Christopher Woodward who lived near Middle Creek
in Wake Co. first appeared in the Johnston Co. records in 1767. Prior
to that date, no records have been found for him with the possible
exception of a Suffolk Parish vestry record in Nansemond Co., VA dated
Oct. 31, 1759:
Capt. Randal for keping Christopher
Woodward's child 4 months.
Another record from the same
source may or may not relate. Sept. 6, 1763:
Samuel Fitz Randolph for Burying
Woodward's child.
The Nansemond Co. courthouse
records were destroyed in a fire, so it's impossible to check deeds,
estate records, court minutes, etc. to learn more about this Christopher
Woodward. It's not clear from the record if the child was an orphan
or not. This could have been an early record for Christopher Woodward
of Wake Co., or possibly his father or uncle, or even another entirely
different man who just happened to have the same name.
If these parish records were
earlier records for our Christopher Woodward, this would place him
in the same county in which James Sanders owned land which he had
inherited from his father, Richard Sanders. This James Sanders who
inherited the Nansemond Co. land would seem to be the same as James
Sanders who was the father of the Sanders of Johnston and Wake Counties.
(See p. ***) Three known descendants of Christopher Woodward were
given the name Sanders. A family of Corbells lived in Nansemond Co.
for whom Christopher Woodward's son, Corbell Woodward, might have
been named. A John Jordan also lived in Nansemond Co. That name is
also associated with Samuel Woodward of Chowan Co. (See p. ***) Christopher
Woodward's son, Jordan Woodward, may have been named for an unknown
Jordan ancestor.
John Corbell. 285 acs. Up.
Par. of Nancemond on S side of the S br. of Nansemond Riv. called
Evans' Cr; along Mills Cr. &c 25 Oct. 1695. Granted to John Wright
in July 1653, & now in possession of Thos. Corbell, in behalfe
of his son, the sd. John, to whom it of right belongs, as being the
eldest son of the eldest dau. of John Harris & Abigall, his wife,
who have had the land in peaceable & quiet possession since 1654;
& now by order of the Gen. Ct. the land is surv. according to
pat. & ancient bounds & pat. in the name of sd. John Corbell.
The fact that no records for
Christopher Woodward of Wake Co. have been found in NC during the
period from 1760 when Jordan said he was born in NC until 1767 when
the first record appeared in Johnston Co. does not prove that our
Christopher was not living in NC since so many records have been lost
or destroyed. He would not seem to have been living in Johnston Co.
as the Johnston Co. records have been well preserved. But he may have
lived in some other county in NC where the records were not so well
preserved. Because of the possibility that Christopher Woodward of
Wake Co. may have originally come from Nansemond Co., all Woodward
records relating to Nansemond Co. are of interest to us.
There were several records
for Samuel Woodward in Nansemond Co. which are given on p. 301, so
I won't repeat them here. These records seem to relate to Samuel Woodward
II, grandson of Christopher Woodward, the immigrant.
Nansemond Co. is where a Richard
Woodward who owned land in Granville Co., NC lived in 1762. This land
would now be part of Nash Co. and adjoined the land of Gideon Hunt
Macon, a grandson of Martha Woodward and Gideon Macon. (See p. ***)
This Richard Woodward also lived near Col. Edward Moseley, Isaac Hunter,
and Jesse Hunter. Edward Moseley appeared on the records of Samuel
Woodward of Chowan Co. (See p. ***) An Isaac Hunter lived in Wake
Co. One of Christopher Woodward's great-grandsons was named Theophilus
Hunter Jones, surely for Theophilus Hunter who was a member of the
same family of Hunters in Wake Co. He was the brother of Isaac Hunter
of Wake Co. (See p. ***)
When the Nansemond Co. courthouse
burned, the clerk had taken home an index to the Clerk's Fees Book.
That book survived and has been compiled and published by Hugh S.
