Frederic Mayer Bird (1838–1908) was an American clergyman, educator, and hymnologist whose career spanned theology, education, and literature. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was the son of the well-known novelist and playwright Robert Montgomery Bird. He pursued his higher education at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1857, before completing his theological training at the Union Theological Seminary in 1860.
Following his graduation, Bird served as a Lutheran minister from 1860 to 1867. In 1868, he transitioned his ecclesiastical career by taking orders in the Episcopal Church. Alongside his clerical duties, Bird was an active educator and dedicated hymnologist, developing a deep expertise in religious music and history. He edited several religious publications throughout his life, contributing significantly to the documentation of Christian history and hymnology.
As an author, Bird published several notable works that reflected his theological background, including The story of our Christianity in 1893 and Heroes and Martyrs of Christianity in 1897, which he both wrote and edited. Beyond his theological and historical writings, Bird ventured into fiction under the pseudonym "Robert Timsol," publishing the novel A Pessimist; in Theory and Practice in 1888. His diverse publications highlight his dual legacy as a dedicated churchman and a versatile man of letters in late nineteenth-century America.
