Getting Started

My great-aunt Nellie Hoffman Palmer wrote a book titled, Remember When. I pulled it out the other day and it prompted me to try to use the internet to learn a bit more. It's been captivating and I've found some things that surprised me. This is my place to capture the information that I've learned.

We were told that Abram Huffman married Jemima Flett when she was 13. Here's what I learned about Jemima Flett starting with her grandfather:

James Curtis Bird was born on February 5, 1773 in Acton, Middlesex, England. He died on October 18, 1856 and was buried in St Johns Cemetery in what was called Ruperts Land but is now known as Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

He married three times. His first wife was Mary, a member of the Cree tribe. The marriage date isn't known, neither is her date of death. They had the following children:

• GEORGE BIRD, b. Between 1792 - 1798, Saskatoon River South Branch House, Ruperts Land; d. 28 Feb 1855, Red River Settlement
• JAMES BIRD, b. 1798, North West Territory, Canada; d. 11 Dec 1892, Two Medicine Creek, Montana, USA. This is Jemmy Jock (James Jacques Bird) There is a book written about him Jemmy Jock Bird: Marginal Man on the Blackfoot Frontier (2004 publication) by John C Jackson (Paperback - 2004).
• JOSEPH BIRD, b. 01 Jan 1800, Edmonton House, North West Territory; d. 09 Sep 1878, Poplar Point, Manitoba, Canada
• LEVI BIRD, b. 1801, Edmonton House; d. 12 Jan 1864, St.John's, Red River, Canada.
• WILLIAM BIRD, b. 1803, Edmonton House, North West Territory; d. 18 Jun 1885, Red River Settlement, Ruperts Land
• HENRY BIRD, b. 12 Dec 1805, Edmonton House, North West Territory; d. 09 Dec 1893, St. Andrew's, Canada.

His second wife is the mother of our line. ELIZABETH born March 30 1821 in Red River Settlement, Ruperts Land, Canada, daughter of NICHOLAS MONTOUR and INDIAN. She was born about. 1789 in Edmonton, Canada, and died November 01, 1834 in Winnipeg, Canada. Their children were:

• ELIZABETH MARIA BIRD, b. 1806, Ruperts Land; d. Feb 1845
• JOHN PHILIP BIRD, b. Abt. 1808, Fort Edmonton , North West Territories; d. 15 Oct 1839, Minnesota Territory, USA (near Pembina)
• LETITIA BIRD, b. 20 Feb 1810, Edmonton House, Rupertsland (Canada); d. 26 Feb 1897, Washington County, Oregon, USA.
• CHLOE BIRD, b. 1815; d. 1842, Columbia River, Oregon Territory
• THOMAS BIRD, b. Abt. 1816, Rupert's Land; d. Bef. 1881
• PHILIP BIRD, b. 1818, Red River Settlement; d. 01 Jun 1910, Sumner, Pierce County, Washington.
• ARTHUR BIRD b. Abt. 1820; d. Aft. 1880, Hillsboro, Washington County, Oregon
• NICHOLAS GARRY BIRDb. 1824, Red River Settlement; d. Unknown, Umatilla Indian Reservation
• MARY BIRD, b. 11 Oct 1829, Red River Settlement; d. Bef. Aug 1875

He married (3) MARY KELLY 22 Jan 1835 in Red River Settlement. She was born 1801 in England, and died 1873. Their children were:

• DR. CURTIS JAMES BIRD, b. Abt. 1837, Middle Church, Canada; d. May 1876, London, England.
• ELIZABETH MARGARET BIRD, b. 04 Jan 1840, Red River Settlement, Ruperts Land; d. Unknown; m. (1) CHARLES JOHN GRIFFIN, 14 May 1863, St. John's Anglican Church, Red River Settlement; b. 1827; d. Unknown; m. (2) CHARLES VISCOUNT, 08 Feb 1877, St. Boniface; d. Unknown.
• HARRIET ISABELLA BIRD, b. 06 Jun 1842, Red River Settlement; d. Bef. 1855, St. John's, Red River Settlement.

Retired Chief Factor (I)-James Bird (1773-1856), possible son James Bird and Elizabeth Curtis, purchased a wife Mary Kelly Lowman (1801-1873), from the Mission School at Red River who, it was said, paid 'full value' for his 'conquest', 3000£, which was considered reasonable considering his age, upwards of sixty two. The child (age 35?) was likely in her mid teens. It is noteworthy that he ignored his Metis children from his first marriage at Cumberland House to Elizabeth Oo-menahomisk. It also is noteworthy that he gave the surname Curtis to some of these children. His last marriage produced three children, (II)-Curtis James Bird, Metis (1837-1876), (II)-Elizabeth Margaret Bird, Metis b-1840 and (II)-Harriet Isabella Bird, Metis b-1842. It's a bit more complicated than this, 1st marriage unnamed Indian woman York Factory producing at least 10 children (could be two women?) mostly at Edmonton House; 2nd marriage 1818 likely Carlton House, Elizabeth Oo-menahomisk who produced six children; Mary Kelly Lowman (1801-1873) is the 3rd maybe 4th wife who produced 3 children. Unlike other Chief Factors and Chief District Officers (I)-James Bird appears to have respected his country marriages. He churched Elizabeth Oo-menahomisk (Montour) (1789-1834) at Red River March 30, 1821 and he doesn't appear to marry children.

In my next post I'll work on the next generation Chloe Bird - Flett but since I'm still on the first North American generation I need to connect Jemmy Jock to Oregon

James Jacque Bird married twice and had a number of children. Details can be found here

The interesting finding is that one of his children, Letita was born Feb 20, 1810 and married Charles McKay in October 2, 1827 in St John's Anglican Church, Red River Settlement. Charles was one of the Men of Champoeg, founded Glencoe, WA where he died in 1873, and together with John Flett, helped raise the children of Chloe Flett when she died in childbirth.

Charles McKay played a key role in Oregon history even though he left Canada to help it become a British Colony. More about that later.