The records of Isle of Wight Co., VA included
many Woodwards. Thomas Woodward who was granted lands in NC and Oliver
Woodward whose descendants moved to NC, both of Isle of Wight, will
be discussed separately.
In 1667, William Smelley patented land on the
western branch of the Nansemond River adjoining Hugh Sanders and John
Moore. (This sounds strikingly similar to the description of the land
inherited by James Sanders from his father Richard Sanders some years
later.) In 1673, Smelley sold this land to Ambrose Boseman. In 1668,
Thomas Cullen patented 400 acres adjoining John Moore in the Upper
Parish of Nansemond Co. Thomas Cullen's daughter, Martha Cullen, became
the wife of Thomas Pollock who appeared frequently on records in association
with Samuel Woodward of Virginia, Boston, and Chowan Co., NC. William
Smelley's 1689 Isle of Wight will named wife Eleanor and sons William,
Robert, Lewis, and John. The will was recorded in 1692.
There were two Thomas Giles who left early records
in Isle of Wight. One was the son of John Giles and Philarite Woodward,
daughter of Thomas Woodward. (See p. ***) The other is believed to
have been the brother of John Giles. One of these Thomas Giles, probably
the younger one, married a daughter of Jacob Darden whose 1719 will
named as an heir "Thomas Giles' child, my daughter's child".
Neither the name of the Darden wife of Thomas Giles nor the name or
sex of the child born to them was given.
The elder Thomas Giles married Eleanor -?-, relict
of William Smelley. From later records, it seems he must have produced
at least two daughters, Eleanor Giles and Elizabeth Giles, by a previous
marriage. Thomas Giles' 1715 Isle of Wight will named heirs John Smelley,
Thomas Smelley, and Robert Smelley, the sons of Robert Smelley, and
Giles Smelley (his relationship not given). There were also two Eleanors,
one his wife and the other his daughter, also called Eleanor Smelley.
Robert Smelley, son of William Smelley and Eleanor, had married his
stepsister Eleanor Giles, daughter of Thomas Giles. Therefore, John
Smelley, Thomas Smelley, and Robert Smelley, sons of Robert Smelley
and Eleanor Giles, were the grandsons of both Thomas Giles and Eleanor
-?- Smelley Giles. Lewis Smelley, son of William Smelley and Eleanor,
had married Elizabeth Giles, daughter of Thomas Giles. John Smelley,
son of William Smelley and Eleanor, married Sarah Casey, daughter
of Richard Casey. Elizabeth Giles was not named in Thomas Giles will,
but is given as a daughter of the same Thomas Giles by John B. Boddie's
Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight.
The 1764 will of John Smelley (son of Robert Smelley
and Eleanor Giles) named daughters Jean Woodward and Ann, sons John,
James, and Samuel, and wife Sarah. The witnesses were William Woodward,
John Norsworthy, and Mary Smelley. The 1775 will of Sarah (Casey)
Smelley named sons John and James, grandson Thomas Smelley, granddaughter
Sarah Smelley, grandson John Provins, son-in-law Hugh Provans, grandson
John Smelley, son-in-law William Woodward, grandson William Woodward,
and granddaughter Mary Woodward.
Obviously a William Woodward had married Jean
Smelley, daughter of John Smelley and Sarah Casey. However, I'm not
convinced that this was the same William Woodward who seems to be
related to the Peter Woodward family, perhaps as another son.
To complicate matters further, John Smelley and
his brother Robert Smelley, two sons of Robert Smelley and Eleanor
Giles, both held lands in Bertie Co. by 1734 in the same location
where Oliver Woodard, Jr. held lands by 1743. This is the same John
Smelley who married Sarah Casey and whose daughter Jean Smelley married
William Woodward and had a son also named William Woodward. However,
the marriage of Jean Smelley to William Woodward may not have occurred
until some years later, probably not too long before John Smelley
wrote his Isle of Wight will in 1764 which named daughter Jean Woodward
and was witnessed by William Woodward. Sarah (Casey) Smelley's will
of 1775 did not name Jean, but did name son-in-law William Woodward
and grandchildren William Woodward and Mary Woodward. Probably between
1764 and 1775, Jean had died, leaving two children. Ann Smelley had
apparently married Hugh Provans after 1764 and died by 1775 leaving
a son.
Oliver Woodard, Jr. and John Smelley witnessed
a deed for Robert Smelley in 1751, and Robert Smelley sold land that
adjoined John Woodard (brother of Oliver Woodard, Jr.) and John Smelley
in 1752. In 1751, Robert Smelley sold land on the north side of Kirbey
Creek to John Jones. In 1741, Northampton Co. was created from Bertie
Co., so the records appear first in Bertie Co. and later in Northampton
Co. These deeds involved the John Farrow and Thomas Mandue/Mandew
lands near the Meherrin River and Kirbey's Creek. This traces back
to 1728 when William Kinchen deeded to John Farror 100 acres on the
Meherrin River and Kirbey's Creek adjoining Thomas Mandew, witnessed
by Needham Bryan and Andrew Ireland. Needham Bryan's second wife is
said to have been a Sarah Woodward, and possibly was the widow of
Samuel Woodward of Chowan Co. who died in 1752. (See p. *** under
Sam WW) The records for the Smelley lands that adjoined the Oliver
Woodard, Jr. and John Woodard lands will be given in the Oliver Woodward
chapter.
