Soldier Information
Name: Calvin Bird
Alias: Brown
Place of Birth: MS Year of Birth: 1843
Occupation: Farmer
Eyes: Black Hair: Black Complexion: Dark
Height in Feet: 5 Inches: 8
View Ledger
Enlistment Information
Enlistment Date: August 14, 1864
Enlistment Place: Elizabethtown
Enlistment State: KY
Compiled Military Service Record
Document: View
Congressional District: 4th
Company: A Regiment(s): 108th USCI
Mustered Where: Louisville, KY
Mustered Out Date: March 21, 1866
Rank at Muster Out: Private
Notes:
The Compiled Military Service Records for Calvin Bird state he enlisted on August 14, 1864, at Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and he mustered in on August 17, 1864, in Louisville, Kentucky. Calvin was 21 years old, height of 5′ 8″, with black eyes, black hair, and dark complexion. His enlistment papers name his enslaver as Adam Brid [Bird]. Calvin’s birthplace is listed as Hardin County, Ky., and he was a farmer at the time of enlistment. There are two sets of CMSR records, one that says he enlisted in the 107th USCT, Co. B, and one that says he enlisted in the 108th USCI, Co. A. There is a note in the 107th CMSR that states he was “not taken up on muster rolls of regiment.” This appears to be proof that Calvin served in the 108th. The records from the 108th state he mustered out on March 21, 1866, at Vicksburg, MS.
Soldier Death Information
Died in war? No
Military Death Date:
Military Death Location:
Military Cause of Death:
Death Date: July 14, 1914
Cause of Death: General paralysis
Death Certificate
Soldier Pension Information
Pension Card Link: Pension Card
Pension Application Date: February 23, 1888
Application No.: 641317 Certificate No.: 1027249
Alternate First Name: Calvin Alternate Last Name: Brown
Widow Pension Information
Widow Pension Card: Pension Card
Widow Application Date: August 10, 1914
Application No.: 1032513 Certificate No.: 781323
No other family pension card found
Pension File Information
Pension File:
Pensioners:
Pensioner County: Pensioner State:
Number of Pages:
Pension Notes:
There is a pension card for Calvin Bird, who has an alias of Calvin Brown. There are two dates of filing for an Invalid’s Pension: Feb. 23, 1888 and Feb. 20, 1907. There is also another pension card for Calvin BROWN, who has an alias of Calvin BIRD. Both cards have the same application and certificate numbers. The Invalid’s Pension application number is 641.317, and the certificate number is 1.027.249. The Widow’s Pension, dated August 10, 1914, has an application number of 1032.513 and certificate number 781.323. The bottom of the first pension card provides a date of death as July 14, 1914, at Louisville, Ky. The second pension card provides a widow’s name: Edmonia Brown.
Veterans Administration Pension Payment cards were retrieved for Calvin Bird or Brown, and under the name of Edmonia Brown. A full pension file has not been retrieved.
Freedman’s Bank/Freedmen’s Bureau Information
No Freedman’s Bank information found
Notes from Freedmen’s Bureau Documents:
There were two Freedmen’s Bureau documents found, one that provides supporting evidence that Calvin Bird served in the 108th regiment: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89L8-N9QF-1?i=204&cc=2432941
Family Information
Mother First Name: Mother Maiden Name:
Father First Name: Father Last Name:
Siblings:
Wife #1 First Name: Edmonia Maiden Name:
Wife #2 First Name: Maiden Name:
Wife #3 First Name: Maiden Name:
Children: Alonzo Brown 1862
Mary Brown 1865
John Brown 1869
Isabel Brown Murphy 1873
Calvin, Jr. Brown 1879
Family Notes:
Calvin and Edmonia Brown are buried at Cave Hill National Cemetery in Louisville, Ky. They have a joint headstone with the surname “Bird,” as this was the name used for Calvin in the military. Find A Grave memorial: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3290098/calvin-bird. The 1910 census states Calvin and Edmonia had 12 children born to them, but only 3 were living at that time. Five children were named in the 1900 and 1910 censuses. Calvin’s death certificate states he was born in Mississippi; however, his parents’ names were unknown.
Family Tree:
View Family Tree on Ancestry.com Please note: this requires a paid Ancestry.com account to view
1870 Census
1870 Census Link: View
1870 Profession: Laborer and Laundress
1870 Live with/near former enslaver? No
1870 Real Estate Value: 1870 Personal Estate Value:
1870 Ability to Read? Cannot read Ability to Write? Cannot write
1870 Census Notes:
Soldier Calvin Bird is using the name Calvin Brown after emancipation. Calvin is a laborer, living in Louisville, Ky., with his wife (Edmonia) and three children: Alonzo (age 8), Mary (age 5), and John (age 10 months).
