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Additional family material not about Joshua:
CYRUS WOODMAN.*
A good man has gone from among us; we cannot see him more,
hear his kindly voice, nor grasp his genial hand; yet Cyrus
Woodman will ever live in the memory of those who knew him
best. Many a cheering word, many a timely act is deeply
engraved on sorrowing hearts that never can forget their
benefactor. He graduated at Bowdoin College in 1836, entered
Harvard Law School in October, 1838, was admitted to the bar in
Boston in July, 1839, and left soon after for Illinois as an
agent for the Boston and Western Land Company.
Mr. Woodman was one of the pioneers of the West, going
there in early lifts; no one ever worked harder than he,
spending days together in the wilderness with only his compass
for a guide.
He remained with this company till 1843, when it dissolved
and he entered into partnership with Hon. C. C. Washburn of
Mineral Point, Wisconsin, who was afterward a representative to
congress from that state, a major-general in the late civil
war, and later, Governor of Wisconsin. This partnership
continued happily till dissolved by mutual consent in 1855.
Mr. Woodman inherited the peculiar traits of his family,
appearing sometimes stern and blunt to those who did not know
him, while beneath the exterior beat a kind and tender heart.
Although much of his life was spent away from his native town
and childhood home and friends, yet none were ever forgotten or
shunned for foolish pride; all were alike dear and sacred to
him. His kindred and townsmen were especially remembered, but
he found friends everywhere.
He entertained a love and goodwill toward all whom he knew, and
perhaps it was this spirit which prompted him to devote much
time and money in preparing and publishing the genealogy of the
name he bore, and histories of men and places he admired, that
they might not be forever lost in obscurity. He was a member of
several societies for the collection and preservation of
historical and genealogical matters interesting the general
public, and offered assistance at various times to procure the
records of any towns in this state which could be obtained and
copied, and place them where they wou1d be securely preserved
and readily accessible to people desiring such information as
they might furnish.
To express the character and peculiarities of our brother,
I cannot do better than quote the communication from one of his
college classmates, the Rev. Cyrus Hamlin, to the Bowdoin
Orient, soon after his death.
"One of the alumni of Bowdoin College has passed away whom
his brother-alumni and all friends of the college will sorely
miss. Cyrus Woodman of Buxton, of the class of 36, was a
student and man whom no one would forget after even the most
casual acquaintance. There were frankness, goodness,
simplicity, perfect independence, straightforwardness, and
cordial friendliness, which made you remember him as one you
would like to meet again.
"For the study of law, to which he first gave himself, be
seemed naturally fitted, not to he a "Philadelphia lawyer," but
one who would easily discern the right and boldly and clearly
maintain it without resort to any questionable measures.
"The circumstances and interests of life rather led him to
the management at land and railroad enterprises, in which he
had eminent success. His business habits were exact, his
judgment excellent. There were no loose ends, no ragged
corners, no dirty corners in his affairs. Any one could see his
character in his letters.
"The handwriting was bold, clear, uniform, and as easy to
read as the best printed page. What he had to say was said in
fitting words, tersely, compactly, with no obscurity or
possibility of it. Having said just what he wanted to say, his
note, letter, or argument closed with no labored peroration.
Ha was a man to be trusted with your interests fully. You would
be sure to he kept informed of the exact state of things
without gloss or exaggeration. But there wan another side to
Mr. Woodman s character more difficult of exact delineation, if
not of comprehension. He was, like a great many others, a
kind-hearted, generous man. But he had his own peculiar way of
doing a favor. He had a singular insight into the right time
and best way, which would sometimes suggest the idea that
spirits unseen had been mediums of communication. I will give
an illustration, although it is personal. He once sent me a
check, giving as a reason an old favor which I had done him and
which he said had not been suitably recognized by him. The
reason was entirely out of place, for it had been covered deep
by greater favors. But the check fell into the exact place it
was wanted and filled it. The memory of it will last with
others after I have passed away. There was no possibility of
his knowing anything of the existing exigency. You might say
it was all chance, and if only one such happy guess had
occurred, you would be justified in saying so. But I could give
other cases quite as singular. Such things happen only with
those who watch for occasions and who have a faculty of
observation and judgment, so that it becomes a kind of natural
instinct to do the right thing at the right time. I was not of
his class, nor of his college society. I was orthodox, he
unitarian, but we always met cordially as friends, whether
because we were alike or unalike I do not know and do not care.