Watson, Jr. The following Woodward records were included:
Woodward, vs. Scarbrook Godwin
1795 390
Woodward, Benjn. King, John
King, & Michael King Rec. bond with ref. to, 1795 391
Woodward, vs. Wm. Medcalf &
Henry Lassiter 1792 190
Woodward, vs. Tho. Oliver and
wife (Nd) 1799 660
Woodward, vs. Tho. -- Thomas
Pinner et ux (Nd) 1796-97-98 453, 519, 595
Woodward, vs. Ezekiel Powell
1797 (Nd)-98(Nd)-99(NkCy) 530, 600, 665
Woodward & vs. Kedar Webb
admor. of Thomas Nelms (NkCy) 1797 508
Woodward, Jacob (Nd) vs.Godwin.
1794-95-96-97-98 321, 381, 440, 541, 633
Woodward, James (to be chd.
to Bela Badger (Ston) vs. Green 1793 247
Woodward, Jemima & Tho.
Oliver Div. of R. Woodward's estate 1795 385
Woodward, Wm. admor. of Peter
Pierce vs. Powell 1797 545
Woodward, Wm. admor. of Peter
Pierce (Iwt) vs. Powell & Briggs, vs.
James & (Not inhabitants),
& vs. Powell 1796 434
Under Powell there were quite
a few entries including the following:
Powell, vs. Matthew Jordan
(IWt) 1798-99 626, 656
Powell, vs. Wm. Smelly(?) &
Eliz. his wife and others. 1796 438
Powell, et ux vs. William Smelly
et us & others (IofW) 1797 519
Powell, vs. John Woodward 1798-99
633, 665
Powell, vs. Wm. Woodward admor.
of Peter Pierce (IWt) 1797 545
Powell & Briggs vs. Wm.
Woodward admor. of Peter Pierce (IWt) 1796 434
Powell, Ezekiel appt. constable
by county 1796 468
Powell, Ezekiel (Nd) vs. Woodward
1797-98 530, 600
Powell, Ezekiel (NKCy) vs.
Woodward & vs. Jordan 1799 665
Bible Records of Suffolk and
Nansemond Co. by Fillmore Norfleet contains the following labeled
simply "Woodward Bible":
James Woodward son of Richd
Woodward & Jamymay his wife was Born in Septr 19, 1791.
John Woodward son of Richd
Woodward & Jamymay his wife was Born Octr 27th 1793.
William Woodward son of Richd
Woodward & Jamymay his wife was born Sept. 23d in the year of
our Lord 1797. (Last figure indistinct).
(Bible Printed by the Assigns
of Alexander Kincaid, His Majesty's Printer, MDCCLXXXIX, Edinburgh,
1799. Formerly owned by Marmaduke Woodward.)
There are some discrepancies
in these records as published here. The Roman numeral translates to
1789 rather than 1799, and it would seem that the year of birth for
William Woodward was misread since according to the clerk's book,
Richard Woodward was deceased by 1794 when Jemima was granted administration
of his estate.
According to the Bible records,
the John Woodward who was involved in settling the estate of Richard
Woodward could not have been Richard's son. A son named John was born
to Richard Woodward's family in 1793. Surely Richard Woodward would
not have named a second son John if an earlier son John was still
living. Although there might have been two Richard Woodwards, that
seems very unlikely because of the wife's name which was the same
in both the Bible records and the index records.
The Suffolk-Nansemond Historical
Society published a book originally written by William Turner Jordan,
M.D. (1835-1922) entitled A Record of Farms and their Owners in Lower
Parish of Nansemond County, Virginia. Dr. Jordan is said to have begun
work on the book in 1907 and completed it "just as America entered
the first great conflict". He gathered his information as he
visited his patients throughout the county, and his history of the
land is said to go back to the Revolutionary period. One part refers
to land that had belonged to a Bennett who held lands near the Nansemond
River and Bennett Creek. Part of this land was purchased by Dr. Samuel
Browne who sold it to Ezekial Powell. Ezekial Powell appears in the
clerk's book, apparently in association with Richard Woodward and
John Woodward and possibly with William Woodward as well. Dr. Samuel
Browne owned the land adjoining Oliver Woodward's grant in Isle of
Wight Co. (See p. ***)
Dr. Jordan also described land
which belonged to a Richard Woodward, probably not the same as the
one of the Bible records whose children were Richard, John, and William.
