Sarah Johnson

Sarah was born abt 1590 in England and died at Henrico, Virginia Colony as Sarah Johnson, widow, after 17 January 1660/1. She’s listed as Sarah (unknown) Woodson as a Qualifying Ancestor of the Jamestowne Society. link daughter of Isaac Winston and Mary Dabney Dr. John Woodson was born in 1586 in Devonshire England. He matriculated from St. John's College on March 1,1604 at the age of eighteen.

Dr. John Woodson married Sara Winston and they sailed from England on the ship "George" arriving in Jamestowne Virginia 16 Apri1 1619. Governor Yeardly and his wife were also on this ship and they became very good friends.

John was a surgeon for the Militia in 1623 and has been asked by Governor Yeardley to come to America for their soldiers.

The children of John and Sara were probably born at Fleur de Hundred some thirty miles north above Jamestown on the south side of the James River which is now called Prince George County.

John "Tub" Woodson b. 1632 Robert "Potato Hole" Woodson Sr. b.1634

These boys were known as "Tub" and "Potato Hole" because when the Indians came to their home, Sara hid John under a washtub and Robert got into the hole were potatoes were stored.

It was during this raid which began on the 18th day of April that Dr. John Woodson was killed on the second day of the Indian massacre as he hurried home. His sons, John and Robert, were 10 and 12 years old at that time. The shoemaker, Ligon, was at the house and helped Sara in the killing of the Indians.

John Woodson was killed in sight of home. It has been written that Sara and Ligon killed nine Indians. The photo of the gun is the weapon Ligon used in his fight with the Indians.

Family

• Parents unknown. Maiden name unknown.
• Married 3 times: 1) Dr. John Woodson (d 1644) 2) a Dunwell (d aft c 1650) 3) a Johnson (d bef c 1659)
• Died 1661 at Henrico County as Sarah Johnson, widow Children:
• John, Robert & Deborah Woodson
• Elizabeth was a daughter presumably of Mr. Dunwell and an earlier wife; he married Sarah, widow Woodson, after 1644, when she would likely have been past child bearing years.

Notes

There is no evidence to support the tradition that Sarah, the widow of Dr John Woodson, was the daughter of Captain Isaac Winston, Sr & Mary Winston; and there is no evidence for a middle name of Isabelle.

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A family account written about 1785 by Charles Woodson (1711-~1795), son of Tarleton Woodson, however, survives and supplies details which link the first generations of Woodsons and Robert Woodson, John Woodson, Senr., and John Woodson, Junr." who were among the tithables at Curles, 1679. Tradition states that John Woodson was killed in the Indian massacre of 18 April 1644. His children were very young and Mrs. Sarah Woodson soon remarried (2) ___ Dunwell, who died leaving her with a daughter Elizabeth, and (3) ___ Johnson. As a widow again she left a combination inventory and nuncupative will which was recorded 17 Jan 1660/1. This made bequests to John Woodson, Robert Woodson, Deborah Woodson (apparently under age) and Elizabeth Dunwell (under age). John Woodson was the implied executor. The family record of 1785, with no evidence to the contrary presented during two centuries, has posited this descent: issue: John, Robert, Deborah, left a cow and a feather bed by her mother, not mentioned in the 1785 account. "Woodsons and Their Connections", Henry Morton WOODSON, 1915 excerpts from that book.

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Biography

Dr. John ( b. 1586 d. 1644) & Sarah Woodson (b. 1590 d. 1660)

This article was originally entitled Dr. John Woodson. Had I been thinking when I began the project, I would probably have chosen Sarah Woodson as the subject rather than her husband. Since the sketch is actually more about Sarah than about John, the least she deserves is equal billing.

Dr. John Woodson and his wife Sarah share two entirely different stories about their lives together. One story has been around for several hundred years; the other is of fairly recent vintage. (In a nutshell, Story One says the two were of the privileged classes; Story Two says they were poor and unknown.) Whichever story is true and you are free to determine which you believe the result is a tale of two admirable ancestors. Perhaps there is a little truth in both versions.

In the Beginning

According to both stories John Woodson was The Immigrant of the Woodson branch of our family tree. In the older version, John was born in 1586 in Dorchester, Devonshire, England, the fourth (or fifth) son of John Woodson, Gentleman. In earlier times King Henry VIII had granted one of Johns ancestors a coat of arms and the privilege or œright to bear arms. As a young man John attended St. Johns College, a part of Oxford. (Oxford University is made up of a number of colleges including Queen College, Christ Church College, Trinity College, and others). He graduated from Oxford in 1604 when he was 18 years old. Had he continued with his expected path, he would have probably had a very comfortable life and lifestyle. (Story Two says the facts may be true, but this John Woodson [John Woodsonne according to college records] did not come to America.)

As fate would have it, however, Story One says that John fell in love with a young woman named Sarah Winston (1590-1660), daughter of Isaac Winston (birth dates vary:1570, 1564, 1584-d.?) and Unknown. (I was unable to find any specific information to back up the traditional tale of this Winston family.) The Woodson family were members of the Church of England. The Winstons, on the other hand, were definitely Separatists and probably Quakers. Both families were unhappy with the romance. The Woodsons declared that if the courtship continued and marriage ensued, John would be disinherited. Sarahs family did not want her to marry outside her faith. If she married John, she would lose her family. (Story 2 says our Sarahs last name is unknown; that her association with the Winstons came from a mistake in a magazine article about Isaac Winston (1681-1760). This Isaac Winston did have a daughter named Sarah, but that Sarah married a man named Syme and later married John Henry. She and John Henry were the parents of Patrick Henry, American patriot. Story 2 further contends that Winston was a typographical error in the aforementioned magazine that was corrected in the next edition but ignored by eager genealogists determined to connect Sarah to the Winstons. And, as if that werent enough, Story 2 backers say the idea that Isaac Winston who died in 1760 would have a married daughter listed on a 1624 muster [see below] is stretching the imagination somewhat. I wonder, couldnt there be two Isaac Winstons? Or, on the other hand, is it absolutely necessary that Sarah be a Winston?)

In Story One, the couple decided to go ahead with their plans even though both would lose something. They married sometime before 29 Jan 1619 and left England and their families for the new (12-year-old) colony of Jamestown. In so doing John lost any inheritance he might have received, and Sarah lost having her family nearby. Story One, however, says that Sarahs brother Anthony accompanied the couple on the voyage. (I could find no mention of Anthony Winston in the ships list, but some ships lists were œreconstructed years later. Of interest: Some say Anthony was the father of the Isaac Winston who was the father of Sarah Winston who was the mother of Patrick Henry. Whew! For whatever it’s worth, the Sarah in that family did have a brother named Anthony).

Because of the couples dire circumstances after their marriage, one source says that when Gov. Yeardley offered John Woodson a flattering gift of land holdings in the new world, [the young man] accepted the task of ship's surgeon and physician and came on with the new Governor. The governors offer came at just the right time for the newlyweds. (Because of laws of primogeniture, as a fourth/fifth son, John wouldnt have had much if any inheritance. Early Virginia was populated with many sons of wealthy families who had not had enough sense to be born as their parents first child and thus inherit everything. [See discussion of Thomas Ligon, below.])

