William Byrd I inherited estates in Virginia from his uncle, Thomas Stegg, who had already made a good name for himself in Virginia. Stegg's friends reached to the highest level in the government. Byrd made a good marriage to Mary Horsmanden (Horsemanden, Horsemonden), in 1673. Their son, William (II), was born a year later. Of the four siblings of William the younger, one, Ursula, married Robert Beverley, the historian. William Byrd, the younger, was the only male to survive childhood. Mrs. Byrd died in 1699, and five years later her husband died.
Returning now to William Byrd I, his inheritance at the falls of the James River had a store of trading goods used in traffic with the Indians. At that time, the Stegg plantation was a distant outpost within the range of Indian forays. The elder William further developed the Indian trade that his uncle, thomas Stegg, had started, and for thirty-five years, the plantation was the center of the Indian trading. The pack trains carried blue cloth, kettles, hatchets, rum, guns, and ammunition to the Indians, and they brought back furs, deerskins, rare herbs, and minerals, that Byrd hoped might prove to be of value. Byrd worried little over the exposed position that he was in, even though he was supplying the Indians with guns, ammunition, and rum. He reasoned that he if did not, someone else would.
His other business activities included trading in tobacco, importing slaves and indentured servants, and supplying goods from England to other planters. He ordered, from Boston, a shipment of rum, sugar, Madeira wine, turnery, earthenware, or most anything else that was available, except fish. He was very insistent on the fish; he wanted none of their codfish. The quantities were large. In one letter, he ordered 4,000 gallons of rum, 6,000 pounds of sugar, 5,000 pounds of muscovado, and eight or ten tons of molasses. The best profits were in slaves and rum. In all things he tried to supply the best quality that could be obtained. He complained to his agents about the goods they shipped, and he reported all attempts to overcharge him. At the same time, he brought to the agent's attention any goods that were shipped but not invoiced. By the time he was thirty, he was a leading business figure in Virginia. He sent for an apprentice bookkeeper to help him with the paperwork.
Byrd held political office from time to time. In part, he earned good pay this way, but he also considered it his duty to serve the colony. By 1677, he was a member of the House of Burgesses, and six years later he took a seat on the Council, and became president of it in 1703. In 1687, he went to England to seek the lucrative post of auditor-general of Virginia (which he obtained). He was an Indian negotiator, a member of the building committee of the new William and Mary College, and the chief contractor on the college chapel. While all of this was going on, he was adding land to his holdings, until they reached 26,231 acres at the time of his death. His house at the falls of the James was Belvidere, but his pride was the house he built at Westover. The latter home was well furnished. He took a special delight in the gardens, with plants and bulbs from England. Botany was a serious hobby of his.
Late in life, William I took a delight in his library, and ordered many volumes, especially of a practical nature. He laid the foundation for the Byrd library.
(26 Oct 00)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.