Winfield Scott Byrd was my husband's maternal great grandfather. As you can imagine, he (along with many others) was named for the celebrated Winfield Scott, who was known as the Grand Old Man of the Army for his years of service.
Winfield Scott was the son of William and Ann (Mason) Scott and was born on 13 Jun 1786 near Petersburg, Virginia. He was a General in the U.S. Army from 1814-1861 and served in the War of 1812, the Mexican American War, and the early stages of the Civil War. Historians consider him to be one of the most accomplished generals in U.S. history. In 1852, he was the Whig party presidential nominee but was defeated in the general election by Franklin Pierce. In 1855, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, the first U.S. Army officer to hold that rank since George Washington. Winfield Scott died 29 May 1866 at West Point and is buried at the West Point Cemetery.
 |
Winfield Scott
photo by Wikipedia |
But enough about
that Winfield Scott - let's focus on Winfield Scott Byrd, my husband's great grandfather. My mother-in-law was the only child of Winfield's son, Marcus Burket Byrd, and Pearl Grumer.
Winfield Scott Byrd was born 29 Aug 1847 in Hawkins County, Tennessee. He was the 5th (out of 13) child of James Anderson Byrd and Margaret/Margerite (Kelly) Byrd.
A grandchild of Winfield Scott has provided us with some stories, although there is no documentation to verify if these are true. We have heard for many years about "Old Man Byrd", Winfield's paternal grandfather. I cringe when I hear him called old since at the time of his death he was younger than I am. We do know many details about William (aka Old Man) and even have a book with some interesting information. But this is a story that the grandchild of Winfield wrote:
Life was pretty simple in these parts til the Civil War started building up steam, and since this part of Tennessee was not aligned with either the North or the South, tensions were running high between neighbors. The Byrds' sympathies were with the North.
Some men neighbors, and Southern sympathizers, came by the Byrd farm with the intention of 'bushwhacking' some Northern men. They asked old William where his sons were, and since they weren't there, they took the old man around the orchard, they leaned him against a tree and shot him explaining "Couldn't get anything out of the old S.B., had to kill him". This is a quote from granddad Winfield, who was hiding in the barn."
The story continues:
After the Civil War was over, emotions around this part of Tennessee were still running high, and some of the local fellows raised a rebel flag over the courthouse in Whitsburg. The patriotic teenager, Winfield, climbed to the roof of the building, sawed the pole and let it drop. In the process, he dropped his saw and broke the handle. It was never repaired. Winfield used this saw all his years as a tradesman and carpenter, sharpening it until the blade was thin. It was his most prized possession.
Winfield married Serena Chestnut in 1869.
 |
Marriage of Winfield Scott Byrd (Bird) and Serena Chestnut
28 September 1869
Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 |
While looking closely at this, it could be that Serena was her middle name - could her first name be Mariah?
On 18 July 1870 in Russellville, Tennessee, daughter Una was born. Several years later a sister was born and in 1876, mother and daughter died of typhoid pneumonia and little Una went to live with her grandparents.
In 1877, Winfield married Mildred Mace.
 |
Marriage of Winfield Scott Byrd and Mildred Mace
11 July 1877
Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 |
Together Millie and Winfield raised nine children. "Little" Una helped raise Byrd kids until she caught the eye of a local realtor, William Moore, who was 20 years her senior.
Clay Center, Kansas was going to be a rail center and the town was booming. Carpenters were in demand so at some point in the early 1880's, the family joined the boom. It was there that my husband's grandfather, Marcus Burket Byrd, was born on 18 May, 1887.
But by 1901, the growth of Clay Center had slowed and the Byrd family moved on. They became pioneer travelers again, and by covered wagon moved to Oklahoma, where Winfield and one of the boys got land grants and began homesteading. Things went well until a prairie fire destroyed their efforts. They moved on after that. This time to Idaho, where some of the older boys worked for the railroad in Pocatello.
They bought a dairy, and the family milked cows. Winfield followed his trade as a carpenter, and Mildred ran a boarding house for railroad workers.
Millie died from a cerebral hemorrhage on 2 June 1925 leaving Winfield a widow for the next 15 years. Winfield Scott Byrd died at his home at 905 S. Main in Pocatello on 17 February, 1940.
Winfield is buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Pocatello, Idaho. Sadly, we were in Pocatello about 20 years ago and at the time had no idea Winfield was interred there. Next time we will stop by the cemetery to pay our respects.
RIP, Winfield Scott Byrd.
