Thank you so much for telling this story, it is so touching and heartbreaking. As to your surprise at what was newsworthy in the 1880s, well I grew up in Vienna, GA in the 70s, and the Vienna News Observer was full of stories in the "Happenings" section that read something like "Mr. and Mrs. T L Taylor were the guests Friday afternoon of Mr. and Mrs. O C Sikes where they played cards and enjoyed an early supper of (a long description of whatever they ate) and a good time was had by all." There were always very detailed descriptions of who visited who, who had out of town guests, who hosted a baby or bridal shower for who, and weddings always got a big spread with elaborate descriptions of the bride's gown, all the other wedding party clothes and the food, who the attendants were, all of that, just like we were regular high class Northeast Aristocrats getting written up in the society pages of the New York Times, lol! I got married in 1982 and got a full page in the Vienna New myself and I'm nobody. So this was still really going on into the 1980s. Oh the Joy's of small town Southern life, I miss it so! We all have to do our little part to keep it alive, your work is appreciated!
Thank you for sharing this Robert. . .it is a tragedy for sure and one you wouldn't think happened back in those days. On a personal note, thank you for sharing as it helps me piece together family history. I was adopted and only met my birth mother in 1997. . .we started putting a family line together before she passed. My dad's side of the family is more difficult as I never knew him (he died as a result of Viet Nam). . .on my dad's side we have Byrd's in the line so I looked up their name from your other video at the cemetery and discovered James H. Byrd is a cousin. . .your sharing the article and information added a piece to the puzzle. . .I can't thank you enough for all you do in researching cemeteries and history. . .thank you for remembering those gone on before. . .you never know whose life you will touch. . .you're amazing and I appreciate you !!
Robert, I am glad you decided to share about how Willie Byrd died… I am a true believer of “if you speak their names, they never really are gone” now thousands of people will remember her. Just Like what you do over on sidestep adventures. It’s history, it’s human lives whether joyful or tragic, and in my opinion, important to remember. And I had the same guess/reading between the lines about how the Byrds came to build and move in to your house. As a parent I wouldn’t have wanted to stay either at the home my child died so tragically at. Ps love reading old newspapers. You learn way more of the day to day lives of the people of our past.
Would love to know more history about the young girl that shot her cousin. What happened with her life and when did she pass away? Fascinating story, yet so heart wrenching too!
Jennie Elizabeth Baldwin was born 29 Sep 1873. She was 2 years older than Willie. She married Robert Lee Baldwin and died 9 Aug 1949 at the age of 76. She is also buried in the same Waverly Hall Cemetery very near, and within view, of Willie's resting place.
Just a note: the word is suffice not suffer, and thank you for sharing the story, it does help to fill out the history. Stories both happy and sad are necessary to give understanding of overall history.
Such a heart breaking story. Unfortunately tragedies happen. I can not imagine the horrible pain the Byrd family experienced at the time of the accident and every day to follow. It is horrible any time life is taken. Compounded more so when it is a child. Thanks for sharing
I think this information is an important part of the Byrd's and the house story, although as you said, Robert, extremely tragic. Besides the obvious impact in its entirety, what strikes me the most is the very meaningful and almost poetic writing style of the article. If one compares it to the current times, I need not define how differently the lasting impact and impressions of the tragedy would be, but sensationalized to say the least - especially nationwide. Excellent presentation, Robert. Enjoyed it, even with such sad content. 💔❣👍👍
Robert, I LOVE when you tell stories! And yesterday on that video where you were visiting the Byrd family plot, the death of that little girl caught my attention. Today you told what I was wondering and apparently everyone else, too! Loved this video!
Jennie Elizabeth Baldwin was born 29 Sep 1873. She was 3 years older, than Willie when the accident happened. Jennie was 11 years old and Willie did not survive to her 9th birthday in 1884. Jennie married Robert Lee Baldwin who had a business registered as Byrd & Baldwin dealing in cotton and cotton seed. Jennie became a widow in 1927 and died 9 Aug 1949 at the age of 75. She is also buried in the same Waverly Hall Cemetery very near, and within view, of Willie's resting place.
I applaud your decision to tell the history of the Byrd's tragedy. This liitle girl should not be buried and "forgotten" but live on in the memories of others. I wish today's "Media" could have the ability to write articles the way they did back then.
Oh my goodness Robert how tragic. My heart is crying for the little girl and her family. I appreciate your ability to tell stories of long ago and connect the cemetery to the the old bird farm. Your passion warms my heart as it is compelling yet tragic. Thank you Robert for taking us with you! You are amazing!
Very sad tragedy at least you brought out a memory's of little willi Byrd short life she at rest with her family 👪 all the best Andrew south wales uk 👍 😀 👌 🇬🇧
A good piece for many reasons, history should be told. I was fascinated by the vocabulary used in the article. It really shows how language, vocabulary, and word use have changed over 150 years.
