Red River Ancestry

We are certainly closely related! John Thomas Bird was my great grandfather too so your Grandpa Francis Bird and my Grandma Laura May Bird must have been brother and sister! I'm so happy to meet you on here and I look forward to chatting more. I live in the States and just called the Metis National Council this morning to ask about registering. Unfortunately I am unable to since I don't reside in Canada (although I have dual citizenship) so I found a U.S. Metis Nation in Wisconsin whom I will register with. I am realizing that our family (other than Mary Oo-Menahomisk) was more Metis than Cree, meaning they affiliated or filed with Metis and not any Cree bands, at least to my knowledge. Anything your dad knows would be helpful, does he file as a Metis also? Did you have to supply a family tree (which I have if you would like a copy) or census records (which I also have).

Hi lauramay,

Of course Mary was a Plains Cree, and all descendants thereafter are Metis, but as a Metis, we(or some) still identify their tribes. For instance, I am a Cree Metis, while some may be Blackfoot Metis. In Alberta, in order to register as Metis, the generations before have to be registered, in other words, if my father did not register their would be no record on file to prove that I am Metis. He once testified in court that there were still Metis living in Alberta, so the Metis council traced his line for him. I have a family tree, but I do not think I have seen census records. You may be interested to know that Mill Creek here in Edmonton had a few names over the last 200 years, including "Bird Creek".

For more about William BIRD go to this link:
WILLIAM BIRD (1803-1885)
You will notice there that he died in High Bluff-Poplar Point in 1885, NOT in the Battle of Batoche.
Also, the William BIRD that BIRD is referring to is that William’s son, William Robert BIRD born in 1826, married Fanny SHIRT.

No, According to family records, William Jr. died at 13mos, in 1827, and our lineage is that of James Curtis, William, John Thomas, Francis, my father, me?

On my family tree, it lists the William Jr. you're talking about as William's (1803-1885) son who lived 1826-1900, however, "Bird" and I are not descended from him, we are descended from William's (1803-1885) other son, John Thomas Bird (1850-1946). I have the Out From Hudson's Bay - James Curtis Bird book written by Stanley Hulme.

lauramay, theres a book?

I have lots of information about Bessie CAMPBELL and John Thomas “Jack” BIRD (1850-1946) and might eventually do a Family Page for them. However, they aren’t on my priority list at this time. More about that at this link:
SPECIAL FAMILY PAGES

I repeat, the link to your lineage is at this link:
WILLIAM BIRD (1803-1885)
Please post further comments under the Forum Topic indicated there.

Thank you, gnstill, yes, I have seen the William Bird link and will post in there from now on if it's specific to him. Bird, if you would like to email me, we can talk more directly too and I will send you the book. efamily5@yahoo.com Also, since this is posted on the James Curtis Bird forum and the book is about his descendants, anyone may feel free to email me.

Hello there , wanted to fill in more of this family tree . My family also comes from James Curtis Bird >William bird 1803& Venus > William Bird 1826 & Fanny > Caroline bird 1878 & Henry Donald > Flora Donald 1905 & Adolf (Schmidt) smith > Adolf Smith 1928 & Donna >to now me Dorothy Smith . I have a bit of info for children for the William Bird Side . Just glad to see and know that there is so much family