None of my Bowdoin friends have done me such repeated favors as
he. I shall always keep upon my desk a memento inscribed,
CYRUS WOODMAN
TO
CYRUS HAMLIN."
Our late brother was descended from Edward Woodman and his
wife Joanna, who come from England, and probably from the town
of Corsham, a village in Wiltshire about eleven miles from
Christian Malford in 1635, and settled in Newbury,
Massachusetts. Of the ninety-one grantees who settled Newbury,
fifteen were entitled to the appellation of Mr., and one of
these was Edward Woodman.
He was a man of influence, decision and energy; a deputy to the
General Court in 1636-7-9 and 43; one of three commissioners
to end small causes in Newbury in i638-41-5 and 6; one of the
first selectmen of Newbury, having been elected in 1636, and
his name heads the list as we find it. Therefore for many years
he was one of the leading men in town.
He and his wife Joanna were living in February, 1688; she
was then 74. He died before 1694, his age not known to the
writer.
Edward and Joanna had seven children, one of whom was Joshua,
and as his gravestone tells us, "was the first man child born
In Newbury." He married Elizabeth, daughter of Capt. John
Stevens, one of the first settlers of Andover. Joshua had ten
children, one of whom was Benjamin2 born 1683 married in 1711
Elizabeth, daughter of William Longfel1ow and wife Anne Sewall,
a sister of Judge Samuel Sewall. William Longfellow was born in
Hampshire, England, and was the only one of that name who came
to America. He was a man of talent and education, but was not
so much of a Puritan as some others, says the biographer.
Benjamin Woodman had nine children, one of whom was
Joseph4, born in 1715, married in 1739, Catharine, daughter of
Isaac and Mary (Smith) of Reading. Joseph Woodman removed to
Narraganset No. I (now Buxton, Me.) about 1740, was there and
at Biddeford until 1750, when he became a permanent settler in
Buxton, where he erected and owned a mill and managed a lumber
business for many years, and was one of the most enterprising
and leading business men of the town.
He was more than once married, and had nine children one
of whom was Joseph5, born in Biddeford about 1749, married
Abigail, daughter of Michael and Elizabeth (Dyer) Woodsum of
Buxton, 1773.
Michael Woodsum was probably son of Joseph of Berwick, as
his marriage record states he was of that town. His wife
Elizabeth Dyer was of Biddeford, where she was baptized in
1755. Joseph Woodman was an enterprising, wide-awake business
man, associated with most of the prominent business of Buxton
during his manhood, employing and directing most of his life
many men, always charitable, indulgent and kind, had few
enemies and many friends. He had twelve children, one of whom
was Joseph, born 1783, married first, Susanna, daughter of Rev.
Patti Coffin of Buxton, 1813. She died, 1833. He married
second, Dorcas, daughter of Dr. Royal Brewster of Buxton, 1837.
We find him a student in Exeter Academy in 1802-3. He
studied law with Hon. Cyrus King and Joseph Bartlett of Saco,
and Hon. John Holmes of Alfred, was admitted to the Ear, 1809.
He settled in Buxton, where all his sons were born. In 1840 he
went to Illinois to visit a son and spent the remainder of his
life at the West. He was a man of clear discriminating
intellect, cared not for public office, though at one time a
member of the house of representatives of Massachusetts while
Maine was a part of that state. He held the respect and esteem
of all who knew him. He had five children of whom the eldest
was Cyrus, the subject of this paper, born June 2, 1814, being
therefore a grandson of Rev. Paul Coffin.
