Bird, Robert
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Bird, Robert
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THE COMMISSION ON ARCHIVES AND HISTORY
DETROIT ANNUAL CONFERENCE
THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Archives, Adrian College Library
Adrian, Michigan 49221
Telephone: 517/265-5161
First Log Church
on the River Rouge
C linton, oldest UMC
edifice in Conference
1837
President
Rev. Bruce Brown
13199 Colvin
Riverview, Mi. 48192
Archivist
Rev. Ronald Brunger
Adrian College Library
Adrian, Mi. 49221
Vice-President
Rev. William Cooper
5005 Chicago Rd.
Warren, Mi. 48092
Secretary
James Dodd
Adrian College Library
Adrian, Mi. 49221
ROBERT BIRD.
1869- 70 . t at i oned at vir mingha m, Oakla nd Co .
"Among t he gr e a testx achi e veme nt s i n Oakl a nd Connty may be named th
bu il dine of a l arge a nd bea ut iful br ick 6hur ch , whi ch was de d i c a t e d in
thP autumn ofl 873. He ,.., s sta tioned t here i n th PXpectat i onh t hat he
tvoul d bui l d a church . I t was a t fi r s t consider ed ab s urd but/v1~nt
ab ut it, a nd persevar ed unt il i t was done . Under the circumstance s
nob ody bu t Robert .l:.lird t·ro 1l d have su cc ·- eded.
He t·ras 5 years abo ut it. He r emain ed i n t h e St at i on 3 y --ars . Then
he to ok su pe ·num e rar~r r el ati on as t he tVork tvas such that h e coul d not
s • fe l y l ea ve it . The n e xt y ear he t ook the r e p ~ nsi bil i ty - f not going
t o h i s cha r ge t D fini s h t h i R NOr k .
He by the way , i s th e gr e;o t e s t church bu i l der i ~ t he conferenc e .
1876 .
In thi s year the Bay ~ i ew Cam- =Grounds As soci tion at Petoskey
wa s organi zed and RoberD~Bird was on e of 9 Trus te es . He w, s t hen
s ~ati o ne d at rlochest e r ••
Cottag es were soon bui l t u p a d informat io n on t h e subject of
builing was obtained f rom him.
, AN OLD CIRCUIT RIDER
REV. ROBERT BIRD GONE TO
HIS REWARD.
SELECTED
THE
SI'I'E
OF
THE
BA Y V IEW CAJilP GROUND.
n
R e v. Rcbert ·· Bird, one of tbe oldest
m e mb ers of the D etroit Metbodlst Episcop_!!.l conferPnce, died of paralysis at
his la t e residence, 395 Brooklyn a venue,
Thurs day at 2 p . m.
In his prim e h e was on e of the mos t
a m bitio us a nd useful workers In the
cause of Meth odism In the state, hi s
mln!stry h aving beg un when he was 22
years or age. In the earlier days of
1\IIchlgan, h e made ma ny hazardous
trips In the winter, by
E
d
r
w
vo
·s Old-Tim e :'II. E .
Pr~acher Who H as J ust
P ass!'d Away.
11-
dog train, preaching to the people In
the scattered northern communities and
Prcctlng a temple wher ever he found u
c- flock t ha t was in need of lt. He was
bes t known a m ong the cong-regations of
the 'fabernacle. D etroit, and a.l Blr·
mlngham, Roches t er and Sand B each .
In 1875 R ev. Mr. Bird and a few
ethers ex plored th e northern part of tho
state and select ed the s ite occupied
by Bay VIew for a Metbouist camp
gro und, now grown to be one of the
largest and m ost flouri shing In exist ence. Ninet ee n years ago, falling heal th
compell ed him to supera nnuate and 11
yea r~ la te r he m ovad to Detroit, where
me.
- he ha d s in ce mndo his hom e.
d
Mr. Bird was born In D e,·o nsh lr e, Get
0
Eng.. Jan. 6. 1821, and came t o this Jul:
s.
h.
I~ ITU~fg'n;'l~r h~ w~~n\~1 abat~:d:~eb~f ~~r
- later moving to (\ farm near Romulus.
t 1 Bes ides the widow. i\Irs. Ap r elia Bird~
d h e ieavt:s three children: Robert ana
t Misses l\1yrtella and Alta Bird.
o
'£J,o funPrlll will be h eld :1
!s la tof hom e. :I.'I onday m6rnlng a t l1 o'clock;
lh te rm ~nt at Birmingham.
Mich., D ec. 11.-Speclai.-Rev. R obert Bird was pa~tor of
!he Birmingham Methodist church trom
l SGt to 1874. During th at time he was
.lnstru m ontnl !n bring-Ing to comple tion
th e prcR0ht fin e hou se or wors hip. H e
had A. wonderful fac ulty for 1';1\slng
money for s uch purposes.
Although
ht> belonged t o one of the m ost Ol'thodox of churches. he hnd broad sympathi es ; he s how ed noth!ng of t.ltc narrow
sectarianism so common In ea rl y days.
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Bird, Robert