Voyage to Jamestown

The ship the Woodsons chose for their voyage was the George. (Most sources list the ship as simply the George, but one researcher claimed that the ship was really named the George Yeardley in honor of Sir George Yeardley, the new governor of Jamestown) On board the George were the new Governor and his wife Temperance Fleurdieu (Flowerdieu), Lady Yeardley. The governor was going to the colony to replace the first deputy governor of Jamestown, Sir Thomas Dale (?-1619). Dale, who had served the colony well, returned to England in 1616 for other adventures and duties. He died of fever on an expedition to the East Indies in 1619.)

The Yeardleys were accompanied on the George by about 100 other passengers. Among these passengers were (1) our ancestors, Dr. John Woodson and his wife Sarah; (2) Sir John Harvey, who would later himself become a very unpopular royal governor of VA; (3) a contingent of soldiers who had been sent to help protect the colonists from the Indians, and (4) about 80 teenage street orphans from Bridewell Hospital who had been rounded up off the London streets and sent to Jamestown to as a source of cheap labor. (If the George indeed carried 100 passengers, the contingent of soldiers must have been fairly small. One source claims that a company of soldiers was with the party. Doubts. [Story 2 says that John and Sarah were probably two of the teenage orphans from London, and that they married sometime between their arrival in Jamestown in 1619 and the first muster or census that was taken in Feb1624/25])

According to Story One, Temperance Yeardley, the governors wife, was seasick for most of the journey. (One of the travelers said that it was a sore voyage. Sarah took care of her, and the two became fast friends. Temperance encouraged Sarah and John to settle at the plantation given to the Yeardleys by King James. It was named Flower Dew Hundred (many different spellings) and had been named after Temperance Fleurdieu. (Hundred in a plantations name indicated that the area was both large enough and populated enough to be capable of raising a hundred militiamen in time of need [or that it housed 100 servants]) When the George landed in Jamestown in April of 1619, 33-year-old John and 29-year-old Sarah traveled about 30 miles upstream with the Yeardleys where they made their home at Fleur de Hundred on the south side of the James River. (Note: The George arrived in Jamestown a year before the Mayflower landed at Plymouth.)

One bit of evidence that gives some credence to Story One (that John and Sarah were wealthy) is the arrival of a black looking vessel in 1620. The cargo of this ship consisted of 20 hostages that the Dutch captain of the ship had captured along the African coast and brought to Jamestown to sell for profit to tobacco planters in the colonies. Records show that John bought six of these slaves. (Originally the slaves were to be considered indentured servants, but somehow that plan fell by the wayside.) If John had indeed been one of the orphans brought to the colonies as a laborer, he had not had time to make enough money since his arrival in Jamestown to be buying slaves. The slaves were registered as part of Johns household in 1623 but were not listed by individual names. They were designated simply as Negars (These were not the first slaves brought to the colony. In 1619, the same year the Woodsons arrived, another ship captained by two English privateers brought twenty and odd Angolans to sell. However, major trafficking in slaves did not take place until many years later.)

Life in Jamestown

Governor Yeardley got swiftly to work, establishing the House of Burgesses in 1619 right after his arrival and making major changes in how the colony was governed. For example, Yeardley was largely responsible for dividing the colony into four citties [sic], and 11 boroughs based on the 11 major plantations along the James River basis for representatives for the House of Burgesses. He also established an iron works and had plans for a college for the colony. The iron works progressed enough to actually produce iron, but the massacre of 1622 brought the production to a halt. (The John Woodson who served as a member of the House of Burgesses for several terms between1769-1775 for the county of Goochland was our Dr. Johns great, great grandson [from Dr. John> to Robert> to John> to Josiah> to the Burgess John. ])

Life was not only difficult in Jamestown colony; it was dangerous. In the beginning the settlers were primarily men; the only women in the colonies were wives and children. However in 1619, the same year John and Sarah arrived, the Virginia Company sent 90 single women of good repute as potential wives for the male colonists to help populate the settlement. The women may have alarmed the already disgruntled Indians, for their presence meant that the colonists were in Jamestown to stay. They would continue to clear lands and encroach on Indian territory.

Indian Problems - Massacre of 1622

Relations between the Indians and the colonists had been strained but relatively peaceful under Chief Powhatan (Pocahantas father). However, this truce would change when Powhatans younger brother, Chief Opechancanough took over. Opechancanough was known as a ferocious warrior who hated the settlers. He had hated them since the time of John Smith when he felt that Smith had insulted or demeaned him. Opechancanough’s plan was to eradicate the whites totally. In a well-planned and coordinated strategic mission on 22 March 1622 (a Good Friday), the Indians attacked the settlements without warning. They hit both sides of the river and covered a large area both up- and downstream. In all, they massacred around 400 people and took many captives. About a third of the colonists were killed.

The raid would have been worse except for the actions of a young Indian boy named Chanco. Chanco had been ordered to murder his employer, Richard Pace. Instead of following orders, Chanco told Pace about Opechancanough’s plan the night before the proposed attack. Pace secured his own plantation then rowed across the James River to warn the colonists at Jamestown in time for them to make a little preparation. Unfortunately there was not time to warn everyone in all the farms, plantations, and towns. Some colonists were killed or captured at every settlement. Some places were totally wiped out. For example, of the 29 people at the iron works, 27 were killed including 3 women and two children. The ironworks itself was destroyed. The settlers retaliated against the attackers and eventually drove them deeper into the forest. The fighting continued sporadically for about a year, then a shaky peace treaty was signed.

Treaty of 1623

The Indians were not the only ones to behave treacherously. When the Indians met with the colonists in Jamestown a year after the 1622 massacre to sign a peace treaty, Dr. John Potts and some of the other Jamestown leaders poisoned the Indians share of the liquor. The result was that 200 Indians died from the poison, and then Potts and others killed 50 more Indians by hand. No wonder Opechancanough did not think highly of the settlers. A very shaky peace lasted until about 1644.

The 1624 Muster

In 1624 a muster (or census) of the living and dead was held. This muster was the first time in America that we have John and Sarah listed as man and wife. Also In 1624 the Yeardleys sold Flower Dew Plantation to Abraham Piersey and the name was changed to Pierseys Hundred. The1624 muster was held at Pierseys Hundred. (Pierseys /Flower Dew Plantation is still in existence and is owned and maintained as a public trust by the Flowerdew Hundred Foundation. It is today called Flower Dew Plantation.)

Family

The Woodson Family Grows

In this hard and hostile environment, John and Sarah began their family. We know of three surviving children. There may have been others who did not survive.

1. John Woodson, Jr. (1632-1684) m. Sarah Browne (1632-1692) in c1677. Like his mother, John, Jr. may have been a Quaker. The couple had two sons, John, III, and Robert. John owned a good deal of land and operated a ferry across the James River.

2. Colonel Robert Woodson (1634-after 1707) m Elizabeth Ferris/Farris (1638-1689) in 1656. She was the daughter of Richard (1596-?) and Sarah Hambleton Ferris. The couple lived in Varina Parish. (Varina is the name of our ancestor William Hatchers Virginia plantation on the James River.) Robert and Elizabeth had 9 children: John, Robert, Richard, Elizabeth, Joseph Richard, Sarah, Benjamin, Judith, and Mary. Robert became a large landowner in the region.

3. Deborah Woodson (c1636/44-?) The only tangible evidence of her existence is found in her mothers will when she bequeathed a cow, a feather bed, and tobackoes to her daughter.

4. Richard Woodson (?-?) Other than his name, I could find no information about a child named Richard.

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Move to Curles

Sometime around 1644 the Woodsons moved to Curles Plantation which was owned by Robert Ferris (n.d.). Curles was north of Flowerdew on the James River and was named after the land formation made by the river.

