Manitoba Historical Society
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Memorable Manitobans: James Curtis Bird (c1773-1856)

Fur trader.

Born at Acton, Middlesex, England about 1773, he married Elizabeth, an aboriginal woman on 30 March 1821, and after her death, Mary Lowman, a widow, on 22 January 1835, with whom he had son Curtis James Bird. He entered the Hudson’s Bay Company service in 1788 and was employed as a writer at York Factory. He was posted at various forts throughout the West and came to Red River in 1819. When the Hudson’s Bay Company and the North West Company were amalgamated he was given charge of the Lower Red River district for 1821-1822. Following a year’s furlough he assumed charge of the Upper Red River district until 1824, at which time he retired to the Red River Settlement. In 1815, Bird was appointed Councillor to the Governor-in-Chief in Assiniboia, which appointment was renewed in 1822 and again in 1839. In 1836 he was appointed Registrar for land sales and grants. He died on 18 October 1856.

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Birds Hill Provincial Park Plaque (Birds Hill Provincial Park, RM of Springfield)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Winnipeg Law Courts Building (391 Broadway, Winnipeg)

James Bird, Dictionary of Canadian Biography

Sources:

Pioneers and Early Citizens of Manitoba, Winnipeg: Manitoba Library Association, 1971.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 11 February 2023

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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