Bladen County, North Carolina, Tax Lists: 1775 through 1789, Volume II -
(In 1800 and 1893, courthouse fires destroyed most of Blad...)
In 1800 and 1893, courthouse fires destroyed most of Bladen's court records and some of the land deeds. The devastation of Bladen County's records by these fires has created a void for historians and genealogists alike, which this volume aims to partiall
William Byrd II was the Virginia diarist and government official.
Background
William Byrd II was born on March 28, 1674, near what is now Richmond, Va. He was the son of William Byrd, whose inheritance had enabled him to purchase valuable Virginia lands at the age of 18, and of Mary Horsmanden Byrd, daughter of a Cavalier gentleman.
Education
William Byrd II was educated at Felsted Grammar School in Essex, served as an apprentice in business in Holland and London, and studied law at the Middle Temple. He was admitted to the bar in 1695 after 3 years of study.
Career
In 1696 William Byrd II was elected to membership in the Royal Society, and a paper published soon afterward demonstrated his scientific abilities. In the same year Byrd returned to Virginia, where he was elected to the House of Burgesses, but the next year he was back in London, representing the governor of Virginia and later the Virginia Council as agent. This time he remained until 1704, when his father died, leaving him not only his lands, including the site of Richmond and the 1, 400-acre Westover plantation, but also his office of receiver general.
After the death of his wife's father he made the mistake of seeking to acquire his lands and as a result acquired immense debts. In time Byrd became a member of the governor's council and commander in chief of the Charles City and Henrico County militias. His life, public and private, during these years is well documented in a secret diary dating from 1709.
In 1715 Byrd returned to England on business.
Another secret diary, now published like the earlier, demonstrates that Byrd took advantage of the opportunities London offered for sexual adventures. He also served again as agent for Virginia. Despite strenuous efforts, he did not find the wealthy wife he was looking for, though he remained in England until 1719.
He returned to America in 1726 and remained there until his death on 26 August 1744. Byrd's cultivation of writing over the years is demonstrated by his care in letter writing. His most famous contribution to literature is his History of the Dividing Line Betwixt Virginia and North Carolina Run in the Year of Our Lord 1728, first published in 1841. It is a witty, frank, and informative narrative. (Another version, The Secret History of the Line, is inferior).
Byrd's other writings include A Journey to the Land of Eden and A Progress to the Mines, both also published in 1841.
(In 1800 and 1893, courthouse fires destroyed most of Blad...)
Religion
William Byrd II was a very religious man.
Membership
The Charles City and Henrico County militias, the Royal Society, the King's Counsel, Virginia Governor's Council
Personality
From a secret diary dating from 1709 emerges a vivid portrait of Byrd as a healthy extrovert interested in everything from books (his library eventually numbered more than 3, 600 items) to the welfare of his many tenants.
Connections
In 1706 Byrd married Lucy Parke. She died of smallpox in 1716. She left him two daughters, whom he brought to England.
In 1721 he married Maria Taylor, who in time gave him four children, but no fortune.