My Genealogy Hound

ABIJAH BIRDSEY. While a majority of the farms of St. Joseph Township, Berrien County, are devoted to the cultivation of fruit, there are also a number of estates upon which an extensive general farming and stock-raising business is conducted, and one of these is the tract of one hundred and ninety acres located on section 1. Mr. Birdsey, the owner of this valuable place, is a practical and progressive agriculturist, through whose efforts the land has been cleared, placed under excellent cultivation, and embellished with all the necessary equipments in the way of machinery and buildings.

In Seneca County, N. Y., the subject of this notice was born May 7, 1819. His parents, Philo and Emma (Watkins) Birdsey, were natives of Connecticut, where they were born and reared and married. For a time the father followed his occupation of a carpenter and joiner in Connecticut, but subsequently removed to Seneca County, N. Y., and from there to Wayne County, the same State, where he continued to make his home until his death. Two of his five children are now living: Abijah and Mariette, the latter being the widow of Sylvester Griswold and a resident of Hillsdale County, Mich. The senior Mr. Birdsey was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and a man of devout Christian life. Politically, he affiliated with the Whigs.

Accompanying his parents to Wayne County, N. Y., in his childhood, our subject was there reared to maturity. October 2, 1840, in Wayne County, he was united in marriage with Miss Jane Ann Curtis, who died in 1875. They were the parents of six children, of whom we note the following: George W. enlisted in defense of the Union during the late war and starved to death in Libby Prison; Phoebe Ann is the wife of Lucius Vasy; La Fayette resides at Benton Harbor, where he is engaged in the livery business; Sarah married Charles Bort, a painter residing in St. Joseph, and a veteran of the late war; Lillie is the wife of William Howland, a policeman of St. Joseph; and Adelbert lives with his father.

After his marriage, Mr. Birdsey located in Wayne County, N. Y., and engaged in farming there until the year 1853, when he came to Berrien County and located upon his present farm. It was then only partially cleared, and the surrounding country was in its primeval condition. Mr. Birdsey, however, possessed the endurance of the pioneer, and it was not long before he had materially changed the condition of the place. The improvements now noticeable are mainly the work of his hands and the result of his energetic efforts. The residence is a comfortable and commodious structure, conveniently arranged and cozily furnished. The lady who presides with gracious dignity over this pleasant rural abode bore the maiden name of Matilda Wittaker, and became the wife of Mr. Birdsey in 1876.

As one of the early settlers of Berrien County and one of its most enterprising residents, Mr. Birdsey occupies a high place in the regard of his fellow-men. During the late war he was drafted into the service, but was not accepted on account of his age. However, his sympathies were strongly enlisted on behalf of the Union and he aided in every way possible the cause so dear to every patriotic heart. Politically, he is a Republican.