Such a sad story. Thank you for sharing it. My great-grandmother's brother died in a tragic logging accident in 1890 and, in the newspaper styles of the time, the event was covered in a very detailed write-up.
Thank you for sharing this ❤ I’ve been watching & following y’all for a few years, while simultaneously searching my family tree for names on the gravestones you show. I’ve found a few relatives that way but I almost fell off my chair with this one!! Turns out Willie was my 2nd cousin, 3x removed. Jim Henry Byrd is my 1st cousin, 4x removed~ his mother Nancy McKee is my 3x great-grandaunt (sister to my 3x great grandmother Susan McKee). So thank you, thank you, thank you for all you do to keep people’s memories alive. (Small side note: Jim Henry’s brother Archie must have been named after Nancy & Susan’s brother Archibald “Archie” McKee)
I believe that the word was "suffice". This is a truly haunting story. The written word was quite comforting and understanding in the face of this tragedy, unlike the media often is now (resulting in compounding the tragedy). Thank you for recounting this part of the Byrd history. May we all learn from it.
I believe it's important to know the history, good or bad, about a place. That's part of it's character. Thank you Robert for telling us about this tragic story. Our weekly newspaper used to have news from the different towns and communities in our county. There would be someone in those communities that would write it and turn it in to the newspaper. It would tell who was visiting who, who was sick or in the hospital, who had a new baby or grandbaby, who died, etc. I miss that format. Now it's pretty much news, classifieds, obits, and events.
This is such a heartbreak. How the child died is horrendous. Newspapers of this time were incredibly graphic. I have a great uncle whose newspaper write-up of his death by dynamite explosion was so graphic that it nearly made me sick. It was interesting that this writer included the part about driving to Archie's house. I would think catching and hitching the horse to the wagon or buggy would be too much effort to do if the distance is short. The 1870 census shows the brothers and their mother, Nancy (d. 1878), living next to the Byrd grandparents. So there were two homes there. In the 1880 census, the brothers were living in separate homes but were enumerated next to each other. Their grandmother Elizabeth was living with Jim Henry at that time. She died in 1888, and maybe that is when Jim Henry bought the farmhouse from Archie. On 20 July 1884, when Jim Henry drove to his brother's to borrow the gun, that was probably what we call the Byrd Farmhouse. It seems that Archie's eldest child, Jane E (Jennie) must have tagged along, maybe with a few other siblings. What a tragic accident to take little 8-years-old Willie H. Byrd's life. Jim Henry must have been living on the grandparents' farm at that time, moving out perhaps when grandmother Elizabeth died in 1888. I found a copy of Archie's will, dated 1930. (There's a nice Byrd family tree on Ancestry.) He was very specific with who gets what and seems to be fairly wealthy. Item 4 says, "I own a certain plantation [about] 450 acres in Harris County, Georgia [known as] Lowe Lands on the Ossa Hatchie Creek." This means nothing to me, but could it be his Byrd grandparents' farm?
I think there are tragedies, looking back, in every family's history - mine included. Each tragedy is heart breaking. Time does not change that. In watching your videos, I've seen that you've gone back and cleaned and releveled the headstones in the Byrd family plot. What a wonderful gesture. In doing so, Willie Byrd is remembered and her memory is honoured. Thank you for doing that. RIP sweet girl.
the walls of the Byrd farm house holds the records not only of the happy days but also the family's blood sweat, & tears. Thank you for thinking twice about telling the story.
Good morning Robert. Thank you for sharing the story. So many of us watch your series on cemeteries. When mentioning Graves of children I always wonder what caused their early death. Most of the time, I'm sure it's usually one of the many illnesses that were so prevalent during that time. Sadly, gun accidents involving children are still common today. Such a devastating loss for the Byrd family.
Robert, I’m so glad that you shared this with all of us. It’s important to know the history about James Henry Byrd. You own his home now n that is history. I can imagine what it must of been for him n his wife n why they had to move to the Byrd house. To many memories n heartache where Little Willy had died. I had to do the same when my son was killed. I know one day this Old Byrd House will sing again. Laughter will be heard in the walls. It takes time n money to bring her back n that’s exactly what your trying to do. I really enjoyed listening to the rest of the article. It’s kinda amazing that so many survived with all the disease, hard work n those damn bull weasels. So many hardships. If they could see how life is today. So many cures for sicknesses, we carry our phones everywhere n even can see that person. So much has changed that I know they’d be rolling their eyes n bodies. So sad sometimes but it was a good life back then. Much more simpler. ♥️♥️😊👍👍👍👍🐶
Great video Robert 👍. I can't even imagine, as a parent, going through that tragedy. So sad! It is interesting to read what stories made it in the newspapers back then. I watched your video yesterday on Sidestep Adventures and wondered why Jim Byrd only had 1 child. Very interesting history Robert. You tell it so well too. Happy Friday 😊
Thank You Robert for sharing the news about Willy Byrd. We all Love the information You give us. To Me, I LOVE ALL THE HISTORY. Robert, you do a wonderful job at "Showing", "Telling", and "Explaining" everything to us. I feel like I am there with you. I wish I could go help you & everyone, BUT I know I can't. I won't even try. Thank you for ALL the content you allow us to see through your eyes. May God keep you safe & Wrap His hands around you and lift you up in His Name. 🤲🙌🙏 THANK YOU ROBERT.