Although a William Woodward left a 1797 Isle of
Wight will naming a son William Hall Woodward, I don't believe this
was the same William Woodward who married Jean Smelley. The will did
not name a daughter Mary, although she could have died. The son William
named in the will was apparently the son of Ann Hall since he was
named William Hall Woodward. The records of William Woodward of the
1797 will show no close association with the Smelley or Giles family.
Because of John Smelley's association with John Woodard and Oliver
Woodard, Jr. in NC, I suspect that Jean Smelley's husband was probably
a son of one or the other of them, probably Oliver since John seems
to have died about 1752 leaving only one orphan named John.
William Woodward left his will in Isle of Wight
dated 1797. He named sons John George Woodward, William Hall Woodward,
and daughter Sally Woodward. The witnesses were Joseph Westray, Thomas
Saunders, and Bennett Pierce. This William Woodward left records which
involved Pierces, Westrays, Herrings, and Bridgers. His wife was Tamer
Cook, daughter of Reuben Cook (son of William Cook and Joane Roper)
and his wife Hannah Atkinson (daughter of John Atkinson and Ann Holliman),
widow of -?- Cole, and sister of John Cook, Joel Cook, and Nathan
Cook. Nathan Cook's 1786 will named his sister Tamar Cole and was
witnessed by Bennett Pierce. The Isle of Wight marriage bond of William
Woodward and Tamer Cole was dated Dec. 25, 1787. George Hall was the
bondsman. The 1781 Southampton Co. will of George Hall named among
others daughter Ann Woodard and George Hall, so the bondsman for William
Woodward's second marriage was the brother of his first wife. Peter
Woodward and William Woodward had appraised the estate of Tamer's
brother, Joel Cook in 1761, and Peter Woodward witnessed the will
of Tamer's brother, John Cook, in 1777. Joel Cook's wife was Priscilla
Eley, sister of William Eley, Jr. and daughter of William Eley, Sr.
From 1747 to 1759 Peter Woodward and Christopher Atkinson appeared
on the vestry records together as processioners.
Peter Woodward, Thomas Copher, and Thomas Cole
appraised the estate of John Holleman in 1751. Both the names Holleman
and Cole are associated with the Cook records.
This William Woodward had previously married Ann
Hall, daughter of George Hall. It's likely that William Hall Woodward
was named for George Hall and was surely a son by Ann Hall. This would
not seem to be the William Woodward whose wife was Jean Smelley and
whose children by her were William Woodward and Mary Woodward unless
both of those children had died and a later son was also named William.
In 1761, Will Woodward, John Marshall, and George
Hall witnessed the will of Robert Pope. In 1791, Elizabeth Giles married
Robert Pope with consent of John Giles. I'm not sure how these Giles
relate to the other Giles or if one Robert Pope was a descendant of
the other.
In 1675, Thomas Woodward, John George, Joseph
Bridger, William Cole, James Powell, and Nicholas Smith witnessed
a deed of Thomas Greenwood. The names William Woodward, John Woodward,
Powell, and Pierce also appear in the few remaining Nansemond Co.
records. Could John George Woodward have been named for John George?
John George Woodward left his will in Isle of
Wight dated Apr. 17, 1797. He named his wife Esther and her brother
John King to serve as executors. There was no mention of children.
Sally Woodward, probably his sister, and John Gaskins were two of
the witnesses. The will was presented Dec. 3, 1798 by John King and
Esther Moody, executors. The name John King also appears in the Nansemond
Co. records. (See p. ***) An Ed. Woodward lived in Nansemond Co. and
owned property across from Dick Gaskins. (See p. ***) An Edward Woodward
was named as a son of Richard Woodward of Nansemond Co.
The names Bridger, Westray, and Herring appeared
a number of times in the Isle of Wight Woodward records. William Bridger
was a security for the estate of Mills Herring whose will was written
in 1791 and witnessed by William Woodward, Frederick Jones, John Woodward,
Hardy Chapman, and William Woodward, Jr. The 1783 will of Charles
Fletcher was witnessed by Joseph Westray and Jeremiah Westray; William
Woodward and James Johnson were securities. Joseph Westray witnessed
the 1794 will of William Woodward. The estate of John Woodward was
appraised by Edmund Westray, John Westray, and John Sellaway. John
Eley, James Bridger, and John Westray examined the account of John
Woodward in 1754. Daniel Herring, Jr. signed the account. Daniel Herring
was named as a brother in the 1791will of Mills Herring. William Woodward,
Peter Woodward, and John George Woodward witnessed the will of Daniel
Herring, Sr. in 1785. The will named sons Elias, Daniel, Jesse, and
Mills Herring.
