Robert* Woodward

Other Events and Attributes:

• Religion: Quaker
• Immigration: Abt 1686

Notes:

http://www.woodward-mattson.com/woodward_history.html

As the primary source of earlier Chester County, Pennsylvania Woodward lineage before John Jackson Woodward (1812-1875), we have relied on Dr. Lewis Woodward's Woodward Genealogy of 1879. A copy of this book is located in the Chester County Historical Society Library, West Chester, PA. The Woodward-Mattsons can thus trace our line back to Robert Woodward (abt 1638-1698). The following is written about Robert in the "Woodward of Chester Co." file in the PA Historical Society, Phila. PA: "Robert Woodward came to Chester Co., PA about 1687....Robert first settled in Lower Providence Township, [then in Chester County, PA; after 1770, in Delaware Co. and now called Nether Providence Township], but in 1696 he was of the Manor of Rockland, Brandywine Hundred, [now New Castle County, DE]. Later he was in Birmingham and East Bradford Township, Chester Co., PA. He had two children: Ann, d. 1720; m. 6/27/1698 or 7/26/1698 to George James of Springfield Township; and Richard (1673-1748), m. Mary Nayle"

Now here is the mystery. Most research agrees that Robert had a brother Richard. The two are mentioned as early as 1688 in court documents as having served as jurors. An Elizabeth Woodward, possibly a sister, married a Thomas Eavenson on 26 Jul 1688.. However, NO ONE, to my knowledge, has yet been able to link Robert and Richard Woodward definitely to England! My own conjecture is that the brothers may have originated in the Cheshire area, since many of their neighbors in Lower Providence Township, Chester County, PA came from that region. Neighbors John Simcock and John Sharpless both arrived in Upland, PA, 14 August 1682 on The Friendship out of Liverpool. Both neighbors were from Cheshire, England.

The religion of the early Woodwards, like that of their neighboring farmers, was Quaker.

The origins of the name Woodward: The American Genealogical Research Institute (AGRI) tells us that Woodward is an occupational name derived from the combination of "wood" with the Old English "weard," a guardian. The woodward (warden of the woods) was employed by estate owners to guard their private timber stands and game reserves. However, some researchers assert that "Woodward" is the anglicization of the Norman knight, Garde du Bois, "guardian of the wood." Further, the Norman Garde du Bois is an adaptation from the Norse "Videvarde." Norsemen settled in Normandy about the 8th c. AD. In England, some early variants of the name were Wadard, Wodeward (1272), and Woddeword (1379). AGRI says that the name Woodward is most abundant in the English counties of Worcestershire, Derbyshire, and Gloucestershire. The 1970 U. S. Census shows Woodward to be the 722nd most frequently occurring surname in the nation. In 1980, there were more than 40,000 adult Americans named Woodward.

Robert* married about 1670. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Richard Woodward, (immigrant?) was born on 17 Dec 1673 in Cheshire, England (pos); died in 1748 in of Bradford, Pennsylvania.
2. Anne* Woodward was born before 1683 in Cheshire, England (pos); died in 1720 in Chester Co (now Delaware) Pennsylvania.