Hi Robert could you please do a video about who your grandparents brought the farm from and how long did they live there and how you ended up with it ☺️☺️☺️
What a SAD SAD Story of the little girls. My heart just hurts thinking what she had to live with after such a tragic accident. Thank you for telling their story, sad as it is. Also, You reading the rest of the article brought me such good memories of my Granny who lived in South Miss. Every Monday morning, she would call all her neighbors within the small community where she lived to hear their "NEWS" of the past week. Once she was finished with her list of about 12 or 15 calls, she would then take out her tablet and write up her NEWS which also included what the service was about the day before at Juniper Grove Baptist church, HER home church, along with who sang the "SPECIAL" song that Sunday morning. She would then drive into the nearby town of Poplarville, MS to the local newspaper office and submit her NEWS to the Editor. She was paid about 10 cents a word for the information (I believe she actually got a raise in the late 1980's to around 25 cents a word). She did this for over 35 years ending about 5 years before she died in 2003. Thank you for stirring that precious memory up for me.
We had a paper called The Luminary in the town I grew up in. It did just like the article you read. New, who visited, anniversaries, etc. I loved that paper. I grew up thinking that was normal, and glad I did!!
I did see your video at the cemetery. This story is so very sad, but so glad that you shared it with us. If only we could go back in time and see this home when it was lived in by the Byrd family!😢
What a heartbreaking story! Unfortunately, these types of accidents still occur with some regularity. I can't imagine the pain that the Byrd family, extended family and friends must have endured. Those of us with firearms absolutely must have our firearms secured so that no one can access them without our knowledge and permission.
It was a sad story, but still a part of the Byrd Family, and no matter good or bad, is still history connected to the families of the Byrds. Interested in hearing more of all of them and their lives and what you know or have found on any of them. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing this very sad story. Such sadness for all. How the brothers dealt with this is just an incredible thought. Though very sad it is a part of the Byrd Farm. There is a ton more history on this place I am sure. Love hearing it all. Thanks again Robert.
It is clear that the old Byrd farm was a place of refuge and healing for Jim Henry and his wife. Perhaps there he could more easily recall good memories of childhood with Archie in their grandparents' home. Terribly sad tale, but as you say, tragedy was often a part of the living of life. Thank you for sharing the story, Robert.
Thank you for telling this sad story. We so tend to dwell on the beautiful, sunny, happy days. We need the reminder of the hard, sad side as well. Everyday life was so difficult, so precarious. We need the reminders to help us appreciate those who went before that we may live very different lives today. ❤🙏 May God please Bless and Protect you and yours.
Your Byrd Farm videos remind me of the Spears farm on my father's side of the family. This farm in Charleston Ark is now gone but I do have the memories. Keep on doing the good work.
To live with the guilt and remorse for Jennie must have been awful to have all eyes on her must have been a hard burden to bare for her willies parents and her uncle and his family awful thing to live through. all family history is important to mark it grounds you
A friend of mine also does for our town the news paper clips. It was big news to talk about where town folk went and what children did in schools social events. Sorry to hear of the sadness that the Byrds had become them. Good video Robert
My Family moved to Dublin, Georgia where my Daddy was a Cop on a Harley-Davidson. We were taught to respect guns. I have never been afraid to handle one. Our local newspaper also ran stories of visiting relatives, Baby showers, and various other events.
Such a sad story. I follow ancestry shows and every family seems to have a tragedy somewhere. In my own family, a cousin of my Father's was killed in Germany (U.S. Army WWII) two weeks after his daughter was born in Minnesota. He knew of her birth, but died before he could meet her. We are so fortunate to have history come alive with so many old publications available now online. My favorite to date was an article in the London Gazette, about a Scottish officer who lead a group of Marines ashore to capture and spike cannons at a French installation during the Napoleonic Wars...1810!
Thank you for sharing this poingant story. When I was growing up in East Texas in the 1950s-'60s, this sort of thing happened more than once. Little boys, playing with their parents' firearms, would accidently wound or kill. Horrible stuff...impossible to measure the pain for all concerned; however, a cautionary tale for all gun owners.
Oh my, I can't imagine the pain the heart ache the family endured. Thx robert for sharing the information. I love the history, regardless of the heartache. History is history.
