Name/Title
Woodward, ThomasDescription
Biographical Sketch of Owen Lewis WOODWARD (1904); Chester County, PA
Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by John Morris <jmcdmorris@comcast.net>.
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"Historical Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs
of Chester and Delaware Counties, Pennsylvania", Vol. 2, edited by Gil-
bert Cope and Henry Graham Ashmead, Lewis Publishing Company, New York,
1904, pp. 353-4.
"OWEN LEWIS WOODWARD. The Woodward family of Chester county, Pennsylvania,
represented in the present generation by H. Bell Woodward, who, since the
death of her father, Owen Lewis Woodward, which occurred January 21, 1894,
has successfully managed his large estate which is located in West Vincent
township, trace their ancestry to Richard Woodward, son of Robert Woodward,
of Rockland Manor, New Castle county, Delaware, and Birmingham, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, who married, in 1705, Mary Nayle, the only heir of
Henry Nayle of Thornbury, and they were the parents of seven children -
Henry, John, Richard, Thomas, Deborah, Mary and Alice Woodward.
"Thomas Woodward, fourth son of Richard and Mary Woodward, was born in East
Bradford township, Chester county, November 7, 1722 or 1723. By deeds of
conveyance he became the owner of one hundred acres of land in the neigh-
borhood of his birth place, resided on Street road, and was engaged in
bookbinding, also in surveying and conveyancing. He was the owner of a
large number of negro slaves, whom he liberated after listening to an
address of John Woolman, a noted Quaker preacher and an anti-slavery ad-
herent. Mr. Woodward was a member of Concord Monthly Meeting, and obtained
his certificate of removal to New Garden Monthly Meeting, dated April 5,
1749, which was about the time he settled in East Marlborough and became a
member of Londongrove Particular Meeting. On October 26, 1745, he married
Elizabeth Jacobs, widow of John Jacobs, and daughter of Roger and Eliza-
beth (Richards) Kirk, the ceremony being performed at East Nottingham
Meeting. Elizabeth Woodward was born February 15, 1721; her father, Roger
Kirk, a native of Lurgan, North Ireland, was among the pioneers of Not-
tingham, and located in East Nottingham as early as 1712, where he pur-
chased large tracts of land. About 1714, Mr. Kirk married Elizabeth
Richards, of Aston township, and granddaughter of Joseph and Jane Richards,
who came from England and settled in Chichester township, now Delaware
county. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Woodward were - Rebecca, Eliza-
beth, Samuel, Thomas, Deborah, Timothy and Susanna Woodward. The father
of these children died June 15, 1785; the mother passed away January 25,
1812.