William Wagner Woodall

From Steve Woodall:

Steve Woodall

You have James Woodall as the father of William Wagner Woodall. This is not accurate. I had that belief and started this. DNA has proven us to be American Indian.
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WIlliam was a farmer. He could not write. During the Civil War William had a hole shot through the brim of his hat. This was according to Avie Woodall Hudson.

In the United States Federal Census of 1880 William Wagner stated that his father was from South Carolina. In the same census of 1900 he states that his father was from Georgia. Because the Indians were attempting to blend in with the white population it is possible that South Carolina was given as his fathers birth place so as to not let on that he was Indian.

7-7-2005 - The Death Certificate of James Henry Woodall's says that his father was born in North Carolina. The family Bible is silent on this issue.

Family stories as passed down from William Wagners son James Henry said that William Wagners father was James and that he (William Wagner) also had a brother named James.

William is buried at Chana Creek Primitive Baptist Church, Eclectic Alabama Elizabeth is buried in Rose Hill Cemetary, Elmore County, Alabama. They moved to Alabama sometime between 1873 and 1875. He was a farmer and could not write. There were ten children three of whom were living in 1900. During the Civil War William (Billie) had a hole shot through the brim of his hat, according to Avie Woodall Hudson. In 1850 he was a farmer. He moved to Alabama in 1882.

William Woodall purchased 100 acres of land from James A Smith on Mar. 21, 1870

Propery Description: Harris County, 2nd Dist., Lot 83

100 acres. Purchase price was $500.00

Recorded in Book I page 283, Aug. 31, 1874 - Hamilton,Ga. Harris County

In 2005 it was proven from DNA test done on Ronald Grady Woodall, Reggie Woodall and Gordon Woodall (all decended from William Wagner Woodall) that William Wagner was in fact 100% Native Indian. In 2006 William Allen Woodall, who decended form William Andrew Jackson Woodall took the DNA test. As expected his DNA matched the others. Also, in 2006 Ronald Steven Woodall took the DNA test and his matched as well. In May of 2006 after joining the Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama, Steve's company Reliant Business Products achieved Minority Status from the Houston Minority Business Council. In the 1880 census William stated that his father was from South Carolina. In the 1900 census he stated that they were from Georgia. These fact indicate that William was 100% Cherokee Indian.

Some members of the Cherokee Nation escaped the infamous ?Trail of Tears? by hiding out in the mountainous backwoods and lowlands of the Southeast. Others fled from the march after it began and others simply walked away and came home after reaching Indian Territory. They kept to themselves, did not speak the language and did not teach it to their children for fear the child might speak it in the presence of someone who would learn the secret of their ancestry. If this happened, they could immediately be taken into custody and sent to Indian Territory in the west. Everything they owned could be given away by the State.

As much as possible these people assimilated into the white populace and claimed to be ?Black Dutch? or some other type of European to explain their slightly darker color. Since nearly all work was done outdoors, most people had a tan anyway. However, most of us remember stories of our family members who always wore large straw hats and long sleeves in the summer because they did not want to become any darker than they already were.

Since earliest contact with European explorers in the 1500?s, the Cherokee has been recognized as the most advanced among the American Indian Tribes. With a culture that thrived for 500 years in the Southeastern part of this Country, the Cherokees developed and progressed in their own way by watching and learning from their non-Indian neighbors. The Cherokee had developed a system of government and a cultural society that matched the most ?civilized? at the time. The Cherokee are the only race of people in recorded history who are known to have developed an alphabet or syllabary and learned to read and write in one generation. It is this progressive lifestyle that gave the remnants of those left behind the endurance and ambition to preserve the culture, even when it had to be done in secret.

I believe that William was one that decided to take this path instead of staying with his people.

March 13, 2007 I received this email from Vern Perrier.

Steve, as I ponder over all that we have researched, a new twist seems to evolve. I believe that WWW was born in NC, and may have come from the same Cherokee Tribe as Nancy Tadpole in Albermarel VA. Buckinghmam came from Albermarle in 1758. Thomas WOODALL met her while in VA and took her to GA.

WWW was born 1818 NC, and somehow migrates to Wake Co. & Johnston Cos NC . My feeling is that it was Wake, which is a few miles north of the Johnston border. James B. was in Wake Co. for the 1790 census. I think he married Mary Jennings 1789, not Jacob. He had a son James A. , nothing is said about him ever going to Johnston., except to marry there. Only James J. was in Johnston Co. . James J. was not the son of James and Mary Allen.

James J. WOODALL either adopted him, or he took his name and identity. When he was old enough, WWW somehow got to Anderson Co. SC , and Rev. Morgan WOODALL took him in . He may have thought they were kin to the NC Woodalls and so years later, when he named his daughter the names of the girls of Rev. Morgan, it was like they were sisters to him. Carolyn, Sarah Melissa and Jane. John Morgan's father, and Morgan's brother Joseph Taylor Woodall b. 1817, one year younger than WWW, went to DeKalb Co.GA , Joseph T. d. 1850 in GA.

In 1830 WWW would have been 12 years old, and in 1834 when Trail of Tears began, he would have been 16., Being an INDIAN, he went with the INDIANS and hid out. Widow Rachel SMITH with her children were in Dekalb on the 1830 census. Then naturally he would have met Mamie Eliz. He may have helped them out with fariming, and when they moved to Meriwhether around 1837 when the Trail of Tears was about over., WWW went with them. He married Rachel "Elizabeth" SMITH IN 1837 there. No WOODALLS were in Meriwhether Co. at that time. Abner Woodall d. 1838, and WWW moves to Talbot Co. before 1850. Did he want to get close to widow Sally Baugh Woodall. Her husband Abner Woodall would be his cousin by adoption.

This was kept a secret until just recently, and the DNA revealed why this was necessary. Doshia told Carlton that she was INDIAN when he was a young boy. My grandmother told my aunt Bea by marriage, while she was living with them in her 90's, that she was CHEROKEE. How I wish that the rest of the children told their family the same thing, surely they all knew, even when Jim Henry told grandson Benny the history of oru WOODALL family. However, I guess he was afraid to tell the truth. Radean's father told her that they had INDIAN in them. Just last week when I talked to Sisie Doroughty, A.D.WOODALL'S daughter, she told me that her father knew he was INDIAN. I am looking forward to talk to our new Chief of our Clan. Maybe he has more to tell us. I hope that others at the reunion can share some similiar stories . Yes, and I think WWW went to fight with some INDIANS in the Confederate Army, and not the UNIION for sure.

It makes a good story anyway, what do you think of it ?

HUGS, Verna

stevew@rbp.com

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Birth: Jun. 5, 1818 Death: Jul. 27, 1908

Family links:

Spouse:

 Mamie Elizabeth Smith Woodall (1816 - ____)*

• Calculated relationship

Burial: Chana Creek Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery Kent (Elmore County) Elmore County Alabama, USA

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Created by: K&J Record added: Oct 31, 2010 Find A Grave Memorial# 60902121 http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=281&GScid=220...