No dates were given to determine if this might have been the son named
Richard.
To the east and across the
road is what was the Woodward property, owned by Richard Woodward,
who died leaving a widow and two sons, Richard and Edward; the widow
and Richard died, leaving Edward in full possession of the estate.
He, after marrying, sold the farm to said Dr. A. W. Wilson.
In two separated paragraphs,
Dr. Jordan described property that was owned by a John Woodward:
They <Thomas and Joshua
Trotter, sons of Dr. Thomas Trotter> sold out to Jno. Woodward
and moved to Charlotte, N. C. The Trotter family were strong quakers.
Jno. Woodward lived for several years on this farm, and died there,
leaving a widow and three children. One died young and the farm was
heired by the other two, Franklin and Virginia. Franklin remained
and cultivated the farm many years, and sold his interest to Jeremiah
Jones who married Virginia. They lived on this farm several years
and died there, leaving five children, who came in possession of the
property, and it is now held by three of them, viz Jeremiah, John,
and Annie L. Jones.
To the east and adjoining
is what was known as the Trotter place, which was owned by Dr. Trotter,
which was sold for division. (They were thorough Quakers). It was
bought by John Woodward (who married a Miss Laniere) they had three
children. At their death the farm was divided between two children,
Franklin and Virginia. Virginia married Jeremiah Jones, and Franklin
sold his interest to Jones. The farm is now the property of Jer. Jr.,
John W., and Annie Lee Jones, children of Jeremiah and Virginia Jones.
Directly east and adjoining
this place <Dick Gaskin's place which was originally one of Bennett's
places> is a farm called "Old Chimneys". I have never
learned who owned this place after Bennett at first. The first owner
I heard of was Ed. Woodward who owned it for a few years; then Elisha
Norfleet of Suffolk bought it; he owned it only a short while and
W. J. Wright bought it; and after some years he sold it to Frank and
Charles Beaton. They owned it a few years and Geo. T. Rawles purchased
it, and now Jno. Eberwine owns it.
Robert Lanier owned land in
Bertie Co. in 1723 near James Sanders, John Jones, Sr., John Jones,
Jr. and others. (See p. *** under Oliver WW)
The Suffolk Parish Vestry Book
contained other entries of interest. John King appeared frequently
as a member of the vestry in 1754. The Isle of Wight estate records
of John George Woodward whose will was written in 1797 and recorded
in 1798 prove that his widow was Esther King, sister to John King.
Some of the records from the clerk's index book would appear to relate
to this John George Woodward since they mention King or John King.
However, the John Woodward who was ordered to settle the estate of
Richard Woodward would not seem to be the same one since that record
was dated in 1799, after John George Woodward's death.
On Oct. 11, 1754, Dr. Jessey
Brown was mentioned in the Suffolk Parish Vestry Records for "Salavanting
Giles Laurance." He was also named in the 1739 will of Dr. Samuel
Brown of Isle of Wight as the son who was to inherit land in NC on
Indian Branch. Dr. Samuel Brown also named as an heir grandson Samuel,
son of Henry King and his wife, Martha. Dr. Jesse Browne's 1770 will
left land to grandson Jesse Browne the land which had been bought
of Joseph Strickling and originally patented by Oliver Woodward. Dr.
Turner's writings (see p. ***) stated that Dr. Samuel Browne came
into possession of some of the Bennett grant located across from the
Doughtie and Lawrence place and later sold his land to Ezekiel Powell.
There would seem to be some connection between this Ezekiel Powell
and Richard Woodward's estate according to the clerk's index book.
It is not known if the Lawrence place belonged to Giles Laurance or
some other Lawrence/Laurance.
