Valentine...Week 7

This week's post is for the 2018 challenge called , 52 Ancestors In 52 Weeks, by Amy Johnson Crow.  Theme for this week: Valentine

When I think of Valentine, I think of love and marriage and good hearts.  In the Wood/Woods Family, we have lots of marriages that have lasted over many decades of time. I think this speaks to a testament of the dedication and steadiness of this family.  

William Estil Wood and his wife, Martha Ellen Franklin, were married on 12 Nov 1894 in Owen County, Indiana.  They were married for 56 years before William died.

William Estil Wood and Martha Ellen Franklin-Marriage Record

I have one picture of them together.  I have been on a mission to find some pictures of them and tracked this one down.  If anyone has any other pictures, please send them my way!  

William Estil Wood and Martha Ellen Franklin

They did have a 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration in 1944, and it was posted in the Indianapolis Star and the Owen County newspapers.  I am assuming it was published in the Bloomington newspaper as well, but I have yet to find it.  

Cecil Dale Wood and his wife, Julia Antionette Richardson, were married on 01 May 1926 in Monroe County, Indiana.  They were married for 47 years before Cecil Dale died.  

Julia Richardson Woods and Cecil Dale Woods

Below is a copy of their Marriage application in Monroe County. I had shown a portion of this before when we were talking about the infamous Wood/Woods name.  This is the entire application.  

 

 

Cecil Austin Woods and his wife, Viola May Ingram, were married on 07 Nov 1948 in Marion County, Indiana. (Same anniversary as Brian and I.  This makes me smile!)  They were married for 39 years before Viola passed away.  

Some of my favorite Woods pictures are from their wedding.  They were married at the Woodside Methodist Church and had a small celebration at this restaurant shown in the pictures. 

I don't have an image of their actual Marion County, Indiana marriage license or application yet.  I do have this ceremonial certificate they filled out at the time of their marriage.  

These are just three generations that I highlighted today. There are lots more Woods family  marriages lasting many decades.  Heck, Brian and I are on year 20 this year!  Twenty years together. Cheers to many more! 

Sources

William E Wood and Martha Franklin, (12 November 1894), Owen County, Indiana, Marriage Record, Book J, 1890-1898: pg. 301; Owen County Courthouse, 60 S Main Street, Spencer, Indiana.

"The Star Congratulates Mr. and Mrs. Estil Wood," Indianapolis Star - www., 19 November 1944, Column 3; Online Images https://www.newspapers.com (: accessed 21 March 2017), https://www.newspapers.com/image/104963576/?terms=estil%2Bwood.

"To Observe Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary," undated clipping, 9 October 1944, from unidentified newspaper; Owen County Indiana Public Library Family File - WOOD/WOODS; privately held 2016 by Owen County Indiana Library, 10 S Montgomery St., Spencer, IN 47460. Took picture of announcement in the file.

Woods, Dale and Julia Richardson, (1 May 1926), Monroe County Indiana Marriage Records: Book 20, Page 231; Monroe County History Center, Bloomington, Indiana.

Favorite Name....Week 6

This week's post is for the 2018 challenge called , 52 Ancestors In 52 Weeks, by Amy Johnson Crow.  Theme for this week: Favorite Name

Well, to be honest, the Wood/Woods family seem to be very traditional and reserved people who did not venture too crazy with names.  As a genealogist, we adore unique names.  It makes them easier to find in records.  Our direct family line was "blessed" with not-so- unique names and this makes the research a little harder at times.  For instance, I believe there were two John Wood men arriving in Owen County, Indiana around the same time in 1838.  It takes a lot more research surrounding each family to figure out who is who and make sure you have the right guy.    

Let's talk a little more about the John Wood family.  They do have one person whose name is a little unique.  We saw the John Wood family 1850 census when they arrived in Indiana in last week's blog post.  John and Martha had three children listed in the census: Nathan, Hardin T. and Hiram. 

John Wood Family, 1850 US Census, Owen County, Indiana

Nathan was our Civil War veteran and his two brothers, Hardin and Hiram, were elusive for the longest time. I tried many times to figure out what happened to Hardin and Hiram as they grew into adults and kept hitting dead ends.  

The key to finding out more about them was when John Wood died at a fairly early age of 46 in 1857.  John Wood died without a will.  According to FindLaw.com, "Dying without a will leaves an estate intestate, and a probate court must step in to divide up the estate using legal defaults in order to give property to surviving relatives."  What does this means for us? Lots of records filed at the county courthouse.  (WOOT! WOOT!)  