Oh my goodness so sad for the family back then, thank you so sharing the history Robert, have a great day and weekend, God bless everyone in your family and friends 🙏
😭 so sad about the little one but yes it is part of the history of the farm thank you for reading that bit of information for all of us I’ve seen the video that you’re talking about visiting the grave thanks again Robert 🤗❤️
Robert you tell these so we'll. And yes I did love this video,although tragic the story has it tiny treasures in it. Thank you for your dedication and your Content is always something new love it
Hello and thank you for sharing this story with us .Even though it was so sad it's very fascinating to know part of history we would never know unless someone like you takes time to resurch it .So thanks again. Take care till next time.
A similar tragedy happened to one of my distant ancestral cousins as a child. Accidentally fell onto a loaded rifle belonging to a family teen. The rifle was propped leaning on the wall near an overhead cabinet. The child climbed up to get something out of the cabinet and fell down on the rifle brushing the trigger somehow and was then shot dead. Happened in the later half of the 19th Century here in the USA.
We had something similar happened back in the 1930,s in our family. My grandma's brother shot and killed their little brother playing with a 12ga, shotgun. He was only 9 years old at the time he was killed. It was a accident he didn't know it was loaded. Sad times back then. Thanks for sharing this. I love history from these old home places.
Thanks for telling the story. Family truth and family legend.....very sad and interesting. As a researcher I have found things that I've been hired to research. Some things I find I feel I should not share. I end up telling them the truth. They are always grateful and it ends up explaining the why's of a family.
My hometown paper used to publish short articles called personals from the various little towns and communities around the county. Ex. Mrs. Sam Jones visited her sister, Viola Ledbetter, over this past weekend. There were more tidbits like this in the articles.
The small town that my parents lived in even reported on visiting relatives or friends and what they had for lunch. I always thought it was weird- this was even in the 1990's. My mom would say the rich folk had to keep up appearances. Very sad story of the little girls indeed.
It’s a very small world when I heard that story from a local family over here in Brunswick. It’s the great Grandson of preacher. He’s used that story in his sermon’s on occasion. His name is Danny Foster..
Very interesting indeed Robert! I think it was the custom of most newspapers everywhere to write about visitors and simple happenings within the area a genealogist's gold chest so to speak.
You did right. Thank-you.---(The hometown paper near the Farmstead in North Dakota still includes snippets of local doings from the surrounding locations, at least I think they do. Mom gets the paper delivered here in California, but I haven't seen a recent copy!)
I can tell you from personal experience by my husband, it haunts a person their entire life. Even though my husband was a very young child when this same scenario occurred, he still holds himself responsible and feels he will receive his punishment on judgement day. It is not something a person ever gets over. This was such a tragic accident.
Very interesting. Keep researching things. People sometimes want to live back then but like my grandmother's little boy Ollie he died at two years old. He had a hole in his heart and back then they could not fix it. Also, she lost a daughter one of the twins to scarlet fever. A time before penicillin and children often died from common cold or infections. Now all can be treated.
Hi Robert great content yet again can you elaborate on you said in the early years some one or something destroyed all the crops and never farmed that way again, being from England I don't know that part of your history
Thank you so much for telling this story, it is so touching and heartbreaking. As to your surprise at what was newsworthy in the 1880s, well I grew up in Vienna, GA in the 70s, and the Vienna News Observer was full of stories in the "Happenings" section that read something like "Mr. and Mrs. T L Taylor were the guests Friday afternoon of Mr. and Mrs. O C Sikes where they played cards and enjoyed an early supper of (a long description of whatever they ate) and a good time was had by all." There were always very detailed descriptions of who visited who, who had out of town guests, who hosted a baby or bridal shower for who, and weddings always got a big spread with elaborate descriptions of the bride's gown, all the other wedding party clothes and the food, who the attendants were, all of that, just like we were regular high class Northeast Aristocrats getting written up in the society pages of the New York Times, lol! I got married in 1982 and got a full page in the Vienna New myself and I'm nobody. So this was still really going on into the 1980s. Oh the Joy's of small town Southern life, I miss it so! We all have to do our little part to keep it alive, your work is appreciated!
Thank you for sharing this Robert. . .it is a tragedy for sure and one you wouldn't think happened back in those days. On a personal note, thank you for sharing as it helps me piece together family history. I was adopted and only met my birth mother in 1997. . .we started putting a family line together before she passed. My dad's side of the family is more difficult as I never knew him (he died as a result of Viet Nam). . .on my dad's side we have Byrd's in the line so I looked up their name from your other video at the cemetery and discovered James H. Byrd is a cousin. . .your sharing the article and information added a piece to the puzzle. . .I can't thank you enough for all you do in researching cemeteries and history. . .thank you for remembering those gone on before. . .you never know whose life you will touch. . .you're amazing and I appreciate you !!
Robert, I am glad you decided to share about how Willie Byrd died… I am a true believer of “if you speak their names, they never really are gone” now thousands of people will remember her. Just Like what you do over on sidestep adventures. It’s history, it’s human lives whether joyful or tragic, and in my opinion, important to remember.
