Eli Woodward, son of Abraham Woodward
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Eli & Bethia(?) Woodward

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Eli Woodward, oldest child of Abraham and Hannah Thornbrough Woodward was born 5th Month 17th Day 1761. He was probably born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, as his parents were married there in 1760, and it is likely his parents did not go to North Carolina until 1762.

Marriage:

Eli's wife's surname is not known. No marriage record is found for Eli in North Carolina. This is not too surprising since it is estimated that only about 1/3 of North Carolina marriage records are accesible to researchers if it was a civil ceremony. Many Quaker records have also been lost.

Death:

An estate sale for Eli Woodward is documented in December 1785 in Randolph County, North Carolina, Court Records (see below). At this estate sale some items were sold to a Bethia Woodward and some items were sold to the widow: they may have been one and the same. Eli would have been only 24 years old when he died and since there was no will he probably died of an accident. His inventory was extensive for one so young. Note that a loom was sold while the widow bought back the spinning wheel. Eli Woodward was then probably the weaver in the family. Eli also owned land, as there is a reference in a deed dated 15 March 1787 to land on Muddy Creek adjacent to Eli Woodward, deceased, so we know he lived on Muddy Creek (See the 1770 map on the North Carolina map page for location of Muddy Creek.

Children:

Eli's wife was probably pregnant when he died as there is no mention of a child in the estate settlement. However, in Abraham Woodward's will he leaves one dollar to be given "to my son Eli's daughter Mary." She stayed close to the family as her uncle, John Woodward (Eli's brother), was bondsman when Mary Woodward married John Sutherland July 22, 1812, in Jefferson County, Tennessee.

To Indiana

John and Mary Woodward Sutherland are found in Wayne County, Indiana, where John Sutherland witnessed John Woodward's will in 1821. It is quite likely that John and Mary Sutherland accompanied John Woodward and family to Indiana in 1813.

A John Sutherland is found in the 1820 census in Wayne County, on page 168 with Kibbey as a neighbor. John's household is males 1 0-9, 1 26-45, females 1 0-9, 1 26-45. There was a John Sutherland married Jane Brown in Wayne County in 1814. He is likely this one and is found in Centre Marion Co In in 1850. Our John Sutherland was witness to John Woodward's will in Wayne County in 1821 as was Charles Stanley. Charles Stanley is found in the 1820 census in Wayne County with 1 male 0-9, 1 26-45, 1 female 0-9 and 1 16-18, page 172, with another John Sutherland: males 2 0-9, 1 26-44, females 2 0-9, 1 26-44. This is probably John and Mary Woodward Sutherland.

The 1830 census shows John Sutherland living near Rachel Woodward (John's widow): 1 male 30-40, 1 male 15-20, 1 10-15, 3 5-10, females 2 30- 40, 1 10-15, 3 under 5. Another female and children appear to be living with the family which further complicates the identification of the children belonging to John and Mary Woodward Sutherland. Mary Woodward Sutherland probably died in Wayne County about 1821 at the birth of their son Jacob Sutherland.

John Sutherland's Second Marriage

John Sutherland married second, Rosanna Imboten on 12/13/1832 in Wayne County. Rosetta and John are found in Germantown in Jackson Township in Wayne County, Indiana in the 1850 census. John is a laborer born about 1796 in Tennessee, Rosanna was born about 1808 in Pennsylvania. There is a Samuel Klingman family next door where the wife Susanna was born about 1810 in Pennsylvania and we suspect this was Rosanna's sister. John & Rosanna Imboten Sutherland are shown with children Jacob age 19, Eliza age 16 (no doubt named for her cousin Eliza Woodward), Margaret age 14, and Catharine age 2, all born Indiana. The Klingman's oldest daughter, age 19, is named Catharine which also connects the two families. Jacob is obviously a son of Mary. (A word of caution: this is the only birth year information we have for John Sutherland and it is not credible for a marriage to Mary in 1812 and would also have made him at least ten years younger than her. Not impossible, just not real credible!)

Speculation on More Children of John and Mary Woodward Sutherland

John & Mary Woodward Sutherland no doubt had children older than Jacob, possibly several, according to the 1820 and 1830 census records. The problem of identifying John & Mary's children is that there was another John Sutherland (unrelated) who married in Wayne County in 1814 and produced children that would have been about the same age as John & Mary's. We cannot even speculate on the number of children that John & Mary had as there appeared to be another female with children who was living with John and Mary at the time the 1830 census was taken. It is thus impossible to determine how many children each family had.

In the 1840 census a Wiley Sutherland is living next to John Woodward, Jr. and we speculate he might have been a son of John and Mary. Wiley married Caroline Black in 1848 in Wayne County, Indiana and they had a son James born about 1849.

