General Notes

[coosa1.ged]
Rebecca Birdwell was the first wife of Riley "Reede" Kirkland. Little is
known about her family at this point. The name Birdwell may be derived
from the original "Bedwell", a family living in Old Rappahannock County,
Virginia ( now Richmond/Essex County) in the 1600's. There was a George
Birdwell who left a will in 1781 in Bedford County, Virginia, the same
county from which the Buford family came to Madison County, Alabama in
1816. The Birdwell family was in Madison County, Alabama by 1809 ( then
Mississippi Territory). In fact, John Birdwell is listed on the Land
Register of 1809- known as the "squatter census"- a list of those persons
living on land not yet opened for public sale by the government. His
family consisted of two sons, and six daughters, John and his wife, both
born before 1788. He also made a "squatter" application in 1809 to
purchase the land he had already settled, 160 acres on the Flint River.
(RIE T2 S17), located just NW of present-day Meridianville. This John was
probably the grandfather of Rebecca Birdwell. John Birdwell was still
living in Madison County in 1830.
An Abraham or Abram Birdwell is found in Marshall County, Alabama records
from 1836 on. In 1838 John Kirkland, Willis Kirkland, and Abraham
Birdwell are mentioned in the same record as debtors of an estate.
Abraham Birdwell is also in the 1850 census of Marshall County, Alabama.
It seems likely that Abraham Birdwell was the father of Rebecca. The
relationship of the Kirklands and Birdwells, plus the fact that Rebecca
had a son named "Abe" would seem to support this claim.