And I had the same guess/reading between the lines about how the Byrds came to build and move in to your house. As a parent I wouldn’t have wanted to stay either at the home my child died so tragically at.
Ps love reading old newspapers. You learn way more of the day to day lives of the people of our past.
Very interesting 👌
Would love to know more history about the young girl that shot her cousin. What happened with her life and when did she pass away? Fascinating story, yet so heart wrenching too!
Me too!
Jennie Elizabeth Baldwin was born 29 Sep 1873. She was 2 years older than Willie. She married Robert Lee Baldwin and died 9 Aug 1949 at the age of 76. She is also buried in the same Waverly Hall Cemetery very near, and within view, of Willie's resting place.
@@julsatmidnight She went on to marry and lived a fairly long life. Did she have any children and was much known about her life? Was she happy?
Just a note: the word is suffice not suffer, and thank you for sharing the story, it does help to fill out the history. Stories both happy and sad are necessary to give understanding of overall history.
Such a heart breaking story. Unfortunately tragedies happen. I can not imagine the horrible pain the Byrd family experienced at the time of the accident and every day to follow. It is horrible any time life is taken. Compounded more so when it is a child. Thanks for sharing
I think this information is an important part of the Byrd's and the house story, although as you said, Robert, extremely tragic. Besides the obvious impact in its entirety, what strikes me the most is the very meaningful and almost poetic writing style of the article. If one compares it to the current times, I need not define how differently the lasting impact and impressions of the tragedy would be, but sensationalized to say the least - especially nationwide. Excellent presentation, Robert. Enjoyed it, even with such sad content. 💔❣👍👍
Robert, I LOVE when you tell stories! And yesterday on that video where you were visiting the Byrd family plot, the death of that little girl caught my attention. Today you told what I was wondering and apparently everyone else, too! Loved this video!
Jennie Elizabeth Baldwin was born 29 Sep 1873. She was 3 years older, than Willie when the accident happened. Jennie was 11 years old and Willie did not survive to her 9th birthday in 1884. Jennie married Robert Lee Baldwin who had a business registered as Byrd & Baldwin dealing in cotton and cotton seed. Jennie became a widow in 1927 and died 9 Aug 1949 at the age of 75. She is also buried in the same Waverly Hall Cemetery very near, and within view, of Willie's resting place.
I applaud your decision to tell the history of the Byrd's tragedy. This liitle girl should not be buried and "forgotten" but live on in the memories of others. I wish today's "Media" could have the ability to write articles the way they did back then.
I agree!
I totally agree!!!
Tragic. A lesson we can learn from. Gun safety cannot be overstated. It is as pertinent today as it was back then.
Oh my goodness Robert how tragic. My heart is crying for the little girl and her family. I appreciate your ability to tell stories of long ago and connect the cemetery to the the old bird farm. Your passion warms my heart as it is compelling yet tragic. Thank you Robert for taking us with you! You are amazing!
Cornellia I agree it is so tragic and lives were changed forever!
Very sad tragedy at least you brought out a memory's of little willi Byrd short life she at rest with her family 👪 all the best Andrew south wales uk 👍 😀 👌 🇬🇧
Robert, you are one helluva story teller. You have an awesome ability to untangle history. Keep on brother.
Thanks!
A good piece for many reasons, history should be told. I was fascinated by the vocabulary used in the article. It really shows how language, vocabulary, and word use have changed over 150 years.
Tragic circumstances but it's wonderful that you were able to gather more history about a farm you truly love. Thank you for sharing sir.
Such a sad story. Thank you for sharing it.
My great-grandmother's brother died in a tragic logging accident in 1890 and, in the newspaper styles of the time, the event was covered in a very detailed write-up.
Very very interesting video and family history
Thank you for sharing this ❤ I’ve been watching & following y’all for a few years, while simultaneously searching my family tree for names on the gravestones you show. I’ve found a few relatives that way but I almost fell off my chair with this one!! Turns out Willie was my 2nd cousin, 3x removed. Jim Henry Byrd is my 1st cousin, 4x removed~ his mother Nancy McKee is my 3x great-grandaunt (sister to my 3x great grandmother Susan McKee). So thank you, thank you, thank you for all you do to keep people’s memories alive. (Small side note: Jim Henry’s brother Archie must have been named after Nancy & Susan’s brother Archibald “Archie” McKee)
I believe that the word was "suffice". This is a truly haunting story. The written word was quite comforting and understanding in the face of this tragedy, unlike the media often is now (resulting in compounding the tragedy). Thank you for recounting this part of the Byrd history. May we all learn from it.
I'm so glad you shared this story... thank you!
I believe it's important to know the history, good or bad, about a place. That's part of it's character. Thank you Robert for telling us about this tragic story. Our weekly newspaper used to have news from the different towns and communities in our county. There would be someone in those communities that would write it and turn it in to the newspaper. It would tell who was visiting who, who was sick or in the hospital, who had a new baby or grandbaby, who died, etc. I miss that format. Now it's pretty much news, classifieds, obits, and events.