1880 Census
1880 Census Link: View
1880 Profession: Laborer
1880 Live with/near former enslaver? No
1880 Ability to Read? Cannot read Ability to Write? Cannot write
1880 Census Notes:
In 1880, soldier Calvin Bird is still using the name Calvin Brown. He is a laborer, living in Louisville, Ky., with his wife Edmonia and their five children: Alonzo (16), Mary (13), John (9), Isabel (7), and Calvin Jr. (1). This is the first record that states Calvin was born in Mississippi, not Kentucky. He also states both of his parents were born in Mississippi. Calvin and Edmonia are listed as not being able to read or write, but their children can, and three of them are in school.
1890 Census
1890 Census information not found
1900 Census
1900 Census Link: View
1900 Profession: Calvin has not been employed for 12 months
1900 Ability to Read? Cannot read Ability to Write? Cannot write
1900 Own/Rent: Rent 1900 Home Free/Mortgage: Unknown 1900 Farm/House: House
1900 Census Notes:
The 1900 census shows Calvin and his family using the surname “Bird.” Calvin’s age and birth information are not listed, but his wife Edmonia is 55, son Alonzo is 36, daughter Bella (Isabel) is 25, grandson Charles Foley is 7, and grandson Frank C. Keene is 2. Calvin states his birthplace is Mississippi, which is also where both parents were born. Calvin and Edmonia have been married for 31 years. Edmonia has given birth to 12 children, and 5 of them are living. Calvin has not been working for 12 months. This record provides evidence that Calvin Bird is still using the surname “Bird” well after emancipation. This record also provides evidence that Calvin and both of his parents were born in Mississippi, as he stated at the time of the 1880 census. There are two grandchildren living with Calvin and Edmonia: Charles Foley and Frank C. Keene. It is unclear who their parents are since none of Calvin’s children living in this household have those surnames.
1910 Census
1910 Census Link: View
1910 Profession: Calvin has been out of work for 26 weeks
1910 Ability to Read? Cannot read Ability to Write? Cannot write
1910 Own/Rent: Rent 1910 Home Free/Mortgage: Unknown 1910 Farm/House: House
1910 Census Notes:
The 1910 census shows Calvin and his wife Edmonia using the surname “Brown.” Calvin states he is 68, and Edmonia is 66. They have been married for 41 years. Edmonia has given birth to 12 children, and only 3 of them are living. They have one grandson living with them, Charles Foley who is listed as mulatto, age 23. Calvin states he was born in Mississippi. Calvin states he is a laborer, doing odd jobs, but he has been out of work for 26 weeks. Edmonia is a laundress, and grandson Charles is a driver for a grocery store.
1920 Census
1920 Census Link: View
1920 Profession: none
1920 Ability to Read? Cannot read Ability to Write? Cannot write
1920 Own/Rent: Own 1920 Home Free/Mortgage: Free 1920 Farm/House: House
1920 Census Notes:
Calvin’s widow, Edmonia Brown, is living with her daughter and son-in-law, Belle (Isabel) and William Murphy. Edmonia is 74 years old, listed as a widow.
Enslaver Information
Name: Adam Bird Location:
Previous Enslaver:
Enslaver Notes:
There are two Adam Birds listed in the 1860 Slave Schedule. They appear to be related since they live on adjacent farms. One has four enslaved people on his farm—3 women and a 2-year-old male. The other Adam Bird is listed as “Adam Bird Jr.,” and he has two enslaved males, one 19 years old, who is likely to be soldier Calvin Bird, and one 20 years old who is listed as being “owned by Warren Larue.” The likely enslaver of Calvin Bird is Adam Bird Jr., since he has a 19-year-old male on his farm, and Calvin Bird would have been about 17 to 19 years old in 1860.
1850 Enslaver Census
1850 Census information not found
1860 Enslaver Census
1860 Census Link: View
1860 Real Estate Value: 9000 1860 Personal Estate Value: 2815
1860 Slave Schedule Link: View
1860 Number of Enslaved: 1
1870 Enslaver Census
1870 Census information not found
1880 Enslaver Census
1880 Census information not found
Compensation Information
Compensation Application not found