Ancestor Spotlight - Dr. John Woodson

     Dr. John Woodson was my 10th great-grandfather. He was born in 1586 in Devonshire, England.  He matriculated at St. John's College at Oxford on March 1, 1604.  He lived in Dorsetshire until 1619, when he and his wife Sarah decided to join an expedition to the new colony of Jamestown.

The Jamestown Colony

A view of Jamestown, circa 1620

    On January 29th, 1619, the ship George sailed from England and landed the following April at Jamestown, Virginia.  The ship carried Sir George Yeardley and a company of his men to the Virginia colony, where Sir George had been appointed the new governor.  Among the passengers on the George was Dr. John Woodson, attached to Sir George's company as surgeon. His wife Sarah accompanied him, and was one of only a handful of women to voyage to the colony before 1620.

   At the time of their arrival the Jamestown colony was just over a dozen years old and numbered no more than 600 residents. Drought, disease, starvation, and war with the local tribe of Powhatan Indians meant that only about half the colonists who arrived between 1607 and 1624 survived. 

   Dr. John Woodson settled on Governor Yeardley's plantation, known as Flowerdew Hundred, which was about 15 miles up the James river from Jamestown.  Dr. Woodson lived in a small, fortified compound on the plantation with about 10 other families. 

  Dr. Woodson and his wife arrived at the start of the second major wave of colonists to Jamestown.  Between 1619 and 1622, the number of colonists grew to about 1000 in the New World colony.  This tide of newcomers upset Chief Opechancanough of the Powhatan Confederacy of Indian tribes, who saw the influx as proof that the English planned to expand in to Powhatan lands. 

The Massacre of 1622

    On March 22, 1621/22, Chief Opechancanough launched a series of coordinated attacks on all the English plantations and towns developing around Jamestown.  Powhatan Confederacy braves entered each settlement with trade goods, looking as if they wished to barter.  When the colonists approached them, the braves grabbed any weapons or tools that were at hand and attacked the unprepared colonists.  347 people were killed, a quarter of the colony's total population.  Only the most fortified positions survived.  The fotifications at Flowerdew Hundred held and the Woodson family survived the attack.

    The settlement at Flowerdew Hundred plantation was one of the few that was allowed to remain outside the walls of Jamestown after the 1622 attack.  The next ten years involved attacks of retribution by the colonists. The time passed relatively peacefully for the Woodsons.  Two sons were born to them, John in 1632 and Robert in 1634.

    In 1634 the colonists built a pallisade defense wall across a six-mile wide strip of land between the James River and York River estuaries.  This structure may have lulled the colonists in to a false sense of security.  The Powhatan tribes were in no state to attack, having been nearly wiped out by English reprisal attacks. Emboldened, the colonists started building plantations outside the pallisade around 1640.  Chief Opechancanough was once again outraged by the English encroachment on his lands.  Gathering his forces, on April 18, 1644 he made a second surprise attack on the colony.

The Indian Massacre of 1644

    An account of the Woodson family's ordeal during this attack was handed down through the Woodson family and first printed by a Woodson family genealogist in the early 19th century.

    On the morning of April 18, 1644, Thomas Ligon, a soldier in the Governor's employ, stopped by the Woodson's house seeking Dr. Woodson's services.  Sarah Woodson informed him that her husband was out on his rounds through the nearby plantations, and Ligon elected to wait for the doctor to return.  When Ligon saw the Indians approaching, he raised an alarm and told Sarah to hide inside with her two sons.  Ligon grabbed his eight-foot muzzle-loaded rifle, and bracing his gun in the fork of a tree, fired on the approaching Indians.

   Meanwhile, Sarah gathered her boys together and desperately searched for a place to hid her 10 and 12 year old sons.  She spied the root cellar where the family kept potatoes during the winter.  She put Robert in the pit and covered it.  Then she upturned a washtub and had John hide beneath it.  With the boys hidden, she grabbed her husband rifle and proceeded to load and fire upon the Indian's from the window of the cabin.

