Richard and Hannah Taylor Woodward of Chester Co Pa
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Richard and Hannah Taylor Woodward
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This branch of the Woodward family migrated west by a different route than Abraham Woodward's branch of the family. Instead of going south through North Carolina and Tennessee and back up to Indiana, the Richard and Hannah Taylor Woodward family migrated west from Chester County to Fayette County, Pennsylvania. The way over the mountains was clear after the Revolutionary War and many Pennsylvania families took that route. This pattern is of interest to us because it seems that many families that split via the southern and western routes, later reunited in western states such as Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, and even intermarried, not knowing they were of the same stock.
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Richard Woodward was the third child and second son of John & Ann Pyle Woodward. He was left five pounds in the will of his grandfather, Richard Woodward.

We do not currently know the parentage of Hannah Taylor.

  Richard Woodward
born 10/8/1737 Chester Co, Pa
died 12/4/1815 Fayette Co, Pa
Hannah Taylor
born 1742 Chester Co, Pa
died bet 1810-1815 Fayette Co, Pa


  Married: 11/9/1760 at Old Swede's Church on the Delaware River

Children: Ann Woodward born 1762 Chester Co, Pa; married William Jefferis
Elizabeth Woodward born 1764; married Elias Jefferis
Joseph Woodward born 1766, Chester Co, Pa; married Hope Shotwell
Amos Woodward born and died 1772, Chester Co, Pa
John Woodward born 1/17/1776, Chester Co, Pa; married Mary Carter
Caleb Woodward born 1/30/1780, Chester Co, Pa; married Phebe Carter
Joshua Woodward born 3/4/1784, Chester Co, Pa; married Sarah Dannels
Hannah Woodward born and died 1802


Information is from J. Gary Woodward, The Woodward Family of Pennsylvania with updates as we have found them.

The four sons of Richard and Hannah Taylor Woodward, Joseph, John, Caleb, and Joshua crossed over the mountains from Chester County and settled in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, soon after the year 1800. Elias and Elizabeth Woodward Jeffries accompanied them. Richard and Hannah are listed in the 1810 census in Fayette County. The Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Fayette County (page 405) says that Richard came to Fayette County in 1789 and settled on a farm in Menallen township where he afterwards lived till his death. Biographies of other descendants in the same reference state they came early in the 1800's.

An abstract of Richard's will (from La Fayette: Richard Woodward of Menallen Twp. Non-cupative [oral] will. "Being sick of the sickness whereof he died on the 4th day following." Mentions: "the rest of my children", but only names sons Joseph, John, and Joshua. Mentions: grandson Dick (s/o his son John); Hope (w/o son Joshua [actually Joseph]. No executors named. Witnesses (at his dwelling house): Joshua (x) Rockwell, Braley Green, and Elizabeth Jeffers. Will dated 2 Dec 1815; proved 11 Dec 1815. (Fayette Co, Will Book I-1, page 486.)

More on the Children of Richard and Hannah Taylor Woodward

Joseph Woodward Family

Joseph Woodward was surety for his brother Caleb (see below) on 12 March 1804 so we know they arrived in Fayette County by that date. Joseph Woodward is listed on the 1816 Tax List in Menallen Township as a farmer with 95 acres, 2 horses, 2 cows, 1 dog, and another place of 55 acres. He is listed in 1828 with the same acreage, 2 horses, and 4 cows. His son Joseph Woodward, Jr. is listed as a blacksmith, 1 horse, 2 cows, 84 acres - landlord's part.

Joseph & Hope Shotwell Woodward had children Ann; Sarah, married Strickler; Joseph, Jr.; Deborah; Taylor; Amos; Elizabeth, married Harris; Caleb (born 1822, died 1847); and Nancy, married Vail. There is more information on the sons in J. Gary Woodward,The Woodward Family of Pennsylvania.

John Woodward Family

John Woodward, son of Richard and Hannah, married Mary Carter, 8/23/1798 in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Mary Carter may have been daughter of John and Phebe Davis Carter. If anyone can shed light on this we would appreciate it.

John and Mary Carter Woodward had children Joseph; Amos; Caleb; and John, plus four daughters: Hannah; Amy; Elizabeth; and Ann. There is more information on Joseph and Caleb in J. Gary Woodward, The Woodward Family of Pennsylvania.

Sue Wert, a descendant of John, gives us another son Richard Woodward, born 5 February 1800. This would be the "Dick" mentioned in Richard's will above and he may have been singled out as named for his grandfather. This may be the Richard Woodward on the 1828 Tax List as a weaver, with 25 acres and one cow. Amos is also listed on the 1818 tax list as a weaver with 2 cows.