Mr. Woodman married in 1842 at Tremont, Illinois,
Charlotte, daughter of Dea. Ephraim Flint of Baldwin, Me. In
the summer of 1856 he went to Europe with his family, and
returned to the West in 1859. He was nominated and elected a
member of the lower House in the Wisconsin legislature in 1861,
but resigned before taking his seat on account of business
engagements out of the state. He moved to Cambridge, Mass., in
i863, where he remained till his death, March 30, 1889.
At his decease his remains were brought for interment with
those of his ancestors at Buxton. The church where the funeral
services were held was thronged with people of his native town,
who came to look for the last time on one they respected and
loved.
He had six children: Mary, Frank, Frank, 2d, Walter,
Walter, 2d, and Edward. His wife, two sons and the daughter
survive him. The sons, Walter a physician, and Edward a lawyer,
are residents of Portland, Maine.
Woodmans of Buxton, Maine, pp 5-8:
JOSHUA,2 the son of Edward,1 was, as his grave-stone tells
us, the "first man child borne in Newbury." Took the oath of
allegiance 1678. Then called 41.
He married Elizabeth, daughter of Capt. John Stevens, one
of the first settlers of Andover, Jan. 22, 1665, probably
1665-6.
He seems to have lived both in Andover and Newbury, for
the record of the births of the four first and three last of
his children is recorded in Andover, and of the others in
Newbury.
He owned land in Haverhill, and as he built a house there
between 1660 and 1668, it is probable that he for a time
resided there. [See Chase's History of Haverhill, p. 93.] I
find nothing to indicate where his homestead was, nor what his
occupation was. I find no evidence that he owned land in
Andover, where he probably spent the most of his married life,
nor that he owned any in Newbury, except twelve acres bought of
Benjamin Lowle in 1698, in the tract called the freehold lots,
in the upper woods, which was bounded "northerly by the highway
upon Merrimack River." I do not suppose that this was his
homestead. It was bought after he was sixty years old. After
his death it was conveyed by his children to Thomas Williams.
By his will he devised his land in Haverhill to three of
his sons. It included a part (120 acres) of 220 acres which his
father Edward1 bought of Stephen Kent, Nov. 21, 1662, and of
which he gave or sold 100 acres to his son Edward2 and 120
acres to his son Joshua.2 I am informed that this land
probably lies where the city of Lawrence now is. It was sold to
Benjamin Stevens, of Andover, by Joshua's three sons, to whom
it was given by will in 1705, and by Edward2 in 1711, each of
these parties conveying their respective interests. It also
appears, from the deed of the three brothers, that their father
owned, and they by his will acquired, one quarter of 300 acres,
"lying on ye west of the Township of Haverhill aforesaid & on
ye North of Two Little Ponds," which land, it seems, "was
granted by ye General Court to Ensign Samuel Green, of
Cambridge and confirmed anno 1667." The lands above mentioned
cover all that he owned, so far as I can discover.
He doubtless died in Byfield Parish, for there he was
buried, and the witnesses to his will lived there. He was,
perhaps, at the time of his death, living with his son Jonathan
in Rowley, and in that part of it included within the limits of
Byfield Parish. The meeting-house in that Parish stands on the
line between Newbury and Rowley, with a graveyard adjoining.
About fifty feet from the meeting-house are small slate stones,
marking his grave and that of his son Joshua. Some years since
I had four rough granite posts set, connected by iron chains,
to enclose their graves.
The inscription on the grave-stone of Joshua,2 as given by
Coffin in his History of Newbury, is as follows:
Here lies ye body of Mr
JOSHUA WOODMAN
Who died May ye 30th
1703, aged 67 years;
first man child borne
in Newbury,
& second inturid in
this place.
Joshua2's wife and their daughter Elizabeth were legatees
in the will of Elizabeth Stevens, widow of Capt. John Stevens,
of Andover. In her will (finished Sept. 1691) she calls them
eldest daughter and granddaughter. It is thus apparent that all
the descendants of Joshua2 are descendants of Capt. John
Stevens
The list of his children is as follows:
1. ELIZABETH,3 b. Feb. 6, 1667; m. Daniel Tenney, of
Rowley, June 5, 1712.
ii. DOROTHY,3 b. Nov. 13, 1669. According to Coffin's list
she m. John Thurston, May 17, 1732. She was living when her father
made his will, but she does not join with the other heirs
in the deed to William, dated Dec. 27, 1712, of the 12 acres above
mentioned.
