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 

Favorite Photo...Week 2

Nathan Wood, circa 1865

Since I am a scrapbooker, I LOVE PHOTOS!  I love studying them. I love the feelings they bring. I love the memories they conjure.  I love the history captured in an instant.  The oldest picture I have in my picture collection is one of Nathan Wood, and the picture fascinates me.  The picture is in his Civil War uniform circa 1865. 

Interestingly enough, I received the picture from a long lost relative half way across the country! I had been searching Google for any information about the Wood family from Surry County, North Carolina in the late 1800’s and saw a post on a message board from 2001. I did some sleuthing and found the cousin through Facebook and started conversing about the Wood family. Through our conversation she sent me this most treasured photo in my collection for the Woods family! 

Let me tell you a little bit of history on Nathan Wood. You may first notice his name does not contain an “s” at the end like our name. Rest assured we are directly related to him, and this will be another blog post altogether!  Also, in today's post I will tell you some basic facts about his life and will later dig into a lot of these facts in future blog posts. 

Nathan Wood is Brian’s great-great-great grandfather. He was born in North Carolina in 1839 to John and Martha (Bray) Wood. I believe John and Martha and their family moved to the Owen County, Indiana area around 1846. Nathan was the oldest son of the couple who had four other children. The other siblings were: Thomas Hardin, Hiram King, Martha E. and Henry F. Wood. 

Nathan married Sarah Amanda May in July of 1860.  In addition, according to his Civil War pension file I secured from the National Archives in Washington D.C., he was enlisted into the Civil War in February 1865 in Owen County, Indiana when he was 25 years of age. Nathan served in the Army of the 149th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company D.  He only served in the war for a few months and was honorably discharged on May 15th, 1865.  He died on July 1st, 1886 when he was 47 years old.  

Nathan Wood, Civil War Pension File, Discharge Certificate, May 1865 

If you look at the Discharge Certificate picture towards the end of the document, you will notice it gives some physical characteristics for Nathan. It states he was five feet six inches high, light complexion, blue eyes, light hair, and by occupation when enrolled a farmer.  

I have stared into those light eyes of the photo a thousand times and wished he could speak to me.  I dearly cherish this photo and hope to share more of his history in future blog posts.  

Sources:

Owen County, Indiana, United States, Owen County Deed Records, Bk. 8, 1843-1846, Page 484, Microfilm No. IND 1-060A4, 16 January 1846; Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States.

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.

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.

"Civil War Pension Application File,'" Discharge Certificate, Case Files of Approved Pension Applications of Soldiers Who Served in Both the Mexican War and the Civil War, ca. 1847 - ca. 1888, Record Group 15, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs,National Archives,Washington, D.C., United States.Certificate Included with Original Invalid Claim,15 May 1865,Application No. 439.771,Certificate No. 345.827.

Nathan Wood and Sarah Amanda May, (19 July 1860), Owen County, Indiana, Marriage Record, Book D, 1854-1863: 450; Owen County Courthouse, 60 S Main St, Spencer, Indiana.

Rub Some Water On It!

I can't believe I did it!  I got my husband to get up on a Saturday and head to a county an hour and a half away to see what we could see about his ancestors.  You see, he doesn't like to have things sprung on him at the last minute, and I figured there was no way he would go.  However, to my happiness, he went without a fight, and we had a great day! 

Let me give you a little background.  My husband and I just discovered that we like genealogy. After almost 18 years of marriage, it's so neat to find something new that we can do together and enjoy!  We have been working on his Wood/Woods family for a month or so, and it was time to head to the nearest county where his relatives had settled.  We had done tons of Ancestry and internet searches and had some questions that just couldn't be answered without actually going there and seeing things with our own eyes.  We want to go to the Owen County, Indiana courthouse as well, but they aren't open on weekends.  Our goal today was to 1) visit the Owen County Library in Spencer, IN and check out the Genealogy section, 2) Visit the known graves of some relatives in this area: Nathan and Sarah Wood, 3) View the property of John Wood (Nathan's dad) in which he obtained a land patent in 1848. 

The library was very nice and we poked around some books and, to our enjoyment, they had a Wood Family File chocked full of papers.  Of course not all the pieces pertained to our family, but it was so nice to see a hefty file to look through and enjoy.  We didn't find anything earth-shattering at the library, but it's nice to know where it is and what it has to offer. 