Massacre of 1644

On 18 April 1644 the smoldering Indian resentment against the colonists broke out again when Chief Opechankano led a massive attack against the settlers, slaughtering around 300 settlers before the colonists were able to drive the attackers away. Casualties at Fleur de Hundred (Pierseys Hundred) were not high, probably because it was a palisaded settlement. (A palisade is a fence of long, strong stakes, pointed at the top and set close together as a defense.) John and Sarah might still have been living at Pierseys Hundred on 18 April 1644, but they had probably already moved to Curles. In any event, both John and Sarah survived. The next day, however, the Indians struck again.

The account of John and Sarahs fate during the Massacre of 1644 can be found in almost every discussion of the Woodson family. The details vary somewhat from story to story, but in each case Sarah’s heroism, quick thinking, and bravery are paramount.

On 19 April 1644, the day after the 1644 massacre, Dr. John Woodson had gone to check on the welfare of some of his patients. While he was gone, the Indians attacked again. Sarah was in their home with her sons, John, Jr., and Robert, who were at the time 12 and 10 respectively. (Daughter Deborah is not mentioned in any of the accounts of the attack. Perhaps Sarah was pregnant with her; perhaps the girl was easier to hide than the boys; in any event, she survived. In addition, if her date of birth is correct, Sarah was 54 years old in 1644. That also means she had borne children at 42-44 years of age.)

A visitor named Thomas or Robert Ligon was also in the Woodson’s home. (Most accounts do not mention his first name and simply call him Ligon.) Ligon may have come to warn the Woodsons, for they did have a little time to prepare. Sarah gave Ligon her husband’s gun, an old, 8-foot-long, muzzle loading rifle. He quickly found a notched tree branch in the yard to use to brace the gun. In the meantime, Sarah hid John, Jr., under a washtub and had Robert get into a hole in the floor that the family used for storing potatoes. She hoped that the boys would be safely hidden if the attackers managed to get inside the house.

Sarah also put a large pot of water on the fire to boil so that it could be used as a possible weapon. (See story of our Ancestor Timothy Ragan's son, Reason Ragan, in the Archives. He and his family were involved in the Wood River Massacre. Go to top of this page and click link to previously published articles.) Sarah and Ligon worked as a team to use the large gun: Sarah loaded it, and Ligon fired it. When the Indians attacked the cabin, Ligon killed three Indians with his first shot. With the second shot he killed two more. Suddenly Sarah realized two Indians were on the roof, trying to come down the chimney. She took her bedding off the bed and threw it into the fireplace. The resulting smoke overcame the Indians who fell down the chimney. One fell into the boiling water and was scalded. (Some versions say Sarah threw the water on him.) Next, Sarah grabbed the roasting spit from the fireplace and brained the other. Both Indians were killed.

Turning once more to the threat of howling Indians outside, Sarah and Ligon put the gun to work again, killing two more attackers. In all, they had fired 3 shots. With 9 Indians dead, the remainder fled. As soon as the Indians were gone, Sarah called her two sons from their hiding places. Tradition has it that for several years afterward the boys bore the nicknames Tub and Potato Hole. In addition, Woodson researchers often ask the question, are you a Tub Woodson or Potato Hole Woodson (We are Potato Hole Woodsons.)

When the Indian attack began, Dr. Woodson was on his way home. We do not know whether or not he knew that a new attack was underway. When he came to an open area in sight of his house, the Indians set upon him and killed him. Ligon and Sarah found John Woodson’s body when they went outside after driving the Indians away. He was probably killed before the Indians attacked the house. He was 58 years old.

Colonel Thomas Ligon

The identity of the mysterious Ligon became a crusade with me. Every story I read gave a different version of who he was. Some said he was an old schoolteacher; others that he was an itinerant shoe maker; one that he was a militia man. Only two sources gave a first name: One Thomas, one Robert. Rather than continue with Woodson accounts of the attack, I started searching for Ligon family versions. There I found that Colonel Thomas Ligon (1586/1625-1675) had arrived in VA in 1641 with his cousin Sir William Berkeley, the Royal Governor of Virginia. Ligon was from a titled family, but when he did not inherit lands or money, he came to Virginia .

The arrival date of 1641 is fairly certain. His date of birth, however, is not. Some sources say he was born in 1586 and some say 1625. That is a big difference. He would either be 55 or 16 when he arrived and 58 or 19 during the massacre. (Some say the 1586 date may be the birth date of his father. On the other hand, most versions of the story seem to indicate that the man helping Sarah defend her home was old. In addition, a 16-year-old would be less likely to have already married in England and become a widower before traveling to VA, which was true for Ligon. For the other side, 1586 also makes Ligon fathering children from ages 66-77, for he married a second time in VA in 1648-1650 at age 62-64 to a woman who was born in 1625 and was 23-25 years old at the time.) It’s a toss-up.

Thomas Ligon had only been in Jamestown Colony 2 or 3 years when the 1644 massacre occurred, but that became part of his initiation into public service. He was already a member of the VA militia, and by 1669 attained the rank of Lt. Col.. He was elected to the House of Burgesses in 1644-1645 right after the massacre; was a Justice for Charles City Co. in 1657; a Burgess for Henrico Co. in 1656, and a surveyor in 1667. I believe who this man was may be more evidence for Story One. Whatever his age, Col. Thomas Ligon was a man of public stature. Whether this man was a visitor as some accounts say, or whether he set out to warn the Woodsons, John and Sarah seem to have had some fairly influential friends and acquaintances.

Several weeks after the massacre, Opechancano was captured and executed. (Some versions say he was murdered in his jail cell by one [or several] of his guards )

The Gun

The 8-foot-long gun is still in existence, though now a bit shorter. At some point the name Ligon was carved into the gunstock. For a long time the weapon was kept by descendants of the Woodsons in Prince George County, VA. By 1915 the gun was owned by a Lynchburg, VA attorney, William V. Wilson. At some point Mrs. C. W. Venable, a Woodson descendant, came into possession of the gun. Her husband examined the weapon and wrote about it: The gun is, by exact measurement, seven feet six inches in length, and the bore is so large that I can easily put my whole thumb into it. When first made it was 8 feet long, but on account of some injury it was sent to England to be repaired and the gunsmith cut off 6 inches of the barrell. [sic] In 1927 Mrs. Venable gave the gun to The Virginia Historical Society, and it is today on permanent exhibit in the Virginia Museum in Richmond. Examinations have shown the gun to predate1625.

Life after 1644

The Woodsons were probably already living at Curles in 1644. (I found one source that said John was listed as head of household at Curles in 1629, but could find no other proof to verify this nor even the name of the list he was on.) At Curles the boys grew to adulthood and prospered. Robert married Elizabeth Farris, daughter of the owner of Curles plantation. (Elizabeths parents had spelled their surnameFerris, but for some reason, Elizabeth used Farris.) Sons John and Robert were listed among the Tythables at Curles in 1679 so they were still there at that time.

Eventually both John and Robert became large landowners (holding almost 2,000 acres), but the land holdings dwindled as they parceled land out one way or another among their children. Several of John and Sarahs children and descendants became Quakers, and Quaker meetings were held at Curles Plantation. John, Jr., married twice. He and his second wife, Sarah Browne, operated a ferry across the James River. After his death, his wife asked for and received from the county 2,000 pounds of tobacco a year for running the ferry. Apparently they were doing very well, for when Sarah Browne Woodson died, she left all of her personal possessions to the children of her first marriage.