When I found his probate records, I discovered more information about the children---including the fact that John and Martha had TWO MORE CHILDREN!  The first screen shot is for the May 1, 1858 filing for the John Wood estate.  It lists Nathan B, Thomas H., King H., Martha E. and Henry H. Woods.  The second screen shot is for the Jan 23, 1860 filing and lists a little more information:  Nathan (age 19), Thomas H. (age 16), King H. (age 12), Martha E. (age 6) and Henry H. Woods (age 2).  I believe this is referencing the ages of when their father died.  And very sadly, this latter record is for Martha, not John. She dies also at a young age of 46 in 1859 and leaves all these children.  

John Wood Estate Petition to Sell Land, May 1, 1858

      

Martha Wood Complete Record, January 23, 1860

The two probate files for this couple are like a GIANT puzzle, and I will talk more about that in LOTS of future blog posts.  Let's get back to our names.  Does anyone else think that King is a unique name?  It appears his name was Hiram on the census when he was 2 years old, but now his name is listed as King H.  I am wondering if King could be a last name of a relative.  I will just keep that in mind as I keep researching.    

I also did some research and maybe the name wasn't that unique at the time.  According to ohbabynames.com, "King was actually quasi-popular back in the late 1800s. The name appeared on the U.S. male naming charts since 1880 (the first year the government began tracking naming trends in the country)."

I also know that Hiram was the name of his uncle, Martha's brother.  Hiram Bray was appointed as Guardian over the children when John died.  This means he was financially responsible for the children.  When Martha dies, I am wondering if King went to live with Hiram Bray and his wife and having 2 Hiram's in the house was too confusing.  

In closing, as a genealogist, I am always trying to find every record to add to the puzzle.  This is a great example of two children being listed with two different names at different points in their lives.  Notice, Hardin is now listed as Thomas H.  I think this was the reason why I couldn't find out anything else about these two siblings as adults.  They were going by first --or-- middle names.    Now that I think about it, I personally did this sort of thing too.  I was born as Deidre, but for some reason, early in elementary school, everyone called me Dee Dee.  I distinctly remember one day saying to my mom, "Can I please go by Deidre?  My name is Deidre. "  Maybe King sounded more like royalty, and he just liked the sound of it!  We may never know why our ancestors were named certain things, but it is fun to dig up their lives and wonder. 



Sources
Ancestry.com, 1850 United States Federal Census (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.Original data - United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Seventh Census of the United States, 1850. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1850. M432,), Year: 1850; Census Place: Clay, Owen, Indiana; Roll: M432_164; Page: 71B; Image: 147.

http://estate.findlaw.com/estate-administration/estate-administration-the-will-after-death.html 

Owen County, Indiana, Court of Common Pleas, Vol 2, 1856-1862: Page 203-204, John Wood Estate Petition to Sell Land; Ancestry.com. Indiana, Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999 [database on-line], Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

Owen County, Indiana, Complete Record, Court of Common Pleas, Vol 3, 1857-1863: Page 252-257, Martha Wood; Ancestry.com. Indiana, Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999 [database on-line], Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

http://www.ohbabynames.com/meaning/name/king/1648#.Wn78ZainFnI

In the Census...Week 5

This week's post is for the 2018 challenge called , 52 Ancestors In 52 Weeks, by Amy Johnson Crow.  Theme for this week: In the Census.  

A United States Population Census is taken every ten years in this country.  The first census occurred in 1790, and they have continued every ten years since this time.  Before 1850, the census data displayed the name of the head of household and showed only the number of other people living in the household.  In 1850, however, every name in the household was recorded, as well as some other information that is vital in learning about our family history.  

I thought I'd write about the first time John Wood shows up in the census in Indiana.  The year is 1850 and the date is November 9th. The census enumerator, Sam Dunning, went around to rural Owen County, Indiana and surveyed all the people living in Clay Township around this time.  

John Wood Family - 1850 US Census, Owen County, Indiana

John Wood is listed as 37 years old and born in North Carolina.  It also states that he is a farmer by trade and the value of real estate owned is $400.  His family is listed as well.  Martha Wood, born in North Carolina as well, and age 27.  (I am going to interject here and say that I think this is a mistake and she was actually 37, but that's for another blog post.)  Lastly, three sons are listed as Nathan, age 13, Hardin T, age 12, and Hiram, age 2.  All born in North Carolina, except the baby, is listed as being born here in Indiana.  

There is also an entry in the Agricultural Census of 1850 for John Wood as well.  I love reading these!  Recorded on the same day as the population census, we get a glimpse of what the John Wood family farm was like.  

