Jacob W. Byrd was a member of a locally prominent pioneer Jackson River Valley, Virginia family.
His paternal grandfather was captured by a pro-French Shawnee warrior squad,in 1756, who swept through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia killing all English settlers during the brutal 'French and Indian War'. They killed his father and took him, 4 of his siblings and his mother as captives and hauled them to Ohio to live as Shawnee prisoners. According to English colonial records,as part of the peace treaty ending that war, they were released to the English in Ohio and returned to Virginia 7 years later.
His father was an officer with a unit of Virginia Militia,fighting with them in the War of 1812.
His younger brother fought with the 18th Virginia Cav. during the Civil War and was with that unit at the battles of Williamsville,Gettysburg,3rd Winchester,Cedar Creek,Fisher Hill,Lynchburg,Piedmont,Waynesboro and others.
Jacob was an original "49'er" and ,after leaving his position as a student at the Virginia Military Institue [Class of 1850], arrived in the Placer County area sometime in the fall of that year.
Byrd's bio,after arrival, includes:
- A listing in a turn-of-the-century Bath County,Va. history with the note "He was a "49'er" who almost died in his overland journey to El Dorado and later found his competence in its golden sands." . . .
- He is listed in the 1850 Placer County,Ca. US census as living in a cabin "on the middle fork of the American River" [with 6 others,4 from Va,] as a "physician", under the occupation catagory.
- He shows up in a 1860 Auburn,Ca. City directory living in Michigan Bluff,Ca. [approx. 15 miles up river from Auburn] listed as a 'miner'.
- In Placer County land records, he is shown owning and selling several mine claims in the same area, including 1/36th of the Hidden Treasure mine, at the site of Sunny South,Ca. ( The Hidden Treasure Mine was in operation from 1880's to 1900's.)
- At the cemetery where he is buried, the Protestant Cemetery in Forresthill,Ca.,a history of "pioneers" buried there list him as the namesake for the "Bird Valley" next to Michigan Bluff [which is still shown on maps]and as a store owner.
- Records in the state library in Sacramento list him as one of the founders and officers of the Masonic Lodge in Michigan Bluff [one of the earliest lodges in Ca. and now defunct]. His gravestone is marked with a Masonic symbol.
- There are dozens of pages of detailed records in his probate record in the the Ca. State Archives in Sacramento. They list his estate at the time of his death and have signed receipts showing the then current addresses of a number of his sisters, nieces and nephews in several states.
- His estate was valued at around $30,000 in 1893 dollars, at the time of his death
- He never apparently married.
- VMI has his records from when he attended,starting in 1846, and with several future Civil War officers. A list of fellow members of the Class of 1850 may be found starting at:
http://search.ancestry.com/browse/bookview.aspx?dbid=28940&iid=dvm_LocHist012818-00009-0&rc=1600,892,1756,944;216,2961,337,3000;351,2960,505,2997;504,2955,721,2991&pid=12&ssrc=&fn=jacob+warwick&ln=byrd&st=g
This list includes military CSA notables:
- Brigadier General William Richard Terry, who led a Brigade at Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg.
- Colonel John Mercer Brokenbrough - Brevet Promotion at Gettysburg,full promotion to BG pending at war's end.
- In his probate records ,his cabin, which was sold at auction with his other belongings, was listed as "Dr. Byrd's cabin".
-Sunny South no longer exist but the site is marked with a marker in a beautiful ravine on the American River.
- Byrd died, according to the probate records, in a still existant building [as of 1997] in Forresthill, which was a hotel at the time.
Note: The attached photo of Byrd at the Hidden Treasure Mine, was furnished by the Forresthill Historical Association, with much thanks!
His paternal grandfather was captured by a pro-French Shawnee warrior squad,in 1756, who swept through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia killing all English settlers during the brutal 'French and Indian War'. They killed his father and took him, 4 of his siblings and his mother as captives and hauled them to Ohio to live as Shawnee prisoners. According to English colonial records,as part of the peace treaty ending that war, they were released to the English in Ohio and returned to Virginia 7 years later.
His father was an officer with a unit of Virginia Militia,fighting with them in the War of 1812.
His younger brother fought with the 18th Virginia Cav. during the Civil War and was with that unit at the battles of Williamsville,Gettysburg,3rd Winchester,Cedar Creek,Fisher Hill,Lynchburg,Piedmont,Waynesboro and others.
Jacob was an original "49'er" and ,after leaving his position as a student at the Virginia Military Institue [Class of 1850], arrived in the Placer County area sometime in the fall of that year.
Byrd's bio,after arrival, includes:
- A listing in a turn-of-the-century Bath County,Va. history with the note "He was a "49'er" who almost died in his overland journey to El Dorado and later found his competence in its golden sands." . . .