Sarah (Winston) Woodson’s life after John’s death is not clearly defined. She outlived her husband by 16 years, and some say that during this time she used her medical knowledge (gleaned from her husband) to care for the sick and injured. She did remarry, but not much is known about her spouse(s). Some say she first married a man named Dunwell. With him she had a daughter named Elizabeth (based on the daughter Elizabeth mentioned in her will). Sarah died c1660 at about 70 years of age and is buried in Henrico Co., VA. She was a brave woman who dealt with the times as best she could and managed to do what was necessary to survive.

Sarah’s Will

Sometime before 17 Jan 1660 when they were recorded, Sarah Woodson Johnson made a combination inventory and nuncupative (oral) will. (Oral or not, somebody evidently wrote Sarahs wishes down.) Today this will is interesting for several reasons: the people she mentioned, the items considered of value, and the spelling of the time. The inventory of her estate included: 2 cows, feather bed, chest, 2 hifer, 1 spitt, 1 pott, 1 pewter, 1 pewter dish, 1 wooden dish, a Taylos..Iron and shayres, (just a guess: the Taylos iron and shayres may have been sewing implements: a tailors iron and shears). Also included were: 1 wascott with a sarge peticote. Of this inventory, daughter Deborah Woodson received a cow, [the feather] bed and tobackoes (Actually these items were to be used by Robert Woodson for Deborah’s maintenance. She may have still been single at this time. She would have been between 16-24) Son John Woodson, Jr., received a cow. Daughter Elizabeth Dunwell received a cow and calf, hifer and waiscott and peticott. Nothing is mentioned about maintenance for Elizabeth, even though she at 16 years or less would have been younger than Deborah. However, after Robert Woodson received tobackoes and pitt and pott, the remainder was to go to Elz Dunwell. Perhaps Elz was Elizabeth, and this remainder was part of her inheritance or maintenance.

John and Sarah Woodson left many descendants, some famous, some not. Two of interest are Dolly Todd Madison, wife of President James Madison, and Frank and Jesse James, the famous outlaws. (Jesse’s middle name was Woodson.)

Now it is time to decide which story is correct. Were John and Sarah rich or poor? Does it really matter? If they were indeed from the privileged classes, we can admire their bravery in coming to the colonies. If they were two of the orphans on board the George, we can admire the courage, pluck, and tenacity required to make something of themselves after their arrival. In either case we are lucky to have them as ancestors.

Dr. John Woodson (1586-1644) + Sarah (Winston) (1590-1660)

Col. Robert Woodson (1634-aft.1707) + Elizabeth Ferris (1638-1689)

Sarah Woodson (1668-1710) + Edward Mosby (1660-1742)

Hezekiah or Jacob Mosby + Elizabeth or Susannah Cox (more on this later)

Agnes Mosby (?-1798) + Edward Davidson (c1715-1794)

Elizabeth Davidson (1727-1830) + Merry Webb IV (1737-1816)

Merry Webb V (1786-1864) + Mary Nancy Couch (1790-?)

Elizabeth Webb (1808-1881) + Israel McInturff, II (1805-1845)

Mary Elizabeth McInturff (1837-1915) + James H. Hatcher (1839-1911)

Elder Israel Alexander Hatcher (1860-1950) + Susan Sutton (1862-1903)

Mary Elizabeth Hatcher (1889-1969) + Rev. Eli McCarter (1886-1955)

Sources:

• Bishop, Ken L. The Bishop and Related Family History. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22Sarah+Winston%22+% 2B+%22Anthony+Winston%22+Jamestowne&btnG=Search
• Bob Juchs Kin http://www.juch.org/woodson/pafg01.asp
• Childress L-Archives http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/th/read/ CHILDRESS/2000-08/0967427332
• Dr. John Woodson http://www.rumblefische.com/ancestors/chap0015.html#I5168
• Thomas Dale http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Dale
• History of Virginia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Virginia
• Jamestown Colony http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/300134/Jamestown-Colony/2... -Company-1622-24#ref849096
• John Morton of Warwickshire England and his Descendants.
• http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/2940/Warwickshire.html
• John Woodson & Sarah? (Is he Dr., is she Winston?) http://boards.ancestry.com/localities.britisles.england.gls.general... hx?pnt=1
• John Woodson of Flowerdew Plantation, Virginia. http://webpages.charter.net/pepbaker/woodson.htm
• " Ligon: The Descendants of Col. Thomas Ligon." http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/7520/ligon.html
• My Southern Family http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mysouthernfamily/myff/d002... tml
• Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's http://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
• The Woodson Family http://www.jcsisle.com/woodson.html
• The Woodson Family http://members.tripod.com/LeeCase/woodson.htm
• " Watts Family of VA and MO." http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=bharris&i...
• Winston Family Genealogy Forum http://genforum.genealogy.com/winston/
• Woodson Family Genealogy Forum. http://genforum.genealogy.com/woodson/
• Woodson, Henry Morton. Historical Genealogy of the Woodsons and Their Connections., 1915. Original from the Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison. Digitized 16 Apr 2008. 760 pages. pp. 42-46. http://books.google.com/books?id=GuhfAAAAMAAJ&lpg=PA45&ots=Ud rxc_faSL&dq=%22John%20Woodson%22%20House%20of%20Burgesses&pg=PA45&output=text

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Quaker

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Source: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db...

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Sara was born around 1600 in Devonshire, England. She may have been the daughter of Isaac Winston and Mary Dabney. However the surname and ancestry of Sara seem to be a matter of some dispute.

Sara married Dr. John Woodson about 1619 in Dorsetshire, England and the couple sailed on the ship "George" for Virginia on 29 Jan 1619 arriving in Jamestowne 16 April 1619.

Children:

John Woodson b. 1632 Robert Woodson Sr. b.1634

Robert was the second son of Dr. John Woodson and Sara Woodson. Robert married Elizabeth Ferris.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=67994638

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1 Isaac WINSTON

   2 Sarah WINSTON  + John WOODSON

       3 Robert WOODSON b: 1634 d: 1707/1711    + Sarah Elizabeth FERRIS b: Abt 1636 d: Bef 1689    + Elizabeth FERRIS

           4 Elizabeth William WOODSON      + William LEWIS b: 1660 d: 25 Dec 1706

               5 Mary Mourning LEWIS b: 1694 d: 1765     + Robert ADAMS b: 1690 d: 17 Jun  --------------------

• Reference: FamilySearch Family Tree - SmartCopy: Sep 22 2016, 23:42:08 UTC

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Birth: 1595, England Death: Jan. 17, 1659 Prince George County Virginia, USA

Sara was born around 1600 in Devonshire, England. She may have been the daughter of Isaac Winston and Mary Dabney. However the surname and ancestry of Sara seem to be a matter of some dispute.

Sara married Dr. John Woodson about 1619 in Dorsetshire, England and the couple sailed on the ship "George" for Virginia on 29 Jan 1619 arriving in Jamestowne 16 April 1619.

Children:

John Woodson b. 1632 Robert Woodson Sr. b.1634

Robert was the second son of Dr. John Woodson and Sara Woodson. Robert married Elizabeth Ferris.