John Wood Family - 1850 US Agriculture Census, Owen County, Indiana

Acres of Land
Improved – 15 
Unimproved – 65

Cash Value of Farm – 400
Value of Farming Implements and Machinery – 12

Live Stock as of June 1, 1850 
Horses – 1
Asses and Mules – 0
Milch Cows – 2
Working Oxen – 2
Other Cattle – 1
Sheep – 12
Swine – 14
Value of Live Stock – 76

Produce during the year ending June 1, 1850
Wheat, bushels of – 0
Rye, bushels of – 0
Indian Corn, bushels of – 150
Oats, bushels of – 0
Rice, lbs. of – 0
Tobacco, lbs. of – 1,000
Ginned Cotton, bales of 400 lbs. each – 0
Wool, lbs. of – 20
Peas and Beans, bushels of  – 1
Irish Potatoes, bushels of – 10 
Sweet Potatoes, bushels of – 0
Barley, bushels of – 0
Buckwheat, bushels of – 0
Value of Orchard Produce in dollars – 0
Wine, gallons of – 0
Value of Market Gardens – 0
Butter, lbs. of – 104
Cheese, lbs. of  – 0
Hay, tons of  – 0
Clover Seed, bushels of  – 0
Other Grass Seeds, bushels of  – 0
Hops, lbs. of  – 0
Hemp, Dew Rotted, tons of  – 0
Hemp, Water rotted, tons of   – 0
Flax, lbs. of  – 0
Flaxseed, bushels of   – 0
Silk Cocoons, lbs. of  – 0
Maple Sugar, lbs. of – 20
Cane Sugar, hhds. Of 1,000 lbs. – 0
Molasses, gallons of – 3
Beeswax and Honey, lbs. of – 0
Value of Homemade Manufactures – 15
Value of Animals Slaughtered – 25


Being that he was from North Carolina, I am not surprised he raised tobacco.  One thousand pounds of tobacco all grown by the sweat of his brow.  Not something you see in Indiana today.  I decided to dig up some old photos of farming tobacco and found these at the Library of Congress.  

Tobacco Farm circa 1916

Tobacco drying on a farm

The chart below shows where tobacco was being grown in the United States in 1859.  There are just a couple dots around the Spencer, Owen County, Indiana area.  Our ancestors worked to make up that little dot on the map!  

The other item I found interesting was the 104 pounds of butter.  So how many times a year does Martha have to turn cream to butter in a butter churn to get 100 pounds?  Now I realize when we buy four sticks of butter, this is a pound.  But 100 pounds? Again, all by the sweat of their brow.  Not like us going to the local Kroger and buying our four sticks in a box.  

He also had quite a few cows, pigs and sheep and one horse!  

In closing, the land he worked to grow his crops was south of Spencer, Indiana.  According to land records, I believe John secured land in Owen County around 1846-1848.  I will write more about this in a later post.  



Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Census

Ancestry.com, 1850 United States Federal Census (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.Original data - United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Seventh Census of the United States, 1850. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1850. M432,), Year: 1850; Census Place: Clay, Owen, Indiana; Roll: M432_164; Page: 71B; Image: 147.

1850, Owen County Indiana Agriculture Census, Clay Township, Owen County, Indiana, USA, Agriculture Schedule, Clay Township, Owen County, Indiana, USA, pg. 246, entry for John Woods.

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/nclc.00531/

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017757214/

http://etc.usf.edu/maps/pages/200/227/227.htm 

Invite to Dinner...Week 4

This week's post is for the 2018 challenge called , 52 Ancestors In 52 Weeks, by Amy Johnson Crow.  Theme for this week: Invite to Dinner.

When I asked my husband about which ancestor he'd invite for dinner, he said, "That's easy. I'd ask my great grandfather to dinner so we could talk about the 's' added to the end of our name."    I thought about what he said and agreed.  Knowing the full story of how your name was changed and morphed into something different would make me feel more complete. I would love to tell you we know the full story, but alas, we do not. Here's what I do know. 

You may have seen my previous posts about our Civil War Veteran, Nathan WOOD, and his dad, John WOOD.  One of Nathan's sons was, William Estil WOOD, and one of his sons was Cecil Dale WOOD.  No "s".  No plural form.  The single form.  Just the material that forms the trunk of a tree or bush.  The matter you use to burn a fire. The substance a woodworker uses to create furniture.  However, I have always felt that adding an "s" gives you a different meaning.  I picture a vast forest or a piece of land full of trees of all kinds---elm, walnut, tulip tree, maple, oak and pine---and a stream running through the middle.  I love our name, by the way, but I digress....

The name change was initiated with Cecil Dale Wood, born December 7, 1904 in Owen County, Indiana.  Below you can see his birth record I retrieved from the Owen County Health Department.  

Cecil Dale Wood entry, Owen County, Indiana, Birth Records

He was born with the name Wood, but somewhere around 1926, he simply added the "s" at the end of his name.  He didn't do this legally (or at least I don't think he did.)

Cecil Dale's family moved to Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana somewhere around 1916 when Cecil Dale would have been about 12 years old.  Cecil Dale appears in the 1920-1922 Bloomington City Directory for the first time and listed with his father and his brother, Dewey.  All with the last name of WOOD.  Cecil Dale stops appearing in the Bloomington City Directories around 1939.  