Also on Oct. 11, 1754, Richard
Bennett, Esq. was mentioned as having donated land and cash, and Eliza
Woodward was mentioned for keeping Abigail Davis for two months. On
Sept. 6, 1763, John King was recorded for "phisick for Patience
Cook", John Jordan's rent was recorded, and Bennett made another
donation of land and cash. On Nov. 14, 1770, Benjamin Woodward was
recorded for white washing the church, and Dr. Samuel Brown was recorded
for "services done Hogland". On Oct. 22, 1771, Joseph Corbell
and William Ealey were recorded as the processioners from Sandy Bottom
to Chuckatuck Mill and to Col. Lears Creek. On Nov. 6, 1771 John Woodward
was recorded for making a coffin for Sarah Jones, and Bennett made
another donation in land. On Nov. 22, 1782, Oct. 27, 1783, Feb. 4,
1784, and Nov. 4, 1784, Joseph Corbell was recorded as Clerk of Vestry.
Abigail Corbell appeared on several records as a "poor woman"
and as a Sexton. On Oct. 27, 1783, John Woodward and John Powell were
recorded as the processioners from Thomas Slaughter to land that was
formerly Lovets. On Nov. 4, 1784, John Woodward and John Powell were
again listed as processsioners, but the area they were to procession
was not included. In Isle of Wight Co., William Woodward (either the
father or brother of John George Woodward) and Benjamin Tynes appraised
the estate of Charles Fletcher in 1785.
The reference to John King
and Patience Cook is of interest. Thomas Cook whose brother Reuben
Cook was the father of Tamar/Tamer Cook who first married -?- Cole
and second William Woodward, married Mary Jones, the daughter of Arthur
Jones and Susannah King. Susannah King was the daughter of a Henry
King. She was the wife of Arthur Jones by 1679. Mary Jones was the
wife of Thomas Cook by 1702. Thomas Cook's will was recorded in Isle
of Wight in 1736.
Nathan Cook, brother of Tamer
Cook who later married William Woodward, left his will in Isle of
Wight dated 1786 mentioning his sister, Tamer Cole. One of the witnesses
was Bennett Pierce. Bennett Pierce was also named as security in the
will of William Woodward written in 1794 and recorded in 1797 in Isle
of Wight. William Woodward's will named sons John George Woodward
and William Hall Woodward. William Woodward's first wife was Jean
Smelly and his second Ann Hall, daughter of George Hall. The Isle
of Wight will of William Smelly dated 1689 and recorded 1692 named
wife Eleanor and sons William, Robert, Lewis, and John. James Doughtie
was a witness. Rev. Jordan's writings mentioned Doughtie land across
from Dr. Samuel Browne's land. The widow of William Smelly, Eleanor,
married Thomas Giles, believed to be the brother of John Giles whose
wife was Philarite Woodward. Jean Smelley was the daughter of John
Smelly and John Smelly, son of William and Eleanor Smelly, and his
wife Sarah Casey. William Smelly's other sons also married back into
the family. Lewis Smelly married Elizabeth Giles, daughter of Thomas
Giles. Robert Smelly married Eleanor Giles, daughter of Thomas Giles.
Thomas Giles' first wife was a daughter of Jacob Darden whose will
mentioned a grandchild, his daughter's child, also referred to as
the daughter of Thomas Giles.
John Woodard who left the Edgecombe
Co. will dated 1765 is said to have come from Isle of Wight according
to A History of the Woodards by Randle C. Woodard, Audie W. Woodard,
and Austin M. Cooper, but no records were given to support this. John
Woodard's son, Thomas Woodard, left a number of records in Johnston
Co. and died about 1791 in Nash Co. His wife, Lydia, was said by the
same source to have been Lydia Langston born in 1720 in Nansemond
Co. They are believed to have married about 1739. He would seem to
be the same Thomas Woodard who was living in Nansemond Co. in 1739
according to the following Halifax Co. records:
Jacob Pope of Edgecombe to
Thomas Woodard of Nansemond Co., VA. Tract in Edgecombe. Dated Aug.
15, 1739.
William Moore of Edgecombe
to Thomas Woodard of Edgecombe. Patent to John Taylor on Spring Branch
and the Tar River. Dated July 9, 1754.
William Lassiter of Edgecombe,
planter, to Thomas Woodard of Edgecombe, planter. Land on the north
side of the Tar River patented by William Lassiter March 25, 1752
next to Thomas Woodard. Dated Aug. 5, 1752.
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