- He is listed in the 1850 Placer County,Ca. US census as living in a cabin "on the middle fork of the American River" [with 6 others,4 from Va,] as a "physician", under the occupation catagory.
- He shows up in a 1860 Auburn,Ca. City directory living in Michigan Bluff,Ca. [approx. 15 miles up river from Auburn] listed as a 'miner'.
- In Placer County land records, he is shown owning and selling several mine claims in the same area, including 1/36th of the Hidden Treasure mine, at the site of Sunny South,Ca. ( The Hidden Treasure Mine was in operation from 1880's to 1900's.)
- At the cemetery where he is buried, the Protestant Cemetery in Forresthill,Ca.,a history of "pioneers" buried there list him as the namesake for the "Bird Valley" next to Michigan Bluff [which is still shown on maps]and as a store owner.
- Records in the state library in Sacramento list him as one of the founders and officers of the Masonic Lodge in Michigan Bluff [one of the earliest lodges in Ca. and now defunct]. His gravestone is marked with a Masonic symbol.
- There are dozens of pages of detailed records in his probate record in the the Ca. State Archives in Sacramento. They list his estate at the time of his death and have signed receipts showing the then current addresses of a number of his sisters, nieces and nephews in several states.
- His estate was valued at around $30,000 in 1893 dollars, at the time of his death
- He never apparently married.
- VMI has his records from when he attended,starting in 1846, and with several future Civil War officers. A list of fellow members of the Class of 1850 may be found starting at:
http://search.ancestry.com/browse/bookview.aspx?dbid=28940&iid=dvm_LocHist012818-00009-0&rc=1600,892,1756,944;216,2961,337,3000;351,2960,505,2997;504,2955,721,2991&pid=12&ssrc=&fn=jacob+warwick&ln=byrd&st=g
This list includes military CSA notables:
- Brigadier General William Richard Terry, who led a Brigade at Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg.
- Colonel John Mercer Brokenbrough - Brevet Promotion at Gettysburg,full promotion to BG pending at war's end.
- In his probate records ,his cabin, which was sold at auction with his other belongings, was listed as "Dr. Byrd's cabin".
-Sunny South no longer exist but the site is marked with a marker in a beautiful ravine on the American River.
- Byrd died, according to the probate records, in a still existant building [as of 1997] in Forresthill, which was a hotel at the time.
Note: The attached photo of Byrd at the Hidden Treasure Mine, was furnished by the Forresthill Historical Association, with much thanks!
Jacob W. Byrd was a member of a locally prominent pioneer Jackson River Valley, Virginia family.
His paternal grandfather was captured by a pro-French Shawnee warrior squad,in 1756, who swept through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia killing all English settlers during the brutal 'French and Indian War'. They killed his father and took him, 4 of his siblings and his mother as captives and hauled them to Ohio to live as Shawnee prisoners. According to English colonial records,as part of the peace treaty ending that war, they were released to the English in Ohio and returned to Virginia 7 years later.
His father was an officer with a unit of Virginia Militia,fighting with them in the War of 1812.
His younger brother fought with the 18th Virginia Cav. during the Civil War and was with that unit at the battles of Williamsville,Gettysburg,3rd Winchester,Cedar Creek,Fisher Hill,Lynchburg,Piedmont,Waynesboro and others.
Jacob was an original "49'er" and ,after leaving his position as a student at the Virginia Military Institue [Class of 1850], arrived in the Placer County area sometime in the fall of that year.
Byrd's bio,after arrival, includes:
- A listing in a turn-of-the-century Bath County,Va. history with the note "He was a "49'er" who almost died in his overland journey to El Dorado and later found his competence in its golden sands." . . .
- He is listed in the 1850 Placer County,Ca. US census as living in a cabin "on the middle fork of the American River" [with 6 others,4 from Va,] as a "physician", under the occupation catagory.
- He shows up in a 1860 Auburn,Ca. City directory living in Michigan Bluff,Ca. [approx. 15 miles up river from Auburn] listed as a 'miner'.
- In Placer County land records, he is shown owning and selling several mine claims in the same area, including 1/36th of the Hidden Treasure mine, at the site of Sunny South,Ca. ( The Hidden Treasure Mine was in operation from 1880's to 1900's.)
- At the cemetery where he is buried, the Protestant Cemetery in Forresthill,Ca.,a history of "pioneers" buried there list him as the namesake for the "Bird Valley" next to Michigan Bluff [which is still shown on maps]and as a store owner.
- Records in the state library in Sacramento list him as one of the founders and officers of the Masonic Lodge in Michigan Bluff [one of the earliest lodges in Ca. and now defunct]. His gravestone is marked with a Masonic symbol.
- There are dozens of pages of detailed records in his probate record in the the Ca. State Archives in Sacramento. They list his estate at the time of his death and have signed receipts showing the then current addresses of a number of his sisters, nieces and nephews in several states.
