Joel (~1775-1816)
Catherine (20 Feb 1776-2 May 1859) — m. David Fain on 20 Jul 1805
James (~1778-23 Jul 1832) — m. ???; m. Mary “Polly” Reneau on 14 Oct 1807; m. Tabitha Pate
Lavinia (~1778-????) — m. James E. Warren, Jr.
William (~1780-18xx) — m. Jane Henderson on 15 Sep 1812
Hannah (~178x-18xx) — m. Thomas Ireland
Joseph P. (178x-????) — m. Sally Carson on 4 Jan 1821
Richard, Jr. (~1785-????) — m. Mary ???
Elijah (~1790-????)
Richard, probable grandfather of Clark ancestor William Wood, was born in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, on the border with North Carolina. Some accounts say that his father was named Richard Wood and his mother was Jane or Mary; another claims William Bennett Wood, Sr. (~1730-1808) and Ursula Ann Crane (~1733-1791), although no evidence for this has been presented.
Mary was born in England, parentage unknown.
About 1775 Richard and Mary both converted to Baptism at the same revival meeting, despite or perhaps because of the persecution Baptists faced from the Church of England. They married about two years later. The list of their children given herein is tentative and should not be trusted. The same goes for the dates and locations.
Richard fought in the American Revolution. After the war, he and other members of his family, reportedly including his father, moved to South Carolina. Accounts variously say this was in 1784 or 1787. In September 1788, he was ordained as a minister by the Pacolet Baptist Church in modern-day Spartanburg County, South Carolina, although at the time the area might have been part of Union County.
Assuming that’s correct, he wasn’t yet an ordained minister when, in 1785, Richard arrived in Sevier County, Tennessee, where he persuaded pioneer settlers to build a church at which he later preached. The 1790 census showed Richard Wood and Richard Wood, Jr. side by side back east in South Carolina. Familysearch.org lists this record as being for Union Township, Orangeburg County, South Carolina, but it was probably for Union County, which is near the North Carolina border; Orangeburg County is in the center of the state, far to the south. The households had six and five females respectively, both had two boys under 16, and neither had slaves. One of the two was undoubtedly our Richard, and the other was likely his father, although possibly an uncle or a cousin. (Before the 20th century, “Junior” was used to distinguish a man from an older relative of the same name, whether or not they were father and son.)
Mary died in 1793. She’s thought to be buried on family land in Sevier County, Tennessee.
On 14 Jan 1795, Richard married Fanny Lybarger in Jefferson County, Tennessee. They had at least one child, maybe two, although some accounts say Jonathan was Mary’s son:
Jonathan (~1795-????)
Richard, Jr. (18xx-????) — m. Margaret Inman about 1827
Richard seems to have then moved to North Carolina, as the 1800 and 1810 census records show a number of Richard Wood households in North Carolina but none in South Carolina or Tennessee. He continued his work as a circuit preacher until almost the end of his life, although afflicted by rheumatism and weight gain.
The 1830 census listed Richard Wood, Sr. and wife, both in their seventies, in Sevier County, Tennessee. Their household included a man in his thirties, probably Jonathan, and two young girls. Neighbors included son Joseph P. Wood and family, and a Richard Wood, Jr. in his twenties – a son, or perhaps a grandson.
Richard died in 1831. He was originally buried in Old McMahan Cemetery in Jefferson County, but in 1942 was re-interred in Providence Cemetery, Sevier County, Tennessee.
In March 1831, shortly after Richard Sr.’s death, Richard and James Wood were witnesses to a sale of land from Richard Sr.’s estate to Thomas Ireland, husband of their sister Hannah.
Can’t find anything definite about Joel. There was a Joel Wood/Woods (1789-18 Oct 1860) from Tennessee who married a Mary “Polly” Sellers (1795-1861) on 3 Jul 1810 in Jefferson County, Tennessee, and settled in Monroe County, about 80 miles southwest of Jefferson County. The 1830 census for Monroe County had the Joel Wood household as a man in his forties, a woman in her thirties, a girl age 15-19, a girl and boy age 10-14, two girls and a boy age 5-9, and two girls under 5.
In 1840 it was a couple in their fifties with a girl age 10-14, two girls and two boys age 5-9, and a girl under 5. Their near neighbors included the household of a William Wood: A woman in her twenties, a boy in his late teens, and a boy and girl under 5. The 1850 census showed the family still in Monroe County, but by 1860 they were in Carroll County, Georgia, where Joel and Mary died in 1860 and 1861.
