & Martha were married and he died
on the farm in Illinois around 1850.* On March 9th, 1851, a son was
born to Henry & Martha. The following year there was an epidemic of
Malaria and their little son died on August 26, 1852. The loss of Henry's
father and their infant son and their increasing dissatisfaction with conditions
in Illinois, encouraged their decision to move to the West. They sold their
land and made ready to emigrate to the wonderful California they had heard
was so fertile. Although they were facing a hard journey and it would be
difficult to say goodbye to their friends and relatives, they felt it was
the right decision.
Henry and Edward outfitted in St. Louis with three wagons and a small
herd of their prized Devon Cattle, in April 1853. Henry & Edward
Gird and their family started the long journey across the plains, the deserts,
and the mountains. One wagon was drawn by the three yoke of cherry red
oxen of such size and stamina that they easily kept pace of the horse-drawn
wagon in the lead. ( Will Gird, son of Henry Harrison, claimed that the
oxen were really Devon Cattle. His sister, Mary Gird maintained that they
were Shorthorns, but both agreed they were fine "red" cattle). Gird proved
to be a capable leader and brought his little wagon train through in good
shape. They lost three of the oxen and had to substitute cows in their
places for the latter part of the trip. Some of the young stock were killed
by wolves, but they arrived in California with most of their stock and
equipment in good shape, all things considered.
****************************************************************************************************************************
More tales about their journey:
While crossing the Plains - One day, Frank, one of the young men of the
wagon train, went out hunting. He walked down to the river near their camp.
There, sitting on a rock in the sunshine, was an Indian maid braiding her
hair. Frank raised his rifle to his shoulder, aimed and fired. The young
woman toppled off the rock and into the water, apparently dead. The youth
went back to camp and told what he had done. The people were very angry
with him, for they knew it would mean trouble with the Indians.
The next morning a band of Indian braves rode into the camp. They seized
young Frank and rode off with him. None of the other pioneers were touched,
but they never saw or heard of Frank again. The others did not object,
and gave up the young man willingly. It was their life against his
and he had been wrong to shoot the young Indian girl.
****************************************************************************************************************************
The Gird Family's Bible:
When the wagon trail crossed the Kaw River in Kansas, the stream was flooding.
To lighten the load in the wagon, the men began to throw out non-essentials.
They threw out a lot of things. The trunk which contained the Family Bible
was among the items they set out. When the family arrived in California,
some 2,000 miles away from the Kaw River, they discovered that they had
also thrown out the Bible. Edward Gird said it was bad luck to throw away
the Bible, and later on he gave Mary Gird, Henry's daughter, money to buy
her mother ( Martha Stites Lewis-Gird) another Bible. It is not known if
this was the ancient GIRD FAMILY BIBLE or one from Martha's LEWIS Family's
possession, but all the information contained within it's pages was never
recorded in the new one that Uncle Edward bought for Mary Gird.)
*****************************************************************************************************************************
The Family Group record of Henry Hatton GIRD III:
Henry Hatton GIRD III
Birth Date: 29 May, 1801 New York City, NY.
Death Date: 1 June, 1844 or Abt.1850 (conflicting data)
Father: Henry Hatton GIRD II
Mother: Mary SMITH-CRANE
Marriage: 21 July, 1824 < Herkimer Co.>, NY
Spouse #1: Sarah Ann KINSLEY
Birth Date: 30 Dec., 1803, , , NY.
Father: Zabina KINSLEY
Mother: Anne DUNCAN
CHILDREN:
1. Anna Maria GIRD
Born: 30 May, 1825, , , NY.
Married: George WALKER b. 7 Oct., 1807, NY.
Children:
Thomas Eaton WALKER b. 10 Sept., 1852
William WALKER( no info).
2. Henry Harrison GIRD
Born: 16 FEb., 1826, West Point, , NY.
Married: 15 Feb., 1848, at brides' father's farm, Clinton County, IL.
(her father, William LEWIS, later subdivided his farm into lots for
a town. He named the town, Trenton, after his previous town of residence,Trenton,
NJ.- documented) I think this LEWIS family was of the Lewises of Long Island-
still researching this.
Died: 18 Mar., 1913, Fallbrook, San Diego, CA.
Buried: Odd Fellows Cemetery, Fallbrook, CA.
Spouse: Martha Stites LEWIS
Born: 26 Sep., 1826, Trenton, IL.
Died: 4 May, 1913, FAllbrook, San Diego, CA.
Buried: Odd Fellows Cem., Fallbrook, CA.
3. Louis Kinsley GIRD
Born: 25 July, 1831
Married: (no info)
Death Date: No info
4. Richard Smith GIRD
Born: 26 Mar., 1833
Married:
Died: (Deceased)
5. Edward Kinsley GIRD
Born: 18 Jan.1835
Died: (Deceased)
Married: Lucy Dew LEWIS ( sister of Henry Harrison's wife, Martha S.
Lewis).
Children: they had 6 children, but I only know the names of three (3):
Edward, Mary E. and/or May., and Molly. ( I will look in Aunt Lucy's Obit
-see if it lists the rest).
Eliza Kinsley GIRD
Born: 6 Sept., 1836
Married Frank H. HARRIS
(no date given)
CHILDREN:
1. Henry Gird HARRIS
Born: 1867
2. Anna Walker HARRIS
( the Walker middle name came from Anna Maria GIRD-WALKER, Henry Hatton
Gird III's older sister)
3. Emily Amanda HARRIS
4. Horace Howland HARRIS
5. Margaret Callister HARRIS
6. Frank William HARRIS
7. Edward Kinsley HARRIS
(All the stories are taken from Gird Family histories and journals
written by Gird-Lamb Family; from the "Historical California", a book written
about the Early Pioneer Families of California around the turn of this
century, and from "History of Northern San Diego County").
Compiled and edited by Teddie Anne Stueber
June 10th, 1999
Return to Long Island Genealogy Home Page
