Charles Bird, Jr. ~ Index
Coming from ancestry of deep religious faith and marked religious principles, it follows as a self-evident proposition that Charles Bird, Jr. himself would be dominated by the same high ideal that gave color and strength to their fixed principles of belief and that he in his individuality would display the same honorable characteristics that won for them the lasting regard and esteem of everyone who met them in the realms of social or religious life. Mr. Bird, now prominently connected with stock raising industries in the territory immediately surrounding Teton City, Fremont county, Idaho, was born in 1843, at Nauvoo, Illinois, a son of Charles and Mary Ann Kennedy Bird. The father was a native of New York, who attracted by his devotion to the Mormon religion, became a resident of Nauvoo, there after removing to Council Bluffs, thence, in 1850, going the plains across with an ox-team caravan to Salt Lake City. After his arrival in Utah he located on South Cottonwood Creek, where he made his home for a period of eight years, there after removing to Cache county and locating at Mendon, where occurred his death in 1884, at the venerable age of eighty-two years, holding the place of one of the Seventies in the Mormon church. His faithful wife, also a native of the state of New York, loyally followed his various migrations and closed her earthly activities at Mendon in 1867, being the mother of thirteen children.
Charles Bird, Jr. of this review, was seven years of age when he crossed the plains with his parents and retains a vivid memory of the unaccustomed scenes occurring on the way. His boyhood and youth were passed at Cache Valley, Utah, where he received the rudiments of a solid education in the excellent schools, and by participation in the various, labors of husbandry there conducted, become fully competent to wrestle with the problems of existence in the conditions existing in this partially settled region of this portion of the land. Upon attaining the age of twenty-six years, in 1882, he came to Teton, Idaho, being one of the pioneer settlers and locating upon a homestead, he devoted himself with great activity and intelligence to its development. By diligent labor and careful attention he solved the problem of the irrigation of his property, becoming one of the representative men that had to do with the formation of irrigation canals and the introduction of water into this territory and he has held the office of director of the Teton Irrigation Company, for fully ten years and is also a director and officer of the Canyon Creek Irrigation Company. After three years of the development of his property it assumed such improvement that in 1885 he moved his family thither and here he has since maintained his home, during the first years devoting his time to diversified farming, but being engaged at present in raising of fine cattle of superior breed and quality. A public-spirited man with great force of character, his influence has been largely felt in the building up of the little village of Teton City, and his progressive methods have caused him to keep pace with the progress of the times. He is interested in and identified with the Republican party, aiding it most loyally by vote and influence, and in the Mormon church he is highly esteemed and holds the place of elder.
In 1869 occurred the marriage of Mr. Bird, his wife being formerly a Miss Harriet Clifford, of Millville, Cache county, Utah and a daughter of Elisha and Deborah Clifford, who started on the perilous road across the plains in 1850, the father dying on the road and the mother continuing on to Utah and becoming a resident of Brigham City. Later she removed to Cache Valley and there after became a resident of Menan City, Idaho, where her death occurred in 1901, she having attained the age of seventy years. Mr. and Mrs. Bird have nine children: Charles H., Elisha- deceased, Mary Deborah, Jedediah, Harriet S., Julia, Arba M., Sarah J., and Tilmon. Incidentally, in this connection, it is necessary to note that Mr. Bird assisted in the building of the Utah temple at Salt Lake City, hauling by far the largest load of rock that went into the structure of the edifice, its net weight being 9,330 pounds and it was drawn by an ox-team.
Mr. Bird for nearly a quarter of a century has had an interest in a threshing machine outfit, nearly all of the time giving his personal services in connection therewith, and in operating the machine in 1866 he met with an unfortunate accident by which he lost one of his feet. To show his pioneer connection with the operation of threshing machines in this country, we will state that his father owned the second thresher ever brought to Utah, and the subject of this review, then a lad, assisted in the operation of this and also in that of the third one which was brought to the territory.1
Birds Were Among First Residents in Teton
Charles Bird, Jr. was born January 2nd, 1842, at Nauvoo, Illinois. He was the eleventh child and sixth son of Charles and Mary Ann Kennedy Bird. As a child of seven he came to Utah with his parents and sisters and brothers. They came with the Milo Andrus Company. They left the Missouri River, June 3rd, 1850, in the company that consisted of 296 people and 51 wagons and they arrived in Salt Lake City October 10th, 1850. His mother had her feet frozen and the toes were removed.
Settling in Springville, Utah, they later moved to St. George to help settle there. After a short time they returned to Salt Lake City and settled in Cottonwood. In the spring of 1859, the family moved to Cache Valley and settled in Mendon. They were some of the first people there. They lived at the fort in their wagons until dugouts and log cabins could be built. Charles was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1857. Charles' father was a weaver by trade. He started the first woolen mill on Utah. He was also the city mayor from 1872-18876 and served on the school board. The Bird family was considered wealthy in that days standard.
Charles met Harriet Clifford, daughter of Elisha and Deborah Campbell Clifford. She was born December 23rd, 1846, at Far West, Missouri. She was four years old when she crossed the plains with her parents. Her father Elisha Clifford died crossing the plains July 8th, 1850, without being baptized. They came with the Milo Andrus Company. The family settled in Millville, Utah. She was united in marriage to Charles Bird, Jr. on March 22nd, 1867, at the Endowment House. She was 23 and he was 25. After their marriage they lived in Mendon until 1884, then the family moved to Teton. They had eleven children, all were born in Mendon, Utah.
On April 25th, 1883, Henry Sorensen, John Anderson, Peter Anderson, George Gittens, Fred Gradner, Frank Graham and Charles Birds, Jr. left Mendon in search of a place to make a home. These men came through a blinding storm and camped at an old stage barn about ten miles north of Blackfoot. They later camped for three days just east of where Rexburg now stands while they looked for a permanent location.On the third day they discovered a beautiful flat. It was expansive, with rich, productive soil with the Teton River running nearby. They could also enjoy a beautiful view of the Teton mountains. There was no need to look further.
They were more than pleased with their discovery. With the assistance of President Thomas E. Ricks they decided to name the town Teton. When Charles came to Teton he drew a homestead close to the Teton River. He devoted much time and energy to its development and to getting water to his farm. He was one of the men who helped with irrigation projects and was director for about ten years. The first farms to get water was John Donaldson and Charles Bird, Jr. This was on June 1st, 1884. These farms bordered the Teton River. In 1884 he moved his family to Teton. He devoted his time diversifying farming and raising cattle. He was a public spirited man with a great force of character. His progressive nature kept him up with the times. He became interested in the threshing machine business and offered his personal service to see the task completed.
In 1866 an accident caused him to lose a foot but this did not stop him from working. He made himself a wood leg and went about his usual tasks. He was nicknamed "Lame Charley." He was an active member of the church and assisted in various projects. He was visiting friends in Ogden, Utah and became ill and died December 3rd, 1907. He was sixty-seven years old. His wife Harriet continued to live in Teton until she died July 24th, 1934, of pneumonia. She was eighty-seven years old. She was buried near her husband in the Teton Cemetery.
Notes…
- Progressive Men of Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, Fremont and Oneida Counties, Idaho. A.W. & Bowen Company, Chicago Illinois 1904, page 568-569