Family links:

Spouse:

 John Woodson (1586 - 1644)*

Children:

 John Woodson (1632 - 1684)*

 Robert Woodson (1634 - 1707)*

*Calculated relationship

Burial: Unknown

Created by: Bette Keene Scavone Record added: Apr 06, 2011 Find A Grave Memorial# 67994638

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GEDCOM Note

Dr. John Woodson Killed; Sarah Saves Family, 18 October 1644 "The blood-curdling war whoops rang out and Sarah froze as she looked through the cabin window and saw the feather headdresses come pouring out of the woods. Automatically, Sarah dropped the heav

GEDCOM Note

John and Sarah Woodson arrived at Jamestown in April 1619 John Woodson was born in 1586 in Dorchester, Devonshire, England. In 1604, at age 18, he entered St. Johns College in Bristol, England. John married Sarah, some say Winston, sometime before their depa

GEDCOM Note

Sarah Isabelle Winston Woodson Memorial Photos Flowers Edit Share Birth: 1595, England Death: Jan. 17, 1659 Prince George County Virginia, USA Sara was born around 1600 in Devonshire, England. She may have been the daughter of Isaac Winston and Mary Da

Sarah Isabelle Winston Woodson Memorial Photos Flowers Edit Share Birth: 1595, England Death: Jan. 17, 1659 Prince George County Virginia, USA

Sara was born around 1600 in Devonshire, England. She may have been the daughter of Isaac Winston and Mary Dabney. However the surname and ancestry of Sara seem to be a matter of some dispute.

Sara married Dr. John Woodson about 1619 in Dorsetshire, England and the couple sailed on the ship "George" for Virginia on 29 Jan 1619 arriving in Jamestowne 16 April 1619.

Children:

John Woodson b. 1632 Robert Woodson Sr. b.1634

Robert was the second son of Dr. John Woodson and Sara Woodson. Robert married Elizabeth Ferris.

Family links: Spouse: John Woodson (1586 - 1644)*

Children: John Woodson (1632 - 1684)* Robert Woodson (1634 - 1707)*

• Calculated relationship

Burial: Unknown

Created by: Bette Keene Scavone Record added: Apr 06, 2011 Find A Grave Memorial# 67994638

GEDCOM Note

Home People Projects Genealogy DNA Tests Sarah Woodson ‹ Back to Woodson surname Is your surname Woodson? Research the Woodson family Start your family tree now Sarah Woodson's Geni Profile Contact profile manager View family tree Share your family tr

Home People Projects Genealogy DNA Tests Sarah Woodson ‹ Back to Woodson surname

Is your surname Woodson?

Research the Woodson family Start your family tree now Sarah Woodson's Geni Profile Contact profile manager View family tree Share your family tree and photos with the people you know and love

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Sarah Woodson (Winston) Birthdate: 1590 Birthplace: Dorchester, Dorset, England Death: Died January 17, 1659 in Prince George County, Virginia, United States Place of Burial: Henrico, Virginia Colony Immediate Family: Daughter of Isaac Winston and Mary Massie Wife of Dr. John Woodson, of Flowerdew Hundred; ? Johnson and Unknown Dunwell Mother of Col. Robert "Tater Hole" Woodson; Deborah Woodson; Richard Woodson; Benjamin Woodson; Judith Woodson and 6 others Sister of Elizabeth Winston; Col. William Winston; Lucy Dabney; Maj. Isaac "Ike" Winston; Capt. Anthony Winston and 3 others Occupation: father isaac winston Managed by: Private User Last Updated: September 13, 2015 View Complete Profile Matching family tree profiles for Sarah Woodson view all matches ›

Sarah Woodson (born Winston) in MyHeritage family trees (Hill Web Site)

Sarah Woodson (born Winston) in MyHeritage family trees (John & Sherry O'Dell Web Site)

Sarah Winston in MyHeritage family trees (Campbell Web Site)

Sarah Woodson (born Winston) in MyHeritage family trees (Ivey Web Site)

Sarah Woodson (born Winston) in MyHeritage family trees (Campbell Web Site)

Sarah Woodson (born Winston) in MyHeritage family trees (Novikoff Web Site)

Sarah Woodson (born Winston) in MyHeritage family trees (Schab Family Tree Web Site)

Sarah Woodson (born Winston) in MyHeritage family trees (DeHart Web Site)

Sarah Woodson (born Winston) in MyHeritage family trees (Knight Family Site (23andMe))

Sarah Woodson (born Winston) in MyHeritage family trees (Larry Gaston Cannon Web Site)

Sarah Woodson (born Winston) in MyHeritage family trees (Brock Family Site (23andMe))

Sarah Winston in WikiTree view all 28 Immediate Family

Dr. John Woodson, of Flowerdew H... husband

Col. Robert "Tater Hole" Woodson son

Deborah Woodson daughter

Richard Woodson son

Benjamin Woodson son

Judith Woodson daughter

Mary Woodson daughter

Joseph Woodson son

Sarah Woodson daughter

John WOODSON son

John Woodson son

? Johnson husband About Sarah Woodson A family account written about 1785 by Charles Woodson (1711-~1795), son of Tarleton Woodson, however, survives and supplies details which link the first generations of Woodsons and Robert Woodson, John Woodson, Senr., and John Woodson, Junr." who were among the tithables at Curles, 1679. Tradition states that John Woodson was killed in the Indian massacre of 18 April 1644. His children were very young and Mrs. Sarah Woodson soon remarried (2) ___ Dunwell, who died leaving her with a daughter Elizabeth, and (3) ___ Johnson. As a widow again she left a combination inventory and nuncupative will which was recorded 17 Jan 1660/1. This made bequests to John Woodson, Robert Woodson, Deborah Woodson (apparently under age) and Elizabeth Dunwell (under age). John Woodson was the implied executor. The family record of 1785, with no evidence to the contrary presented during two centuries, has posited this descent: issue: John, Robert, Deborah, left a cow and a feather bed by her mother, not mentioned in the 1785 account. "Woodsons and Their Connections", Henry Morton WOODSON, 1915 excerpts from that book.

Dr. John ( b. 1586 d. 1644) & Sarah Woodson (b. 1590 d. 1660)

This article was originally entitled “Dr. John Woodson.” Had I been thinking when I began the project, I would probably have chosen Sarah Woodson as the subject rather than her husband. Since the sketch is actually more about Sarah than about John, the least she deserves is equal billing. Dr. John Woodson and his wife Sarah share two entirely different stories about their lives together. One story has been around for several hundred years; the other is of fairly recent vintage. (In a nutshell, Story One says the two were of the privileged classes; Story Two says they were poor and unknown.) Whichever story is true—and you are free to determine which you believe—the result is a tale of two admirable ancestors. Perhaps there is a little truth in both versions. In the Beginning

According to both stories John Woodson was “The Immigrant” of the Woodson branch of our family tree. In the older version, John was born in 1586 in Dorchester, Devonshire, England, the fourth (or fifth) son of John Woodson, Gentleman. In earlier times King Henry VIII had granted one of John’s ancestors a coat of arms and the privilege or “right to bear arms.” As a young man John attended St. John’s College, a part of Oxford. (Oxford University is made up of a number of colleges including Queen’s College, Christ Church College, Trinity College, and others). He graduated from Oxford in 1604 when he was 18 years old. Had he continued with his expected path, he would have probably had a very comfortable life and lifestyle. (Story Two says the facts may be true, but this John Woodson [John Woodsonne according to college records] did not come to America.)

