Bird, William Harrison

Bird, William Harrison, a Presbyterian minister, was born in Fayette County, near Lexington, Ky. May 31, 1814. He prosecuted his studies at Mission Institute, near Quincy, and applied to the Salt River Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and was licensed by them April 6, 1844. He was ordained by the Rushville Presbytery, Sept. 30, 1845, and labored in that Church a year and seven months, part of the time at Bernadotte and part at Table Grove; at the latter place he organized a Church in 1845. Later he had a circuit including Rushville, Schuyler Co. He was not satisfied, and took his dismission from the Cumberland Presbyterian Church; attended a meeting of the Schuyler Presbytery at Quincy, and was received into that body in 1846. In the fall of that year he united with Alton Presbytery, was installed pastor of the Vergenines Church in 1847, and in 1853 of the Old Ducoign Church. His subsequent fields of labor were Mt. Vernon, Vandalia, Bethel, Sandoval, and Bethel again. In these latter places he served as supply pastor. He died at Woodburn, Ill., April 15, 1877. His preaching was uniformly profitable, and was often attended with great unction and power. See Norton, Hist. of Presb. Church in Illinois.