Byrd, << burd, >> William, II (1674-1744), was a wealthy plantation owner and one of colonial Virginia’s most prominent government officials. He was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in the 1690’s and was appointed to Virginia’s Royal Council in 1709. He served as Virginia’s colonial agent in England for a number of years during the late 1600’s and early 1700’s.
Byrd was also one of the most significant colonial authors, though none of his writings was published during his lifetime. Byrd’s work History of the Dividing Line (1841) told of his experience as a commissioner surveying the border between Virginia and North Carolina in 1728. His revealing Secret Diary, which was not published until 1941, contains fascinating details of the everyday lives of Virginia’s aristocratic planters.
Byrd was born on March 28, 1674, in Westover, Virginia. His father, William Byrd, was also a wealthy planter and public official in colonial Virginia. William Byrd II died on Aug. 26, 1744.
