The Woodsons are a large early Virginia family related to my husband’s Williams clan, but he is connected only by marriages in another branch.

However, in taking a new deep dive into the five sons of Thomas Williams, written about a few days ago, I’ve found that there isn’t much documentation about the family of Anderson Woodson, the father-in-law of Thomas Williams. Anderson’s daughter, Elizabeth, married Thomas in 1805.

Therefore, as part of my new research into Thomas Williams, I’ve compiled Anderson’s family, as named in the probate of his 1826 estate in Campbell County, Virginia.

Anderson Woodson was born c1755, probably in Cumberland County, Virginia, the son of John Woodson and Elizabeth Anderson. He is mentioned on page 55 of Volume 1 of Historical Genealogy of the Woodsons and Their Connections, by Henry Morton Woodson and found on FamilySearch. However, aside from naming his wife and four siblings, Mr. Woodson is silent on this branch of the Woodson family.

Anderson Woodson married Anna Lacklin about 3 July 1780 in Charlotte County, Virginia, the date on their marriage bond:

Little else is know about Anderson’s and Ann’s life as Anderson remained in Cumberland County for many years. By 1798, he apparently had removed to Buckingham County, Virginia, which is a severely burned county with few surviving records from that era.

However, by 1810, Anderson Woodson was enumerated in the Campbell County, Virginia census and he remained there for the rest of his life.

There is a female over 45 in both the 1810 and 1820 censuses, so Ann may have died not long before her husband.

When Anderson Woodson died intestate in 1826, his estate administration dragged on until 1832 and court files name his heirs, both in the estate settlement (Campbell County, VA Will Book 7:125) and in a diagram of his divided real estate (Campbell County, Va Will Book 6:498-499).

Below is an enlargement of part of the right side of the pages above:

Diagram of the divided real estate of Anderson Woodson (right side of the page:

Anderson’s wife, Ann, appears to have predeceased him, as she is not mentioned anywhere in the records. In fact, Ann may have died by 18 January 1798 (Cumberland County, VA Deed Book 8:135-136) when Anderson Woodson of Buckingham county, Virginia sold property in Cumberland County to Daniel Guerant. The sale was witnessed by Anderson’s son, John E. Woodson.

Children (All likely born in Cumberland county, Virginia):

1. John E., born c1781; died after 1833, when he last appears on the Personal Property Tax List in Campbell County, Virginia; married Sarah Woodson, daughter of Jacob, 14 December 1812, Campbell County, Virginia. John E. is not the same man (John Woodson) who married Susannah Wheeler in 1805 in Albemarle County. Both men are listed in the 1820 and 1830 censuses with two very different households! It appears that John E. Woodson had no surviving children.
2. Elizabeth, born c1784; died after 1833, when she is last found in a Personal property Tax List in Campbell County, Virginia; married Thomas Williams, 13 December 1805, Campbell County, Virginia
3. Anderson, born c1786; last found 19 January 1831 selling his portion of his father’s land to his brother Elijah; married Elizabeth Clarkson, daughter of Nelson, 30 January 1815, Campbell County, Virginia. Anderson may have died before 17 November 1836 when A.F. Beggars paid off a debt from the firm of Anderson Woodson & Beggars, but no mention made of Anderson. He is not found in the 1840 census.
4. Martha (Patsy), born c1788; unmarried in 1841 when named in sister Rhoda’s will
5. Sarah (Sally), born c1790; died before 21 February 1831 when her heir, Anderson Hundley, received her portion of her father’s real estate; married Mr. Hundley [perhaps in the time period when her family lived in Buckingham County] Anderson Hundley is not found in later records.
6. Thomas A., born c1792; died after 1840 census of Campbell County, Virginia; married Lucy B. Anderson, 11 December 1815, Campbell County, Virginia. The 1830 and 1840 Campbell County censuses both indicate that Lucy was a few years older than Thomas.
7. Elijah, born c1798; died before 28 December 1832, when his estate appraisal was recorded in Campbell County, Virginia; married Mahala (MNU), c1820. [Daughter Mary E. Hood’s 8 September 1861 death certificate names her parents as Elijah and Mahala Woodson.] Mahala was 64 years old in 1870, living next door to Nathaniel and Mary Hood in Appomattox County, Virginia. She was the administratrix of her husband’s 1833 estate.
8. David M., born c1800; died between 5 September 1838 and 21 October 1839, the dates he wrote his will and when it was proved, Portsmouth, Virginia; married (1) Harriet E. Martin, 9 April 1822, Portsmouth, Virginia (2) Mary Ann Rawls [stated in his will] by 1 September 1838. Campbell County, Virginia Deed Book 19:37-38 records the sale of David and Harriet’s portion of his father’s land to his brother Elijah in 1831. There is a marriage announcement for Rev. David Woodson and wife Harriet published in the Columbian Centinel in Massachusetts.
9. Nancy, born c1803; died 15 November 1872, Amherst County, Virginia; married Jonathan C. Hatcher, 15 February 1826, Campbell County, Virginia. In 1834, the Hatchers sold their land in Campbell County and moved to Rockbridge County, Virginia.
10. Rhoda, born c1805; died between 18 April and 13 September 1841, the date she wrote her will and date it was proved in court, Campbell County, Virginia. She left her estate to her sister Martha and brother Thomas A. Woodson.

Anderson Woodson was a wealthy man when he died in his 70s. However, of his ten children, only Nancy has been found in 1850. [Martha hasn’t been found after mention in sister Rhoda’s 1841 will.]

I hope this information helps other Woodson researchers in the future, but for now, it places Elizabeth Woodson, wife and young widow of Thomas Williams, in a FAN club.

Next up, I’ll do a deep dive into the life of Elizabeth (Woddson) Williams’ brother, John E. Woodson. He might hold the key to unlocking some of the mystery surrounding his nephews’ lives.