William Bird Biography


	This biography appears on page 1406 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	WILLIAM BIRD, a representative farmer and stock grower of Spink 
county, is a native of Waukesha county, Wisconsin, where he was born on 
the 23d of October, 1843, being the seventh in order of birth of the 
nine children of William and Elizabeth Bird. The father of the subject 
was born in England, whence he came to America in 1842, becoming one of 
the pioneer farmers of Waukesha county, Wisconsin, where he passed the 
residue of his long and useful life, his wife likewise dying in that 
state, while of their children five are still living. The subject was 
reared to the sturdy discipline of the pioneer farm and early began to 
assist in its reclamation and cultivation, remaining at home until the 
outbreak of the Civil war, when he gave prompt evidence of his loyalty 
and patriotic ardor, by responding to President Lincoln's first call for 
volunteers. In April, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company K, First 
Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry—Colonel Starkweather and Captain Fairchild—
and was mustered into service in the following month. He proceeded with 
his command to the front, and, crossing the Potomac with Patterson at 
Williamsport, took part in the battle of Falling Water, continuing on 
active duty until the expiration of his three-months term of enlistment. 
In August, 1862, he re-enlisted, becoming a member of Company E, Twenty-
third Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, commanded by Colonel Guppy, and with 
his regiment he marched from Covington, Kentucky, to the city of 
Louisville, where they embarked on a transport packet boat for Memphis, 
Tennessee, and thence continued onward, under General Sherman, to Haines 
Bluff, in rear of Vicksburg, taking part in the engagements at that 
point and then returning and participating in the conflict at Arkansas 
Post. In this engagement Mr. Bird received a severe wound and was sent 
to the hospital in the city of St. Louis, where he received his 
honorable discharge, in August, 1863. He then returned to Wisconsin, 
where he devoted his attention to grain buying, in Iowa county, until 
1881, when he came to South Dakota and took up a homestead claim of 
government land, six miles southeast of the present town of Mellette, 
where he has ever since devoted his attention to general farming and 
stock growing, in which he has met with distinctive success, making a 
specialty of raising of the shorthorn type of cattle. He has since added 
an entire section to his ranch, so that he now has a well-improved and 
valuable landed estate of eight hundred acres. In politics he has ever 
given his allegiance to the Republican party, with which he identified 
himself at the time of its organization and in 1891 he was elected to 
represent his district in the state senate, proving a valuable working 
member of the deliberative body of the legislature and being honored 
with a reelection in 1893, thus serving two consecutive terms. He is at 
the present time treasurer of the school board of his district and is 
loyal to all duties of citizenship. Religiously he is affiliated with 
the Methodist Episcopal church. 

	On the 21st of December, 1892, Mr. Bird was united in marriage to 
Miss Annie Meigs, who was born and reared in Wisconsin, being a daughter 
of Gardner Meigs, a well-known resident of the Badger state. They have 
three children, Lavisa E., Mary R. and Geneva A., all at the parental 
home.