GIRD Biography by Henry Gird HARRIS

GIRD Biography #2 by Henry Gird HARRIS

This information comes from papers written by Henry Gird HARRIS ( I ),
a son of Eliza Kinsley GIRD, a sister of Henry Harrison Gird.

My mother's name was Eliza Kinsley Gird. She was born September
6, 1836 at West Point, the seventh child.
Her father was Henry Hatton Gird (III), and he was thought to be
the third "Henry Hatton" in America. The story told me by my aunt was
that the original Gird was a London merchant, who for some reason
removed to Dublin, Ireland, where he married a Miss Heinse (?).
Finally this early Gird moved from Ireland to America with his entire
family and servants in his own ship with ninety thousand dollars of
gold. His plan was to engage in the raising of wheat on a large
scale. There emigrants located along the Potomac River, where they
started on their enterprise. They erected several large mills,
which were standing when the British raided Washington in the out-
break of the War of 1812, and they burned them. The wheat seemed
to have been a failure and this early Gird went to New York City
where they engaged in a publishing enterprise.
One son of this Gird became infatuated with one of the servants
and married her. His father promptly disinherited him. My aunt
told me that about 1892 the family located in Denver, Colorado.
My aunt told me that this Miss Heinse who married the first
Gird, had connections with the gentry. I have seen the name Hatton
frequently in English history, especially during the reign of Queen
Elizabeth. A lieutenant of Ireland during the Queen Elizabeth's reign
was Lieutenant of Ireland. I have thought that possibly this Gird
took the name from this high official.
(Some years ago I wrote to a geneologish for the history of the
name GIRD, and she said that it might have been derived from a branch
of the early armies called "girders" who went ahead to cut away ob-
structions in advance of the army. On the other hand, my aunt told me
that it signified roe buck. And in my grandfather's diary he drew a
coat of arms showing a buck's head.)
I have no further reminescences of the Girds until my grandfather.
He was born in New York City in 1801. When about seventeen he was
appointed a cadet at the West Point Academy, graduating when
but twenty-two years of age, the eighteenth in his class, as a second
lieutenant. He, with another lieutenant, was sent to New Orleans to
make surveys of the harbor. He eventually brought his family there.
After a number of years he resigned from the army and became the head
of a college, which was sponsored by many of the Southern well-to-do
citizens. (Although I have never ever received any definite information
about this enterprise, I am inclined to believe that it eventually
petered out. From mere rumors I am inclined to believe that this Gird
went with his two sons, (or at least his two sons did) into Missouri
where they bought considerable farm land and began a farm life. An
army record says that Henry Hatton Gird died in New Orleans, probably
of yellow fever of malaria when he was but forty years of age. His sons
remained on the farm and married sisters. Henry never had any children
while Edward had at least two and I think three. These two families
eventually moved to Los Angeles where they engaged in the culture of
oranges.

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In 1876, Edward, a son and the oldest, visited my family in Canan-
daigua on his way to the World Fair in Philadelphia. He was fourteen
years old at the time.
After my grandfather's death, my aunt Anna, the oldest child, re-
turned with my mother by sailing vessel to Boston * and thence to Utica,
N.Y. near which lived an uncle (John Gird) had a large dairy farm. There
my mother lived until after the Civil War, with her sister, who married
Mr. Walker, a successful city merchant fifteen years older than she.
He had retired from business about the time I was born in 1867.
Probably it was in 1865 that Mr. and Mrs. Walker came to Canan-
daigua and boarded during the school season at Canandaigua Hotel,
sending their two elder boys (William and Thomas) to the Canandaigua
Academy, which at that time was a school of high standing. The next
season they came to Canandaigua they boarded at the Webster House,
where my mother met my father.
Perhaps it would be a good place right here to mention Dick Gird.
He was the son of John Gird, the dairyman mentioned above. When sixteen
he ran away from home going into the west coast. He engaged in mining
and was very successful. The celebrated Tombstone or Tuscon silver mines
were located by him and two brothers. The Saturday Evening Post carried
a long article giving an account of the achievement. He married but
never had any children. My cousin Edward Gird, spoken of above, told me
that at one time he was estimated to be worth $25,000,000, invested in
mining properties --- some in Peru. Not being a financier this fortune
dwindled down to about $15,000,000 before he died. Another enterprise
in which he inaugurated was farming investment in which he called
Chino. I suppose he lost money in the venture.
As far as I can discover no Gird ever had any male heirs and as a
result the Gird as a sirname gave out.

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