Now item two, history, well its genealogy.. I have been working on getting two family histories done and re-documented. They were written early, before so many records became available and there are alot inaccuracies. Also most of them are based on family stories, which are not really primary sources unless you can document it, with birth, death marriage and even divorce certificates. I have recently found some very interesting things along the way that I would like to share..
My 6th Great Uncle, Nehemiah "King" Wood, was born in 1770 in Rileyville, Virginia, to Nehemiah Wood, Sr., and Abigail Grigsby Wood, my sixth great-grandparents who were both of Virginia. Though I have been unable to ascertain when and from where the nickname "King" evolved, its use as his nickname is documented in many places. He is descended from the Wood line tracing back to William Wood, born circa 1350, in North Tawton, Devon, England.
In 1805, Nehemiah moved his family from Virginia to what became, in 1806, Raccoon Township in Gallia County, Ohio.
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Excerpt about Wood Old Homestead. Taken from the Gallia County, pp. 527-528, section
of Ohio Historic Places Dictionary, Volume 2.
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Of note is that 100 freed slaves traveled with the Wood family to "the North" when they moved, and those men and women continued to work for him and live alongside him in Ohio throughout the rest of his life.
In 1805, Nehemiah bought Raccoon
Township's first gristmill from Adam Ricabaugh. In 1907, Walter Wood
wrote this about the aforementioned transaction in this way: "The
First grist mill on Raccoon by Adam Ricabaugh in 1803, but was soon
sold to Nehemiah Wood who attached to it a sawmill. Carding machine and
fulling mill for dressing cloth. It was built at Adamsville." Then, in 1806, he built a second gristmill nearby that Walter Wood described as being located "one mile and a half below Cora in Perry Township."
Nehemiah rose in prominence in the community; and, in 1819, he was honored to become the first Postmaster of the Woods Mill Post Office in Gallia County, Ohio.
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| Information on Woods Mill Post Office courtesy of GalliaGenealogy.org |
In 1820, Nehemiah built the Old Wood Homestead, a federal-style farmhouse constructed from clay bricks
manufactured on-site. The Homestead
served as the Wood family home, a stagecoach stop on the stagecoach line from Chillicothe,
and an inn. Additionally, cabins were erected on the Homestead's farm
to house the freed slaves that had accompanied him from Virginia and
were still working for him.
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| Photos of the Old Wood Homestead Main Building |
Nehemiah King Wood
died on September 21, 1824, in Gallia County, Ohio, at the age of 54. He
was laid to rest at Watson
Cemetery in Raccoon Township. Upon his death,
his sizable estate went into probate in the Ohio state courts, and
the estate was not settled until 8 Apr 1825. At that time, his widow and
non-minor children were granted guardianships of the minor children, as well as
given parts of the estate; and his outstanding debts were settled.
You can read more about my Great Grand Uncle, legacy here
Now for the third thing, well I have been stitching... so here are some updates...
First, Hope and Love
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| 40 ct White Newcastle, with Gumnuts Silks - Mulberry and Denim (pardon the quilt showing underneath) |
Second, Jan Houtman 9-11
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| JH 9-11 on 40ct Ricamo, with own conversion of Gumnuts Silks |
Its been a year, with distractions on 9-11 but I work bit by bit, I hope to finish it by January.. at least that's my goal. Hope, Peace and Love should be finished soon, I'm on the lower part and that's it, next I will do Ann Grimshaw. by Scarlet Letter.
I hope to do better, with posting more news bits some stitching, home life, and genealogy.. so here's a taste of Fall from the back deck...
Very interesting on your family history. Must be fun digging around in your genealogy. Lovely stitching! Love both pieces.
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