Woodworth Genealogy

This site covers Woodworth surname genealogy. Contains Woodworth resource materials, Woodworth descendancy lines, guides to research, mail lists and groups, DNA information, information about reunions, Walter Woodworth of Situate born 1608 in Staffordshire, England, the various Woodworth Families of America, including William Woodworth soldier of Quebec, the Cornish and Irish Woodworths, and more.

Woodworth Descendancy Lines Walter of Scituate William Soldier of Quebec Richard of Ireland George of Cornwall Unplaced Woodworths
Resources	REUNIONS
Myths and controversies	Message to the Woodworths of the United Kingdom and Ireland. We need your help! Click here to help us!	Can you help identify this picture?
	Parents of Walter Woodworth
Woodworth DNA Project	Lost on DNA? What DNA test should I get?	What DNA has done for Woodworths
Ancestor Photo Gallery	Headstone Photos	Samuel "the poet" Woodworth and The Old Oaken Bucket
Woodworth People	Mayflower Descendants	Men of Kent Cemetery, Scituate, MA
Woodworth Places		Fun Links -- Oddities, Useful, Humor
Woodworth Coat of Arms	Boston Patriot Ledger articles on Woodworth DNA Page 1 and page 2 (NOTE: Enlarge the PDF inage to 200% or greater to view)	Bill and Marv's Road trip to Scituate and Bill and Marv's Road trip to Jim Behan's

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About the Woodworth that is the common ancestor of around 94% of all Woodworths in the US:

WALTER WOODWORTH was born in Staffordshire, England in 1608, and died in Scituate, Plymouth Colony, early in 1686; parentage unknown. He is the ancestor of most of the Woodworths in America.

He married about 1639/40. No record has been found of his wife's name. She was living in March 1676, but had died by 26 November 1685, when Walter made his Will, naming ten children.

Some have speculated that Walter married Elizabeth Rogers, the daughter of Thomas Rogers of the "Mayflower." Elizabeth Daniel, authoress of Thomas Rogers, Pilgrim and Some of His Descendants, 1980, states, "Whether Thomas Rogers really had a daughter Elizabeth at all is a matter of theory. There are records in Leyden, Holland, that suggest that two daughters lived there with their mother, but there is no absolute proof. Whether one or both of these possible daughters ever came to America, we don't know...”. Others believe that Walter's wife's name was Dorothy. Again, THERE IS NO RECORD OF THE NAME OF WALTER'S WIFE.

One may see on many web sites that claim, with no justification or source whatever, that Walter's wife was Elizabeth Rogers. Others claim her name was Dorothy. All that I have queried cannot provide a source for either claim, other than "I don't know. I got it off the internet". How these "Elizabeth" and "Dorothy" myths started is unknown. If anyone has found a valid, documented source for Walter's wife, please inform the webmeister ASAP, as the only known is that THERE IS NO RECORD OF THE NAME OF WALTER'S WIFE..

Walter may have indentured himself for a time in order to pay his passage expenses, as the records do mention Walter as having "come as a servant" to Plymouth Colony. Plymouth Court Records of 2 Jan. 1633/4 order "that whereas by indenture many are bound to give their servants land at the expiration of their terms, it is ordered that they have it at Scituate or some other convenient place, where it may be useful." That land given to Walter is shown on a map below on this web page. Where in Plymouth Colony and to whom he served his indentureship before being awarded land in Scituate is unknown. Walter over his lifetime acquired considerable land at Scituate and at Little Compton, RI.

There is no record of his presence on any of the many ships which sailed from England to the Colonies in the 17th century. Many early Scituate settlers were from County Kent in England, and it has been thought that Walter may have come from there as well, perhaps as one of Rev. John Lothrop's followers from Edgerton in Kent. Rev. Lothrop, first pastor of the church in Scituate, arrived in Boston, Sept. 1634 on the "Griffin," with some 30 members of his congregation, both from London and Kent. This was six months after Walter is first recorded in Plymouth Colony.

Walter's parents, birth location, and where he grew up are unknown. Speculation that his parents were Thomas and Elizabeth (Tyson) Woodward of Childwell Parish, Lancashire, England is clearly proven to wrong, based on three conditions:
1. Thomas and Elizabeth did not have a child named Walter. Thomas and Elizabeth had five children per church records, and none were named Walter. See children of Thomas Woodward and Elizabeth Tyson.
2. Education of Thomas's children did not match Walter's education. Thomas and Elizabeth's son Henry Woodward, who migrated to Northhampton, MA, was educated, and referred to as a "physician". Walter signed his name with an "X" on his will, indicating that he was uneducated. It is highly unlikely Thomas and Elizabeth would highly educate one child and not educate the other at all.
3. DNA proves conclusively that Thomas Woodward was NOT the father of Walter Woodworth. We know that Thomas Woodward and Elizabeth Tyson had a son "Henry", according to Childwell Parish records. If Walter was also a son of Thomas and Elizabeth, then Henry and Walter would be brothers and their DNA would be exactly the same. However, the DNA of descendants of Dr. Henry Woodward, son of Thomas and Elizabeth, does not match the DNA of the descendants of Walter Woodworth. Therefore, Henry cannot be the brother of Henry, and Thomas cannot be Walter's father. Emphasizing once again: Per DNA, Thomas and Elizabeth (Tyson) Woodward CANNOT be Walter's parents.

