James Burd

James Burd (March 10, 1725 – October 5, 1793) was a colonial American soldier in the French and Indian War, during which he played an important role in fortifying the Pennsylvania frontier.

Born in Ormiston, near Edinburgh, Scotland, the son of Edward Burd, James Burd came to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1747 or 1748 where he worked as a merchant. On May 14, 1748, he married Sarah Shippen, daughter of former mayor Edward Shippen of the prominent Shippen family of Philadelphia. The couple had eleven children, eight of whom lived to maturity, including Edward Burd.

In 1752, he moved his young family to manage his father-in-law's vast land holdings in the area now known as Shippensburg.

In 1756, he settled on a farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, but soon joined the military as an officer at the outbreak of the French and Indian War. He was commissioned a Major at Fort Augusta (at present-day Sunbury, Pennsylvania) in 1756, and on December 8, 1756, after the resignation of Lt. Col. William Clapham, he took command of the fort. Under his command the fort's construction was completed, as well as the Provincial Road between the fort and Tulpehocken, the location of Conrad Weiser's homestead (near present-day Reading).

In 1758, Burd was promoted to Colonel. He went with General John Forbes on the Duquesne Expedition under Colonel Henry Bouquet, and 360 of the 400-man garrison participated in the Expedition, leaving 40 men at Fort Augusta. During that campaign, Burd contributed to the construction of Fort Ligonier. After the fall of Fort Duquesne, Burd was sent to the Erie area, where he supervised the construction of roads and fortifications.

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