John, Jr., married Mary Ann Wilson 7/3/1836 in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. Sue Wert is a descendant of John & Mary Ann Wilson Woodward and would be happy to share information. She kindly sent us several biographies from the Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Fayette County on the descendants of Richard and Hannah Taylor Woodward. As time permits we will summarize them on this page.

Caleb Woodward Family

Caleb Woodward, son of Richard and Hannah, married Phebe Carter, daughter of John & Phebe Carter, on 2/19/1801. (Some genealogists give this name as Phebe McCarty - the name may have originally been McCarty but the marriage record is as Carter. Was she a sister of Mary Carter?) They were married by Thomas Cheney in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and are included in his docket of marriages he performed. We feel the families did not leave until after this marriage.

The History of Fayette County, Pa (1882) mentions that: "Caleb Woodward moved from Chester County at an early day and set up a blacksmith's shop in Menallen on James Sidwell's farm. He was a somewhat noted mechanic, and was esteemed specially skillful in the manufacture of plows, chains, etc. The plows of his day were made of wood and plated with strips of iron. People came to him from afar off, nine miles and more, to have him make for them chains and plows. He did also a brisk business in plating saddles. He settled eventually on a farm now occupied by Joseph Woodward and died in New Salem.

Caleb's brothers, John, Joshua and Joseph located in Menallen about the same time. All of them were farmers. Joshua's home was on the place now owned by his son Ellis."

Caleb Woodward was granted letters of administration on 12 March 1804 in Franklin Township, Fayette County, for one Jacob Tomlinson. Joseph Woodward and William Jefferis were sureties on this document, so we know the families arrived by that date.

Caleb Woodward is found on the 1828 Tax List as a farmer with 113 acres, 4 horses, and 4 cows.

Caleb and Phebe had children Hannah (married Evan Cook Jones); Davis; Phebe; Eliza; Lydia; and Mary (died young).

The Biographical...Cyclopedia of Fayette County includes a sketch of grandson Ebenezer Finley Woodward and says that his father, Davis Woodward, was born in Menallen Township, June 11, 1806, and died April 6, 1882. He married Phebe Boyd, a daughter of Judge Robert and Rebecca Work Boyd on November 2, 1828. Phebe was born April 13, 1810. Phebe's grandfather, William Boyd, was a native of Ireland and his father was killed by Indians on the Potomac River, April 13, 1757. Davis and Phebe had 13 children: Robert Boyd; Caleb; Samuel Work; Davis, Jr.; Joseph; Rebekah; Ebenezer Finley; John William; Phebe; Mary Elvira; Eliza Jane; D. Dempsey; and Harriet Woodward, all chronicled further in J. Gary Woodward The Woodward Family of Chester County, Pennsylvania.

In the 1850 census in Menallen Township we find: Caleb Woodard, 71, born Pa, farmer, farm valued $3000; Phebe, 70, born Pa. Son Davis Woodward is found in Dunbar Township in Fayette County: Davis Woodward, 44, farmer, born Pa, farm valued $10,000; May,40, born Pa; Robert C., 20; Caleb, 19; Samuel, 19; Joseph, 14; Rebecca, 12; Ebenezer, 10; John, 8; Phebe, 6; Mary, 4; Eliza 2; Davis, 8/12. Davis Woodward, Jr. was born 1835 and died 1836, so the Davis listed in the census is Davis Dempsey. Harriett was born after 1850. Barbara Craig is a descendant of Davis's son, Samuel Work Woodward and would be happy to share information. Daughter Rebecca Woodward married Charles Beatty, member of the Pennsylvania legislature.

Son Ebenezer Finley Woodward, was born in Dunbar Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, September 11, 1840. On March 25, 1869, he married Elma Cox, daughter of George Cox. They had ten children: Elizabeth (1/15/1870); Dempsey (3/5/1871); George (6/28/1873); Mary (3/2/1875); Jessie (11/12/1876); Jennie (11/1/1878); Finley (11/8/1880); Belle (dec by 1889); Joseph (7/29/1884); and Elma (5/10/1887).

The History of Fayette County, Pa states that Caleb continued blacksmithing and farming to the end of his life. He died October 18, 1856, aged seventy-seven years, eight months and nineteen days. His wife, Phebe died December 4, 1856, aged seventy-six years, nine months and twenty four days.