As fate would have it, however, Story One says that John fell in love with a young woman named Sarah Winston (1590-1660), daughter of Isaac Winston (birth dates vary:1570, 1564, 1584-d.?) and Unknown. (I was unable to find any specific information to back up the traditional tale of this Winston family.) The Woodson family were members of the Church of England. The Winstons, on the other hand, were definitely Separatists and probably Quakers. Both families were unhappy with the romance. The Woodsons declared that if the courtship continued and marriage ensued, John would be disinherited. Sarah’s family did not want her to marry outside her faith. If she married John, she would lose her family. (Story 2 says our Sarah’s last name is unknown; that her association with the Winstons came from a mistake in a magazine article about Isaac Winston (1681-1760). This Isaac Winston did have a daughter named Sarah, but that Sarah married a man named Syme and later married John Henry. She and John Henry were the parents of Patrick Henry, American patriot. Story 2 further contends that “Winston” was a typographical error in the aforementioned magazine that was corrected in the next edition but ignored by eager genealogists determined to connect Sarah to the Winstons. And, as if that weren’t enough, Story 2 backers say the idea that Isaac Winston who died in 1760 would have a married daughter listed on a 1624 “muster” [see below] is stretching the imagination somewhat. I wonder, couldn’t there be two Isaac Winstons? Or, on the other hand, is it absolutely necessary that Sarah be a Winston?)

In Story One, the couple decided to go ahead with their plans even though both would lose something. They married sometime before 29 Jan 1619 and left England and their families for the new (12-year-old) colony of Jamestown. In so doing John lost any inheritance he might have received, and Sarah lost having her family nearby. Story One, however, says that Sarah’s brother Anthony accompanied the couple on the voyage. (I could find no mention of Anthony Winston in the ship’s list, but some ships lists were “reconstructed” years later. Of interest: Some say Anthony was the father of the Isaac Winston who was the father of Sarah Winston who was the mother of Patrick Henry. Whew! For whatever it’s worth, the Sarah in that family did have a brother named Anthony).

Because of the couple’s dire circumstances after their marriage, one source says that “when Gov. Yeardley offered John Woodson a flattering gift of land holdings in the new world, [the young man] accepted the task of ship's surgeon and physician and came on with the new Governor.” The governor’s offer came at just the right time for the newlyweds. (Because of laws of primogeniture, as a fourth/fifth son, John wouldn’t have had much if any inheritance. Early Virginia was populated with many sons of wealthy families who had not had enough sense to be born as their parents’ first child and thus inherit everything. [See discussion of Thomas Ligon, below.])

Voyage to Jamestown

The ship the Woodsons chose for their voyage was the George. (Most sources list the ship as simply the George, but one researcher claimed that the ship was really named the George Yeardley in honor of Sir George Yeardley, the new governor of Jamestown) On board the George were the new Governor and his wife Temperance Fleurdieu (Flowerdieu), Lady Yeardley. The governor was going to the colony to replace the first deputy governor of Jamestown, Sir Thomas Dale (?-1619). Dale, who had served the colony well, returned to England in 1616 for other adventures and duties. He died of fever on an expedition to the East Indies in 1619.)

The Yeardleys were accompanied on the George by about 100 other passengers. Among these passengers were (1) our ancestors, Dr. John Woodson and his wife Sarah; (2) Sir John Harvey, who would later himself become a very unpopular royal governor of VA; (3) a contingent of soldiers who had been sent to help protect the colonists from the Indians, and (4) about 80 teenage “street” orphans from Bridewell Hospital who had been rounded up off the London streets and sent to Jamestown to serve as a source of cheap labor. (If the George indeed carried 100 passengers, the contingent of soldiers must have been fairly small. One source claims that “a company of soldiers” was with the party. Doubts. [Story 2 says that John and Sarah were probably two of the teenage orphans from London, and that they married sometime between their arrival in Jamestown in 1619 and the first “muster” or census that was taken in Feb1624/25])

According to Story One, Temperance Yeardley, the governor’s wif

GEDCOM Note

NOTE: Last name not verified by any leg

NOTE: Last name not verified by any legal document.

GEDCOM Note

Duplicate--should be deleted.

Duplicate--should be deleted.

GEDCOM Note

ID: I1443 Name: Sarah Given Name: Sarah Sex: F Death: Bef 16 Jan 1660/61 in Henrico Co., Va. 1 Immigration: Jan 1618/19 Va Note: John Woodson and Sarah came to the colony of Virginia on the ship, "George" in January 1619, the same ship that brought Gover

ID: I1443
Name: Sarah Given Name: Sarah Sex: F Death: Bef 16 Jan 1660/61 in Henrico Co., Va. 1 Immigration: Jan 1618/19 Va Note: John Woodson and Sarah came to the colony of Virginia on the ship, "George" in January 1619, the same ship that brought Governor George Yeardley and his wife Temperance Flowerdew, Lady Yeardley to the colony. And 80 Bridewell Hospital Orphans. The ship George Note:

See the Va Genealogist 1976, Jan- Mar Vol 20, #1 For the excellent article by Catherine E. & Joida Whitten of Dallas Texas, concerning the inventory of Sarah Johnson recorded 17 Jan 1660/61 Henrico Co., This disposed of a little before her death & by her order as foloweth: To Deborah Woodson one cowe the feather bed with its furniture & what tobackoes was left her debts first satisfied exceptinge onelye a debt {dew from} Robert Woodson & this towards her maintenance The other cowe to John Woodson to be killed att his plasure beinge an ould cowe but as longe as he shall thinke fitt to lett her live with cowe calves shall from the sd cowe be raised to be fore use of Deborah Woodson To Elizabeth Dunn[ ?Dunwell, Dunwele, Dunnell, Dunnele] the hifer & the Cowe Calfe above mention the stuffte wascott & Sarge peticott To Robert Woodson what tobackoes he owed a spitt, pott & pewter dish The Calf be given to Elizabeth Dunwell to remayne in the hands of John Woodson till the sd Elizabeth come of age.

See this article for more information

Marriage 1 John Woodson b: in Eng. Married: Children Has Children Robert Woodson b: Abt 1634 in Henrico Co., Va.

Sources: Title: The Virginia Genealogist Magazine Author: John Frederick Dorman. Editor Publication: Falmouth, Va., published quarterly Text: Jan - March 1976, Vol 20, #1 We want to hear from you! Take our WorldConnect survey Index | Descendancy | Register | Public Profile | Add Post-em Printer Friendly Version Printer Friendly Version Search Ancestry Search Ancestry Search WorldConnect Search WorldConnect Join Ancestry.com Today! Join Ancestry.com Today! WorldConnect Home | WorldConnect Global Search | WorldConnect Help RootsWeb.com, Inc. is NOT responsible for the content of the GEDCOMs uploaded through the WorldConnect Program. If you have a problem with a particular entry, please contact the submitter of said entry. You have full control over your GEDCOM. You can change or remove it at any time. RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community. Learn more.

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GEDCOM Note

!BIRTH: Dorothy Holland, CG, "History an

!BIRTH: Dorothy Holland, CG, "History and Genealogy of the Christian Family, 1643-1850," FHL film 161570, p. 4. 'Joseph Woodson was the son of Robert Woodson, born 1634, Prince George County and died about 1707, and his wife, Elizabeth Ferris, the daughter of Richard Ferris. Robert Woodson was the son of Dr. John Wson and his wife, Sarah Winston.'

