BIO: James BURD, Dauphin County, PA

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Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, 
Containing Sketches of Representative Citizens, and Many of the 
Early Scotch-Irish and German Settlers.  Chambersburg, Pa.: 
J. M. Runk & Company, 1896, pages 173-174.
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  BURD, JAMES, a Scot, was born at Ormiston, near Edinburgh, in 1726, 
son of Edward.  He came to Philadelphia in 1747; married, 1748, Sarah, 
daughter of Edward Shippen, born 1730. Both died at Tinian, near 
Middletown, in Dauphin county, Pa.  (Colonel Burd in 1793, Mrs. Burd in 
1784), and are buried in the graveyard at Middletown. Colonel Burd 
resided from 1750 to 1753 at Shippensburg, as manager of the affairs of 
Mr. Shippen.  About 1755 he came to Tinian, where he resided until his 
death. He entered the Provincial service (1755) as a commissioner with 
George Croghan, William Buchanan and Adam Hoopes to lay out a road from 
"Harris' Ferry to the Ohio." He was then a captain; he is soon heard of 
as major, then lieutenant colonel, and colonel in 1760.  As there were 
but two regiments in service, his rank was a very prominent one. He 
fulfilled with great uprightness and punctuality all the public duties 
with which he was intrusted for quite twenty years.  Then the stirring 
days of the Revolution came, and with it disaster to Burd as a public 
man.  He seemed to have entered heartily into the contest, but just 
when such experience as he had acquired would have been of the highest 
benefit, an unfortunate dispute about rank occurred; that, with 
insubordination in his command, and some criticism in the Committee of 
Safety, caused him to resign his civil and military employments.  His 
sons and son-in-law were good patriots, and a pretty thorough 
examination of the hasty conduct of Burd convinces us that he was, 
notwithstanding this affair, in accord with the leading patriots with 
whom he was surrounded. He was a man of fine form, hardy and healthy, 
an advanced and prosperous farmer, hospitable in his intercourse with 
his neighbors, and respected for his integrity as a civil officer from 
1785, when Dauphin county was formed, until his death, in 1793.  He 
died holding position as one of the county judges.