   Before she could get off a second shot, the Indians had made their way around the back of the cabin and out of her sight.  Then she heard sounds on the side of the cabin and on the roof.  The Indians climbed atop the cabin an two of them attempted to come down the chimney.  The fire had gone out, but she still had a pot of hot water sitting in the hearth.  Thinking quickly, she upended the pot in to the fireplace just as the first Indian descended in to view, scalding his face.  His companion then climbed out over his wounded fellow and came towards her.  Sarah grabbed an iron roasting spit hanging next to the hearth and swung it at her attacker, knocking him senseless.

    Sarah grabbed her children from their hiding places and fled the house.  She ran towards Ligon, who was still firing upon the Indians, who were now in retreat.  Ligon struck another Indian as they fled.  In total, he and Sarah killed seven of their attackers. As she watched the Indians flee back in to the woods, Sarah noticed a familiar horse wandering riderless through the field from which the Indians had attacked.  It was her husband's horse.  Running to it, she found her husband lying beside the road to their house, an arrow in his chest.  He had evidently returned just as the Indians attacked, and having forgot his musket at home, was defenseless against them.

The Woodson Musket

    Dr. John Woodson was one of 500 colonists who died that fateful day in 1644.  Although the number was even greater than that killed in the 1622 attack, it represented less than 10% of the colony's population in 1644.  Nevertheless, the retribution by the colonists was severe.  A counterattack on all the nearby Powhatan-allied tribes nearly wiped them out.  In 1646 Chief Opechancanough was captured and brought to Jamestown.  He was nearly 100 years old at the time.  While being held at the stockade awaiting trial, he was killed by one of his guards in revenge for a family member killed in the 1644 attack.  After the death of their leader, the Powhatan Confederacy fell apart, and the individual tribes were either confined to reservations or left the area.

    Sarah Woodson remarried twice and outlived all her husbands.  She died in 1660.  Her sons both married and had large families.  Their descendants passed on the story of Sarah saving her sons from the Indian massacre, and referred to themselves as being either "potato hole" or "washtub" Woodsons. The Woodson musktet was also passed down from generation to generation, until in 1925 it was donated to the Virginia Historical Society, where it is on display in Richmond.

The First Slaveholders

The first Africans arrive at Jamestown

    The romantic and heroic story of John and Sarah Woodson as related through to her descendants frequently omits one of the most significant known facts about this early colonial family.  Dr. Woodson and Sarah were also one of the first recorded slaveholders in Colonial America.  In 1619 a Dutch privateer ship called The White Lion, and an English privateer called the Treasurer, captured a Portuguese slave ship São João Bautista in the Caribbean.  The privateers took the slaves aboard their ships and set sail for Jamestown to sell them to the colonists.

    The ships arrived at Point Comfort, on the James River, late in August 1619, with "20 and odd" Africans aboard the White Lion and at least a few more aboard the Treasurer.   Dr. Woodson bought some of these Africans.  In 1623 a census of the colony listed 23 Africans, six of whom appear in Dr. Woodson's household. Notably, Dr. Woodson's six African servants are the most of any colonist, and one of only two households that did not give names for their African servants on the 1623 census.  The fact that all the other Africans listed in the census were named could be interpreted as them having been indentured at the time of the census, while Dr. Woodson's servants were slaves.  This is similar to how slaves were counted but not named on future census.  If so, then the record of Dr. Woodson's servants on this census could be considered the first recorded mention of African slaves in Colonial America.

    It should be noted that in the early stages of Colonial America, Africans, though imported against their will, were not necessarily considered slaves as we understand it today.  Instead, they were considered indentured servants, similar to poorer English who agreed to work off their passage to the colonies under the headright system.  Several Africans were able to gain their freedom and become planters with headright contracts of their own.  Anthony Johnson was one such man, transported prior to 1622.  By 1651 he was a free man with 250 acres and five indentured servants of his own.  But Anthony Johnson is the exception.  By 1650 there was already some distinction made between indentured servants based on race.  The records of the early colony in Virginia show a number of African indentured servants having "life terms" of servitude, while their white counterparts only served a limited seven-year term.  This was the first step towards the racial, hereditary institution of slavery in America.

