1875 & 1878 Letters Written by William Beaird, Sr. (1794-1885+) of Union Parish Louisiana Submitted for the Union Parish Louisiana USGenWeb Archives by T. D. Hudson, 3/2004 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ ================================================================================= 1875 & 1878 Letters Written by William Beaird, Sr. (1794 - after 1885) concerning his War of 1812 Pension Application ================================================================================= ================================================================================= Explanation: ================================================================================= ================================================================================= In pursuit of a government pension for his military service during the War of 1812, William Beaird, Sr. wrote several letters in his own handwriting to a local attorney who handled filing pension applications with Washington. These men forwarded Beaird's letters to the United States Pension Commissioner. Besides detailing some of his military service, the letters indicate that while Beaird was certainly educated beyond what most white Southerners were in that era, he was still unworldly enough to spell words phonetically. Beaird applied for a pension in 1875 based upon his brief military service during the War of 1812, which he called the Creek Indian War. When the War Department could find no record of his service, Beaird wrote two letters in his own handwriting describing his service. These letters suggest that he was extremely fastidious in signing his name. In the first letter dated 5 October 1875, after explaining to the pension commissioner that he spelled his name "Beaird" whereas other spelled it "Beard", he signed his given name as "Wiliam Beaird" (with one ‘el’ in his first name). To correct this, he inserted a carrot below his first name and wrote the “l” above. Then when signing his power of attorney on 15 May 1878, he mistakenly signed his surname as "Beird", and so again inserted a carrot with the “a” written above his name. ================================================================================= ================================================================================= First Letter: ================================================================================= ================================================================================= "State of Loisiana Union Parish Oct 5th 1875 Mr. F. C. Mayo in answer to the card that you sent to me I hereby certify that I belonged to the Georgia militia and no other my servis was on the frunter [frontier] line of Georgia on the Oakmulga River at the seven islands to build forts and gard the frunteers the Georgia militia was clast in three classes I belond to the first clas in captain McClentons company then was orders for so many men to be taken out of the first class to gard the frunters and I went out in that servis under Captain or Lieutenant William Brown and while I was out the first class was called out under Gineral Floyd my messmates was Turner Hunt, Thomas Bullard, David Nix, Stephen Venters, and one Mr. Stafford when I sine my name I sine it Beaird but when others sine it they spel it Beard. William Beaird" Note: At the bottom of his letter, F. C. Mayo made some comments and then signed them, but they are too faint to decipher. ================================================================================= ================================================================================= Second Letter: ================================================================================= ================================================================================= "July 15th, 1878 Mr. I. Shuster, Farmerville, La. Mr. I. Shuster I will sa to you that I belong’d 1st to the first class of Georgia malitia which was under Gineral Floyd I was taken out of that class and poot on the fruntier gards while Gineral Floyd took the remainder of my class and fought the caleba battle my servis was frunteer gard at the 7 islands on the Oakmulgee in the Creek Indian war in 1813. I was armed at Monticello in Jasper county Georgia and I receivd my pay and discharge at the same place the commander of my squad was a William Brown whoo was poot over us in the first class of Georgia Malitia under General Floyds command. I think William Brown was a under officer of General Floyds command ther fore Floyd was my Chief commander N. B. recollect my servis was in the Creeke Indian war of 1813 Yours truly William Beaird" ================================================================================= ================================================================================= Background Information: William Beaird, Sr. was born in Wayne County North Carolina in 1794, the son of Edmond Beaird and Sarah Walding. His parents moved to Hancock County Georgia in about 1796 or 1797, then to Jasper county Georgia by 1808. Beaird married Zilphia Dunn there in 1816, but during the winter of 1818 - 1819, the Beairds moved to Bibb County Alabama and settled on Mulberry Creek (now Chilton County). In 1846, William and Zilphia Beaird moved to Union Parish, settling in what is now known as the Zion Hill community. Zilphia died in the 1870s, but William apparently lived until sometime after 1885. They were reportedly members of the Zion Hill Baptist Church and are believed to be buried there, although they have no markers. William Beaird's pension application was refused on the basis that no record of his service could be ascertained by the War Department. ###############################################################################################