This is such a heartbreak. How the child died is horrendous. Newspapers of this time were incredibly graphic. I have a great uncle whose newspaper write-up of his death by dynamite explosion was so graphic that it nearly made me sick. It was interesting that this writer included the part about driving to Archie's house. I would think catching and hitching the horse to the wagon or buggy would be too much effort to do if the distance is short. The 1870 census shows the brothers and their mother, Nancy (d. 1878), living next to the Byrd grandparents. So there were two homes there. In the 1880 census, the brothers were living in separate homes but were enumerated next to each other. Their grandmother Elizabeth was living with Jim Henry at that time. She died in 1888, and maybe that is when Jim Henry bought the farmhouse from Archie. On 20 July 1884, when Jim Henry drove to his brother's to borrow the gun, that was probably what we call the Byrd Farmhouse. It seems that Archie's eldest child, Jane E (Jennie) must have tagged along, maybe with a few other siblings. What a tragic accident to take little 8-years-old Willie H. Byrd's life. Jim Henry must have been living on the grandparents' farm at that time, moving out perhaps when grandmother Elizabeth died in 1888.
I found a copy of Archie's will, dated 1930. (There's a nice Byrd family tree on Ancestry.) He was very specific with who gets what and seems to be fairly wealthy. Item 4 says, "I own a certain plantation [about] 450 acres in Harris County, Georgia [known as] Lowe Lands on the Ossa Hatchie Creek." This means nothing to me, but could it be his Byrd grandparents' farm?
I think there are tragedies, looking back, in every family's history - mine included. Each tragedy is heart breaking. Time does not change that.
In watching your videos, I've seen that you've gone back and cleaned and releveled the headstones in the Byrd family plot. What a wonderful gesture. In doing so, Willie Byrd is remembered and her memory is honoured. Thank you for doing that.
RIP sweet girl.
the walls of the Byrd farm house holds the records not only of the happy days but also the family's blood sweat, & tears. Thank you for thinking twice about telling the story.
A very sad but important part of the Byrd story. Thanks for sharing. I always enjoy the way news was written in the old days.
Good morning Robert. Thank you for sharing the story. So many of us watch your series on cemeteries. When mentioning Graves of children I always wonder what caused their early death. Most of the time, I'm sure it's usually one of the many illnesses that were so prevalent during that time. Sadly, gun accidents involving children are still common today. Such a devastating loss for the Byrd family.
Robert, I’m so glad that you shared this with all of us. It’s important to know the history about James Henry Byrd. You own his home now n that is history. I can imagine what it must of been for him n his wife n why they had to move to the Byrd house. To many memories n heartache where Little Willy had died. I had to do the same when my son was killed. I know one day this Old Byrd House will sing again. Laughter will be heard in the walls. It takes time n money to bring her back n that’s exactly what your trying to do. I really enjoyed listening to the rest of the article. It’s kinda amazing that so many survived with all the disease, hard work n those damn bull weasels. So many hardships. If they could see how life is today. So many cures for sicknesses, we carry our phones everywhere n even can see that person. So much has changed that I know they’d be rolling their eyes n bodies.
So sad sometimes but it was a good life back then.
Much more simpler.
♥️♥️😊👍👍👍👍🐶
Great video Robert 👍. I can't even imagine, as a parent, going through that tragedy. So sad! It is interesting to read what stories made it in the newspapers back then. I watched your video yesterday on Sidestep Adventures and wondered why Jim Byrd only had 1 child. Very interesting history Robert. You tell it so well too. Happy Friday 😊
I really ENJOYED this little part of history... THANK you ! Funny, how. ( LIFE GOES ON... NO MATTER WHAT ! ) ❤
Thank You Robert for sharing the news about Willy Byrd. We all Love the information You give us. To Me, I LOVE ALL THE HISTORY. Robert, you do a wonderful job at "Showing", "Telling", and "Explaining" everything to us. I feel like I am there with you. I wish I could go help you & everyone, BUT I know I can't. I won't even try. Thank you for ALL the content you allow us to see through your eyes. May God keep you safe & Wrap His hands around you and lift you up in His Name. 🤲🙌🙏 THANK YOU ROBERT.
Hi Robert could you please do a video about who your grandparents brought the farm from and how long did they live there and how you ended up with it ☺️☺️☺️
Sadly these tragic events still happen every day. Great video. Good to see you resting today🌹
What a SAD SAD Story of the little girls. My heart just hurts thinking what she had to live with after such a tragic accident. Thank you for telling their story, sad as it is.
Also, You reading the rest of the article brought me such good memories of my Granny who lived in South Miss.
