James Burd
Encyclopedia
James Burd was a colonial American soldier in the French and Indian War
, during which he played an important role in fortifying the Pennsylvania
frontier.
, near Edinburgh, Scotland, the son of Edward Burd, James Burd came to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1747 or 1748 where he worked as a merchant. On May 14, 1748, he married Sarah Shippen, daughter of former mayor Edward Shippen
of the prominent Shippen family of Philadelphia. The couple had eleven children, eight of whom lived to maturity, including Edward Burd
.
In 1752, he moved his young family to manage his father-in-law's vast land holdings in the area now known as
Shippensburg
.
, but soon joined the military as an officer at the outbreak of the French and Indian War. He was commissioned a Major at Fort Augusta
(at present-day Sunbury, Pennsylvania
) in 1756, and on December 8, 1756, after the resignation of Lt. Col. William Clapham, he took command of the fort. Under his command the fort's construction was completed, as well as the Provincial Road between the fort and Tulpehocken, the location of Conrad Weiser
's homestead (near present-day Reading
).
In 1758, Burd was promoted to Colonel. He went with General John Forbes
on the Duquesne Expedition under Colonel Henry Bouquet
, and 360 of the 400-man garrison participated in the Expedition, leaving 40 men at Fort Augusta. During that campaign, Burd contributed to the construction of Fort Ligonier
. After the fall of Fort Duquesne
, Burd was sent to the Erie
area, where he supervised the construction of roads and fortifications.
Most importantly, upon his return from the Great Lakes region he oversaw the erection, with Joseph Shippen, of Fort Burd (later more often called Redstone Old Fort) on the Monongahela River
tributary Redstone Creek
at the site of what became Brownsville, Pennsylvania
, which served as a historic depot for river transport to Fort Pitt
during the war and as the settlement expanded came to build many of the keel boats and later, steam boats that transported settlers to the Northwest Territory
, Ohio Country
and via the Missouri Valley
, the far west
and the Oregon Country
. He returned to Fort Augusta in 1760, where he remained until the dissolution of the Pennsylvania Regiment.
From 1764 to 1770 he held the office of Justice of Lancaster County.
In 1774, a year before the outbreak of hostilities with Great Britain
, Col. Burd was instrumental in garnering local support for the colonial congress in its opposition to the Crown, and by the following year he was assisting in the military organization of Lancaster County as a member of the Committee of Safety. His direct military involvement in the Revolutionary War
was brief, however, as he resigned his post in December 1776 because of a dispute concerning rank and insubordination
in his command and some criticism from the Committee of Safety. He retired to civilian life, as a county judge.
He died at "Tinian", his farm near Highspire, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
, on October 5, 1793. He and his wife (d. September 17, 1784) are buried near the entrance in the Old Presbyterian Cemetery in Middletown, Pennsylvania
.
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
, during which he played an important role in fortifying the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
frontier.
Early life
Born in OrmistonOrmiston
Ormiston is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, UK, near Tranent, Humbie, Pencaitland and Cranston, located on the north bank of the River Tyne at an elevation of about 276 ft....
, near Edinburgh, Scotland, the son of Edward Burd, James Burd came to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1747 or 1748 where he worked as a merchant. On May 14, 1748, he married Sarah Shippen, daughter of former mayor Edward Shippen
Edward Shippen (II)
Edward Shippen was a wealthy merchant and government official in colonial Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Merchant:...
of the prominent Shippen family of Philadelphia. The couple had eleven children, eight of whom lived to maturity, including Edward Burd
Edward Burd
Edward Burd was a Revolutionary War officer in Pennsylvania and later a Prothonotary of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.-Life:...
.
In 1752, he moved his young family to manage his father-in-law's vast land holdings in the area now known as
Shippensburg
Shippensburg, Pennsylvania
Shippensburg is a borough in Cumberland and Franklin counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Settled in 1730, Shippensburg lies in the Cumberland Valley, 41 miles west-southwest of Harrisburg, and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1900, 3,228 people...
.
Seven Years War
In 1756, he settled on a farm in Lancaster County, PennsylvaniaLancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the...
, but soon joined the military as an officer at the outbreak of the French and Indian War. He was commissioned a Major at Fort Augusta
Fort Augusta
Fort Augusta was a stronghold in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, in the upper Susquehanna Valley from the time of the French and Indian War to the close of the American Revolution. The fort was erected by Col...
(at present-day Sunbury, Pennsylvania
Sunbury, Pennsylvania
Sunbury is a city in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city is located on the east bank of the Susquehanna River, just downstream of the confluence of its main and West branches. The population was 9,905 at the 2010 census...