All of which is interesting, but this Joel isn’t a good fit for a Joel Wood born about 1775 in Virginia.
Catherine claimed to have been born in North Carolina, but this conflicts with the history of her parents. She married David Fain (26 Jul 1781-8 Feb 1831) from Buncombe County, North Carolina, reportedly in 1805 in Elbert County, Georgia. They had seven children:
William Charles (6 Aug 1806-15 Apr 1881) — m. Sarah Ann Rutledge in 1830
Richard W., Sr. (8 Dec 1807-2 Feb 1876) — m. Elizabeth Walker on 27 Jul 1828
William M. C. (24 Jan 1810-1891) — m. Nancy Walker on 5 May 1831
Jane P. (4 Sep 1811-????)
John (13 Oct 1813-17 Feb 1886) — m. Emily Ann Crowder on 10 Dec 1842
Jesse (15 Aug 1816-1870) — m. Nancy Fannie Holmes on 16 Jan 1840
James (3 Jul 1818-????)
They lived in Bedford County, Tennessee. David died in 1831 and is buried in Enon Cemetery, Bedford County. The 1840 census listed Kathererine Faine (sic) as head of a Bedford County household that included a woman in her twenties and a boy in his late teens. In 1850, Catherine Fane (74) was living in Marshall County, Tennessee with daughter Jane (36) and son James (31), presumably the same two who had been with her in 1840. Catherine died in 1859 and is buried with David.
Although some accounts have James born in Sevier County, Tennessee, he was almost certainly born in Virginia before his family moved to South Carolina. He married at least twice, and these are his reported children according to descendants:
Richard (1803-????)
Mary P. “Polly” (1805-????) — m. Robert Gaut in 1822
William T. (1807-1857) — m. Jane George on 2 Jul 1831
Commodore Decatur, Sr. (1815-3 Mar 1858) — m. Malinda Logan on 16 Jan 1840
Sarah Ann (1807-????)
Jane Elizabeth (1817-????)
Adelia Melsena (1818-1911)
Jackson H. (1819-????)
Amanda M. (10 Apr 1820-11 Jun 1866) — m. Ellis Logan on 11 Jan 1837
James, Jr.
John
Lacy (1816-????)
Matilda
Samuel
Isophena C. (1818-????)
Tabitha Leovicy (1828-1862) — m. John Wesley Atchley on 12 Dec 1849
After the death of his first wife, name unknown, he married Polly Renneau (~1783-Jul 1832) on 14 Oct 1807 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. The 1830 census of Greene County, Tennessee showed the James Woods household as a man in his fifties, a woman in her forties, and thirteen others ranging in age from twenties to under 5. There were two Renneau families on the same census page, presumably kin to Polly.
After Polly’s death, James reportedly married someone named Tabitha, but it’s not clear when he had time for that because he also reportedly died in 1832 in Jefferson County. It seems likely that two different men named James Wood/Woods are being lumped into one here. The location of his grave is unknown. The 1840 census for Jefferson County listed a widow, Tabitha Wood, a woman in her fifties with six children: two girls age 15-19, two girls and a boy 10-14, and a girl 5-9. Haven’t traced them after that, or established whether she was the widow of this family’s James.
Lavinia married James E. Warren, Jr. That’s all the data.
William, according to his eldest child, was born in South Carolina. Like his father, he was a preacher. He married Jane Henderson (26 Aug 1793-~1860) from Tennessee on 15 Sep 1812. Their children:
Mary “Polly” (26 Jul 1813-22 Feb 1887) — m. Hezekiah Cantrell Cooke on 14 Oct 1830
Matilda (~1814-????) — m. Daniel Lewis
Commodore R. (10 Feb 1817-28 Jan 1876) — m. Alla/Alley about 1840
John Benjamin (1 May 1820-29 Sep 1876) — m. Mary Hicks; m. Nancy Adeline Glasebrook in 1854; m. Luticia Charleton; divorced; m. Martha Wilson
Callaway (1824-1 Jun 1892) — m. Caroline Mapes about 1848
Gallatin Albert (10 Jun 1824-20 Jan 1874) — m. Martha Jane Gordon in 1845
Chelnessa (1825-????) — m. John Miner about 1844
Cinderella “Cindy” (Nov 1830-Feb 1908) — m. Jesse L. Fletcher on 8 Oct 1857
Tabitha (~1831-~1860) — m. Eli F. Holt in 1852
Martha Jane (18 May 1836-8 Mar 1863) — m. James Madison Pryor on 1 Jan 1852
Wiley Winfield Scott (29 Jul 1838-4 Oct 1909) — m. Mary Pryor on 30 Oct 1861
In 1818, William bought 104 acres of land near what is now Knoxville from Rebecca Henderson, his mother-in-law. The 1830 census showed Jane as “Jane Woods” in Sevier County, Tennessee with four boys, four girls, and no husband. Where was William? There are family accounts suggesting that he had some sort of mid-life crisis back before that was even a thing, and left his family. (The findagrave.com page for William claims he died in 1833, but there’s no supporting documentation, his actual gravesite is unknown, and what about the children born 1836 and 1838? Also, there’s a record that William was still alive in Tennessee in the mid-1840s.)
