"Craney Island", and tombstones.
Sixteen miles northeast of Harrisonburg, Virginia on east side of Route #11, about a mile distant from highway.
Unknown.
hundred and seventy-our and one quarter acres $14,600 and his interest in the estate $6,400 = $21,000,
D.B. 23.
$15,000, and life annuity $200.00 D.B. 144, page 481.
"Craney Island" is a weatherboarded log house with an L extension. It has two stories and two chimneys; the L has been partly torn away. The porch has four box columns. There is a rather small hall with a colonial stairway to the attic. Six rooms have fireplaces and plain mantels. The windows are two sash, nine panes in upper and six in lower sash. Some of the rooms are wainscoted to the chair rail, some of the original doors have hand made thumb latch, the floor boards are wide and doors and floors are made of pine wood.
The date of erection is not known but is supposed to be in the late 1730’s or 1740’s.
Andrew Byrd was among the early pioneers in this part of the Valley and seems to have been here as early as 1731. He was a Lieutenant in Captain Peter Schols company in 1742, and was commissioned Captain of Militia in 1744.
He is said to have been a brother of Ordway Byrd, and by tradition, of the James River family of eastern Virginia. He died early in 1751.
The first survey to Andrew Byrd is found in survey Book 0-1. There were granted by King George the Second in 1749 and surveyed by Thomas Lewis, one hundred and ninety acres on Smith’s Creek; there was also another patent from Governor Betetert for two hundred and seventy acres on the north side of "Limestone" Ridge (Deed Book 1, page 82.
Lieutenant Andrew Byrd, Thomas Moore, Peter Schell and others were in the region between John Harrison, Sr. and the Fairfax line some three or four miles north of the "Big spring". Valentine Siever and
Daniel Davisen were also located here. In 1753 Siever sold to Byrd one hundred and eighty four acres of
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land between "Limestone" Ridge and Smith’s Creek at the corner of Andrew Byrd’s survey and Robert Milsap’s survey. (Chalkley, vol. 3, page 315).
Tradition has it that two Byrd brothers from the James River started on a trip north and in passing through
the Valley decided to make their home here. One of them was possibly a Captain.
On the 27th of February 1751, Magialena and Andrew Byrd’s bond as Administrators of Andrew Byrd,
dec’d, with sureties, John Debkin and Samuel Newman, was recorded in Will Book 1, page 283. In the
petition to the administration, Andrew states that he is the eldest son and Magialena was the widow.
An order in the Council issued by King George the Second to Andrew Byrd for two hundred and ten acres of land on Smith’s Creek indicates that Andrew was here in 1731, the year the order in Council was issued, though the patent was not issued until 1756, but in the meantime he had bought other lands. The Byrd lands extended nearly as far north as Mt. Jackson in Shenandoah County and included the fine old place known as "Red Banks" which was the place of Colonel Abraham Byrd, included in his purchase of five hundred and fifty acres in 1773, and who doubtless, was a nephew of Andrew Byrd the pioneer.
Just when "Craney Island" was so named in not known; it was probably given this name because the old homestead located between Smith’s Creek and the mill race which form an Island on which the house stands.
Here and there in Rockingham County, are to be found old Franklin stoves and said to have been manufactured at Craney Island, near "Red banks" and it may be they were made by Abraham Byrd whose place was Red Banks. It may be of interest to note that besides the old Franklin stoves made at Craney Island near Red Banks, that the stone hammers used in building the Valley Pike in crushing or breaking the stone, were also made at Craney Island. There were no stone crushers such as we now have, at least in this part of the country, so the stone had to be broken with hammers and by hand.
As will appear later on, the name Craney Island, became Craney Island Mills.
The Andrew Byrd home stands at the feet of the Massanutten and near the Fairfax line. A "hump" in the mountain range is known as Byrd’s Knob, so named for the Byrd’s.
Andrew Byrd, II, and wife Mary, widow of Joseph Reece, resided at Craney Island. He was the eldest son of Andrew Byrd the pioneer. He was commissioned Captain of Militia in 1762; was also Captain of Militia in 1752. He was a miller and from this fact it may be assumed that the word "Mills" was added to the plantation name. In subsequent convanaces the place is identified as "Craney island Mills". Deed April 18, 1803, Valentine Siever of Frederick, farmer to Andrew Byrd, miller, etc.
Among the papers extant handed down in his family to William P Byrd, are three original land patents, two old family Bibles, the first printed in London, 1763, and a volume entitled the "New Practice of Piety", published in London 1749, "By his Majesty’s Special Authority". On the last is noted: Andrew Bird his property, Anne deming ….given to him by a British officer" Also "Andrew Bird—I finish reading Book Thru on Sunday 12th day of Feb. 1793. Andrew Bird his book".
The land patented to Andrew Byrd September 5, 2024 was in consideration of "divers good causes and considerations but more especially for and in consideration of the sum of Twenty Shillings of good lawful
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money", this for 190 acres; the patent of June 20th 1772 for one hundred and fifty acres was in consideration of the sum of fifteen Shillings. On the one hundred and seventy-four acres in "Brock’s Gap on North
Shenadel
including the "Chimney Rock". Altogether the Byrd’s were the owners of something more than two thousand acres of land.On the farm between Craney island and the Pike, on a tomb stone lying flat on the ground and unfenced is found the following inscription:
S A C R E D
to the memory of
Ann consort of Andrew Byrd
Who was born October 10, 2024 and died April 28, 2024
In
Memory of
Andrew Byrd
Who departed this life
November 30, 2024
Aged 84 years
This stone marked the graves of Andrew Byrd the third and his wife Ann. Andrew Byrd the third was also a Revolutionary soldier and qualified as Captain May 24, 1779.
Photograph.
Rockingham County Court Records.
Settlers by the Long Grey Trail by Houston Harrison
A History of Rockingham County by John Wayland
October 30, 1936 Geo. W. Fetzer
Harrisonburg, VA