    It is not clear what happened to Dr. Woodson's servants.  There is no further record of them in his household (it is possible they were killed in the Indian attack of 1644).  When Sarah died in 1660, her will did not mention any servants. Around 1670 the first laws defining slaves were enacted in the colony.  When their son John Jr. wrote his will in 1699, he bequeathed several slaves to his children. The idea that one man could be another man's property was fully accepted by 1700 in Colonial Virginia.

Selected sources:

"Virginia's First Africans" from the Encyclopedia Virginia.
Archaeological Excavation of Flowerdew Hundred, by University of Virginia
J.C. Schreiber, "The Woodson Family"
Paul E. Pennebaker, "Dr. John Woodson"

Ancestor Spotlight - Elisha Blackman III (1760-1845)

     Elisha Blackman III is my 5th Great-Grandfather. He was born in April 4, 1760 in Lebanon, Connecticut to Elisha Blackman Jr. and Lucy Polly. His family moved to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 1773. In 1778, at age 18, he enlisted as a private with the 24th Regiment Pennsylvania Militia in the Company of Captain James Bidlack. He was part of a very inexperienced unit protecting farms in the Wyoming Valley on the Pennsylvania frontier, and on July 3, 1778 was art of a battle that became known as the Wyoming Massacre.

The Wyoming Massacre, by Alonzo Chappell, 1858

    In late June of 1778, the regimental commander Col. Zebulon Butler received word that approximately seven hundred British regulars, Rangers, and Indians under the command of Major John Butler and Chief Sayenqueraghta of the Seneca Iroquois were gathering near Pittston at Fort Wintermute. The militia immediately gathered their families in to several forts and sent word to General Washington requesting reinforcements. A small company of reinforcements arrived from Hanover, commanded by Lazarus Stewart. The British commander, under flag of truce, demanded the surrender of the militia forces, which was refused. Col. Zebulon Butler planned to remain in the fort until reinforcements arrived from the Continental Army. Lazarus Stewart disagreed, and passionately called for the men to launch a preemptive attack on the British. His zeal for battle won over many of the young recruits, and Butler was eventually forced to lead the men in to battle, lest he lose his command.

    On July 3, 1778, approximately 360 militia members marched out of the fort at Wilkes-Barre to face the British and Indian forces. When the British heard the militia troops were on the move, they set fire to their own forts. Seeing this, many in the militia believed the British were retreating and broke ranks to pursue them. But the fire was a trap. The British commander, Col. John Butler, had instructed the Seneca to lie flat in the grass and wait for the American rush. The British and Indian forces flanked the disorganized militia and the result was a massacre. The battle lasted only about a half hour, by which time the remaining Americans scattered. But the Seneca gave them no quarter and hunted down the almost all the militia. Capt. John Butler reported the Seneca took 227 American scalps that day. Two British rangers and one Seneca warrior were killed, but estimates are that no more than 60 of the 360 militia members who marched that day escaped with their lives.

    During the battle Elisha Blackman saw his brother-in-law, Darius Spafford, fall mortally wounded, and he became so intent on avenging the death that it was some time before he discovered that the Americans were losing ground. In the flight from the field he and a companion headed for the river. Indians chased them and called to them to surrender, assuring them that they would not be hurt. Blackman did not surrender, but his companion did. only to have his skull immediately split open with a tomahawk. Blackman strained every nerve to escape, and did so by swimming to Monocanock Island, with the bullets fired by his pursuers whistling about his head. He remained in hiding on the island until after nightfall. The next morning he set out for Wilkes-Barre, and reached the fort shortly before noon. Only eight members of Captain Bidlack's company escaped from the battleground on July 3, 1778.