- His estate was valued at around $30,000 in 1893 dollars, at the time of his death
- He never apparently married.
- VMI has his records from when he attended,starting in 1846, and with several future Civil War officers. A list of fellow members of the Class of 1850 may be found starting at:
http://search.ancestry.com/browse/bookview.aspx?dbid=28940&iid=dvm_LocHist012818-00009-0&rc=1600,892,1756,944;216,2961,337,3000;351,2960,505,2997;504,2955,721,2991&pid=12&ssrc=&fn=jacob+warwick&ln=byrd&st=g
This list includes military CSA notables:
- Brigadier General William Richard Terry, who led a Brigade at Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg.
- Colonel John Mercer Brokenbrough - Brevet Promotion at Gettysburg,full promotion to BG pending at war's end.
- In his probate records ,his cabin, which was sold at auction with his other belongings, was listed as "Dr. Byrd's cabin".
-Sunny South no longer exist but the site is marked with a marker in a beautiful ravine on the American River.
- Byrd died, according to the probate records, in a still existant building [as of 1997] in Forresthill, which was a hotel at the time.
Note: The attached photo of Byrd at the Hidden Treasure Mine, was furnished by the Forresthill Historical Association, with much thanks!
His paternal grandfather was captured by a pro-French Shawnee warrior squad,in 1756, who swept through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia killing all English settlers during the brutal 'French and Indian War'. They killed his father and took him, 4 of his siblings and his mother as captives and hauled them to Ohio to live as Shawnee prisoners. According to English colonial records,as part of the peace treaty ending that war, they were released to the English in Ohio and returned to Virginia 7 years later.
His father was an officer with a unit of Virginia Militia,fighting with them in the War of 1812.
His younger brother fought with the 18th Virginia Cav. during the Civil War and was with that unit at the battles of Williamsville,Gettysburg,3rd Winchester,Cedar Creek,Fisher Hill,Lynchburg,Piedmont,Waynesboro and others.
Jacob was an original "49'er" and ,after leaving his position as a student at the Virginia Military Institue [Class of 1850], arrived in the Placer County area sometime in the fall of that year.
Byrd's bio,after arrival, includes:
- A listing in a turn-of-the-century Bath County,Va. history with the note "He was a "49'er" who almost died in his overland journey to El Dorado and later found his competence in its golden sands." . . .
- He is listed in the 1850 Placer County,Ca. US census as living in a cabin "on the middle fork of the American River" [with 6 others,4 from Va,] as a "physician", under the occupation catagory.
- He shows up in a 1860 Auburn,Ca. City directory living in Michigan Bluff,Ca. [approx. 15 miles up river from Auburn] listed as a 'miner'.
- In Placer County land records, he is shown owning and selling several mine claims in the same area, including 1/36th of the Hidden Treasure mine, at the site of Sunny South,Ca. ( The Hidden Treasure Mine was in operation from 1880's to 1900's.)
- At the cemetery where he is buried, the Protestant Cemetery in Forresthill,Ca.,a history of "pioneers" buried there list him as the namesake for the "Bird Valley" next to Michigan Bluff [which is still shown on maps]and as a store owner.
- Records in the state library in Sacramento list him as one of the founders and officers of the Masonic Lodge in Michigan Bluff [one of the earliest lodges in Ca. and now defunct]. His gravestone is marked with a Masonic symbol.
- There are dozens of pages of detailed records in his probate record in the the Ca. State Archives in Sacramento. They list his estate at the time of his death and have signed receipts showing the then current addresses of a number of his sisters, nieces and nephews in several states.
- His estate was valued at around $30,000 in 1893 dollars, at the time of his death
- He never apparently married.
- VMI has his records from when he attended,starting in 1846, and with several future Civil War officers. A list of fellow members of the Class of 1850 may be found starting at:
http://search.ancestry.com/browse/bookview.aspx?dbid=28940&iid=dvm_LocHist012818-00009-0&rc=1600,892,1756,944;216,2961,337,3000;351,2960,505,2997;504,2955,721,2991&pid=12&ssrc=&fn=jacob+warwick&ln=byrd&st=g
This list includes military CSA notables:
- Brigadier General William Richard Terry, who led a Brigade at Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg.
- Colonel John Mercer Brokenbrough - Brevet Promotion at Gettysburg,full promotion to BG pending at war's end.
- In his probate records ,his cabin, which was sold at auction with his other belongings, was listed as "Dr. Byrd's cabin".
-Sunny South no longer exist but the site is marked with a marker in a beautiful ravine on the American River.
- Byrd died, according to the probate records, in a still existant building [as of 1997] in Forresthill, which was a hotel at the time.
Note: The attached photo of Byrd at the Hidden Treasure Mine, was furnished by the Forresthill Historical Association, with much thanks!
Inscription
"He was a pioneer and a honest man"
