Northumberland County PA Archives Biographies.....Bird, Christianna C. unknown - living in 1899 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com July 6, 2005, 7:12 pm Author: Biographical Publishing Co. MRS. CHRISTIANNA C. BIRD, who resides in a handsome home in the borough of Northumberland, is the widow of Joseph Bird, who for many years was one of the foremost business men in Northumberland County, Pa. He was a son of Ziba and Hannah (Mentz) Bird, and was born in 1814 on Little Roaring Creek in Rush township, Northumberland County. James Bird, grandfather of Joseph Bird, was born in Warren County, N. J., and was one of the pioneer settlers of Rush township, Northumberland County, Pa., where he purchased a large tract of wild and uncultivated land on Little Roaring Creek. He was the father of the following children: John; Rachel; Sarah; Susanna; Ziba; James; Joseph; William; and Sylvanus. Ziba Bird, the father of our subject, was born in Warren County, N. J., and, upon moving to Rush township, Northumberland County, with his father, he aided in clearing the farm and later learned the trade of a carpenter. He made the acquaintance of John C. Boyd, a prominent citizen of Danville, by whom he was engaged to superintend his mining operations in Shamokin. Mr. Bird erected the first two buildings in what is now the borough of Shamokin and they are to-day known as the National and Vanderbilt hotels. He also erected many other buildings at that place. He also was interested in coal operations for several years but retired when the business relaxed, moving to Rush township, where he followed farming. He subsequently purchased a home at Red Point, on the Susquehanna River, and there resided until his death at the age of sixty-five years. He was married three times, first to Hannah Mentz, who died at an early age. Their children were as follows: Annie; Joseph; Catherine; Sarah; and Elizabeth. His second union was with a Miss Farley and they reared three children: John; Hannah; and Ziba. He next married Margaret Muchler by whom he had the following offspring: Mary J.; William; Nelson; Montgomery; Eliza; Emma; Samuel; Margaret M.; and three who died in infancy. Joseph Bird acquired his intellectual training in the common and private schools and assisted his father in the duties about the farm. When his father became superintendent in the coal fields at Shamokin and on the railroad established by Mr. Boyd, Joseph became his assistant and in that capacity gained a wide experience in the business world. He then conducted a coal business in his own behalf at Ashland for one year, and later formed a partnership with J. J. John, M. D., and J. B. Doutz, Esq., for the purpose of operating the Big Mountain Colliery. This they did under the firm name, Bird, Doutz & John, and it proved to be a very valuable coal field. Our subject soon became sole owner and conducted the colliery for eight years with the greatest success, when he sold out to the Bird Coal & Iron Company, in which he was a large stockholder. Having previously bought the magnificent building in which the First National Bank of Northumberland was located, he moved to Northumberland in 1866. The bank then moved to Sunbury and a new bank was established which has since been known as the First National Bank of Northumberland Borough. This large brick building, with massive pillars in the front, was the finest and most costly building in the county; in order to appreciate its grandeur it must be seen. It is now furnished in luxurious style and the parlor walls are adorned with fine paintings. Mr. Bird also was the owner of a number of choice farms in that section, one being Packer Island, which is considered one of the best farms in the valley. He was identified with many of the business enterprises of that borough and lived there until his death on June 18, 1882. He was a man of high character and one who merited and enjoyed the respect of all. He was sociable and a pleasant conversationalist, and he acquired and retained the friendship of many people in the various sections in which he resided. Mr. Bird was joined in hymeneal bonds with Rebecca Kram, a daughter of Jacob Kram, a pioneer hotel-keeper of Shamokin, and they became the parents of three children : Susan, who first married William Snyder, and after his death married L. L. Haas; Eilzabeth, [sic] the wife of Patrick Gillespie; and Wellington, who died at the age of fourteen years. Mrs. Rebecca Bird died at an early age some ten years after marriage, and he subsequently formed a second alliance with Catherine Hill, a daughter of George Hill of Shamokin, and she died without issue. He formed a third union with Christianna C. Kram, the subject of this sketch, who is a daughter of David Kram of Bethlehem, Pa., and a granddaughter of Joseph Kram. Mrs. Bird has carried out the plans made by her husband prior to his death with great ability, having remodeled the house, built a mansard roof, and made many other important improvements. She is a woman possessed of many virtues and is held in the highest esteem by all who know her. Religiously Mrs. Bird is a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church, as was her husband. Socially Mr. Bird was a member of the Masonic Order. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District Published by Biographical Publishing Company of Chicago, Ill. and Buffalo, NY (1899) This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/pafiles/ File size: 5.7 Kb