In 1833, a man named James Clendennon/Clendenen died and left property to Jane for her services as a midwife to his wife and his slaves. At some point the family moved west to Arkansas. There was a William Wood and family of the right approximate age in Illinois Township, Washington County, Arkansas in the 1840 census. If that was our William, he probably died there in the 1840s. However, there was also a Jane Woods with seven children (two boys 15-19, two girls 10-15, two girls 5-9, and one boy under 5) living in Bradley County, Tennessee in the 1840 census, some 100 miles southwest of Sevier County, and some descendants claim that was her.
The 1850 census listed Jane (56) as head of household in Prairie Township, Washington County, Arkansas, with children Cindarilla (21), Tabitha (19), Martha (16), and Wiley (12). By 1860 Prairie Township had become part of Madison County, and Jane (65) was still there with children Martha (25) and Winfield (21), and presumed grandson William (4). Jane reportedly died in 1860. As with William, she has a virtual grave on findagrave.com but her actual gravesite is unknown.
Hannah married Thomas Ireland (177x-18xx) of Sevier County, Tennessee, date unknown. The 1830 census for Sevier County listed Thomas Ireland as a man in his fifties, with a wife in her forties and seven children: two girls age 15-19, two girls and a boy age 10-14, a girl age 5-9, and a boy under 5. They were on the same census page as the households of Richard Wood, Sr. and Richard Wood, Jr.
The latter was one of the subsequent witnesses to an 1831 sale of land from the late Richard Sr.’s estate to Thomas Ireland. The sale recorded that Thomas’s wife, Hannah, was a daughter of Richard Wood.
The claims that Hannah died in 1818 in Doncaster, Yorkshire, England or in 1826 in Leicestershire, England are confusion with different Hannahs.
Joseph married Sally Carson in 1821 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. The 1830 census showed them, both in their forties, living next door to his father in Sevier County, although this conflicts with a family account that he died in 1826. Their children were a boy and girl age 5-9, and two girls and a boy under 5. In 1840, a Joseph P. Woods and wife, both in their fifties, were living in Hamilton County, Tennessee, over a hundred miles southwest of Sevier County. They had a boy and girl age 15-19, and a boy age 10-14. That could have been them, although it would imply the two younger girls had died.
Richard was a preacher, like his father and brother William. He married someone named Mary. The 1830 census for Sevier County showed a Richard Wood, Jr., but he was in his twenties, with a wife in her thirties and three young girls, so he wasn’t this Richard.
Elijah...
Jonathan was reportedly born in Dandridge, Jefferson County, Tennessee. Unclear who his mother was.
It’s unclear whether the Reverend had one son named Richard, or two. In the 1830 census, the household of “Richard Wood, Jr.” in Sevier County, Tennessee, on the same census page as Richard Wood Sr., Joseph P. Wood, and Hannah Wood Ireland, consisted of a man in his twenties, a woman in her thirties, and three girls under age 5. The 1840 census for Jefferson County showed the household of Richard Wood as a man in his forties and a woman in her thirties with eight children: a boy and girl age 15-19, two boys and a girl 10-14, and two boys and a girl under 5. That might have been them, or not.