Walter's will, found in Plymouth, MA, in the late 1800s, provides much information. A map is available showing seven properties that he owned in Seconet mentioned in the will. Seconet is south of Scituate, MA. I

In the name of God, Amen. I, Walter Woodward, of Scituate, in the jurisdiction of New Plymouth in New England, in America, being weak in body, but of sound mind and perfect memory, praise to Almighty God for the same, do make this my last will and Testament in manner as followeth:

First, and most principally, I commend my soul into the hands of Almighty God, my creator, in and through Jesus Christ, my only Saviour and Redeemer, and my body unto decent and ... burial at the discretion of my executors with the advice of the rest of my sons hereafter named.

Imprimis. I give and bequeath unto Thomas Woodward, my eldest son, a parcel of upland containing five acres, lying in Scituate aforesaid, bounded by the lands of Henry Ewell on the south and the Common on the north, to be enjoyned to him and his heirs forever.

Item: I give unto my two sons, Thomas and Joseph, ten acres of Marsh land, to be equally divided between them, which lyeth by Suzons - bounded by the Marsh of Anthony Collimer on the east, by the Marsh of Thomas Clap, deceased, on the north, in Scituate aforesaid to be enjoyned to them and their heirs forever.

Item: I give to Thomas Woodward, my son, one-third part of all my land at Seconet which I purchased. The other two-thirds I give unto my two sons, Benjamin and Isaac Woodward, to be equally divided between them, to be enjoyned to them and their heirs forever, excepting twenty-five acres, of which I do give unto my son Joseph, to be enjoyned to him and his heirs forever. Ten acres of which I do give unto my daughter, Martha, to her, her heirs forever, of which two quantities of land is to be deducted out of the two-thirds of my land lying at Seconet given to my two sons, Benjamin and Isaac aforesaid. All the rest of my land at Seconet, which is yet to be purchased, I give unto my two sons, Thomas and Joseph Woodward, to be divided equally between them, to be enjoyned to them and their heirs forever.

Item: I give to Benjamin, my son aforesaid, my dwelling-house with my barns and other outhousing, with all my land, both upland and marshland thereunto belonging, that is to say, twenty acres of upland, be it more or less bounded by land of John Turner to the west and by land of Joseph Otis to the east and six acres of marshland more or less bounded by the land of Joseph Otis to the north east, and by the first herring brook towards the south -- all of which said housings and land with all the appurtenances thereof, the commons and privileges thereunto belonging I give to the said Benjamin, my son, his heirs forever, always provided upon condition that my son, Benjamin, aforesaid, do pay and allow the sum of seventy pounds unto my son, Joseph, and my six daughters, Sarah, Elizabeth, Mary, Martha, Mehitabel and Abigail, ten pounds apiece, to be paid to them at three payments, viz, one-third part of the said seventy pounds to be paid to my said children within three years after my decease and the other two-thirds to be paid in the two following years, that is to say -- in each year a third of the said sum of seventy pounds, and each payment to be paid, the one-half in silver and the other half to be paid in corn and cattell. Further, my will is that my son Benjamin, aforesaid, do allow my two daughters, Mehitabel and Abigail, the lower room or parlor at the northeasterly end of my dwelling house aforesaid, for their use during the time they do live unmarried.

Item: I give and bequeath unto my said two daughters, Mehitabel and Abigail, my feather bed with the furniture thereunto belonging and all the rest of my houshold goods I give unto my six daughters, Sarah, Elizabeth, Mary, Martha, Mehitabel and Abigail, to be divided equally among them. The rest of my estate undisposed of by this my last will and testament, I give and bequeath to all my children, all my debts, funeral expenses being first paid, to be equally divided amongst them ,

Item: I do constitute and appoint my son, Benjamin, aforesaid, the sole executor of this my last will and testament, whom I do appoint my two sons, Thomas and Joseph Woodard, overseers of this my last will and testament.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal the twenty six day of November, 1685.
The Mark of WALTER WOODWARD X
Signed, sealed and acknowledged in presence of:
THEO. KING, Senior,
THOMAS PALMER,
CHARLES STOCKBRIDGE

In the above map of Scituate of the middle 1600s, Walter Woodworth's first assigned lot can be found. He lived there, as his boys are on legal record as having broken neighbor Chittenden's fence, but probably later lived near a hill known for centuries as "Walter Woodworth Hill" in a now prominent part of town. At the base of "Walter Woodworth Hill" is Samuel "The Poet" Woodworth's Old Oaken Bucket home, and Walter probably lived close by (earlier, of course) on the same road, but nearer to Stockbridge Mill. Walter is probably buried in "Men of Kent Cemetery, shown in green on the above map..