Every Monday morning, she would call all her neighbors within the small community where she lived to hear their "NEWS" of the past week. Once she was finished with her list of about 12 or 15 calls, she would then take out her tablet and write up her NEWS which also included what the service was about the day before at Juniper Grove Baptist church, HER home church, along with who sang the "SPECIAL" song that Sunday morning. She would then drive into the nearby town of Poplarville, MS to the local newspaper office and submit her NEWS to the Editor. She was paid about 10 cents a word for the information (I believe she actually got a raise in the late 1980's to around 25 cents a word). She did this for over 35 years ending about 5 years before she died in 2003.
Thank you for stirring that precious memory up for me.
Good morning Kathy 🙏
We had a paper called The
Luminary in the town I grew up in. It did just like the article you read. New, who visited, anniversaries, etc. I loved that paper. I grew up thinking that was normal, and glad I did!!
I did see your video at the cemetery. This story is so very sad, but so glad that you shared it with us. If only we could go back in time and see this home when it was lived in by the Byrd family!😢
What a heartbreaking story! Unfortunately, these types of accidents still occur with some regularity. I can't imagine the pain that the Byrd family, extended family and friends must have endured. Those of us with firearms absolutely must have our firearms secured so that no one can access them without our knowledge and permission.
It was a sad story, but still a part of the Byrd Family, and no matter good or bad, is still history connected to the families of the Byrds. Interested in hearing more of all of them and their lives and what you know or have found on any of them. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing this very sad story. Such sadness for all. How the brothers dealt with this is just an incredible thought. Though very sad it is a part of the Byrd Farm. There is a ton more history on this place I am sure. Love hearing it all. Thanks again Robert.
It is clear that the old Byrd farm was a place of refuge and healing for Jim Henry and his wife. Perhaps there he could more easily recall good memories of childhood with Archie in their grandparents' home. Terribly sad tale, but as you say, tragedy was often a part of the living of life. Thank you for sharing the story, Robert.
Thank you for sharing the very sad story about the little girl. It is important to include the whole story to accurately preserve history.
Thank you. You are a very nice and caring person. Very nice to see. Take care.
Thank you for telling this sad story. We so tend to dwell on the beautiful, sunny, happy days. We need the reminder of the hard, sad side as well. Everyday life was so difficult, so precarious. We need the reminders to help us appreciate those who went before that we may live very different lives today.
❤🙏 May God please Bless and Protect you and yours.
Your Byrd Farm videos remind me of the Spears farm on my father's side of the family. This farm in Charleston Ark is now gone but I do have the memories. Keep on doing the good work.
Such a sad story but it is history and should be documented. Thanks Robert for bring this story to us!
So tragic. I wondered what happened to their daughter, only 9 yes old. Thank you for sharing
To live with the guilt and remorse for Jennie must have been awful to have all eyes on her must have been a hard burden to bare for her willies parents and her uncle and his family awful thing to live through. all family history is important to mark it grounds you
A friend of mine also does for our town the news paper clips. It was big news to talk about where town folk went and what children did in schools social events. Sorry to hear of the sadness that the Byrds had become them. Good video Robert
My Family moved to Dublin, Georgia where my Daddy was a Cop on a Harley-Davidson. We were taught to respect guns. I have never been afraid to handle one. Our local newspaper also ran stories of visiting relatives, Baby showers, and various other events.
Such a sad story. I follow ancestry shows and every family seems to have a tragedy somewhere. In my own family, a cousin of my Father's was killed in Germany (U.S. Army WWII) two weeks after his daughter was born in Minnesota. He knew of her birth, but died before he could meet her. We are so fortunate to have history come alive with so many old publications available now online. My favorite to date was an article in the London Gazette, about a Scottish officer who lead a group of Marines ashore to capture and spike cannons at a French installation during the Napoleonic Wars...1810!
What heartbreak! So sad. It's good that you know the history of the family, though. To know their story is important.
Thank you for sharing this poingant story. When I was growing up in East Texas in the 1950s-'60s, this sort of thing happened more than once. Little boys, playing with their parents' firearms, would accidently wound or kill. Horrible stuff...impossible to measure the pain for all concerned; however, a cautionary tale for all gun owners.
So sad, you know all families have sadness, some much sadder than others🙏🏼
It's a tragic story, but irregardless, it's still the history of the house. Thank you!
Oh my, I can't imagine the pain the heart ache the family endured. Thx robert for sharing the information. I love the history, regardless of the heartache. History is history.
Sad story for sure but it’s history of the Byrd family you are learning about. Thanks for sharing, Robert. 🙏🏻👍
Stories are stories, both happy and sad. They all deserve to be told. Little Willie is remembered now by many people.
