Wood family cousins splinter in all directions

Okay. So I'm being cute. But I couldn't resist that one. I have finally made a breakthrough in my Wood(s) family and, since there were big families with this surname both in Fayette and Heard, in addition to mine in Carroll, I thought I'd give it a try.

Last week, I came across a family file on Rootsweb that listed Josiah Wood, husband of Frances Emmaline McWhorter, as one of its members. That was the first time I'd ever seen this family posted on the Web. Since Frances was the sister of my great-grandfather, William Leroy McWhorter, I immediately wrote the person who submitted the file and, of course, found another cousin. Actually he is a double cousin through both the Wood and McWhorter families. And, the best part is, he lives right here on the south side, near Jackson.

For those of you are just beginning and are wondering what a double cousin is, let me pause right here and define it for you.

You are cousins if you share an ancestor. The degree of cousin-ness varies with how far back the relationship goes. If you have two ancestors in common, you are double cousins; three and you are triple cousins, and so forth. First cousins share grandparents, second cousins share great-grandparents, and third cousins share great-great grandparents.

You often hear the expression, "We are third cousins once removed." The "removed" part indicates that you are in different generations. So, my mother's first cousins are my first cousins once removed. They may also be referred to by some as second cousins. But by using "removed" you can more easily tell which generations are involved. Your computer genealogy program usually has a function which figures this out for you. Enter the two names, click on "find relationship," and it will tell you.

Okay. Lesson over. Back to the Wood family.

My ancestor, Joel Wood, came from Monroe County, Tenn. sometime after 1850 and settled in Carroll County with his family. His children listed in the 1850 Monroe County census were Nathan, age 21; Polly (Mary), age 17 (this is my GGgrandmother); Joel, age 14; and Rachel, age 12. Joel himself was 61 in 1850 and his wife, Polly (Mary) was 55. This left room for a whole bunch more children who may have come before the oldest child, Nathan. Also living in the household with Joel in 1850 was a Nellie Sellers, age 73, whose birthplace was given as Pennsylvania. This was a lucky break because it probably gave me the maiden name of Joel's wife.

So now, in theory, I have a Joel Wood whose wife is Mary Sellers and her roots go back to Pennsylvania. (Amazing, isn't it, what one teeny-tiny little census entry can tell you?)

The next census in Carroll County shows Joel Wood and wife, Mary, living in Villa Rica (no Nellie ... she must have passed away), with an Elizabeth Wood, age 18, and a William Wood, age 17. Although these ages make them candidates for children of Joel and Mary, we know there were no persons with these names living with them in 1850, so they must be related another way. Living next door is a John Michael, his wife, Rachel, age 23, and three children, George W., William R, and Mahala J. From Joel's will, I found out this Rachel Michael is his daughter.

A few houses away are Nathan Wood and Joel Wood with their families, with ages that closely match the ages of the Nathan and Joel in 1850 in Tennessee, so I am assuming these are Joel Sr.'s sons. My Mary Wood, Joel Sr.'s daughter, married William Jasper Payne in 1852 but they are nowhere to be found in Carroll in 1860. Mary (Paine) does show up in 1870 as a widow, living in the same neighborhood as her Wood family. Living with her are her three daughters, Elizabeth, Rachel and Hannah. Her boys are living with other families: James and Caleb are with the Levi Turner family and Joseph Joshua (my great-grandfather) is living with the William Williams family.

Joel Wood Sr.'s will was recorded in October, 1860, so he did not live out the year. He named his wife, Mary, his two sons, Joel and Nathan, and his daughter, Rachel S. Michael, as primary heirs. My Mary was not mentioned and neither were any other children, if they existed. Joel Sr. also left provisions for his grandchildren, Polly Ann Yarbrough, Betsy Jane Woods, and William Woods. That means there were at least two more children: a daughter who married a Yarbrough and a son whose last name would be Wood. Joel's executor was William Williams, the same one who was providing a home for Joseph Joshua Payne in the 1870 census.

More research has shown me that my Joel Wood Sr. may be the son of a Rev. Richard Wood (and his wife, Mary Price), a Baptist minister who founded a couple of churches in Tennessee and who died in Sevier County, Tenn. in 1831. Richard and Mary's children were said to be Lavinia, Joel, Richard Jr., Catherine, James, Hannah, Joseph P., William, Elijah and Mary. Another son by his second wife, Fanny Lybarger, is listed as Jonathan Wood.

This is definitely not the same Richard Wood who married Tabitha Glass and whose descendants lived in Heard County, Ga. and Randolph County, Ala. Richard and Tabitha were the parents of Winston Wood who served as sheriff of Fayette County in its beginning years. But, you can't help but wonder if there was a connection. I also wonder if there is a connection to the Brooks-Woolsey Wood family.

Rev. Richard Wood's children and grandchildren began to scatter from Tennessee, and some ended up in Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, and other points west. Other than Joel, only one seems to have come farther south. A grandson, Commodore Decatur Wood, son of James Wood, is said to have settled in Coosa Co., Ala.

I have just started on this family so later information on the Carroll County Woods is sketchy. I do know that Nathan and his wife are buried at Powell's Chapel Cemetery in Carroll Co., along with a host of my other relatives.

Joel Jr. died in the Civil War and his widow, Rachel, married a James McWhorter (doesn't that complicate things nicely?). Also, I believe my Mary Wood Payne and her sister-in-law, Nancy Jane Wood (wife of Nathan), were listed on the membership rolls of New Hope Baptist Church in 1863 in Douglas County.

I am still researching this family and have a long way to go. If anything rings a bell, please get in touch with me and let's see if we can't glue these Wood splinters back together. (Sorry. Couldn't resist again.)

If you're looking for your Georgia ancestors or have a local family history to share, write to The Citizen, Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; E-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com.

Until next week, happy hunting!

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