Analysis:The Wife of John Woods

Contents 1 Related 2 Background 3 Analysis 4 Conclusion 5 Footnotes		Woods Tapestry Register Data Notebooks Analysis Graphics Bibliography Index (parent category needed)
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Related

Person:John Woods (11)

Person:Michael Woods (1)

Fabosbecker on March 10, 1998 fide James Jordan Family Tree extracted 4 July 2011

dlehman6 Family Tree on Ancestry extracted 4 July 2011

Background

John Woods (11), the father of Michael Woods (1), is commonly identified as having married an Elizabeth Worsop. Numerous lineages on Ancestry, for example make this identification. Other lineages on Ancestry identify his wife as "Elizabeth Woods". Fabosbecker, 1999 has examined this question, and presented her conclusion publicaly. The following is the essential core of her argument. The documentation for her argument is sparse, and additional work is needed to capture/verify some of the points she makes. Note that Fabosbecker gives Elizabeth's last name as "Worsham", not "Worsop". No explanation is immediately available for this difference. Ancestry currently (January 2013) provides 35 lineages for John Woods=Elizabeth Woods, and no lineages for John Woods=Elizabeth Worsham.

Analysis

John Woods (11) is commonly said to have married second an Elizabeth Worsham in Ireland. Several researchers in the 1970's and 1980's, including in particular Ruth Lamar Petracek (in "Woods-Wallace Cousin Clues"), have explored this. Their conclusion was that a John Wood (no 's') did indeed marry an Elizabeth Worsham about the right time to be the the parents of Michael Woods (1), but that they were not in fact Michael's parents. The basis for this conclusion (referencing "Public Records office, Belfast, Ireland, T 559, Vol. 42, p. 148") is that John Wood and Elizabeth Worsham did not in fact have any children.

Instead, according to Fabosbecker, Sir John Woods of Dunshaughlin castle married a cousin of his, named Elizabeth Woods^[1] daughter of Thomas Woods of Dunshaughlin and Elizabeth Parsons, who married in County Meath in 1661. John Woods and Elizbeth Woods, did in fact have children, including (among others) Michael (1), and his sister Elizabeth who married to a Wallace, believed to be named Peter.

Additional data from Ulster-Scot Historical Society of Belfast, Ireland, fide dlehman6 2011 supplied the following:

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, T 559, Vol. 42, p. 348: Richard Wood of Dublin, merchant, seized of Ballylough, Calberstown and Rossmead in Westmeath, Esq., will dated 20 Feb. 1674. Had son:

John Wood of Rossmead in County Westmeath, also of Garclony in Co. Meath, Edq., married Mary ----. His will dated 15 Aug. 1710, proved 16 May 1711. Had son:

John Wood of Rossmead, Esq. (will dated 9 March 1723, proved 24 April 1730 [sic], died 1 April 1734) married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Thomas Worsopp of Dunshaghlin, Co. Meath, Knt. (her will dated 7 May 1741, proved 17 Nov. 1741). Died without issue.

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, T 599, Vol. 42, p. 148: Anne Bedlow m. John Wood of Rosmead in Co. Meath Esq. will dated 9 March 1723, proved 24 April 1730, sine prole ^[2]m. Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Thomas Worsopp of Dunshaghlin, Co. Meath, Knt., will dated 7 May 1741 proved 17 Nov. 1741.

In the above, there are several references to persons who "died without issue", and it is not always clear who this phrase refers to, and could be variously interpreted. One interpretation, for example, that some have drawn is that Michael Woods (1) was the son of John Wood and Anne Bedlow (and that it was only Elizabeth Worsop who died without issue. However scrutiny of the first item suggests that it was John Wood husband of Ann Bedlow and Elizabeth Worsop, who is said to have died without issue. In this case, neither Ann nor Elizabeth had childen by John Wood and so Michael Woods (1) can not be their son.

Conclusion

While the available evidence could be improved upon, it seems most likely that the parents of Michael Woods (1) were John Woods (11) and Elizabeth Woods.

Footnotes

1. ↑ Fabosbecker notes that "We're still looking for more records of Sir John and his wife Elizabeth both surnamed Woods. We have reason to believe they were married in 1689.
2. ↑ Died without issue.