We next headed to the cemetery.  Adel Cemetery is south of Spencer and it was very close to the land owned by John Wood.  In fact, it was directly across the road from the cemetery.  The cemetery sits nicely up a large hill overlooking the road and woods across the road.  We immediately found our Nathan and Sarah Wood.  We had seen the graves online, but it so much better to see the place your loved ones were laid to rest with your own eyes and heart.  Realizing this grave holds my husband's great-great-great grandfather is amazing.  He was a Civil War veteran and his grave is marked as such. 

We began to walk around near the grave and take notice of other graves and other names.  Near Nathan's grave (ten feet or so to the right) was a tilted grave and barely legible.  We brushed it with our hands but just couldn't make it out.  Brian said, "If we had some water, we could pour some on it to see if that helped."  I said, "I do have water in the car on the driver's side door for just these types of emergencies."  We retrieved the water and returned to the tilted limestone grave.  We poured the water on the grave and a name started to appear....Martha Wood.  Now while this seems like a very ordinary name, we both looked at each other and realized we had found something good---  Something that made our trip worth the drive!!  You see, we had been trying to locate Nathan's mother and father's death dates for quite a while and were hitting some brick walls.  And guess what? Her name was Martha Wood.  We had thought she died before 1860, and with some head tilting and some good ole deciphering, we think we can make out the date.  It appears to say, DIED JULY 11 1859.  Eureka!

While on an "Ancestry High", we began to look around at the other graves.  If Martha is here, could John be here too?  We starting noticing just small stones in the same line as the Wood area but no writing on the stones.  All the other graves seemed eligible or another name besides Wood.  We walked around a few minutes and just concluded that John must be buried here but his grave is not able to be seen. Darn it!  Seeing that would have made our day even more meaningful.  Seeing the grave of your fourth great grandfather would be so much cooler than seeing the third, right?  We started walking about the cemetery in the same general area but ventured out.  I came back to Martha's graver and kept walking in a straight line directly to the right of her.  I found a stone buried in the ground about six by eight inches or so. No writing and buried almost completely.  We looked it over pretty well, but decided it was just a footer stone.  We continued perusing the ground and found a limestone marker lying face up but only showing about a six by six square.  This one had fallen over and was almost completely covered with moss and dirt. I used my shoe to move some moss and some letters started to appear.  Brian and I both removed the moss and dirt with our hands and, low and behold, the word WOOD started to show itself to us. 

Now let me interject here that I think our ancestors still talk to us.  Not in the weird ghostly way, but in something we carry with us.  I believe that God is a God who wants us to remember our history, after all, He gave us his Bible which is His history.  I think it's important to learn about the history of our families and preserve that for generations to come.  Sometimes I think the the scrapbooker in me documents too much of our family history, but then I go to the local public library and open a picture file with one picture for the Wood family for the entire county.  Imagine generations from now someone walks into the local library and there is an entire shelf dedicated to the Brian, Deidre and Griffin Woods family and their entire life story is documented with journaling and pictures! Someday the future Woods genealogist in the family will leap with joy when they find all those scrapbooks. 

OK.....now back to the story......we continue to clear the stone with water and rub away dirt and moss.  Imagine our shock when the name, JOHN, started to show itself.  It's very weathered, but it's definitely there in the stone.  We believe that the stone says, 1857 JOHN WOOD DIED SEPT.  It appears there are other letters under this, but we couldn't make them out.  We couldn't do much but just shake our heads.  This was very unexpected and did not count on finding this today!  We had thought that John died before 1860 as well, and was fairly sure he would be buried here, but Find-A-Grave and other cemetery listings for Adel Cemetery never listed him here.  He was one of our stumpers. 

When we were heading out of the area, we took some time to look around the area where John Wood's land was located and see what was on the land.  We could see a church right on the corner, Adel Church of Christ, and a house tucked back down a lane.  We noticed the mailboxes say, "WOOD".  Wouldn't that be amazing if our family still lives on the original land purchased by John???  Now we have another reason to return to Owen County to research the land records in detail. 

What a great day!  We had beautiful weather to be out walking around a graveyard and finding some old relatives.  Thank you, John and Martha, for talking to us today!  Just when you are ready to give up on finding additional facts, one of them shows up! Then, you get the ancestry bug again to keep searching.  Now if Thomas and Elizabeth (John's parents) would do the same, we would be greatly appreciative!  They lived in Surry County, North Carolina, so I think we will have to do a little planning for that trip. No last minute jaunt for that!