Woodyhistory

Woodyhistory

 

 

Up Woodyhistory Introduction Letters EXPLANATION

 

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A HISTORY OF THE NAME "WOODY"

 

Taken from the William H. Woody Record

 

The name originated in Scotland. There were some of them who emigrated to Ireland. There was one Joseph Woody who emigrated to America from Ireland with his family, consisting of his wife and three sons, and settled in North Carolina. He was a weaver by trade. The sons names were James, John and William. They came to this country before the Revolutionary War. They lived on farms mostly. Their religious views was of the Quaker faith and continued to be until the third generation. They were opposed to slavery and war. They only gave their children one name, as they thought it too much style to give them a double name. They wanted everything plain and common. They did not believe in water baptism, but in the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. I will give the names of the generation from the time they emigrated to America.

 

One Joseph Woody came to America with his family, and will commence by calling him the first generation from that on until the present time. The three sons the second generation, and so on. Joseph, the son of John, and the grandson of Joseph the first, was born in North Carolina in 1780. He grew up to manhood and in the process of time married Sarah Thompson. I will give the names of the wives, as I go along so as to keep the record of our family train. To this union were born six sons, James, John, Joseph, Samuel, Levi and Thompson. These were of the fourth generation. The family moved to Indiana in 1813 and settled on a tract of land, in Lawrence County. The land had not come into market, as it was still a Territory. The land was covered with heavy timber and they had to clear it off in order to get it into cultivation, so as to raise something to live on. Some of the poplar trees were one hundred (100) feet to the first limb and from seven to nine feet across the stump. One tree would make lumber enough to build a good sized house.

 

John, the second son of Joseph and Sarah was born in North Carolina in 1806, he being seven years old when he moved with his parents to Indiana. He grew up to manhood and at the age of twenty-three married Mary Horton. The Hortons were of the Baptist faith, so the religious views from that time until the present were of the Baptist faith. John and Mary became the owners of 60 acres of land, settled on it, and cleared most of it. They got it into cultivation and made a good living and had quite a good start in life. Then in 1849 sold their home in Lawrence County, Indiana, came to Iowa and settled in Marion county, two and one-half miles southeast of where Monroe now stands. He had two teams and he bought two land warrants of 160 acres each. He also bought a man out and got 120 acres of deeded land with a quit claim deed, this making him 440 acres all told. He was not long in getting the farm into cultivation.

 

As the boys grew up and became of age he gave them each 40 acres of land. They all settled in this part of the country, but later scattered, some to one place and some to another, as they thought they could do better. Some to California, some to Oregon.

 

 

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