The Mississippi Byrd: From Rural to Urban to Suburban and Beyond was written at the encouragement of many of his relatives and friends to motivate a larger audience. It is filled with challenges, excitement, and scintillation as it chronicles some of his adventure and misadventures. The book describes the tracks of Byrd’s life from rural Mississippi to urban Gary, Indiana to suburban Ann Arbor, Michigan and beyond including twenty years of service and travel in the U.S. Navy. Join Byrd in the experiences, the travel and the transformation of his life as well as the summation of Lessons learned.

Addie Lockwood believes in books. Roland Rhodes believes in blues guitar. Coming of age in the small-town South of the 1970s, they form a friendship as extraordinary as it is unlikely. They meet again in their disillusioned thirties, this time in California, where Roland's music career has landed him. Venice Beach is exotic, a world away from North Carolina and Addie's cloistered life as a bookstore clerk. But when her whirlwind reunion with Roland leaves Addie pregnant, reality sets in. Conflicted, unready to be a mother, she gives birth to a son--Byrd--and surrenders him for adoption without telling Roland, little imagining how the secret will shape their lives. Told through letters and sharply drawn vignettes, Byrd is an unforgettable story about making and living with the most difficult, intimate, and far-reaching of choices.

Most every morning now, Tom found his way outside to the rocker to watch the sun rise. The first piercings of morning amethyst and pink inevitably brought joy, as did the frogs and birds chirping in the distance, chatting the morning news of coming winter. And the old broken chinaberry tree stared at Tom. It had been hit by lightning years earlier but stood still against the backdrop of the oaks and willows stretching down the riverbank. In the blue fog, the deformed old tree took the shape of a looming giant, a dark presence draped in Spanish moss reaching down as if a dutiful matron tasked to lift the cabin from darkness. And each morning, Tom studied the daily mystery that helped dispel the ugly shape of thought he did not want to know.

Family history and genealogical information about the ancestry of Bertha Leeda Byrd who was born 11 March 1926 in Mt. Olive, Mississippi. She was the daughter of Artha James Byrd and Mollie Robinson. Artha was a descendant of Henry Allen Byrd who was born 12 December 1805 in South Carolina. Mollie was a descendant of William M. Robinson who was born 19 October 1836 in Mississippi. Ancestors of Bertha Leeda Byrd lived primarily in Mississippi.

Violence and Murder has skyrocketed among African American male populations. The effects of such actions have caused the lives given to these horrendous crimes to become short lived, affecting society greatly. This book is in part of “Guns Down, Heads Bowed, Knees Down; Surrender to God... Walk Away With Life” Evangelistic Street Movement. The purpose of this manuscript is to become a tool in the hands of young and adult males, maturing the mind. Dedicated to the male child, this letter reminds of purpose that must be fulfilled in spite adversity: family curses, spoken words, inward struggles, unjust societies, etc. It becomes key in offsetting negative behavior patterns, and approaches; bringing understanding of struggles, why they exist, and providing solutions to overcoming them. By the end of this read males will have reassurance of hope and courage needed in overcoming any battle; reminding them that: the battle is won, victory is set in their favor, and they can walk on to fulfilling purpose.

KIN is the third book of Byrd family history by this author, following Traveling Companions: The Byrd Family of Mt. Olive, Mississippi, and Oaks of Righteousness. This book focuses on the stories of various families who were joined to the Byrd family through marriage, thereby becoming roots to the Byrd family tree. Some of the families are ancestors of Nora Brown Byrd and some are ancestors of Edward Leavell Byrd, the parents-in-law of the author. The purpose of this book is to provide a sense of history and appreciation for family members from the past. It is hoped that children and grandchildren as well as various siblings, nieces, nephews, and others will find strength for their branches of the family tree from the roots of these ancestors.