!BIRTH: Dorothy Holland, CG, "History and Genealogy of the Christian Family, 1643-1850," FHL film 161570, p. 4. 'John Woodson was the son of Dr. John Woodson and his wife, Sarah Winston.'

GEDCOM Note

Note on Sarah and sons

see

http://www.jcsisle.com/woodson.html

acc 10/7/15

Due to the loss of a great many of the ancient records of Virginia, there is no further record of Sarah and her children. The presence of John and Robert Woodson in "Curles" in 1679 is certainly compatible with the time frame of the preceding events. Robert gave a deposition in June 1680 in which he described himself as being "aged about 46 years". He would have then been born in 1634. It is believed that his brother, John, was the eldest. The surname of Woodson is uncommon enough to believe that they were the same family.

There is additional information about the lives of John and Sarah that has been handed down for generations. The Woodson genealogy written by Charles Woodson (II), the son of Charles and Mary Plesants Woodson was given to Sarah Bates, the daughter of Thomas Fleming Bates while she was visiting her Uncle Charles. It is thought that Charles (I) the son of Tarleton wrote a part of the genealogy. It was this information that Dr. R.A. Brock used to write his booklet "Descendants of John Woodson of Dorcetshire, England", in 1888. The book originally sold for fifty cents a copy. It was this booklet that has been used as a source material frequently since. Charles Woodson (I) was born about 1711; his father, Tarleton Woodson, born in the 1680's, died in 1763; Tarleton's father died in 1715, but a short time after the death of his father, Robert. It would seem that Charles Woodson (I) would have had an excellent opportunity to learn from his ancestors. His account not only supplied details of the lives of John and Sarah, but the link between them and John and Robert, who were living at "Curles" in 1679.

Later information seems to indicate that Sarah married again, which would surely have been reasonable. There may have been other children, which also seems logical, given the fact that John and Sarah were married before 1620. There is also supposition that there were two Sarah Woodson's, the first one that came over from England with John, and possibly died here, and then another marriage to a Sarah who was the mother of John and Robert. A volume of Henrico County miscellaneous court records, 1650-1807, has been assembled from loose papers from the county records. An inventory for the estate of Sarah Johnson was recorded. It was, in effect, both a nuncupative will and an inventory of her possessions. She was identified as Sarah Johnson, widow, deceased and the date it was recorded was 17, January 1660.

The inventory leaves little doubt that Sarah Woodson married a second time to a Mr. Dunwell, and a third time to a Mr. Johnson. Her three husbands all dying before her. It seems unlikely that both John and Robert would have been involved in her affairs, and thus the disposition of her estate, had they not been her sons. Deborah may have been still under twenty-one at the time of her mother's death since Sarah was concerned about providing for her maintenance. Even though the daughter Sarah was not mentioned as being one of the children that Sarah hid during the fight with the Indians; she could have been pregnant at the time, delivering the child after her husband's death.

Children of John Woodson and Sarah Winston Woodson:

1. John Woodson2 b. 1632 m. 2nd Sarah Browne, d. 1684.

2. Robert Woodson b. 1634 m. Elizabeth Ferris, d. ca. 1707. Last known to be living in 1707, Henrico Co., VA. when he made a deed to his grandson, William and Joseph Lewis. He married Elizabeth Ferris, daughter of Richard Ferris, of Henrico, with whom, among others, received a patent, 21, October 1687, for 1785 acres at White Oak Swamp in Varina Parish, in that county. This man was the direct ancestor of Jesse Woodson James, and his brother, Alexander Franklin "Frank" James, the famous James Boys. Robert2 Woodson married Elizabeth Ferris: son Benjamin3 Woodson, married Sarah Porter; their son Robert4 Woodson (d. 1748/50) married Rebecca Pryor. Their daughter Elizabeth married Shadrach Mims (1734-1777) and became the mother of Elizabeth Mims (b. 1769) who married Robert Poor (1763-1801), a cornet in the American Revolutionary War. Their daughter in turn, Mary Poor, (died 1825) married John James (1775-1827), son of William and Mary (Hinds) James of Goochland County, Virginia. Their son Robert Sallee James, who died in the Gold Rush area of California, married Zerelda Cole and they had sons Frank James and Jesse James. (See: Background of a Bandit, by Joan M. Beamis and William E. Pullen (1971).

Jesse Woodson James, the bandit, married his cousin Zerelda "Zee" Amanda Mims. She was also a descendant of Elizabeth Woodson Mims, who married Robert Poor.

GEDCOM Note

Sarah was a Quaker. Sarah, after being

Sarah was a Quaker. Sarah, after being widowed 3 times left a will 16 Jan 1760. This left John Woodson, Robert Woodson, Elizabeth Dunwell and Deborah Woodson. She left them a cow and a feather bed.

GEDCOM Note

Death: LDS AF lists it as 17 Jan 1660

Death: LDS AF lists it as 17 Jan 1660 Prince George Co.

GEDCOM Note

Life Sketch

About Sarah Woodson A family account written about 1785 by Charles Woodson (1711-~1795), son of Tarleton Woodson, however, survives and supplies details which link the first generations of Woodsons and Robert Woodson, John Woodson, Senr., and John Woodson, Junr." who were among the tithables at Curles, 1679. Tradition states that John Woodson was killed in the Indian massacre of 18 April 1644. His children were very young and Mrs. Sarah Woodson soon remarried (2) ___ Dunwell, who died leaving her with a daughter Elizabeth, and (3) ___ Johnson. As a widow again she left a combination inventory and nuncupative will which was recorded 17 Jan 1660/1. This made bequests to John Woodson, Robert Woodson, Deborah Woodson (apparently under age) and Elizabeth Dunwell (under age). John Woodson was the implied executor. The family record of 1785, with no evidence to the contrary presented during two centuries, has posited this descent: issue: John, Robert, Deborah, left a cow and a feather bed by her mother, not mentioned in the 1785 account. "Woodsons and Their Connections", Henry Morton WOODSON, 1915 excerpts from that book.

Dr. John ( b. 1586 d. 1644) & Sarah Woodson (b. 1590 d. 1660)

This article was originally entitled “Dr. John Woodson.” Had I been thinking when I began the project, I would probably have chosen Sarah Woodson as the subject rather than her husband. Since the sketch is actually more about Sarah than about John, the least she deserves is equal billing. Dr. John Woodson and his wife Sarah share two entirely different stories about their lives together. One story has been around for several hundred years; the other is of fairly recent vintage. (In a nutshell, Story One says the two were of the privileged classes; Story Two says they were poor and unknown.) Whichever story is true—and you are free to determine which you believe—the result is a tale of two admirable ancestors. Perhaps there is a little truth in both versions. In the Beginning

According to both stories John Woodson was “The Immigrant” of the Woodson branch of our family tree. In the older version, John was born in 1586 in Dorchester, Devonshire, England, the fourth (or fifth) son of John Woodson, Gentleman. In earlier times King Henry VIII had granted one of John’s ancestors a coat of arms and the privilege or “right to bear arms.” As a young man John attended St. John’s College, a part of Oxford. (Oxford University is made up of a number of colleges including Queen’s College, Christ Church College, Trinity College, and others). He graduated from Oxford in 1604 when he was 18 years old. Had he continued with his expected path, he would have probably had a very comfortable life and lifestyle. (Story Two says the facts may be true, but this John Woodson [John Woodsonne according to college records] did not come to America.)

