HI.. I have TWO seperate lines of Byrd's......... One went south and one went west.... Here is my western bound Byrd's.... I have a Bird/Byrd/Burd ancestor which is on my husband's side. I don't know very much about her....but here is what I know: The following was taken from a little family booklet that a relative just took the time to write and send to several of us: I will type it just as he has written it: "In the year of 1815 in the state of Tennessee, a fullblood Choctaw baby was born. I can't find the names of her mother and father, but they named their baby Christina, which was unually written in the short form "Tennie." She was 21 years old when her folks were (by the order of the federal government) started on the "Trail of Tears" move to the Indian Territory. The Indian Removal Acto of May 28, 1830, moved the Choctaws to Indian Territory in 1836. Tennie's family either bought their way out of the march--they could well afford to--or just slipped away. That was the two ways they could have gotten out of coming to I.T. Both were common occurrences during the march. The soliders were sympathetic to their plight, for one thing, and the other reason for not guarding them closely was that each Indian who was let slip away was just one more Indian that the soliders didn't have to worry with. Tennie's folks settled around Casseville, Mo. There was a large group of her brothers and sisters; I can fine none of their names, except one sister's name was Sarah. Tennie married a man named BIRD/BYRD/BURD. In 1844, when Tennie was 29, on the 18th of November, a baby girl was born to her. The baby was named JULIA ANN BIRD. she had brothers and sisters, some of them settled in Arkansas and for a time some of granny's folks lived at Panama, Oklahoma. The BIRDS/BYRD/BURD moved to Crawford County, Arkansas before the war, near Van Buren, it was the home of her mother and step-father that JULA married her beau that she had met in Missouri....JAMES AKINS." More of the material continues: "The newly weds made their home with James's father, Jimmy Akins, nother of Greenwood......" Here are some of the children recorded that were born to JULA ANN BIRD and Jimmy Akins: John Nicklies, March 1, 1867, Greenwood, Sebastain County, Ark. Mary Ann, August 8, 1871, Greenwood, Sebastian County, Ark. George Washington, July 15, 1874, Texas James William (WILL) April 21, 1876, Greenwood Vandia Lee (Frost) May 1, 1879, Greenwood Victory (Vic) July 15, 1881, Greenwood Henry, March 17, 1884, Greenwood Minnie B., June 6, 1886, Greenwood Christinia (Tennie) March 13, 1888, Greenwood Havey Bishop, June 25, 1891, Greenwood They moved to the Indian Territory.....and.....she finally got her Civil War Widow's Pension granted, Oct 7, 1898.... certificate number 469508 and the money was sent to her on November 16, 1898. This is when she lived at Skullyville, OK..... She took the check to Keota, Ok.... When she had her first stroke (1914), she did not fully recover.... They doctors that were used were: Dr. Newman, Dr. Lett, Dr. Van Matri, and Dr Bush. The lawyer used by Julia Ann Bird Atkins was Clark from Stigler, Ok..... She died May 10, 1923....She was 78 years old and six months. She is buried in Ok...... Remember some of this is written just as it was written down... I do have a picture of Julia Ann Bird and James Akins.!!!!! Thanks!!!! kaite....