    After the battle, the settlements in the area were destroyed and the survivors were parolled on their oath that they would sit out the remainder of the war. Elisha Blackman and most of the others did not honor this pledge and within a year. In the Sullivan Expedition of 1779 he served in the Wyoming militia company commanded by Capt. John Franklin. This was a campaign to drive the Iroquois and Loyalists from New York and Pennsylvania in retribution for the attacks in the Wyoming Valley. The expedition conducted a scorched earth campaign, razing all Iroquois villages and farmland. That winter the remaining Iroquois were driven across the Niagara in to British Canada, where many of them starved to death.     In 1780, Elisha joined his parents and the other members of their family, who had moved back to Connecticut. Early in 1781 Elisha Blackman enlisted as a private in the company of Capt. Selah Benton of Stratford, in the 5th Regiment, Connecticut Line, commanded by Lieut. Col. Isaac Sherman, and served till the latter part of June, 1782. He was honorably discharged from the service at Fishkill, New York, and went home to his parents in Lebanon.

    After the war Elisha learned the trade of a tanner and currier, and in 1786, he and his brothers Ichabod and Eleazar returned to Wilkes-Barre. There the three brothers built a log house and opened a tannery. Elisha Blackman III was married January 10, 1788, to Anna Hurlbut (born January 5, 1763), daughter of "Deacon" John and Abigail (Avery) Hurlbut of Westmoreland, CT.

Elisha Blackman

    On March 25, 1790, Elisha Blackman III, was commissioned First Lieutenant of the Light Infantry Company attached to the "1st Regiment of Militia in Luzerne County," commanded by Lieut. Col. Matthias Hollenback. In 1791 Lieutenant Blackman returned to the Wyoming Valley bought a tract of land, which he cleared up and converted into a farm. His wife died there January 6, 1828. He received a Revolutionary War pension in 1835. He resided until his death, which occurred December 5, 1845.




    Elisha and Anna (Hurlbut) Blackman were the parents of ten children:

1.     Henry, born 28 August, 1789; died 18 October 1842 in Luzerne Co., PA.

2.     Stephen, born 20 August, 1790; died 28 September, 1790.

3.     Ebenezer, born 28 July, 1791; married in 1817 to Susan M. Stockbridge; died 4 December, 1844 in Miami Co., OH. 

4.     Lovina, born 6 August, 1793; died 29 August, 1793.

5.     Hurlbut born 25 September, 1794; married (1) 18 January, 1821, to Sarah Rollin; married (2) to Mary Telford; died 17 October, 1872 in Miami Co., OH.

6.     William, born 19 November, 1796; died 14 January 1800.

7.     Elisabeth "Betsey", born 20 August, 1799; married 27 August, 1823, to Henry Boos; died 28 February, 1858 in Johnson Co., IA. (my line)

8.     Judge Elisha Blackman IV, born 1 August, 1801; married 22 December, 1828, to Amy Rollin; died 29 February, 1872 in Noble Co., IN. 

9.     Julia Anna, born 25 April, 1806; married 21 Dec 1808 to Charles Plumb; died 29 Jun 1889 in Luzerne Co., PA.

10.     Abigail, twin sister of Julia Anna, died 24 April, 1807.

Selected Sources

History of Hanover Township by Henry Blackman Plumb

Grandson of Elisha Blackman, and source of much of the above account of Elisha Blackman's life.

Elisha Blackman Census records, 1800-1840
Elisha Blackman's Commission as Lieutenant in the Pennsylvania Militia

Ancestor Spotlight - Engle Backer (1806-1890)

Johannes Engleberth Becker, called Engle, is my G-G-G-Great Grandfather on my father's side. He was born on January 27, 1806 in the village of Burbach in Germany. Engle was one of three brothers that emigrated to the United States in 1854 (though despite knowing the names of over 30 people who traveled together, I have yet to find a record of their ship). All three settled in Callaway county, Missouri. Engle and his brother Phillip, who owned adjoining farms, were both farmers. Their third brother, John Henry, lived in Fulton. Upon arrival, the family changed the spelling of their name from Becker to Backer (either spelling is supposed to be pronounced "Baker").

