Old document of Woods re: Scotland to Northen Ireland
I have just received a transcription from a historical society in Lemont, Illinois written by my GG grandfather. James Woods. He emirated in the later part of the 1800's from Co. Down and/or Co. Antrim Northern Ireland. His son John and a Cousin George followed in the 1870 timeframe and settled in Chicago area.
The document recounts our family story of our branch of the Woods family in Scotland fleeing relgious persecution (protestant) during John Knox (1500's) timeframe and then it appears they later joined the Society of Friends (Quakers) while in Ireland. I heard as a child that we were Scotch Irish but this is the first substantiation supporting this. I do not have any info on the Scottish connection and would appreciate any input if this looks familiar.
Transcribed from pages in the Woods family files.
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Chicago January 16th 1878
By the request of my son John Woods I now commence to write down a short account of our ancestors. The most corect account of them I have I [received?]from my Grandmother about the year 1830 – she was then 80 years of age and an old man named James Turner 104 years old which used to come to the field where I used to be plowing. He said one day that I was the fifth generation that he had seen plowing. He told me that his Grandfather [& the?] first of my ancestors that came to that country were great friends & they used to spend a great deal of their time together reading and conversing on the scripture
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it must be now more than 250 years since the my GGG Grandfather his wife and son settled after fleeing from the north of Scotland during the persecution in that county caused by the reformation at the time John Knox began to preach the gosperl and in & spite of all opposition to spread the glad tidings of salvation offered to all men which blessing we all enjoy to the present day We have little account of them more than that they lived a quiet retired life not mingling with the affairs of the world only devoting their lives to the service of God They must have had to leave in haste as they had no furniture save an arm chair he fixed much
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As it was thought by the enemys of truth at that time to be a crime to have a bible in the house or to be caught reading it, he had the chair made with hinges in the seat and a place inside he could secrete his bible and the only time he ventured to read it was when he neeled down in the attitude of prayor he used to lift the seat and then the book could be opened and red without fear of detection he had a large estate but said it was no pleasure to him as long as he was debared from woshiping God according to the dictates of his conscience so he arose and left all save his chair & bible & what
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cash he had laid fast him His son continues to live on on the the same farm and a few years after had a son named after himself Hugh the same year his son was born he unfortunately had one of his eyes put out by a blow from a cows horn & twelve months afterwards he had the other knocked out by the same cow although blind he could have went to the stable and put the sadle on his pony and taken him out and road into Lisburn more than 4 miles and rode to where he had formerly been used to Stop and put his horse up and without any one to lead him could go to any house in town and do his buisiness and when he was ready to leave
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and return home could have went to the stable and if there had been fifty horses in the same stall could have picked his own out and road home as if he had seen his way One day I was talking to old Mr Turner I asked him how he could have maniaged to go around so well I always rembered the answer he gave me he he said James rember what I say I am [fairly?] convinced that he was led around by a supernatural spirit My G G grandfather had made the scriptures a study from his youth & had hear of George Fox and his followers and and came to the conclusion that their teaching was more like the teaching of Christ than any others at the time
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so he believed and joined the society of friends which held their meeting for the worship of God His son Hugh adheres to the same doctrine and a short time after his fathers death maried Nancy Johnston a woman much devoted to learning and much superior to most women at that time in knowledge she red a great deal and my Grandfather a very quiet good disposition and very glad always to see his neighbour calling to see him but he was very deaf and it was disagreeable to converse with him My Grandmother told me how his deafness served him at one time The had a neighbor which was an awful man
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to scold one day my Grandfathers cows had broken over the fence into his oats field he did not offer to turn them out but came to the house to scold My Grandmother seeing him comeing knew something was ron went and hid her self and he came in scolding and using the worst abusive language he could think of but my grandfather could not hear him and kept on telling him how glad he was to see him and inquiring about the health of his family which made him so angry that he could not talk and went away and turned them himself
More Replies:
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Re: Old document of Woods re: Scotland to Northen Ireland
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Re: Old document of Woods re: Scotland to Northen Ireland
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Re: Old document of Woods re: Scotland to Northen Ireland