) in 1756, and on December 8, 1756, after the resignation of Lt. Col. William Clapham, he took command of the fort. Under his command the fort's construction was completed, as well as the Provincial Road between the fort and Tulpehocken, the location of Conrad Weiser
Conrad Weiser
Weiser's colonial service began in 1731. The Iroquois sent Shikellamy, an Oneida chief, as an emissary to other tribes and the British. Shikellamy lived on the Susquehanna River at Shamokin village, near present-day Sunbury, Pennsylvania. An oral tradition holds that Weiser met Shikellamy while...
's homestead (near present-day Reading
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
).
In 1758, Burd was promoted to Colonel. He went with General John Forbes
John Forbes (General)
John Forbes was a British general in the French and Indian War. He is best known for leading the Forbes Expedition that captured the French outpost at Fort Duquesne and for naming the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania after British Secretary of State William Pitt the Elder.-Early life:Forbes was...
on the Duquesne Expedition under Colonel Henry Bouquet
Henry Bouquet
Henry Bouquet was a prominent British Army officer in the French and Indian War and Pontiac's War. Bouquet is best known for his victory over Native Americans at the Battle of Bushy Run, lifting the siege of Fort Pitt during Pontiac's War.-Early life:Bouquet was born into a moderately wealthy...
, and 360 of the 400-man garrison participated in the Expedition, leaving 40 men at Fort Augusta. During that campaign, Burd contributed to the construction of Fort Ligonier
Fort Ligonier
Fort Ligonier is a British fortification from the French and Indian War located in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, United States. The fort served as a staging area for the Forbes Expedition of 1758. During the eight years of its existence as a garrison, Fort Ligonier was never taken by an enemy...
. After the fall of Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne was a fort established by the French in 1754, at the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers in what is now downtown Pittsburgh in the state of Pennsylvania....
, Burd was sent to the Erie
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
area, where he supervised the construction of roads and fortifications.
Most importantly, upon his return from the Great Lakes region he oversaw the erection, with Joseph Shippen, of Fort Burd (later more often called Redstone Old Fort) on the Monongahela River
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
tributary Redstone Creek
Redstone Creek
Redstone Creek is a historically important widemouthed canoe and river boat-navigable brook-sized tributary stream of the Monongahela River in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. The creek is long, running from headwaters on Chestnut Ridge north through the city of Uniontown and reaching the Monongahela...
at the site of what became Brownsville, Pennsylvania
Brownsville, Pennsylvania
Brownsville is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, officially founded in 1785 located 35 miles south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River...
, which served as a historic depot for river transport to Fort Pitt
Fort Pitt (Pennsylvania)
Fort Pitt was a fort built at the location of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.-French and Indian War:The fort was built from 1759 to 1761 during the French and Indian War , next to the site of former Fort Duquesne, at the confluence the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River...
during the war and as the settlement expanded came to build many of the keel boats and later, steam boats that transported settlers to the Northwest Territory
Northwest Territory
The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...
, Ohio Country
Ohio Country
The Ohio Country was the name used in the 18th century for the regions of North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and in the region of the upper Ohio River south of Lake Erie...
and via the Missouri Valley
Missouri Valley
Missouri Valley may refer to some places in the United States:* Missouri Valley, Iowa, a small city* The Missouri River Valley* The Missouri Valley Conference, a college athletic conference...
, the far west
Far West
Far West most frequently refers to the American Old West.Far West may also refer to:* "Far West", a common colloquial term for a distinct area of the far Western United States* Far West, Missouri...
and the Oregon Country
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
. He returned to Fort Augusta in 1760, where he remained until the dissolution of the Pennsylvania Regiment.
From 1764 to 1770 he held the office of Justice of Lancaster County.
In 1774, a year before the outbreak of hostilities with Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Col. Burd was instrumental in garnering local support for the colonial congress in its opposition to the Crown, and by the following year he was assisting in the military organization of Lancaster County as a member of the Committee of Safety. His direct military involvement in the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
was brief, however, as he resigned his post in December 1776 because of a dispute concerning rank and insubordination
Insubordination
Insubordination is the act of willfully disobeying an authority. Refusing to perform an action that is unethical or illegal is not insubordination; neither is refusing to perform an action that is not within the scope of authority of the person issuing the order.Insubordination is typically a...
in his command and some criticism from the Committee of Safety. He retired to civilian life, as a county judge.
He died at "Tinian", his farm near Highspire, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Dauphin County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of the three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 census, the population was 268,100. The county includes the city of Harrisburg, which has served as the state capital...
, on October 5, 1793. He and his wife (d. September 17, 1784) are buried near the entrance in the Old Presbyterian Cemetery in Middletown, Pennsylvania
Middletown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Middletown is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna River, nine miles southeast of Harrisburg. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
.
External links
- Portrait and biography at the Augusta Regiment
- http://www.amphilsoc.org/library/mole/b/burd.htm Burd-Shippen Papers, 1708-1792 American Philosophical SocietyAmerican Philosophical SocietyThe American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
, Philadelphia]