Engle was first married on Dec 30, 1830 to Katherine Sophie Sauer, at the Lutheran Church in Burbach, Germany. The couple had six children: Christian, Sohpia Landman, Katherine Frank, William, Leonard, and Henrich. In 1843, Engle's wife Katherine died in childbirth with Henrich, who also died. Engle then remarried Dec 24, 1843 to Juliann Hild in Burbach. Engle and Juliann had nine children, six of whom lived to adulthood. Of these children four were born in Burbach: Henriette Charlotte Bury, Charlotte Hagebusch, Henry and Charles Backer. Two more were born in Missouri: Louis Backer and Matilda Brooks.

Engle lived in Callaway county, Missouri from 1854 until about 1877. During this time he and his family were members of the Presbyterian Church in Fulton. Between 1876 and 1880 Engle moved his family to Washington, Missouri, in Franklin county. His wife Juliann died in 1885. Engle remained in Washington until his death on Jan 27, 1890 of pneumonia. He died on his birthday and was exactly 84 years old. He was survived by 11 children.

Below is a copy of the Fulton Sun from Jan 28, 1890, recording the death of Engle Backer. Right click and select zoom in to read the text. His obituary is at the bottom of the middle column.

Engle Backer Obituary

Jacob Frank, 1833-1909

Today is the first in a series of obituary postings I plan to make. The county libraries in Fulton and St. Louis, Missouri have indexes for local obituaries going back to the late 19th century that make it very easy to find multiple obituaries for relatives. The St. Louis library has their obituary index online here. Both libraries charge only a nominal fee to locate and mail copies of the obituaries to you. If you have any relatives who lived in these areas (regardless of where they died) then you should check with these libraries as obituaries are one of the best pieces of genealogical evidence available.

My first profile is for my G-G-Great-Grandfather Jacob Frank. The Fulton library had two obituaries and a burial notice for Jacob Frank. These obituaries provided a great deal of information and I was happy to see most of my theories in my prior post on the Frank family were correct.

Jacob Frank was born in Hammelburg, Bavaria on April 19, 1833. He emigrated to the United States at age 17 and settled in Fulton, Missouri at age 19 (about 1852). In 1857 he married Katherine Backer, the daughter of a recent Prussian immigrant.

Jacob worked as a coal miner from 1852 until 1891, when he retired and became a gardener. He had a house on Market St. in Fulton with a small plot of land in the back with a garden from which he sold produce to other residents of the city. Oddly, neither obituary mentions his service in the civil war. He served for about three years in the Missouri 9th Calvary Regiment State Militia Volunteers. Perhaps this was omitted because much of his service during the war was dedicated to combatting Confederate sympathizers in the Fulton area.

Jacob was a member of the Fulton First Presbyterian Church. His obituary from the Fulton Journal describes him as a very holy and honorable man:

He was faithful in filling as his obligations to his fellow man and to his God. His one ambition in life was to deal justly and fairly with all men and in this he was remarkably successful. He was a man of generous heart and sought to be helpful to those about him. Mr. Frank was a consistent and faithful member of the Presbyterian Church and lived a truly Christian life in both his public and private affairs. It can be truly said of Mr. Frank that he was a faithful servant to his God, his country and his home. For none truer or more faithful and useful men have come and gone in this life than our departed friend and neighbor.

Jacob Frank died at his home in Fulton on Wednesday, May 12th, 1909 at 9:30 a.m. of a heart attack. He was preceded in death by one son, Albert Jacob Frank of Fulton (I will post his obituaries later) and one daughter, Lottie Kester, wife of August, also of Fulton. He was survived by his wife, Katherine, and seven children. He left three sons: Charles, Henry and William Frank, all of Fulton, and four daughters: Matilda Langenbach, wife of Herman, of Marion, Ill., Julia Egerer, wife of Adolph, of Mexico, Mo., Bertha Lockridge, wife of James, of Fulton, and Mary Fitzhugh, wife of George, also of Fulton.

Below are Jacob's obituaries from the Fulton Telegraph and Fulton Journal, and a burial notice. You can right click on the obituaries to zoom in if you would like to read the text better.

Jacob Frank Obituaries