Ranch History

How the West was Won

The map above depicts the battlefield grounds of "Bird Creek Battle" in 1836.
Map from http://www.forttours.com/pages/earlytexassett.asp

Ethics, Integrity, Honesty

Moses Austin, the father of Stephen F. Austin, secured a land grant from the Spanish government around early 1820. He began laying the foundation work for what would later become "Austin's Colony"; but he died in 1821 before he could put his plan into action.

Stephen F. Austin inherited the grant and decided to complete the plan his father started. During this time, the war for Mexico's Independence from Spain, was going on. Austin had to convince the Mexican officials to honor the grant originally given to his father by Spanish officials. In 1822, the 11 year war for Mexico's Independence ended and Austin was acknowledged as the rightful heir to the land grant and began the colonization of Texas.

Captain John Bird, his wife Sarah, and their four children were among the families whom came to settle in Austin's Texas colony. John Bird and his family came to Texas from Perry County, Tennessee in June of 1830.

On October 14, 1831, John Bird was given a league of land (4,428 acres) in present day Burleson County, Texas in exchange for a one year term of service in the colony's military efforts against Comanche Indian attacks. In 1832, Bird was elected captain in the colony's militia. However, Captain John Bird was no stranger to war as he had served under Andrew Jackson in the war of 1812.

From 1835-1836, he commanded a unit of Texas calvary during the Texas Revolution. It was for this year of service that he was given all rights to the league of land. You can view images of the original land grants in both Spanish and English and a copy of the certificate of ownership of that land below.

On April 2, 1839, Bird was elected captain of a company of Texas Rangers. It was during his appointment as a Texas Ranger that Captain John Bird met a brave and untimely death. The accounts of that day and the famous "Battle of Bird's Creek" are many; most place that fateful day as May 26, 1839. Captain John Bird was killed by an arrow through his heart while defending the then wild Texas frontier against Indians.

Unfortunately, there are no known pictures of Captain John Bird; but photos of some of his relatives can be viewed in the slide show below.

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