Hi All, I am looking for information about James Bird/Burd who was executed for desertion from Perry's fleet after the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812. The story goes that he was in charge of a warehouse & was arrested for allowing his men (& also himself) to pilfer the supplies for their farms etc. While in the stockade he was approached by Lieut. John Brooks & told that charges would be dropped if he enlisted with Perry's fleet (they were desperate for volunteers). He agreed & fought valiantly aboard Perry's (1st) Flagship the Lawrence even after being severely wounded. During the battle Brooks was killed & when it came time to award prize money could not witness the fact that he had made a deal with Bird to join the Fleet. Because of this, Bird was accused of desertion from his original post & refused his share of the prize money from the Battle of Lake Erie. Angered by this, he then (with two companions John Davis & John Rankin), began to make his way home to what I am told was Crawford or Venango Co. He was caught in Butler Co. & He, Rankin, & Davis were charged with desertion & returned to Erie where they were executed on the deck of Brig Niagara & buried in a sand bar near the mouth of Mill Creek on Misery Bay. They were exonerated but the news didn't make it to Erie until after the execution. Bird supposedly was b. 1785 in Kingston Twp., Luzerne Co. Pa. s/o John & Rebecca Montayne Bird. He m. Abigail Woodruff who after his death remarried Daniel Tingley (also served on the Lawrence) in Crawford or Venango Co's Pa. My sources for this are several books, websites, family lore, & the Erie Pa.Maritime Museum personnel. My husband descends from Abigail Woodruff Bird Tingley & I would appreciate any info on any of this to add to his tree. Email me at SSchu22739@aol.com Sincerely, Sharon Lantzy Wygant SURNAMES: Anderson, Como, Hasselor, Heintz, Kingston, Lamer (Leamer, Lehmer), Lantzy (Lenzi), Lydick (Leidig), McAnulty, McCullough, McLane (McLain,McLean, McLene), O'Cain, Patton, Robertson/Robinson, Shankle, Simpson, Sitter, Steen, Stuchell, Thompson (Thomson), White, Wygant.