The 1730 Isle of Wight will of William Bridger
named son William, grandson Joseph Bridger, son James to receive land
that once belonged to his deceased brother, Joseph Bridger, where
Jonathan Jones now lives, Mr. Thomas Bray the cane which was his father's,
William Dixon, Arthur Smith to be guardian of son. Arthur Smith, Jr.
executor; William Crumpler and William Crumpler, Jr. witnesses.
In 1761, Simon Woodward, Mary Woodward, and Elizabeth
Gurley witnessed the Southampton Co., VA will of James Wright. Sarah
Wright, sister of John Wright, married John Butler, the neighbor of
John Woodward who patented land in Isle of Wight in 1724 on the north
side of the main Blackwater Swamp beginning in the county line 'twixt
Isle of Wight and Nansemond. John Gurley and Oliver Woodward witnessed
the Isle of Wight will of John Gent in 1727. George Gurley, Richard
Blow, Jr., and Henry Thomas appraised Oliver Woodward's estate in
1741.
Peter Woodward/Woodard first appeared in the Newport
Parish Vestry records in 1723 when the the line between his property
and Thomas Walton's property was processioned. He appeared in the
vestry records several times in regard to work he had done on the
church. The Isle of Wight deeds refer to him as a carpenter. The births
of three of his children by his wife Margaret were also recorded in
the vestry records: Peter Woodward, Jr. on Mar. 27, 1736; Margaret
Woodward on Jan. 15, 1737/38; and Rebecca Wiles (possibly Wills) Woodward
on Dec. 29, 1739/40. There may have been other children who were not
recorded in the vestry records. William Woodward appears to be a likely
candidate as one such child. Peter Woodward frequently helped to appraise
various estates in Isle of Wight: John Bidgood's estate recorded Oct.,
1726, George Murry's estate recorded Jan., 1734, James Jordan's estate
recorded July, 1741, Samuel Davis' estate recorded Sept., 1749, Arthur
Crocker's estate recorded Feb., 1750, Katherine Crocker's estate recorded
Mar., 1750, John Holleman's estate recorded Aug., 1751, Reuben Cook's
estate recorded Nov., 1751, Benjamin Ward's estate recorded Mar.,
1752, Susanna Holleman's estate recorded Nov., 1755, Benjamin Gwaltney's
estate recorded June, 1762, and Joel Cook's estate recorded July,
1762. Peter Woodward, Jr. appraised Abraham Jones' estate, recorded
Sept., 1758. In 1762, Peter Woodward witnessed the will of John Cook.
In 1785, William Woodward, Peter Woodward, and John George Woodward
witnessed the will of Daniel Herring, Sr. Some of the records may
have been the son rather than the father, but only one was recorded
as "Jr." William Woodward of the 1785 record was the father
of John George Woodward of the same record. Peter Woodward, the third
witness, was probably either the father of William Woodward or his
brother, depending on whether this was Jr. or Sr.
In Peter Woodward, Sr. we have the possibility
of another Jordan connection. In addition to appraising James Jordan's
estate, he also appeared on other records involving James Jordan.
Matthew Jordan and wife, Susannah Jordan, of the
upper parish to James Jordan, Jr. of the same. 150 acres (being the
land they now live on and was devised to said Susannah by the will
of her father, Robert Bird, dated 22 Nov. 1656). Wit. Peter Woodyard,
Thomas Hillyard, James Rowsom. Apr. 8, 1724. Isle of Wight (Note:
Matthew Jones states that he examined Susannah Jordan and that she
is very ancient and can not come to court.)
Power of Attorney of Susannah Jordan of the upper
parish to Joseph Chapman to acknowledge a certain deed to James Jordan,
Jr. from her husband, Matthew Jordan. Wit. Peter Woodward, Thomas
Hillyard, James Rowsom. Apr. 11, 1724. Isle of Wight.
James Jordan, Jr. of the upper parish to Matthew
Jordan of the same. 150 acres in the upper parish whereon said Matthew
Jordan now lives (being land devised to Susannah Bird, now wife of
the said Matthew Jordan, in the will of her father, Robert Bird, on
22 Nov. 1656 and said Matthew and Susannah Bird sold the land to said
James Jordan on 9 Apr 1724). Wit. Peter Woodward, James Rowsum, Thomas
Hillyard. May 25, 1724. Isle of Wight.
Copyright: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
Date Created: Saturday, 01-Feb-1997, 12:01 AM
Date Modified:
Saturday, 20-Oct-2007 9:45 AM
