[storyteller]

Judy Tweedy wrote:

I have also messaged back to Storyteller,trying to link her Beard family of southern Indiana with my Beard/Bairds. I have been told by other genealogy diggers that they came from Old John Baird of Scotland,but you know lots of men married lots of women down through the ages,and there may be some Native there,too. The Bairds changed the spelling of their name to Beard after comming to Indiana,this I know for sure. But I sure have no idea if either the Beards that she is searching for or mine were native at this time. But the thing is she said that her Beards were a strange family and so was mine. Not easy to research,or at least my 3rd g grandfather Obedient was not. She also said that they went from state to state together. My Beard line goes straight into my Walker line. My thoughts are that a man named Obedient Beard sure could have been called Beady after another family member,as could have been one of the privious Obedients who were prevelant in the family! Remember,my Indian was Beady Walker.

Thanks again.

Hi Judy,

I went back to my posting and I see where you would get the impression that my Beards were in southern Indiana. When I post, I think that everything is clear (and it is–in my head!), but I read it later and see how it could be misinterpreted.

Let me repeat–My Beards WERE an odd family! As I explore other lines, I see how difficult it is to “prove” the Beards. It’s so easy to get on the wrong trail and follow the wrong one. I’ve “backed up” and am now trying to get a fresh handle on my 3rd great-grandfather, James A. Beard, b. 1822 in Alabama. He’s as far back as I can get with actual proof. His grandson, Joseph Jeffries Beard, married Thorne Hanks. HER great-grandfather and his father both lived part of their lives in Southern Indiana. But I have no proof of MY line of Beards ever being there or anywhere that far north.

I have seen Beards on ancestry.com and other webpages who were born in those areas and they have some of the same “unusual” given names that are found in my family–such as Permelia or Tabitha, but I have no proof that they were related to my line of Beards.

I looked in my database and I have 4 Walkers. They were not married to Beards, but they were married to siblings of the people who married Beards. And, in each case, it was in the southeast U.S. or Tx.

As an aside, my best friend when I was in elementary school in Louisiana was a girl with the last name Brown. Her parents both grew up in East Texas. Her mother’s maiden name was Walker. I never asked her about it (’cause I never thought about it) but she was dark-skinned and dark-eyed as were her parents and one of her sisters. The other 3 siblings had blond hair, fair skin, and pale eyes. There is no doubt in my mind that they were of Native ancestry–but I’ve never tried to trace her different lines. There were a lot of mixed-bloods that migrated to East Texas!

By the way, I finally got a Beard cousin to take a Y-DNA test. This won’t give the ethnicity of “my” Beards, but it should provide info on which other lines that they were related to. I’m “standing on my head” waiting for the results.

😀

storyteller

[Judy Tweedy]

I sure do hope that you get what you need from your DNA tests,and soon for your sake!! I have no one except a several times removed cousin that I have found to take the test and he does not seem to be interested. My grandmother was one of 4 sisters and only one bro,and this would be a grandson or great grandson to him. I don’t know him personaly,but found him through some cousins that my mother had not seen in about 75 yrs! Thanks to cyber world and genealogy. Do hope that our lines connect somehow! Were your lines Bairds until the named was changed to Beard,or do you know? Fred Beard on the Beard family web site was the one who found mine,but I don’t go completely on this. Supposed to be through old John Baird of Scotland who came here. But Obedient’s father could still be one of 3 bros. Good luck and hope your info comes soon!

[storyteller]

Hi Judy,

I’m waiting on pins and needles. I try to find other things to do so that I won’t go nuts. I hope that I can get answers to my questions.

I realize that it’s a possibility that the name was changed from Baird, Bard, Bird, Byrd, or something I haven’t even thought of yet. But up until now I haven’t seen anyone for sure who changed it. Maybe with DNA…

Karen

[Author]

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