Below, one can see more clearly where the "Men of Kent" cemetery and original long lot of Walter Woodworth is located. Assignment of long lots were a defensive strategy to keep manpower together against Indian attacks.

The above is the land Walter Woodworth acquired or was assigned as a result of his indentureship. Good land was a part of the contract of indentureship, and he appears to have acquired land prior to being granted the above lot. This is looking northwest. Nearby is where the old meeting house was and is where the "Men of Kent" cemetery still remains.

This view is across the marsh from the property of Walter Woodworth, looking southwest
back toward Walter's lot.

This is the view from the corner of Walter's marsh front property looking east by southeast..

A very highly recommended book for Walter Woodworth, born 1608, is "The Woodworth Family of America, Descendants of Walter Woodworth of 1630 Through Six Generations, Volume I" by Jeanette (Woodworth) Behan (deceased). Until about 1998, the book was thought to be "sold out" from its original publication, and no longer available for sale; however, Jim Behan, Jeanette's widower, was discovered to be living in Dunnegan, MO, and had some 200+ copies available. These were eventually sold out, with Carl Webb in CA buying the last copies. Until Jim and the books were rediscovered, Jeanette had published the books at significant loss. That same book was recently scanned by the Boston library and made available in searchable PDF format. That same book is downloadable from this web site. Additionally, this site now has Volume II (Seventh generation) downloadable on this web site. Both free.

1. Several books published in the 1800s contain information now proven wrong by current genealogists. Two major problems in Walter Woodworth genealogy in the early generations are that there was

(a). A son Benjamin reported as killed in King Phillips War, and yet survived to become the executor for his father Walter's will who lived into old age. They appear to have assumed he was killed in King Phillips war because records disclosed that the widow of a Benjamin Woodward killed in King Philip's war received government compensation. They were unaware there were two Benjamins, a Woodward and a Woodworth, with ours being a survivor of that war. This error was introduced by at least the two following books

-- History of Scituate, Mass From Its First Settlement to 1831, by Rev Samuel Deane

-- Descendants of Walter Woodworth of Scituate, Mass, 1898, by William Atwater Woodworth

(b). An alleged son Walter, Jr, who never was a son of Walter, Sr. This myth came about due to a much belated addition late to records in Little Compton, RI.

2. For the convenience of those who want to ensure or correct their records for the Benjamins and Walters to agree with the latest known version of Walter's first three generations, see the following:

1 Walter Woodworth b: 1608 in Stowe, Staffordshire, England
.. 2 Thomas Woodworth b: abt 1641
............ +Deborah Damon b: April 25, 1645 in Scituate, Plymouth Colony, Mass
....... 3 Deborah Woodworth b: January 2, 1667/68 in Scituate, MA
....... 3 Hezekiah Woodworth b: February 5, 1670/71 in Scituate, MA
.........   +Hanna Clapp b: January 15, 1672/73 in Scituate, MA
....... 3 Catherine Woodworth b: October 5, 1673 in Scituate, MA
....... 3 Ebenezer Woodworth b: May 25, 1676 in Scituate, MA
....... 3 Mary Woodworth b: July 8, 1678 in scituate, MA
....... +Stephen Vinal b: March 11, 1674/75 in Scituate, MA
....... 3 John Woodworth b: August 31, 1683 in Scituate, MA
....... +Mary Rose
....... 3 Hannah Woodworth b: September 7, 1685
....... 3 Jerusha Woodworth b: December 1, 1688 in scituate, MA
......... + (1) John Randall + (2) Ebenezer Ransom
....... 3 Ebenezer Woodworth b: August 10, 1690 in scituate, MA
........ +Mary Wade b: December 3, 1688 in Scituate, MA
........ *2nd Wife of Ebenezer Woodworth:
....... +Joanna Woodward b: February 20, 1695/96
.. 2 Sarah Woodworth b: abt 1643
.. 2 Joseph Woodworth b: abt 1645 in Scituate, Plymouth Colony, Mass
............. +Sarah Stockbridge baptized: March 15, 1645/46 in Scituate, Mass
........ 3 Joseph Woodworth b: March 10, 1670/71 in Scituate, Mass
........ +Rebecca
........ 3 Margaret Woodworth b: July 19, 1673 in Marshfield, Mass
......... +Thomas Fish b: 1665 in Sandwich or Duxbury, Mass
........ 3 Benjamin Woodworth b: August 6, 1676 in Little Compton, RI
....... + Anna Torrey b. September 16, 1680
........ 3 Sarah Woodworth b: August 1678
........ 3 Elizabeth Woodworth b: August 1680
........ +Thomas Chittenden b: November 14, 1683 in Scituate, Massachusetts
........ 3 Eunice Woodworth b: January 1682/83
........ 3 Abigail Woodworth b: April 16, 1685 in Scituate, Plymouth, Massachusetts
........ +Thomas Merritt b: September 1688 in Scituate, Plymouth, Massachusetts
........ 3 Ruth Woodworth b: May 8, 1687
........ +Benjamin Silvester b: December 26, 1687 in Scituate, Plymouth Colony
... 2 Elizabeth Woodworth b: abt 1647
... 2 Benjamin Woodworth b: abt 1649 in Scituate
... +Deborah (Perhaps Benjamin) (died between 1683 and 1688)
....... 3 Elizabeth Woodworth
....... +Benjamin Southworth
....... 3 Deborah Woodworth
....... +Ephraim Sprague
....... 3 Mary Woodworth b: Abt 1683
........ +Benjamin Sprague
*2nd Wife of Benjamin Woodworth:
........      +Hannah
....... 3 Benjamin Woodworth b: Abt 1689
.......   +Mary Weeks
....... 3 Ichabod Woodworth b: March 12, 1690/91 in Little Compton, RI
....... +Sarah Bass b: December 19, 1699
....... 3 Ebenezer Woodworth b: March 12, 1690/91 in Little Compton, RI
...... +Rebecca Smalley
...... 3 Hannah Woodworth b: abt 1693
...... 3 Ruth Woodworth b: abt 1695
....... 3 Amos Woodworth b: abt 1697
....... 3 Ezekiel Woodworth b: abt 1696
....... +Lydia Simmons b: March 27, 1693
.......3 Judith Woodworth b: abt 1701
.......3 Margaret Woodworth b: abt 1703
....... 3 Caleb Woodworth b: May 22, 1704 in Lebanon CT
....... +Jane Munger b: Abt 1708 in East Guildford, Connecticut
....... 3 Priscilla Woodworth b: 1706
.. 2 Mary Woodworth b: March 10, 1650/51
.. +Aaron Simmons b: abt 1638
.. 2 Martha Woodworth b: abt 1657
.. +Zachary Damon b: abt 1654
.. 2 Isaac Woodworth b: abt 1660
... +Lydia Standlick
....... 3 Lydia Woodworth b: Abt 1687
....... 3 Isaac Woodworth b: Abt 1689 in Scituate
.......      +Ruth Douglas b: abt 1685
.......     *2nd Wife of Isaac Woodworth:
.......          +Miriam
....... 3 Moses Woodworth b: Abt 1691 in Scituate
....... +Mehitable Gay b: in Lebanon, Connecticut
....... 3 Grace Woodworth b: Abt 1695 in Little Compton, RI
....... 3 David Woodworth b: March 18, 1696/97 in Little Compton, RI
....... +Hannah Gay
....... 3 Daniel Woodworth b: October 10, 1698 in Little Compton, RI
....... +Mehitable Brown b: January 19, 1693/94 in Rowley, Mass
....... 3 Stephen Woodworth b: April 10, 1701 in Little Compton, RI
....... +Alethea Smith b: January 29, 1714/15 in Groton, CT
....... 3 Joshua Woodworth b: September 1703 in Norwich, CT
....... +Ruth Brown
....... 3 Joanna Woodworth b: Abt 1706 in Norwich
.. 2 Mehitable Woodworth b: August 15, 1662
.. 2 Abigail Woodworth b: 1664/1665
......... +John Jackson

For comments or information regarding Walter Woodworth, contact Marvin "Woody" Woodworth at wildwudy@aol.com and mention this web page with your message.

The Woodworth genealogy group discussion list administrator is Sharon Bias

at SGBelverta@aol.com . We can all thank Sharon both for starting the Rootsweb Woodworth mail list that has made Woodworth group communication simple. We started before Rootsweb mail lists existed, and we handled our mail with many addresses in the "TO" block.

In addition, thanks to Charlotte Menon

autumnight@hotmail.com for saying "Why not?" and e-mail encouragement for getting a Woodworth web page up.

NOTE: Special thanks to cousin Helen Hull for her Woodworth help and influence beginning about 33 years ago. If not for her informing our family of Jeanette Behan's newsletters and pending book in the mid-1980s, this web page would not exist.