As fate would have it, however, Story One says that John fell in love with a young woman named Sarah Winston (1590-1660), daughter of Isaac Winston (birth dates vary:1570, 1564, 1584-d.?) and Unknown. (I was unable to find any specific information to back up the traditional tale of this Winston family.) The Woodson family were members of the Church of England. The Winstons, on the other hand, were definitely Separatists and probably Quakers. Both families were unhappy with the romance. The Woodsons declared that if the courtship continued and marriage ensued, John would be disinherited. Sarah’s family did not want her to marry outside her faith. If she married John, she would lose her family. (Story 2 says our Sarah’s last name is unknown; that her association with the Winstons came from a mistake in a magazine article about Isaac Winston (1681-1760). This Isaac Winston did have a daughter named Sarah, but that Sarah married a man named Syme and later married John Henry. She and John Henry were the parents of Patrick Henry, American patriot. Story 2 further contends that “Winston” was a typographical error in the aforementioned magazine that was corrected in the next edition but ignored by eager genealogists determined to connect Sarah to the Winstons. And, as if that weren’t enough, Story 2 backers say the idea that Isaac Winston who died in 1760 would have a married daughter listed on a 1624 “muster” [see below] is stretching the imagination somewhat. I wonder, couldn’t there be two Isaac Winstons? Or, on the other hand, is it absolutely necessary that Sarah be a Winston?)

In Story One, the couple decided to go ahead with their plans even though both would lose something. They married sometime before 29 Jan 1619 and left England and their families for the new (12-year-old) colony of Jamestown. In so doing John lost any inheritance he might have received, and Sarah lost having her family nearby. Story One, however, says that Sarah’s brother Anthony accompanied the couple on the voyage. (I could find no mention of Anthony Winston in the ship’s list, but some ships lists were “reconstructed” years later. Of interest: Some say Anthony was the father of the Isaac Winston who was the father of Sarah Winston who was the mother of Patrick Henry. Whew! For whatever it’s worth, the Sarah in that family did have a brother named Anthony).

Because of the couple’s dire circumstances after their marriage, one source says that “when Gov. Yeardley offered John Woodson a flattering gift of land holdings in the new world, [the young man] accepted the task of ship's surgeon and physician and came on with the new Governor.” The governor’s offer came at just the right time for the newlyweds. (Because of laws of primogeniture, as a fourth/fifth son, John wouldn’t have had much if any inheritance. Early Virginia was populated with many sons of wealthy families who had not had enough sense to be born as their parents’ first child and thus inherit everything. [See discussion of Thomas Ligon, below.])

Voyage to Jamestown

The ship the Woodsons chose for their voyage was the George. (Most sources list the ship as simply the George, but one researcher claimed that the ship was really named the George Yeardley in honor of Sir George Yeardley, the new governor of Jamestown) On board the George were the new Governor and his wife Temperance Fleurdieu (Flowerdieu), Lady Yeardley. The governor was going to the colony to replace the first deputy governor of Jamestown, Sir Thomas Dale (?-1619). Dale, who had served the colony well, returned to England in 1616 for other adventures and duties. He died of fever on an expedition to the East Indies in 1619.)

The Yeardleys were accompanied on the George by about 100 other passengers. Among these passengers were (1) our ancestors, Dr. John Woodson and his wife Sarah; (2) Sir John Harvey, who would later himself become a very unpopular royal governor of VA; (3) a contingent of soldiers who had been sent to help protect the colonists from the Indians, and (4) about 80 teenage “street” orphans from Bridewell Hospital who had been rounded up off the London streets and sent to Jamestown to serve as a source of cheap labor. (If the George indeed carried 100 passengers, the contingent of soldiers must have been fairly small. One source claims that “a company of soldiers” was with the party. Doubts. [Story 2 says that John and Sarah were probably two of the teenage orphans from London, and that they married sometime between their arrival in Jamestown in 1619 and the first “muster” or census that was taken in Feb1624/25]

GEDCOM Note

Quaker Immigrated from England abt 1619

Quaker Immigrated from England abt 1619 to Jamestown VA

GEDCOM Note

Family note

marriage date and place of abt 1630 in Henrico Co., VA Info found on MyFamily.com family group sheet January 18, 2008

GEDCOM Note

GEDCOM Note

Person note

Sarah born abt 1590 in Devonshire, England. died 17 Jan 1659/1660 in Henrico Co VA or James City, VA Info found on MyFamily.com family group sheet January 18, 2008
aditional info found on information from http://oftmyfamily.com/FamilyGroup Sheet.asp?Printing+1&IndividualID+107918291 Jan 2008

GEDCOM Note

!MARRIED 2ND MR. DUNWELL AND HAD DAUGHTE

!MARRIED 2ND MR. DUNWELL AND HAD DAUGHTER ELIZABETH DUNWELL MARRIED 3RD MR JOHNSON SHE OUT LIVED ALL OF HER HUSDBANDS.

GEDCOM Note

Sarah's Saved the Woodson family from Extinction The Woodson boys John and Robert might have been out in the fields working that fateful April 18 in 1644, except for the visit of Ligon, the shoemaker. Sara had called the boys inside to b

GEDCOM Note

From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 2 J

From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 2 January 1996.

GEDCOM Note

SAVE TOSUGGEST EDITS Sarah Isabelle <I>Winston</I> Woodson Photo added by kendy49 Sarah Isabelle Winston Woodson BIRTH 1595 England DEATH 17 Jan 1659 Prince George County, Virginia, USA BURIAL Unknown MEMORIAL ID 67994638 MEMORIAL PHOTOS 2 FLOWERS 39

SAVE TOSUGGEST EDITS Sarah Isabelle <I>Winston</I> Woodson Photo added by kendy49

Sarah Isabelle Winston Woodson BIRTH 1595 England DEATH 17 Jan 1659 Prince George County, Virginia, USA BURIAL Unknown MEMORIAL ID 67994638 MEMORIAL PHOTOS 2 FLOWERS 39 Sara was born around 1600 in Devonshire, England. She may have been the daughter of Isaac Winston and Mary Dabney. However the surname and ancestry of Sara seem to be a matter of some dispute.

Sara married Dr. John Woodson about 1619 in Dorsetshire, England and the couple sailed on the ship "George" for Virginia on 29 Jan 1619 arriving in Jamestowne 16 April 1619.

Children:

John Woodson b. 1632 Robert Woodson Sr. b.1634

Robert was the second son of Dr. John Woodson and Sara Woodson. Robert married Elizabeth Ferris.

Family Members

Spouse Photo John Woodson* 1586–1644

Children Photo John Woodson* 1632–1684

Photo Robert Woodson* 1634–1707

• Calculated Relationship See more Woodson memorials in:

Find A Grave Picture of Added by kendy49 Add Photos Request PhotoPhotos cannot be requested for unknown cemeteries or other burial types. Flowers • 39

Flowers Flowers for my 9th great grandmother,

Left by Jacquelyn Wolfe on 23 Oct 2017

Flowers RIP, 10th great grandmother

Left by Jerri Schroeder on 24 Sep 2017

Flowers My 9th great grandmother. Rest in peace.

Left by Julia Soliday on 7 Jun 2017

Leave a Flower View All Created by: Bette Keene Scavone Added: 6 Apr 2011 Find A Grave Memorial 67994638 Sponsored by Betty Source citation Close Welcome to the new Find A Grave Memorial Page

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https://virginiahistory.org/exhibitions/taking-aim

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