Joshua Woodward Family

Joshua Woodward married Sarah Dannels and had four sons and four daughters. Not all the names are known. They had: Ann, born 10/26/1813 Fayette Co, married M. Wilson Scott; Ellis B., born 7/25/1816; Austin, born 1820, died 1852; Joshua, born 1825; Reuben, born 1826. There is more on Ellis, Joshua and Reuben in J. Gary Woodward, The Woodward Family of Pennsylvania.

Joshua Woodward is found on the 1828 Tax List in Fayette County as a farmer with 100 acres, 2 horses, and 2 cows

There is a sketch of son Ellis Bailey Woodward in Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Fayette County:
"Ellis Bailey Woodward of Menallen township was born July 25, 1816, near Jennings Run, South Union township, Fayette County, Penna... . He commenced life as a farmer but was afterwards wagoner on the "Old Pike" for about seven years. The principal freights were corn, provisions and merchandise. The corn was hauled to the road for the purpose of feeding hogs on the way to market. At that time the hogs were driven on foot, from the States of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to market in the cities of Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. [Note: Rachel Woodward Welch ancestor of Nadine Holder and Jill Martin lived along the "Old Pike", also known as the "National Road", in Indiana and made their living selling corn to the drovers.] It took thousands of corn yearly during the season of driving which was usually in the fall and early winter, and the wagoner always had a busy time in the hog season. It was the same when cattle were driven to market along the Pike; a great amount of feed had to be hauled to the road and the merchandise was back freight from Cumberland to Wheeling. The old wagon which Mr. Woodward used on the Pike is still in use [1889]. He stopped overnight at fifty seven different houses on the Pike between Uniontown and Cumberland while he was engaged in wagoning. He never drank any whiskey in his life although it was as plenty as water on the road while he was teaming.

When he quit the road, he settled down on a farm and made farming his vocation in life. He owns 106 acres of land in Menallen township where he now lives. He was married March 12, 1840, to Miss Mary Jane Lynn, who died in 1856. She was the daughter of Samuel Lynn of Redstone township. He married for his second wife, Miss Mary Ann Schaeffer, born July 14, 1839 in Wharton township. She was the daughter of Charles Schaeffer of Stewart township who died March 15, 1869, aged seventy nine years, one month and nineteen days.

They have seven living children, and one dead: Mary Jane Woodward, born April 3, 1858, married Abraham F. Vance; Elizabeth Woodward, born April 23, 1859; Sarah Woodward, born April 20, 1861, married George W. Holland; Prudy Woodward, born December 1, 1862, married to William Schwartz; Feliz H. Woodward, born May 5, 1866, a farmer; Eliza Woodward, born December 21, 1867; and Charles Andrew Woodward, born December 4, 1869.

...Mr. Richard Woodward, the grandfather, was probably a native of Chester County, Penna, as he came from there to Fayette County in 1789 and settled on a farm in Menallen township where he afterwards lived till his death. [This early date is certainly feasible - see map of settlement of Pennsylvania showing settlement in Fayette as early as 1768.]

Jesse Dannels, the grandfather of Ellis Bailey Woodward, came from Chester county to Fayette at a very early day." Joshua and Sarah Dannels Woodward are buried at Sandy Hill Quaker Cemetery, Menallen Township, Fayette Co, Pa.

Elias and Elizabeth Woodward Jeffries Family

Elizabeth Woodward married Elias Jeffries in Chester County, Pennsylvania. They too settled in Menallen township in Fayette County, about 1800.

A sketch of their grandson Taylor Jeffries is included in the Biographical...Cyclopedia of Fayette County: "Taylor Jeffries, one of Menallentownship's reliable farmers, was born on the homestead farm, Menallen township, Fayette County, Penna, December 22, 1843, and is a son of Taylor Jeffries and Jane Buchanan Jeffries.

His grandfather, Elias Jeffries, was born in Chester County, Penna; came to Menallen about 1800; and settled on the farm now owned by Taylor Jeffries. His wife was Elizabeth Woodward of Chester County, Penna.

His father, Taylor Jeffries, Sr., was born March 9, 1806, married Miss Jane Buchanan, daughter of Christopher Bucanan, a native of Ireland. He was a farmer of Menallen, where he died June 2, 1888...

On February 13, 1873, he [Taylor, Jr.] married Miss Martha Frederick, daughter of Samuel Frederick. Their union has been blessed with four children of whom two are living, Taylor, born April 20, 1878, and Elmer, born February 24, 1881. ...".



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