Oh my goodness so sad for the family back then, thank you so sharing the history Robert, have a great day and weekend, God bless everyone in your family and friends 🙏
Love your videos and enjoy watching them every time they come on. Past history being brought up to know about the Byrd family
😭 so sad about the little one but yes it is part of the history of the farm thank you for reading that bit of information for all of us I’ve seen the video that you’re talking about visiting the grave thanks again Robert 🤗❤️
Truly tragic story, heartbreaking for ALL the family 💔😢. Thankyou for sharing
I agree with Cyndy - The history here fascinates me I'm so glad you did share the story with us. Please do let us have more as you find it.📖🔎
Amazing story. Thank you for sharing it❤️
Thank you for sharing these events you learned of.
Robert you tell these so we'll. And yes I did love this video,although tragic the story has it tiny treasures in it. Thank you for your dedication and your Content is always something new love it
Hello and thank you for sharing this story with us .Even though it was so sad it's very fascinating to know part of history we would never know unless someone like you takes time to resurch it .So thanks again. Take care till next time.
Love the history of the farm . Thank you for sharing.
A similar tragedy happened to one of my distant ancestral cousins as a child. Accidentally fell onto a loaded rifle belonging to a family teen. The rifle was propped leaning on the wall near an overhead cabinet. The child climbed up to get something out of the cabinet and fell down on the rifle brushing the trigger somehow and was then shot dead. Happened in the later half of the 19th Century here in the USA.
Thank you for sharing this with us
Watching with great interest on how you refurbish this house 🏡 interesting history as well
I miss your History Minute stories.
Bit by bit, the stories of the Byrd Brothers are coming together, childhood through adulthood.
How terribly sad and tragic for both families.
We had something similar happened back in the 1930,s in our family. My grandma's brother shot and killed their little brother playing with a 12ga, shotgun. He was only 9 years old at the time he was killed. It was a accident he didn't know it was loaded. Sad times back then. Thanks for sharing this. I love history from these old home places.
My aunt was killed at age 8 in a hunting accident in 1929. Her brother had left a loaded rifle and she picked it up and it went off. So sad!
@@suzanne529 yes it is sad. 😢
Thanks for telling the story. Family truth and family legend.....very sad and interesting. As a researcher I have found things that I've been hired to research. Some things I find I feel I should not share. I end up telling them the truth. They are always grateful and it ends up explaining the why's of a family.
That is just so sad about the little girl. So sad. But thanks for sharing it as it a part of the story and the History of the Old Byrd Farm.
Thanks for sharing this story with us,
My hometown paper used to publish short articles called personals from the various little towns and communities around the county. Ex. Mrs. Sam Jones visited her sister, Viola Ledbetter, over this past weekend. There were more tidbits like this in the articles.
The small town that my parents lived in even reported on visiting relatives or friends and what they had for lunch. I always thought it was weird- this was even in the 1990's. My mom would say the rich folk had to keep up appearances. Very sad story of the little girls indeed.
What a horrible thing to have happened! The entire Byrd family was devastated I'm sure! Interesting to hear the news of the area.
It’s a very small world when I heard that story from a local family over here in Brunswick. It’s the great Grandson of preacher. He’s used that story in his sermon’s on occasion. His name is Danny Foster..
Very interesting indeed Robert! I think it was the custom of most newspapers everywhere to write about visitors and simple happenings within the area a genealogist's gold chest so to speak.
Thank you for clarification by reading the article.
You did right. Thank-you.---(The hometown paper near the Farmstead in North Dakota still includes snippets of local doings from the surrounding locations, at least I think they do. Mom gets the paper delivered here in California, but I haven't seen a recent copy!)
I love reading old newspapers and use them a lot in my genealogy hunts. They can be a wealth of info.
Truly tragic, but still a part of Byrd family history.
I can tell you from personal experience by my husband, it haunts a person their entire life. Even though my husband was a very young child when this same scenario occurred, he still holds himself responsible and feels he will receive his punishment on judgement day. It is not something a person ever gets over. This was such a tragic accident.
Tragic story for that family. It is still a familiar story I sometimes hear about on our local news.
Such a sad story. I can’t imagine the pain Jenny lived with after this.
Thanks for sharing, what a tragic event.
So sad. 😪 I do genealogy as a hobby and have found some terrible things. There seems to be tragedy in most family's history.
Very interesting. Keep researching things. People sometimes want to live back then but like my grandmother's little boy Ollie he died at two years old. He had a hole in his heart and back then they could not fix it. Also, she lost a daughter one of the twins to scarlet fever. A time before penicillin and children often died from common cold or infections. Now all can be treated.
Any worse than losing your kids who was texting while driving? The game is the same, only the players have changed.
Watching from New Zealand
Any death is tragic, but to lose one so young and in such a senseless way is so sad 😢
What a tragedy. Thanks for sharing.
More interesting history of the family and home there.
That is so sad. Are there any Byrd family pictures?
Have you ever thought about leaving a voice recorder taping overnight? I'd be interested in hearing any noises in the old place.
Very tragic story. Would love to know more about what happened to the girl that shot her cousin. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Robert great content yet again can you elaborate on you said in the early years some one or something destroyed all the crops and never farmed that way again, being from England I don't know that part of your history