There were two other Dorothys, if living, of suitable
age for marriage in 1732; one the daughter of David and Jane (Short)
Woodman, b. in 1716, and the other a daughter of Joshua and
Mehetabel (Wicomb) Woodman, b. between 1703 and Dec. 1706.
Dorothy, daughter of Joshua,2 if living at the time of
Thurston's marriage,
must have been about 63 years old. I doubt whether
Thurston married this Dorothy.
iii. JOSHUA,3 b. April 2, 1672; cordwainer; m. Mehetabel
Wicomb, of Rowley. Intention of marriage dated May 26, 1703. The
date of the marriage, as given by Coffin, is Dec. 15, 1703. He
was buried by the side of his father, and the grave-stone bears
the following inscription:
"Joshua Woodman Junr Died Decemr ye 14 1706 & in ye 35 year of His Age."
A deed made by his widow to Ezekiel
Northend, April 1, 1707, conveys 8 1/2 acres of land,
"where he set up his new house before he deceased." The land is in
Rowley. He left two daughters--the only children--Mehetabel and
Dorothy. The former was born Aug. 28, 1704. They conveyed their
interest in the above mentioned 8 1/2 acres in 1726 and 1727,
being then unmarried. Under date of Dec. 1, 1708, an intention of marriage
is recorded between Jno. Smith, Jr. and Mehetabel
Woodman, of Rowley, widow; probably the widow of this Joshua.3
iv. JONATHAN,3 b. April 1, 1674; m. Sarah, eldest dau. of
Stephen Mighill, of Rowley, June 24, 1700. The widow of Mighill m.
(???) Greenough. The births of two of his children are
recorded in Rowley, viz.: of Stephen, b. April 15, 1701, and
Jonathan, b. Feb. 20, 1702-3. The births of eleven other children are
recorded in Bradford. He settled in Bradford, and I suppose lived
near Johnson's Pond, in that town. He bore the title of captain.
v. A son, b. June 30, 1676. Probably died at or near birth,
as his name is not recorded, though his birth is.
vi. MEHETABEL,3 b. Sept. 20, 1677; m. Philip Goodridge,
April 16, 1700. Goodridge, according to Coffin, was a son of Jeremiah
and grandson of William Goodridge. Dorothy, a daughter of Philip
and Mehetabel, m. Jacob, son of Thomas Gould, Feb. 4, 1731, and d.
March 23, 1801. [See Vol. xi. p. 134, Essex Historical Collections.]
vii. DAVID,3 b. July 30, 1680; cooper; m. Dorothy, dau. of
William Moody, Nov. 30, 1710. She died Oct. 11, 1711. He
married a second wife, Jane Short, Oct. 21, 1713. She was a
daughter of Henry Short by his wife Elizabeth, who was a daughter
of Henry Sewall and widow of William Longfellow. He and his
brother Benjamin Woodman married half sisters. In 1714, his
father-in-law Moody conveyed 37 acres to him, lying at Newbury
Falls. He owned other lands at the Falls, and doubtless resided
there. According to Coffin's list, he had nine children, but on the
records the birth of others is recorded, viz.: Abner, b. Nov. 23,
1733; bapt. Nov. 25, 1733; Joseph, bapt. Feb. 29, 1735-6, but his
birth is not recorded; Samuel, born Aug. 1737, bapt. Aug. 21, 1737.
According to Coffin, David3 died in 1738.
viii. BENJAMIN,3 b. July 27, 1683. Was the father of the three
brothers who settled in Buxton. More of him in subsequent
pages.
ix. SARAH,3 b. April 9, 1686. She d. April 11, 1712,
unmarried. A grave-stone still stands to her memory in the
graveyard where her father was buried.
x. MARY,3 b. April 9, 1690; m. James Wheeler, of Rowley, May 7, 1709
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