Bird Township

Bird Township

Bird township is a rich agricultural district, bounded on the north by South Palmyra, on the east by Carlinville, on the south by Polk and on the west by Western Mound township. It is afforded excellent drainage by Otter, Lick, Bear and Silver creeks. It is mostly prairie but some timber is to be found along the streams.

Among the first settlers here may be mentioned Samuel Love, G. M. Mc- Ginnis, who settled on section 18 in 1829, Green Lane, who settled on section 6, and a Mr. Boatman who came in 1830 and settled also on section 6. About this time Peter Brown also settled here. In 1834 several settlers came, among them being Isaac and Mace Moore, Jerry Odel and John Smith. Horatio Adams came in 1832 and settled on section 4. In the spring of 1834 James Husky settled on section 5. He improved a large farm and eventually became very prosperous. In the spring of 1835 he built a large brick house, which was the first of its kind in this part of Macoupin county. The brick was manufactured on his own farm. The first settler in the southeastern part of Bird township was a Mr. Gates who came in 1834. Lewis Edwards and William A. Brown may also be mentioned among the first settlers, the former locating on the north side of the township in 1832 and the latter on section 3 in the same year. John Wheeler, who came here from Kentucky, settled on section 7, in 1834, and in the same year William Wheeler, who came here from Indiana, settled on section 8. In 1834 William J. Bates, a native of Tennessee, also came and settled on section 22. In the same year George W. Arnett came from Tennessee and settled on section 9. Thomas Leach, a native of England, settled on section 29, in 1835.

R. H. Barrick came here from Kentucky in 1836, settling on section 22. Thomas Joiner, a Kentuckian by birth, settled in the township in 1842, improving a fine farm on section 3. Robert Whiteley, who was a native of Yorkshire, England, settled here in 1844. John Kissinger, a native of Kentucky, came to Bird township in 1846 and eventually became one of the largest farmers of this section of the county. F. Reineke came here in 1849 and settled on section 31. Joseph Bird, from whom the township derives its name, came here from Pennsylvania in 1851 and became one of the leading farmers and stock-raisers of this part of the county. He is now living retired in Carlinville.

The first church was built on the old Husky place in 1836 by the Methodist denomination. The first minister to conduct services here was Dr. Vance, who also preached in other sections of the county for many years. This building was also used for school purposes.