Another possible son is Woodard Sutherland who married Elenor Dorcas Heifner in Shelby County, Indiana 6/25/1841. (Thanks to the kindness of descendant Kay Fakhar who ordered the original Shelby County, Indiana marriage certificate and shared it with us.) Woodward & Ellen are shown with children Tilson, William M., John B., and Silven N., in the 1850 census in Shelby County.

We would be very interested in locating more Sutherland descendants of this family! We would also like clues to the identity of Bethia Woodward who may have been the widow. Email Web Master Nadine Holder on the About Us Page.

Estate Sale of Eli Woodward, Randolph County, North Carolina

Account of the sales of the Estate of Eli Woodward Deceased. Returned by William Pickett, High Sheriff of Randolph County to December [court] term of 1785.
(Note: amounts are given in pounds/shillings/pence and names in bold are known relatives or neighbors of the Woodward family)
Norman Branson 1 casket 1/11/2
Abraham Woodward 1 pr hames 3/6, 1 double tree and swingle tree 2/8
John Beard 1 barrel 1/1 1 piggin 6
Robert Brattain 3 bushels corn 7/9
Moses Robbins 1 pair old horseshoes 11 � 1 bread tong 6
Abraham Woodward 2 earthen crocks 2/
William Coltrain 2 earthen crocks 2/2 2 earthen crocks and wooden bowl 1/
Abraham Woodward 2 earthen pans 3/3
William Coltrain 1 earthen pan 1/5
John Beard 7 trenchers 2/6
Abraham Woodward 1 earthen dish and two plates 1/
William Frazier jug 1/1/2
Abraham Woodward 5 cups 2/ 2 earthen dishes 3/ 1 fork and 6 spoons 3/
Bethia Woodward 1 basin 2 plates 1 candle stick 3 knives & forks 3 cask 16/65
Abraham Woodward 1 pail 2/6 John Moore 1 pail & 1 fork 1/6
Bethia Woodward 1spoon 5/
William Thornborough 1 razor 5 tea spoons 3/3
Edward Thornborough 1 pr pothooks 1/1
William White 1 side neate saddle leather 1/1/11
James Frazier 2 sides sole leather 25/6
John White 1 chair 2/6
Michel Grimes 1 dough trough 3/3
Joshua Lewis 1 ink holder �
William Latham 1 mattax 1 ax 29/3
Thomas Curtis 1 loome 25/
The widow 1 spinning wheel 12/
James White 1 steer 2/5/6
Joseph Thornborough 1 cow and bell 3/17/0
William Latham 1 cow and calf 3/17/0
The widow 1 cow and calf 3/15/0
Edward Thornborough Jr (?) 1 pied heifer 2/10/1 Joseph Larons (probably Larrance?) 1 little steer 1/5/6
Ralph Lowe one heifer 25/1
Abraham Woodward 21 head hoggs 10/1/10
John Frantz 3 head sheep 2/13/2
John Beard 1 iron pot 14/6
Joseph Smith 1 mare and colt 18/1/0
Stephen Alexander 1 mare 14/2/4
John Beard 1 young mare 12/0/0
Ralph Lowe 10 bushels wheat 3/0/0
Isaac Jackson 10 bushels wheat 3/0/0
The widow 10 bushels wheat 3/0/0
William King 6 1/4 bushels wheat 1/18/0
Joseph Larons 10 bushels oats 25/
Isaac Lonegan 10 bags oats 27/6
William Wilson 20 bags oats 21/0/0
John Frazier 10 bushels oats 25/ 10 bags oats 25/10
John Hill 10 bags oats 25/
Robert Brattain 7 bags oats 20/8
John Cryder 10 b. 27/6
Alexander Smith 10 bushels corn 27/6
Enos Blair 10 bushels corn 28/4
John Cryder 10 bushels corn 27/6
Thomas Clark 20 bushels Corn 55/
The widow 10 bushels corn 27/6
Samuel Park 20 bushels corn 55/
John Frantz 40 bushels corn 5/15/0
William Latham 30 bushels corn 4/5/10
John Frantz 79 bushels corn 12/19/7
Robert Brattain 30 bushels corn 4/9/3
The widow a quantity of flour 10/
John Collier 10 � bushels wheat 3/6/7
Abraham Woodward 1 Bridle 21/2 41 feete boards 15/
The widow 1 saddle and bridle 3/0/0 1 bed and furniture 8/0/0
Abraham Woodward the wearing apparel of the deceased.
The whole amount of the Sales 163/16/5 1/4.
A true copy J. Harper Clerk

Updates:
1/2/2009 Corrected name of wife and marriage date of Woodward Sutherland, possible son of John and Mary Sutherland.



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