Polly, daughter of William Wood and Jane Henderson, was raised in Rutherford County, Tennessee. Some sources incorrectly claim her as the daughter of Richard Wood and Fanny Lybarger. She married Baptist preacher Hezekiah Cantrell Cooke (14 Nov 1806-24 Jan 1859) in Greenville, South Carolina on 14 Oct 1830. She appears in census records of McMinn County, Tennessee for 1850, 1860, and 1870. Their children:
William Henderson (22 Dec 1830-17 Mar 1907) — m. Mary Ann Kantz on 23 Jul 1857
John Brazelton (1832-16 May 1886) — m. Matilda H. Dunn in 186x
Robert Fielding (10 Apr 1834-20 Aug 1898) — m. Nancy Jane “Nannie” Chestnut in 1858
Mary Jane (1840-1915) — m. William Henry Kantz in 1862
Washington L. (2 Dec 1843-17 Feb 1850)
Eliza Elvira (17 Feb 1848-1 Mar 1902) — m. Jesse James Trew about 1868
Mary “Mollie” (~1852-????) — prob. died young
James Burch “Jim” (16 Oct 1853-28 May 1935) — m. Mary Clark in 187x; m. May ???
Hezekiah Cantrell, Jr. (Nov 1858-1 Feb 1929) — m. Malvina “Mallie” Green on 2 Jul 1891
Hezekiah died in 1859 in McMinn County. In the 1870s Polly moved to Texas. She died in 1887 in Bonham, Fannin County, Texas, and is buried in Carson Cemetery, Ector, Fannin County.
http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/w/o/o/Yancy-D-Wood/FILE/0012page.html -- Extensive but disorganized notes and correspondence
http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/w/o/o/Yancy-D-Wood/FILE/0007page.html -- Many Wood family stories, including about Rev. Richard Wood
http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/w/o/o/Yancy-D-Wood/index.html -- Master page for the above; lots of data, family accounts, etc., still to examine
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:2878384&id=I569532426 -- More about Rev. Wood
http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/d/u/n/Ray-G-Duncan/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0866.html -- Ditto
http://knoxcotn.org/old_site/tnbaptists/wood_richard.htm -- Ditto
https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/2551992 – Ditto
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Wood-4573 -- Rev. Richard and his children
https://www.ancestry.com/boards/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=12338&p=surnames.wood -- James’s line
https://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=coosa1&id=I02783 -- Ditto
https://www.accessgenealogy.com/tennessee/mcminn-county-tennessee-deed-book-b.htm -- Mentions Hannah and her husband
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHKN-95Z -- 1790 census
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VNDD-PC2 -- 1795 marriage
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8YN-K3B -- 1807 wedding of James
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8YN-25Z -- 1812 wedding of William
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XD9L-Z47 -- 1821 wedding of Joseph
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHP4-D5X -- 1830 census; Richard, Jr. and Thomas Ireland are on the same page
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHP9-D5F -- 1830 census, James
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHP4-6ML -- 1830 census, William’s wife Jane
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7525486 -- 1831 grave of Rev. Richard Wood; links to some others
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/136621676/william-wood -- 1833 grave of William; year of death questionable
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHTV-YFC -- 1840 census, Catherine
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHTB-198 -- 1840 census, reportedly William’s wife Jane
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCD5-Y7R -- 1850 census, Catherine
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M674-J21 -- 1850 census, William’s widow Jane in Arkansas
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCDV-57Z -- 1850 census, Catherine’s son William
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCD2-9ST -- 1850 census, prob. James’s daughter Polly
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHPB-DCL -- 1850 census, prob. James’s son Decatur
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18946719/catharine-fain -- 1859 grave of Catherine; lots of info; linked to parents
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8YS-GQX -- 1860 census, prob. James’s daughter Polly
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M875-NS1 -- 1860 census, Jane again
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30492877/mary-cooke -- 1887 grave of William’s daughter Polly Wood Cooke; links to children
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VND6-SNG -- 1810 wedding of Joel Woods
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHPM-6X4 -- 1830 census, poss. Joel; go to item 198
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHYG-W1K -- 1840 census, poss. Joel, plus a William Wood
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHYL-RQX -- 1840 census, poss. Joseph
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHYG-MZR -- 1840 census, poss. Richard Jr.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHBX-LWC -- 1840 census, prob. not William in AR
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHYG-M47 -- 1840 census, poss. James’s widow Tabitha
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M674-Q33 -- 1850 census, a Richard Wood (1795-1862) from NC, husband of Mary Denton, living in Arkansas
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCDT-XSZ -- 1850 census, poss. Joel
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZMH-T1C -- 1860 census, poss. Joel
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10901407 -- 1862 grave of the Richard Wood who m. Mary Denton