Wood Entries for Caron's Directory of the City
Bloomington, Indiana for 1920-1921-1922

When Cecil Dale marries Julia Antionette Richardson on May 1, 1926, his name is listed as Woods and he signs his name with an "s". He is 21 years old at the time of his marriage.  This is the first time we see his name with an "s" at the end.  

Cecil Dale Dale and Julia Richardson, Monroe County Indiana Marriage Record

Signature as Dale Woods, signed twice on the Marriage Record

However, there are some inconsistencies with the "s" at the end of the name. In the next census of 1930, he is listed as Dale Wood and living with Julia's parents.  

1930 US Census - Listing for Dale Wood

Up until the 1936-1937, he is listed as Cecil D Wood, no "s", in the Bloomington, Indiana City Directories; however, in the 1938-1939 directory, he is listed with the "s" at the end.  

Wood Entries for Caron's Directory of the City
Bloomington, Indiana for 1938-1939

This is a few years prior to the family moving to Indianapolis, Indiana.  And, it seems after they move to Indianapolis, the name is consistently, Woods.  

Wood Entries for Polk's Indianapolis City Directory - Vol. 1942

I feel like I have to write about this topic so generations after ours know that the name change occurred.  We know some bits and pieces, and I have gathered some facts surrounding the name change.  There is also family lore that suggests that Cecil Dale and his brother did not get along or had a squabble, and Cecil Dale added the "s" so he would not be associated with his brother.  I had heard that he did this when he moved to Indianapolis, but given the facts I found, I don't think this is necessarily the case.  Below you see a picture of Cecil Dale and his brother.  They don't really look like they hate each other, but who knows?  This is just one photograph and one glimmer in time. 

So, back to the original intent of the blog post. If you could invite someone to dinner and have a conversation about your family history, Brian and I would love to know more about why someone would choose to change their name.  Back then, I guess you just decided to do it, and then just start writing your name differently and tell people your name has an "s" on the end of it. We couldn't imagine doing this today!  I guess we may never know the full reason why Cecil Dale Wood wanted to be Cecil Dale Woods. But, we do know he changed his name, and it still lives on today in our names.  

Cecil Dale Woods and his brother, Dewey Wood

Cecil Dale Woods

Sources
(No First Name Listed) Wood entry, Owen County, Indiana, Birth Records, H-6, Book H-6, 1904-1907: Page 9, Entry No. 6, Owen County Health Department, 86 East Market Street, Spencer, Indiana.

Caron's Directory of the City of Bloomington, Indiana for 1916-1917-1918: And Taxpayers of Monroe County (Louisville, Kentucky, Indiana: Caron Directory Co., 1918), 314 & 356, entry for Wood Estil W. (Martha); digital image, Ancestry.com, Ancestry.com (http://interactive.ancestry.com/2469/11569542/637300787?backurl=http://person.ancestry.com/tree/5907916/person/-1373818511/facts/citation/323805103860/edit/record : Downloaded 26 November 2016), lab r 726 S Rogers.

Caron's Directory of the City Bloomington, Indiana for 1920-1921-1922: And Taxpayers of Monroe County (Louisville, Kentucky, USA: Caron Directory Co., 1922), 284 & 307, entry for Wood W Estil (Martha); digital image, Ancestry.com, Ancestry.com (http://interactive.ancestry.com/2469/10520751/528929146?backurl=http://person.ancestry.com/tree/5907916/person/-1373825559/facts/citation/660119774871/edit/record#?imageId=11621166 : Downloaded 29 November 2016), farmer r 1003 Howe.

Woods, Dale and Julia Richardson, (1 May 1926), Monroe County Indiana Marriage Records: Book 20, Page 231; Monroe County History Center, Bloomington, Indiana.

Ancestry.com, 1930 United States Federal Census (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2002.Original data - United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626), Year: 1930; Census Place: Bloomington, Monroe, Indiana; Roll: 619; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 4; Image: 9.0.

Caron's Bloomington, Indiana City Directory 1936-1937 (Louisville, Kentucky, USA: Caron Directory Company, 1937), 399, entry for Wood C Dale (Julia); [Format:lower], [Creator], [WebsiteTitle] ([URL] : [AccessType] [AccessDate]), formn r 922 W. 7th.

Caron's Bloomington, Indiana City Directory 1938-1939 (Louisville, Kentucky, USA: Caron Directory Company, 1939), page 405, entry for Woods Cecil D (Julia); [Format:lower], [Creator], [WebsiteTitle] ([URL] : [AccessType] [AccessDate]), r 1000 W 7th.

Polk's Indianapolis City Directory - Vol. 1942 (Indianapolis, Indiana: R.L. Polk & CO., Publishers, 1942), 1441, entry for Woods, Cecil D; digital image, Ancestry.com, Ancestry.com (Downloaded 29 November 2016), mach NYCSys r204 N Walcott.